Thinkery Leadership

Michele Freeman, Chief People Officer, Michele brings 20 years of experience of working in the nonprofit and social impact space to Thinkery. She has worked at organizations that focused on community support, child welfare, international development, and education. She has served in several leadership roles that encompass the people operations function of organizations and enjoys working in the people and culture space, getting to know and support teams and create human centered experiences. She attended St. Edward’s University and holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and a Professional in Human Resources designation. She is a lifelong learner and is always seeking out new opportunities to learn.

In her free time, you can find her hanging out with family & friends and spending time reading, visiting Austin’s great restaurants, seeing live music or comedy or being outside. She also spends time serving as board chair of a local nonprofit. 

Leshia Hoot, Chief Operating Officer, is an experienced leader of strategy, operations, and innovation across early childhood education, STEAM education, and technology programs.  Throughout her career, she’s led diverse teams to creatively solve problems, craft visionary plans, and execute them with intention. She has held leadership roles at LEGO Education, where she led preschool and elementary strategy, creating playful learning experiences aligned with school curriculum. As Global Director of Market Research and Strategy at National Instruments (now a part of Emerson), Leshia created and led the global market research team to foster business transformation and growth during a time of rapid change. A proud longtime Austinite, Leshia is passionate about building a thriving early childhood ecosystem in Central Texas. 

Matt Stalberger, Chief Museum Officer, brings over twenty years of management, design, engineering, and fabrication experience to Thinkery projects.  Prior to rejoining Austin Children’s Museum in June of 2010, Matt had focused his professional efforts on residential and commercial construction projects for several years as a Construction Manager.  For the past 11 years, he has devoted his expertise at Austin Children’s Museum and Thinkery to the development and production of interactive learning experiences.  He is passionate about maximizing the overall value of the guest experience Thinkery provides by upholding the highest level of production methods and maintenance practices possible.  Matt holds a BS in Industrial Design and an AAS in Culinary Arts.  He is fascinated with biology and enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, and almost everything about being a dad.

Jené Shepherd, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, is a social impact communicator who wholeheartedly believes in the transformative power of storytelling to foster empathy, grow community, and ignite change. Jené is committed to ensuring that every child in our community can experience joy, hope, and the opportunity to dream big. Her work in impact communications at organizations like Breakthrough Central Texas, United Way for Greater Austin, and now Thinkery, allows her to live out that commitment. As a native Central Texan, Thinkery has been a central figure in Jené’s personal and professional life for more than twenty-five years, journeying from a visitor to an intern, and now an executive leader. A proud Texas Longhorn, she holds a BA from UT Austin and an MA in Strategic Communications from Texas State University. Outside of work, Jené finds joy in exploring art museums, diving into a good book, and, of course, being inspired by the one and only Beyoncé.

Denise MacLeod, Vice President of Guest Experience, Brings over 20 years of experience in customer service and a passion for developing leadership skills in others. As a native Austinite, she fondly remembers attending the first brick-and-mortar Austin Children’s Museum on a school field trip, an experience that ignited her lifelong connection to learning and community. Over her 11-year tenure at Thinkery, Denise has developed her career through various roles, from frontline staff to School Programs Specialist, Guest and Member Relations Manager, Guest Experience Director, and now Vice President of Guest Services. Denise strongly believes creating an exceptional guest experience is critical to delivering on Thinkery’s mission of fostering confident and creative children through the joy of play-based learning. Her dedication to this mission is reflected in her leadership and commitment to empowering her team to create memorable experiences for all visiting families. Denise attended Austin Community College, earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in Marketing. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, exploring Austin’s botanical gardens, and hiking through McKinney Falls. She also serves as a troop leader for her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, further showcasing her commitment to mentorship and community engagement.