Hand2mind announced the promotion of Elana Woldenberg to senior director of product development. In addition to leading the editorial department, Woldenberg’s responsibilities include developing new products and initiatives to continue to expand the company’s range of toys, manipulatives, and other resources for subjects like math, literacy, and STEM.
Since joining the company in May 2018, Woldenberg has worked to expand the company’s product development efforts. She is responsible for leading the team that developed hand2mind’s teach@home initiative — a series of free, online K-5th grade lessons that have helped teachers and families during pandemic school closures.
Last year, she also led the team that created and launched products including the NumberLine Clock, Sensory Fidget Tubes, and the Squishy Water Beads Science Lab. In her new role, Woldenberg will continue to manage product development and publishing efforts, as well as hand2mind’s continued expansion into the educational toy market.
“It’s a privilege working closely with the whole team at hand2mind and contributing to the development of high-quality, hands-on resources that support teachers and students,” Woldenberg said in a statement. “It’s exciting coming to work every day knowing I have an opportunity to help students learn new skills that will allow them to confidently take on the future.”
In addition to tutoring with Tutoring Chicago, Woldenberg has served on the Associate Board for Best Buddies since 2018. Woldenberg has a passion for the education field that matches hand2mind’s missions and was sparked during her time at Princeton, where she wrote a thesis entitled: “An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Novel Robotics Curriculum in Elementary School Education.”
