Meet Our Instructors

Dan Rodney has been a designer and web developer for over 20 years, creating coursework and leading innovative training initiatives at Noble Desktop. Dan has been at the forefront of integrating AI into design and business workflows, spearheading Noble Desktop’s latest AI course offerings. In addition to teaching and curriculum development, he writes custom scripts for InDesign (Make Book Jacket, Proper Fraction Pro, and more) and works with automation and AI-driven tools in his free time. You can find Dan on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and at danrodney.com.

Learn more about Dan Rodney's background and expertise.

Jerron has more than 25 years of experience working with graphics and video and expert-level certifications in Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator along with an extensive knowledge of other animation programs like Cinema 4D, Adobe Animate, and 3DS Max. 

He has authored multiple books and video training series on computer graphics software such as: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash (back when it was a thing).

He has taught at the college level for over 20 years at schools such as NYCCT (New York City College of Technology), NYIT (The New York Institute of Technology), and FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology).

Learn more about Jerron Smith's background and expertise.

Art Yudin is a FinTech enthusiast who has a great passion for coding and teaching. Art is the founder and CEO of Practical Programming (a Noble Desktop partner company), a leading training company for aspiring developers and data scientists. Currently, Art develops financial services software and leads classes and workshops at Practical Programming in New York and Chicago. 

He is the author of several coding publications including "Building Versatile Mobile Apps with Python and REST with React and Django."

Eugenio Solis de Ovando is a Senior Instructor at Noble Desktop in New York City, specializing in graphic design, web design, and visual communication. With over 20 years of experience in the creative industry, Eugenio is passionate about helping students develop strong technical skills and a solid design foundation across print, digital, and web platforms.

Eugenio teaches a wide range of courses, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Figma, WordPress, UI Design, and Artificial Intelligence for Graphic Design. His classes are known for their clear, hands-on approach, blending technical mastery with creative exploration to help students bring their ideas to life with confidence and precision.

As an Adobe Certified Design Master and Licensed Private Career School Teacher in New York State, Eugenio is dedicated to delivering high-quality instruction and sharing best practices in digital design workflows. He brings real-world insights into the classroom, guiding students through professional techniques in layout design, typography, color theory, image editing, and responsive web design.

Learn more about Eugenio Solis de Ovando's background and expertise.

Garfield is an experienced software trainer with over 16 years of real-world professional experience. He started as a data analyst with a Wall Street real estate investment company & continued working in the professional development department at New York Road Runners Organization before working at Noble. He enjoys bringing humor to whatever he teaches and loves conveying ideas in novel ways that help others learn more efficiently.

Since starting his professional training career in 2016, he has worked with several corporate clients including Adobe, HBO, Amazon, Yelp, Mitsubishi, WeWork, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, and Hermès. 

Outside of work, his hobbies include rescuing & archiving at-risk artistic online media using his database management skills.

Brian is an experienced instructor, curriculum developer, and professional web developer, who in recent years has served as Director for a coding bootcamp in New York. Brian joined Noble Desktop in 2022 and is a lead instructor for HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Python for Data Science, and Excel. Prior to that, he taught Python Data Science and Machine Learning as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Westchester County College.

Learn more about Brian McClain's background and expertise.

Adebayo "Ade" Norman is a Senior Software Trainer with over 14 years of experience in the classroom. He is a training professional with vast troubleshooting/help desk experience and thousands of hours of software training & delivery experience. His specialty is in the In-person/Online Hybrid training environment needed in these new & changing times.

Colin Jaffe is a programmer, writer, and teacher with a passion for creative code, customizable computing environments, and simple puns. He loves teaching code, from the fundamentals of algorithmic thinking to the business logic and user flow of application building—he particularly enjoys teaching JavaScript, Python, API design, and front-end frameworks.

Colin has taught code to a diverse group of students since learning to code himself, including young men of color at All-Star Code, elementary school kids at The Coding Space, and marginalized groups at Pursuit.

Colin lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two kids, and many intricate board games.

Nicole McCullum is the founder of Captivate Designs, a web design and internet marketing company that helps small businesses establish a professional web presence and generate leads and sales online. She has been involved in web design and internet marketing since 2004 when she founded her first business, a real estate school. Having marketed her first business via the internet with great results, Ms. McCullum decided that she can help other business owners get great results from the internet and she parlayed her experience into a web design and digital marketing company.

Ms. McCullum helps her clients get exposure online and increase traffic to their websites through search engine optimization services and training. As a practitioner of SEO, Ms. McCullum has also worked as an SEO Consultant and SEO Trainer. Ms. McCullum has also trained both entrepreneurs and marketing professionals on how to execute a successful SEO strategy.

Michael is an independent designer and creative director. For over a decade, he has run the design studio Weirdo, helping early-stage startups and enterprise companies alike clarify their unique value proposition and meaningfully engage their customers.

Drawing on his experience as a certified Design Sprint facilitator and former startup co-founder, Michael has worked side-by-side with leaders at LinkedIn, Bose, KonMari, Lovevery, IntelyCare, Hazel Health, and more to launch new brands, products, and services. His projects have been featured in the likes of TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR, and won awards at South by Southwest and Games for Change.

