Our Team
Our staff is made up of a diverse set of programmers with a wide range of coding experience, as well as backgrounds working with students of various ages. They are all very passionate about sharing their collective knowledge with those interested in starting their own programming journey.
Eric Mendelsohn
Co-Founder
With more than 25 years of experience in Education and Management, Eric has a wealth of knowledge that spans a variety of educational levels and learning practices. In addition to his valuable experience as an educator, Eric has served on a number of committees and boards, all with the focus of continued development of young minds.
His service includes being a Writing Team Member for the Nevada Department of Education K-12 Computer Science Standards (2018), an Advisory Board Member at Lied STEM Academy Middle School, and a School Organizational Team Member at Glen Taylor Elementary, Wallin Elementary, & Elise Wolff Elementary. Eric has been recognized by the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada as the Outstanding Community Partner Award in 2019, and the Vegas Top Tech Executive Community Exemplary Award in 2018.
He holds an M.A. in English and has extensive program development experience, covering countless courses in many areas of study, including: computer science, cultural training, learning development, and tutoring programs. He is committed to cultivating environments that inspire others to learn and create.
Sam Cornelius
Director
Working with Code Central since its beginnings in 2017, Sam was of the first wave of instructors hired to bring coding to the youth. Prior to that, he worked for the department of academic success at the College of Southern Nevada.
His time at CSN provided him with many opportunities to expand his skillset as an educator in CS and took it to Code Central to take his skills even further. Sam developed a custom learning management system for Code Central within his first year and that earned him a Lead Instructor role and later Curriculum Director.
Sam continued to contribute to STEM education when he worked with the board of education to help develop the Nevada Department of Education K-12 Computer Science Standards which he then created his own curriculum that was later accredited by those same standards. His dedication to youth and education continues to drive him to lead his team to the forefront of technology, preparing kids for whatever future technology brings.
Ebony M.
Smith College
Center Manager
After attending a summer camp focused on game development, Ebony started taking an interest in the field. She received her Bachelors in Computer Science from Smith College, where she was a member of an a-cappella group. Ebony has been coding for 6 years and teaching kids how to code since 2017. Her favorite programming language is Python. Outside of coding, she enjoys singing, traveling, and solving puzzles.
Abbey W.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Lead Instructor
Currently studying Computer Science at UNLV, Abbey found a love of coding through video games. She is a Unity-certified developer and is familiar with graphic design, animation, and robotics. She loves to teach students all types of programming and hopes to encourage more and more students to enjoy learning to code.
Talei S.
Western Governors University
Lead Instructor
Talei began coding when she was a freshman in high school. She continued studying on her own and attended a web development bootcamp in Las Vegas, NV. Since graduating in 2019, Talei has worked as a software engineer, working in both frontend and backend roles. She is currently studying cybersecurity at WGU and enjoys going to music festivals in her free time!
Monica N.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Lead Instructor
Monica got her degree in Computer Science from UNLV. Math is her favorite subject to study, and she enjoys working alongside kids as she’s able to show them new and exciting projects. In her free time, Monica enjoys listening to music.
Melody W.
Silverado High School
Instructor
Melody has been with Code Central since the opening of the Henderson location, starting out as a student, then a student volunteer, and now instructor. She is currently studying Software Development at CSN. Melody is passionate about coding teaching others how to code. She is also a talented artist and cat lover.
Abby C.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Instructor
Abigail Camara is an undergrad and Honors student from UNLV, where she is working towards her BA in Computer Science with a minor in Statistics. Abigail is passionate about coding and is excited to share her knowledge with others. She is also a talented singer and baker.
Owen R.
Utah Tech
Instructor
Owen is planning to attend Utah Tech this August, where he will study Game Development. Owen is passionate about all things game development and is excited to continue his education and career in this field.