Randy Nelson has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Santa Clara. As a teenager, a passion for animation led him to computer programming. He has taught software development for the last 30 years.

Randy was one of the founders of the juggling group the Flying Karamazov Brothers, and worked in live theater, film and television for 13 years. His credits include co-writer, co-director and performer of three Broadway shows, performances in the White House and for the President at the Kennedy Center, a role in the feature film ‘Jewel of the Nile,’ and the opportunity to represent the United States at two Olympic Arts Festivals.

Randy worked as a computer animator and producer for Pizza Time Theater, led developer training for NeXT Computer, created the developer program for the Apple and IBM multimedia joint venture Kaleida Labs, published the entry-level training book on Java at Sun, and was a senior instructional designer for Apple Computer.

Today Randy uses his art, film, theater, animation, software, training and juggling experience daily as the Dean of Pixar University, providing training and education for all of Pixar’s employees.