Dan McCreary
Principal Advisor & AI Education Visionary
dmccreary.github.io/dmccreary
Dan McCreary is a pioneering force in AI-powered education and one of the world's leading practitioners of Claude Code Skills for building intelligent textbooks. He is revolutionizing how teaching is done and learning is accomplished by helping educational organizations cut the costs of building free, interactive intelligent textbooks by 100x.
As a GenAI strategy consultant and senior data architect, Dan leverages AI and Claude Code Skills to build standards-compliant, reusable MicroSims—interactive simulations that transform static textbooks into dynamic learning experiences. His mission is to democratize education globally by making high-quality, interactive educational content accessible to all.
Dan has created over 64 intelligent textbook projects spanning subjects from geometry and calculus to circuits, data science, and machine learning—each featuring interactive MicroSims, detailed learning graphs, and comprehensive glossaries. With over four decades of experience in AI and knowledge representation, Dan previously served as Head of Artificial Intelligence at TigerGraph and Distinguished Engineer at Optum (UnitedHealth Group), where he helped build one of the world's largest healthcare knowledge graphs.
His storied career includes foundational work at Bell Labs with the creators of Unix and at NeXT Computer with Steve Jobs. A systems thinker at heart, Dan is passionate about STEM education, mentoring students through CoderDojo Twin Cities, and co-founding initiatives like the AI Racing League. He believes that effective education must pair precise world models using scale-out distributed native knowledge graphs with the power of generative AI.
How others describe their work
- Leading practitioner in Claude Code Skills for building intelligent textbooks.
- Expert in Knowledge Graphs and semantic technologies at enterprise scale.
- Creator of MicroSims that transform static learning into interactive experiences.
- Global advocate for democratizing education through AI and open-source frameworks.
Credibility markers
- Pioneer in Intelligent Textbooks & Claude Code Skills
- Former Head of AI at TigerGraph
- Distinguished Engineer at Optum (UnitedHealth Group)
- Built the world's largest healthcare knowledge graph at Optum
- Established the Generative AI Center of Excellence at Optum
- Founded the Optum AI Racing League (250+ participants)
- Early Engineer at Bell Labs and NeXT Computer
- Co-author of "Making Sense of NoSQL" (Manning Publications)
- MS in EECS from University of Minnesota & MBA from University of St. Thomas
What people say
“Dan's mastery of diverse tech topics made him the 'go-to' source on many matters, with an ability to describe a clear path forward.”
“Dan reminds me of Neil deGrasse Tyson—he knows so much about AI but excels at breaking it down for those outside his field.”
“Dan is a game-changer—a tech wizard who breaks down complex jargon into simple language, making it easy for stakeholders to get on board.”
“I've known few people with Dan's ability to evaluate technologies and tie creative ideas to business value. He can both sell a big idea and execute on it.”
Professional philosophy
“Effective education must pair precise world models using knowledge graphs with the power of generative AI to make learning accessible, affordable, and deeply interactive.”
Work with Dan
Ready to leverage emerging tech for your business? Schedule a conversation with our experts today.
Schedule a Conversation