Meet Footsteps2Brilliance

Ilene, a lifelong entrepreneur, is the dynamic CEO and Founder of Footsteps2Brilliance, an educational technology company dedicated to revolutionizing and scaling early literacy and financial education. Under her visionary leadership, the company has become a beacon of innovation, providing transformative solutions to school districts across the United States. Ilene’s commitment to enhancing educational outcomes for all students has earned her numerous accolades.  She was named one of the top 100 women leaders in STEM education, featured in the best-selling book “Women Mean Business;” and honored with the Wesleyan University Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her thought leadership in the field of education technology, and serves as an advisor to the Women’s Business Collaborative, furthering her commitment to empowering women in business.  In partnership with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and KVCR/PBS, Ilene helped create “Learn with Me,” the first-ever transmedia educational program that resulted in an Emmy nomination based on Footsteps2Brilliance’s books, songs, and educational games.

Ilene’s commitment to enhancing educational outcomes for all students has earned her numerous accolades.  She was named one of the top 100 women leaders in STEM education, featured in the best-selling book “Women Mean Business;” and honored with the Wesleyan University Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her thought leadership in the field of education technology, and serves as an advisor to the Women’s Business Collaborative, furthering her commitment to empowering women in business. 

Prior to Footsteps2Brilliance, Ilene served as President of Strategic Initiatives for Achieve3000 and co-founded Lightspan, an educational software company that successfully bridged school and home using videogame technology. She began her career as a teacher, during which she designed curriculum and authored textbooks. As a lawyer, she served as General Counsel to the Government Operations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, General Counsel to the Software Publishers Association (now SIIA), and Special Assistant to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Ilene received her J.D. from The Georgetown University Law Center, and her B.A. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

Eugene is a visionary C-level executive leader and strategist, recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to educational technology. With over 25 years of expertise, Eugene has led the design and implementation of innovative solutions across instructional content, assessment, data warehousing, and curriculum mapping systems. His leadership, rooted in diffusion of innovation research, has enabled organizations to scale educational breakthroughs within school systems, achieving widespread adoption and surpassing growth targets.

As Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Footsteps2Brilliance, Eugene has been instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic direction, creating transformative statewide and district-wide infrastructures that deliver unmatched adoption success rates. His leadership has propelled sales teams to unprecedented achievements, securing record-breaking deals and driving company growth by over 300%. Known for his focus on systemic educational reform, Eugene is dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap and advancing achievement for all students.

Eugene’s career began as an English teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, followed by a tenure as a Communications Professor at Illinois State University and Mount San Antonio College.

Eugene holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication from Illinois State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication from Bradley University. An award-winning public speaker, he has been nationally recognized in over 50 final rounds of collegiate speech and debate tournaments, contributing to a national champion speech team. His dynamic leadership and unwavering commitment to educational innovation make him a trusted voice in the EdTech sector and beyond.

Penny is a distinguished and forward-thinking executive leader, strategist, and operational powerhouse. She brings over twenty years of extensive strategic planning and business development experience helping organizations break through and elevate the enterprise to another level.

She is recognized as one of the Top 10 Inspiring Women Leaders by Industry Era’s Magazine in 2023. Penny is an unstoppable force that has been honored to help organizations accelerate business value, propel strategic vision, and catapult growth. She demonstrates a proven track record of success in driving continuous improvement, unlocking potential, and scaling the business to succeed. 

Penny is a servant leader with an entrepreneurial mindset, consistently delivering more than expected.  In her role as the Chief Impact Officer at Footsteps2Brilliance, Penny leads the sales and marketing strategy and tactics, setting clear objectives that integrate social and education impact while achieving significant business growth goals.  Collaborating with the implementation team, the three areas work in harmony to support the culture and mission of Footsteps2Brilliance.

Kathy Maximov is a distinguished leader in early childhood education, specializing in language and literacy development. As Chief Academic Officer at Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc., Kathy has dedicated her career to advancing innovative solutions that empower educators, engage families, and transform early learning outcomes. Her extensive expertise spans curriculum design, adaptive learning, and professional development. Kathy is also the author of several children’s books.

With over 25 years of experience, Kathy has played a pivotal role in developing bilingual literacy solutions, computer-adaptive assessments, and data analytics tools that have won awards and set new standards in early education. She has led cross-functional teams to design and implement programs that are widely recognized for their impact, including statewide implementation.

Kathy began her career as a teacher, an experience that shaped her lifelong passion for improving early education. Today, she is a recognized thought leader, trusted advisor, and sought-after speaker..

Matthew Lilius is the Chief Technology Officer at Footsteps2Brilliance, an educational technology company dedicated to transforming early literacy and financial education for students globally. With over 30 years of experience in Information Technology, his background in higher education and federal government contracting provides a unique vantage point for designing innovative, secure, and scalable solutions—ensuring that Footsteps2Brilliance continues to deliver impactful digital learning experiences for educators and students everywhere.

As CTO, Matthew leads the strategic design and development of Footsteps2Brilliance’s cutting-edge platform, ensuring that educators and students benefit from intuitive, user-friendly tools. His commitment to quality and continuous improvement drives the adoption of best practices across cross-functional teams—promoting collaboration, efficiency, and meaningful learning outcomes.

Known for his forward-thinking leadership and passion for educational equity, Matthew continually explores new technologies to close the opportunity gap. He has led diverse teams through complex projects, championing a culture of creativity, accountability, and excellence. In addition to his technical expertise, Matthew is a trusted advisor in the EdTech space, drawing on decades of experience to guide Footsteps2Brilliance’s mission of empowering educators, families, and communities through world-class digital learning experiences.

Aurea Rodriguez Haegele has an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Bilingualism and ESL. She also has an M.Ed Guidance and Counseling. For over 30 years she has held various educational positions from PreK to adult education as a teacher, adjunct faculty member, educational consultant, program director, project manager, and implementation specialist. As a fully bilingual educator, she started a language school to support Spanish speakers learning English as well as English speakers learning Spanish. Aurea’s guidance and counseling background has provided her with the knowledge to combine social emotional development with educational programs. Aurea has extensive experience integrating technology to provide 21^st century learning in in-person, virtual, and hybrid classrooms.