Prior to his position at Noble Desktop, Michael served as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York, where he co-created the user experience curriculum for their workforce training program. He has also taught user experience design at General Assembly and lectured on playful design at MIT and Haverford College.

In his former lives, Michael covered arts and culture as a journalist, shipped award-winning educational games as a digital producer, and participated in two successful startup exits as a founding designer (SwitchUp acquired by Optimal in 2018, VocaliD acquired by Veritone in 2022). Raised in Hong Kong and educated in Vermont, he now lives in Queens, NY.

Christophe is the instructor for the UX & UI Design Certificate, Figma Advanced, and Generative AI courses at Noble Desktop, and the founder and Chief Design Officer of Kaaiind, which specializes in Applied Artificial Intelligence in the Creative field.

With over 20 years in Branding, UX Design, and Accessibility across Europe and the US, Christophe has positively impacted the digital experience of a large spectrum of companies, ranging from big data to startups, government entities to nonprofits, both in the private and public sectors.

As an Educator, Christophe has led transformative and award-winning UX programs at Thinkful, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the Brooklyn Public Library, which have opened doors for underrepresented groups in tech who have secured roles at top companies like Google, Uber, Citi, and IBM. Most recently, he has developed innovative curricula about AI in the workplace for the University of Phoenix, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera.

Today, he focuses on developing Allie, one of the first AI-powered, patent-pending color-blind safe and WCAG-compliant design system generator, while concluding his 5-year fundamental research on color vision deficiencies in digital environments.

Christophe believes in hands-on, practical application of human-centered strategy and ethical and inclusive design. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge to inspire and empower the next generation of designers, especially those entering the field through nontraditional paths.

With over 25 years of expertise in digital marketing, J.J. is a recognized authority in the field, blending deep strategic insight with hands-on experience across a wide range of industries. His career includes impactful work with global brands such as American Express, AT&T, McGraw-Hill, Young & Rubicam Advertising, and The New York Times. Holding an MBA in Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, J.J. has also served as an adjunct professor at Pace University, where he taught graduate-level marketing strategy.

J.J. is currently the Managing Partner at Contagency, a digital-first agency known for its expert strategy, visionary design, analytical rigor, and results-driven brand growth. In addition to leading agency work, he is an accomplished educator, actively teaching and developing advanced digital marketing curricula for industry professionals. His courses span key areas such as performance marketing, social content marketing, analytics, brand strategy, and digital innovation—empowering the next generation of marketers with actionable skills and thought leadership. 

J.J. is a certified Meta and Google Ads expert and his agency, Contagency, is a Meta business partner.

Passionate about value creation, problem-solving, and the intersection of marketing and technology, J.J. continues to drive meaningful change through education, innovation, and strategic execution.

Stephen teaches classes in the Motion Graphics and Video Editing Certificate programs. 

In addition to his work with Noble Desktop, Stephen teaches Nonfiction and Fiction Video Production, Motion Graphics, and Introduction to Film Production to grades 9-12 at LREI, a private K-12 school in New York’s Greenwich Village. 

In addition to teaching media classes, he runs his own production company, Indian summer Media. Through ISM he works as a freelance producer, specializing in documentary style films. 

Stephen holds a B.A. in Classics from Concordia University in Montreal and an MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University. 

While an accomplished professional his most beloved project has been raising his two young daughters, Margaret and Grace.

Mourad Kattan is an instructor and Program Director for Business, Finance, & Excel at Noble Desktop, teaching classes and designing courses in Excel, finance, accounting, and financial modeling. 

Before Noble Desktop, Mourad worked as a financial analyst at Credit Suisse and H/2 Capital Partners. In those positions, he used advanced analytical and financial skills to evaluate a variety of investments.

Mourad graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude and is part of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor's society.

Learn more about Mourad Kattan's background and expertise.

Steven Hulse is a Software Engineer, Educator, and Creative Technologist with nearly a decade of experience building full-stack applications and teaching the next generation of developers. He’s led immersive coding courses at institutions like Noble Desktop, Fullstack Academy, and Per Scholas, where he’s guided students through projects in front-end development, backend systems, and machine learning fundamentals.

With a strong belief that great software is both human-centered and technically sound, Steven blends empathy with engineering in every classroom and codebase he touches. His work spans startups and enterprise environments, where he’s developed scalable, user-friendly applications using tools like React, Node.js, and Spring Boot. As a curriculum designer, he’s also created educational materials focused on JavaScript, API development, Agile workflows, and accessibility. Steven’s specialties include frontend frameworks like React and Next.js, backend development with Node and Python, cloud infrastructure, and fields like generative AI.

Dan Perico has been teaching computer graphics programs since the mid-1990s, including Autocad, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, InDesign, After Effects, and PowerPoint, and is an Autocad Certified Professional.

He has decades of experience helping a wide variety of students from different industries solve their individual problems. He has brought that experience to creating all books and course materials for the 30-hour AutoCAD Level 1 & 2 bootcamp at Noble Desktop, of which he is the sole author.

