Our vision is to create a community of young app developers and empower them to thrive in an era of digital creativity. Swift Kids is an organization with a mission to inspire and educate.

In Conversation With

Listen to our Founder Brendan on the Smart Growth Rocket podcast

Our Team

Brendan Miller - Founder

Professional Developer

Brendan is a professional developer with over 20 years experience in the education sector. He is an active and prominent member of Canada’s community of iOS developers. Brendan manages NSCoderTO (Toronto’s largest community of iOS and macOS developers) and organizes SwiftTO (Canada’s foremost conference dedicated to the official Apple programming language, Swift). 


Champion of Community + Diversity

Inspired by these communities, he founded Swift Kids to foster a community for young, aspiring app developers to feel welcomed and supported on their journey. Brendan champions diversity and inclusivity in coding and believes that every student can benefit from an education in programming.


Industry Expert

Brendan’s extensive experience as an iOS educator includes teaching code on behalf of Apple and Hackergal. He provides mentorship for high school students and has supported young developers through the exciting and challenging phase of publishing their first app. He is also one of the first and only teachers in Canada to hold official Apple certification.


Full-Time Hobbyist

When Brendan is not coding you can find him pursuing one of his many hobbies and interests outside of tech. He enjoys learning new skills, like roller skating with his daughter, photography and exploring the great outdoors bouldering and canoeing.

Sheila O'Neill - Marketing & Business Development Manager

Sheila our is Marketing & Business Development Manager, where she leads strategic initiatives to grow brand awareness and expand educational partnerships. With a focus on engaging educators, students, and institutions, she oversees marketing campaigns, digital content, and business development efforts including SHSM program outreach, newsletter development, and platform growth on social media. Sheila is passionate about making tech education accessible and exciting for the next generation of learners.

It is rewarding for her to be part of the Swift Kids team, where she can be deeply curious, forward-looking, think out-of-box, solve problems and champion change.

Mara Shaughnessy - Teaching Consultant

Mara Shaughnessy is an educational writer, illustrator, and former classroom teacher with a Master’s degree in Teaching. She specializes in breaking down complex ideas into clear, engaging content for kids. She loves design, storytelling, and making learning meaningful, accessible, and fun.

Ashley Garcia - Graphic Designer & Social Media Manager

Ashley Garcia is the Graphic Designer & Social Media Manager for Swift Kids, where she leads brand innovation and visual storytelling to engage the next generation of learners. With over a decade of Design and Marketing experience, she transforms complex goals into high-impact digital content and cohesive brand identities. Ashley is dedicated to bridging the gap between traditional design and trend-driven media, finding it rewarding to solve creative challenges and champion forward-thinking innovation for the Swift Kids community.