About our Founder  

Dave Valenzuela is the founder of LuminaX, a Portland educator and neuroscience expert published in peer-reviewed journals. He studied neuroscience at NYU (B.A.), completed graduate training at Brown (M.A./Sc.M.), and is now a Johns Hopkins doctoral fellow and Bloomberg Merit Scholar.

His work sits at the intersection of brain science, coaching, and urban leadership reform—designing first-principles models that disrupt status-quo trends, accelerate Learning Velocity, and build mastery across the arts and sciences. Dave hosts The Valenzuela Lab podcast, authored Letters to My Children, and leads LuminaX with a mature philosophy of being: clear goals, disciplined practice, and humane, high-expectation culture. The throughline in all his work is simple—help people learn deeply and make meaningful choices that change their trajectory.