Seth! Leary • Seth! Leary's lifelong fascination with museums was largely influenced by his museum curator father (see below). Seth! has a diverse background, including exhibit development and educational program management at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. He previously taught art in public schools and was the founder/director of an independent elementary school. Seth! also owned a graphic arts/printing company and was active for seven years in that industry. His commitment to education is a guiding force behind our work. Seth! holds a BFA in Art Education from the University of Illinois.

Richard Leary, Ph.D. • Richard Leary was the curator of geology at the Illinois State Museum for over 35 years. Widely known in the field of palaeobotany, Dr. Leary has presented at scientific conferences around the world. He has also taught environmental geology and introductory geology courses. In 1991, he spent three months conducting research in Argentina and Brazil as a Fulbright Scholar. When he is not working on exhibit design or studying fossils, Richard travels the globe with his wife, Eleanor, a retired microbiology researcher.

Ed Sobey, Ph.D. • Ed Sobey served as the first director of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio and founded the National Toy Hall of Fame at A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon. He also directed the South Florida Science Museum, the Museum of Science & History in Jacksonville, and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Ed taught museum management at the University of Washington and was elected President of the Ohio Museums Association. He has written fifteen books on subjects from backpacking to robots and kids science projects. After directing museums for nearly twenty years, Ed created the Northwest Invention Center to serve schools and museums with hands-on programs and exhibits, and to help inventors. He holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University.