Jill Souza is the founder and principal consultant of Not My Lemons Learning, Ltd. Jill is a seasoned instructional designer who puts her passion into practice every day as she guides her clients through projects from conceptualization to development and beyond. Jill is passionate about creating engaging, accessible, and meaningful learning experiences. Collaboration, combined with innovation and a passion for learning, is the cornerstone of her design philosophy. Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degrees in both English and Instructional Design. Previously, Jill has worked as a writing tutor, managed an adult education program, and taught writing at the college level.

Marissa Uhl earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ohio University. Realizing her passion for working with people, she furthered her education by pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Toledo. She is currently a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) and has worked in a variety of roles, including as a case manager, therapist, and school social worker.
Marissa has always found joy in working with individuals and teams, helping to identify needs, and linking people with resources. She feels that communication has been one of the most important components of success throughout her work.
Marissa is excited to be using her skills at Not My Lemons Learning, with the shared goal of making learning more equitable.

Nick Souza has been an instructional design consultant for three years. His big city aspirations lead him to Chicago where he attended Loyola University, and earned a bachelor’s of science in biology. Nick loves all things nature, and he has experience in bioinformatics. He spent three years working in an evolutionary biology lab, where he was a scientific affiliate at the Field Museum of Natural History. His research focused on the taxonomic relationships among several genera of birds. Nick loves to get others excited about experiencing something new. While working for the Chicago Botanic Garden he was afforded the opportunity to lead volunteer groups and public tours. He likes to solve problems, and he hopes to inspire others with his love of pursuing and sharing knowledge.

Lindsey Hood is a physical education and health teaching professional in Kansas City where she was born and raised. Lindsey also coaches volleyball and wrestling and is an FCA sponsor.
Lindsey has been working as a consultant, alongside Jill, for 3 years. She enjoys the organization of it all and making sure the client is satisfied with the end product.
Lindsey has been married for 15 years and has 2 sons who keep her busy with sports and activities. When she can find downtime, Lindsey enjoys being at the pool with friends and family and growing in her faith. .

Alex Souza has always enjoyed working with and connecting with others. These interests carried over into his college experience and helped him earn a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication from Ohio University. Ever since, Alex's open mindedness and enthusiasm to collaborate have played important roles in his life. Whether he was leading a diverse team at Eataly Chicago, or dialing in processes and training new employees at Highland Brewing in Asheville, NC, Alex has always known the importance of clear communication and empathetic leadership.
Now that remote learning and online collaboration have become so prevalent, Alex is eager to bring his skills to the virtual world through instructional design.
At Not My Lemons Learning, Alex hopes to make all types of learning more accessible to everyone and to continue making meaningful connections regardless of what's going on in the world.

Zack Praiswater is a highly experienced high school math teacher with 14 years of teaching experience. He has taught a wide range of math courses including algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, trigonometry, college algebra, and precalculus. Zack has a passion for teaching and loves to help his students understand complex mathematical concepts.
In addition to teaching, Zack has 10 years of experience as an ACT tutor, specializing in the math subtest. He has helped numerous students achieve their goals and improve their scores on the ACT. His approach to tutoring is personalized and tailored to the needs of each student.
Zack is also a skilled content creator with 12 years of experience in math content creation. He has written test items, created online courses, and copy-edited math content for all ages.

Jake Dawson has worked with instructional designers to create, build, and migrate online courses on various platforms. Collaboration, communication, and attention to detail are top priority when working on projects.
Jake has been in the public education sector as a math and science teacher for 19 years. He holds a Bachelor’s in Education from Xavier University and a Master’s in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Meet the Team