Stephanie Bynum
Vice President of Programs
Stephanie Bynum is the Vice President of Programs at Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago. She has over 25 years experience in early childhood teaching, administration and adult education. Stephanie has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and a M.S. in Child Development from Erikson Institute.
Stephanie has been involved in teaching about and promoting the Project Approach since she used the first edition of Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years by Judy Harris Helm and Lilian Katz in a course she taught at the College of Lake County in 2001. Stephanie enjoys hiking and gardening. She is actively involved on boards of local and statewide not for profit education organizations.
Erika Gray
Director of Education
Erika Gray is the Director of Education at Kohl Children’s Museum (KCM) located in Glenview, IL. Erika has been employed at KCM for twenty-four years, nine years as a museum educator developing, teaching and facilitating educational programs and workshops for children, parents, and teachers. Erika has been involved in the museums Early Childhood Connections: Introduction to Project Approach (ECC) since it’s conception in 2001 and has been a coach/mentor to educators in the field during their participation in the ECC program.
Erika has a B.S. in Art Education from Bowling Green State University and a M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Erikson Institute. She is a volunteer board member for Early Childhood Community Coalition of Lake County and enjoys creating pottery and photography.
Emma Goodwin
Manager of Education
Emma Goodwin is the Manager of Education at Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago. She has a B.A. in English and Political Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a M.A. in Teaching Early Childhood Education from Marian University. Formerly, Emma was a Head Start teacher on the east side of Indianapolis, where she began to witness the power of project-based learning.
Emma works closely with the Early Childhood Connections District Teachers and believes project work is pivotal in fostering independence and a love of learning in young children. In her free time, she enjoys reading and is constantly on the hunt for the best pizza in Chicago.
Abby Ildefonso
Education Specialist
Abby Ildefonso is an Education Specialist at Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from Illinois State University and a CELTA from the University of Cambridge through Teaching House Chicago. Prior to working at KCM, Abby taught 1st grade for three years and was a grade leader, curriculum coordinator, and teacher mentor in Shanghai, China. She also spent time teaching K-3 in Springfield, IL and worked as a nanny for several years.
Abby works with the Early Childhood Connections childcare providers and has developed a deep appreciation for the deep investigative skills and child-led explorations that are cultivated using the project approach. She has a passion for all things baking-related and can often be found finding new recipes to make for her loved ones.
Emily Van Dam
Education Specialist
Emily Van Dam is an Education Specialist at Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago. She earned her B.S. in Education at University of Wisconsin- Madison where she completed a teacher education program focused on Early Childhood and English as a Second Language Education. She went on to teach 1st grade at a Catholic school in Chicago before moving to Nashville to earn her M.Ed in Learning and Design from Vanderbilt University- Peabody College.
Emily greatly enjoys her work as one of the Early Childhood Connections District Coordinators as she loves supporting teachers through their project work and learning more about the Project Approach herself. She believes children learn best when they are able to investigate and play with topics they are passionate about. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family and exploring all that Chicago has to offer!
Molly Lippitt
Bilingual Education Specialist
Molly Lippitt is an education specialist at the Kohl Children’s Museum. She studied History and Spanish with a minor in Museum Studies at the University of Michigan, and received a Master’s in Teaching Degree from the University of Alcalá.
Molly was most recently a 2nd grade teacher in Cartagena, Colombia. She has also worked in education at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History and Fayette State Park. She is especially interested in creating engaging and impactful learning experiences for children.