Toledo, Ohio, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BrightMinds-AI, a new mission-driven education consultancy founded by former educators Claire Smizer-Muldoon and Jessica Maddry, officially announces its launch to help educational institutions implement artificial intelligence in a safe and ethical K-12 environment. Rooted in a deep understanding of both classroom realities and district-level constraints, BrightMinds-AI offers comprehensive, hands-on services that prioritize strategy, safety, and sustainability, something the founders say is lacking in the current education technology landscape.
BrightMinds-AI
“There is an overwhelming sense of urgency right now in schools around AI and tech integration, but much of it is artificial,” said co-founder and COO Claire Smizer-Muldoon. “Districts are being pressured to act quickly, often without a clear strategy or understanding of what tools are even being used effectively.”
BrightMinds-AI enters the market with a clear mission to protect districts from wasteful spending, predatory sales tactics, and hasty AI implementations that lack community context or long-term support. According to the founders, many education leaders are being pushed into expensive, fast-track AI partnerships that are not aligned with their actual goals, values, or student needs.
The company offers three core services. The first is a district-wide EdTech audit that helps schools uncover overlapping tools, underused licenses, and safety risks, offered with a low up-front cost and a shared-savings model. “We only win if districts win,” said co-founder and CEO Jessica Maddry. “That’s not just a slogan, it’s our commitment to financial and ethical partnership.”
The second service is AI and tech policy development, which ranges from customizable documentation libraries to fully bespoke strategy work tailored to a district’s unique culture and needs. Finally, BrightMinds-AI focuses on community engagement, an area the founders say is too often ignored. They conduct stakeholder surveys, facilitate community nights, and build engagement roadmaps that align tech decisions with public sentiment and parent concerns.
The concept for BrightMinds-AI was born from a conversation between Smizer-Muldoon and Maddry on LinkedIn, sparked by a real incident involving data privacy and education tech in Maddry’s daughter’s school. From there, they realized they had complementary perspectives: Maddry, with a sharp focus on privacy and student safety; Smizer-Muldoon, with a deep awareness of operational inefficiencies and funding waste in K–12 environments.
“We are not selling a product. We are offering a service that puts real people in the room, listens to educators, and walks districts through change at a human pace,” said Smizer-Muldoon. “Teachers and administrators are not asking for dashboards. They are asking for partners who can help them make sense of it all, in real time, with real answers.”
Both founders bring credibility and lived experience to their work. Maddry has built her career around youth advocacy. Through continuous learning, she has gone to great lengths to create a better environment for all. In fact, Maddry is currently completing her PhD in psychology to further this mission. On the other hand, Smizer-Muldoon joins in with a focus on tech integration and has consulted for various EdTech startups. Smizer-Muldoon began her career with aspirations in education policy, spent years teaching in underserved districts before moving into the EdTech space, where she supported everything from curriculum development to AI-based learning platforms.
“We have seen what happens when the wrong people get involved in school tech decisions,” Smizer-Muldoon said. “BrightMinds-AI was built as a direct response to that. We don’t believe in quick fixes. We believe in long-term partnerships, in doing the slow work that makes real change possible.”
With districts across the U.S. facing the twin pressures of budget cuts and AI adoption, BrightMinds-AI arrives at a critical time. The company’s unique approach, grounded in service, transparency, and hands-on support, aims to give districts not just tools but clarity.
“There is a narrow window right now to rethink how schools approach technology,” said Smizer-Muldoon. “This is the moment. And we can’t afford for anyone to waste it.”
Media Contact
Name: BrightMinds-AI Team
Email: hello@brightminds-ai.com