He is also an artist and an avid photographer and videographer for the NYC live music scene, and is the chief photographer, videographer, and video editor for Dare2Draw, a non-profit mentoring and networking program focusing on developing new and existing talent that hosts live drawing events and interviews with professionals from the comics and cartooning industries.

After a successful career traveling internationally as a fashion executive, Grace Hochheiser journeyed back to her first love, the English language, and wrote her next chapter as a proofreader, copy editor, and business-writing instructor. She has edited everything from plays and photography books to an award-winning non-fiction book. After spending over a decade leading personal development classes to help others find their confidence and self-expression, she is focused on making a difference for students of every skill level in the professional development arena. 

 Whether customizing training classes for diverse corporate clients or leading hybrid classes on site, Grace truly enjoys creating an interactive learning environment in which students feel comfortable to participate, expand, and thrive. She has effectively delivered both full-day classes and focused one-hour modular sessions for organizations ranging from small non-profits such as OnPointNYC to large network systems like the NYPD and NYU Langone Health. Grace is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to each student's growth and success, and is continually inspired by the diverse groups of people she gets to work with as an instructor.

Cecilia is a Career Coach at Noble Desktop with over 15 years of experience helping professionals navigate career transitions, job searches, and personal brand development.

She has worked with clients at every stage of their professional journey, from new graduates to seasoned executives, specializing in resume strategy, LinkedIn optimization, networking techniques, and interview preparation. Her coaching approach is especially attuned to the needs of technology professionals, drawing on her own background in tech and education to deliver practical, personalized guidance.

In addition to her coaching role with Noble Desktop, Cecilia has served as a Career Coach for Indeed, where she has spent the last three years supporting job seekers across industries with high-impact tools and strategies. She holds a Master’s in Education as well as certifications in UX/UI Foundations, MTA HTML5 Application Development, and MTA Network Fundamentals.

Cecilia’s passion lies in helping others find clarity and confidence in their careers. Whether she’s working one-on-one or leading a group session, her goal is to empower others to take small, bold steps that lead to meaningful professional shifts. She brings warmth, insight, and a deep respect for every client’s unique path to each interaction.

David Karlins is a student of and resource for communication technology, culture, and technique. His recent books include Building Websites All-In-One For Dummies (co-author);  Adobe Analytics for Dummies (co-author); HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies; and Adobe Illustrator CC for Dummies. David is a working UI/UX designer and content developer; creator of online courses syndicated through Cengage Learning and LinkedIn Learning; and Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY) and New York University (NYU).

Richard is the lead instructor for several finance courses, including Financial Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis, Stock Market Investing, and Financial Modeling, at Noble Desktop. 

Richard trained new Investment Bank and Private Equity hires, including the Bank of America and Houlihan Lokey, in Modeling Mergers & Acquisitions, Trading Comps, LBOs, DCF, and 3 Statement Financial modeling. He also taught graduate university courses in Accounting, Financial Derivatives (Futures, Options, and Swaps), Fixed Income Analytics, and Corporate Finance. He currently teaches undergraduate courses in Financial Management and Data Analytics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

 Richard supported the Foreign Exchange Desk and Equity Desk at JP Morgan, worked as an equity research analyst at Malley Associates in NYC, developed Trade Capture Systems for Foreign Exchange and Bond Trading, and worked as a consultant, modeling/valuing real estate development (including corporate lease agreement analysis), and financial planning.

Richard holds an MBA in Finance, was awarded the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter, the CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investments Analysts) charter, and the CMA (Chartered Management Accountant) charter.

Scott Carson started Noble Desktop in 1990 and has been involved with computer graphics since 1986. He began teaching at Parsons School of Design in 1991, and has been training designers, professionals, and career-changers ever since. Scott is also a horse racing aficionado and runs the largest horse racing contest on the internet, PublicHandicapper.com

Matt has directed a network of over 400 Drupal-based e-commerce websites for independent businesses; assisted several companies in migrating from legacy platforms to Drupal, CiviCRM, and Ruby on Rails; helped develop and maintain partnerships with companies including Google, NPR, and Kobo; and presented educational sessions at international conferences. Matt has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Virginia, where he also taught. At Noble, Matt teaches PHP/MySQL. Matt and his wife run their consulting firm, Augment Digital.

Ethan is a freelance graphic artist with over 20 years of experience in design, illustration and production for books, magazines, websites, environments and mobile devices. He has worked for hundreds of clients big and small including: Food & Wine Magazine, Vogue, Adidas by Pharrell, Calvin Klein, Definitely Midwifery and the Climate Land Ambition Rights Alliance (CLARA). You can see more at ethancornell.com and LinkedIn.

Michele is a freelance digital illustrator and graphic designer. In addition to illustration, she's worked on logo, pattern, and product design for a variety of clients, and she’s been teaching at Noble Desktop since 2010. Her work can be seen on products, in magazines, all over the internet, and on the walls of folks with impeccable taste.