Coaches for Hire

We are periodically asked about external coaches for our events, and have created this page as a directory for active coaches accepting new players. IAC does not officially endorse any of the below-listed coaches, but provides this page as a service to our students and their families. If you are a coach who would like to be listed here, please email info@iacompetitions.com with a description of the type of coaching you provide and your preferred contact details.

International Academic Competition students
International Academic Competition students

Sathyabodha Belur

Sathyabodha Belur has been involved with IAC since 2014 as a coach and staff member. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and Communications and has worked in many chip design companies like ARM, National Semiconductor and Texas Instruments. He privately coaches numerous students in Science, History, and Geography. At the 2024 IAC Middle and Elementary School National Championships, his students secured 10 National Championship titles, 5 second place finishes, and 3 third place finishes, while 34 other students of his became finalists.

Sean Briody

Sean Briody

Sean Briody has been involved with IAC as a player, staffer, and coach since 2014. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in American Studies and Egyptology/Assyriology, and his history of the Brown University Band was recently published by Arcadia Publishing. He coaches the academic team at Cardinal Newman School in Columbia, SC, and has privately coached multiple students who have finished in the top 10 nationally and internationally in history and geography.

Katherine Schulz Richard

Katherine Schulz Richard

My name is Katherine Schulz Richard. I am from New Orleans, Louisiana, and I have competed in and coached geography bees since 1997. I don’t think that anyone on the planet loves geography more than I do. Studying the world’s countries has meant everything to me, and teaching it from my home is a literal dream come true. My highest ranking was 2nd place in the United States in 2005. I have a degree in Geography. I have taught 3000 students from around the world about every country, every US state, and all the other endless things that geography encompasses- rivers, mountains, capitals, flags, history, languages, and more!
 
In the 2025 National Geography Bee in Orlando, I was the coach of the 3rd grade national champion, the 4th grade 6th place student, the 7th grade 3rd place student, and the 8th grade  2nd place student. I am excited to coach for the 2026 bees, bowls, and exams regionally, nationally, and even internationally in Thailand!

Parker Jelke

 

Parker Jelke is a high school student at Ransom Everglades in Miami, and a highly decorated  IAC History Bee and Bowl competitor.  He was a two-time Middle School History Bee National Champion, was captain of his Middle School History Bowl National Championship team, and received 16 medals in the two IAC History Olympiads he attended including finishing #2 overall in the world for the Middle School Division at the 2023 Olympiad in Rome.  He is also the creator and author of the History Travel Guy blog (@thehistorytravelguy on Instagram) that focuses on world travel for young people through a history lens.
 
As his passion project for high school, Parker wants to be a volunteer coach for a limited number of elementary school students (individual or team) who wish to improve their performance in IAC history-based competitions. Coaching would occur through Zoom. Coaching is aimed at students in 5th Grade and Under as well as specifically for History.

The GeoEd Foundation

The GeoEd Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to promoting geography literacy among students by providing coaching for competitions. With over 25 years of coaching experience for students competing in various competitions, the GeoEd team has mentored hundreds of champions. GeoEd specializes in individualized, remote group coaching with structured programs for elementary, middle and high school children. With student access to hundreds of thousands of geography facts, Geo self-learning is encouraged on a daily basis with active family involvement.

Many former competitors now mentor students at the GeoEd Foundation. Aadi Gadekar, an Assistant Executive Director of the GeoEd Foundation, is a former US national champion of the National Geography Bee (IGB) and the United States Geography Championship (USGC). Prithvi Narayan, a GeoEd Mentor, is the 2021 US national winner of the JV division of the National Geography Bee. In 2024, Jacob Aronow, another GeoEd Mentor, placed 3rd and 7th in the National Geography Bee and USGC, respectively, at the national level. 

For additional information about our philosophy, coaching, resources and a free consultation with Coach Kumar, please use the contact page at www.geoed.org

VG

VG comes with a degree in the IT field and has been associated with IAC since 2022 as a parent coach. VG has had a deep love for geography and history since childhood and has rediscovered her passion coaching her kids. She has spent the last 3 years guiding her students in the National Geographic Bee, National History Bee, and other academic competitions. Known for making complex topics engaging and accessible, Coach VG combines maps, current events, and fun facts to bring geography and history to life. Overall, her 2 students have bagged 2 JV National Championship titles, 1 IGC International Title , 2 second-place finishes, 2 third-place finishes, 1 Bowl Championship title, 1 second place in Bowl in Geography, and 3 semifinalist finishes in history. VG is now accepting elementary and intermediate grade-level students.