About My Crossword Maker
Founded in 2013, Crossword Hobbyist started as a way to make in-browser newspaper-style crosswords. After a high demand for an automated crossword puzzle maker, Crossword Hobbyist expanded and was renamed My Crossword Maker in 2022. Today, the puzzle makers allow visitors to create fully-customized puzzles that are especially popular with teachers and for special events.
My Crossword Maker is also home to thousands of free crossword puzzles made by teachers, kids, parents, hobbyists, and professional constructors. In 2015, the word search maker at My Word Search was created as the sister site to Crossword Hobbyist. In 2019, My Worksheet Maker joined our trio of sites.
Meet the Team
Jonah Phillips started Crossword Hobbyist in 2013 because someone told him not to start a website for teachers, and he doesn’t like being told what to do. He gave Crossword Hobbyist its sister sites, My Word Search, in 2015 and My Worksheet Maker, in 2019. Before starting Crossword Hobbyist, Jonah graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in 2008 with a degree in Economics and Public Policy, and worked for four years on analytics and operations at an online lender in Chicago. He currently lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York.
Jen Nafziger is an internationally-minded writer and marketer, who splits time between the U.S. and Lisbon with her husband. She has a Master’s degree in Divinity from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor’s in International Studies & Writing, and certificates in Integrated Marketing, Sports Nutrition, UI/UX Design, and Mandarin Chinese. Jen brings over 15 years of diverse marketing communication experience to the team.
Brett Poole is a software developer with 12 years of experience building systems from the datacenter to the browser. Learning new skills evolved into a strong desire to use those skills to benefit others. Having risen the ranks and seen the growth of a small to enterprise business, he is proud to put this experience to good use in supporting and developing Jonah’s vision as a full stack developer.
Mary Mahaffey obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Clemson University and has a certificate in Full Stack Development. Mary brings her passion for technology and 5 years of experience in education to the team. She currently lives in Barcelona.
Victor Abbah is a software developer with major focus on web development which he’s been doing since 2013. He mostly uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP.
Though constantly switching between different languages, frameworks and libraries, his focus right now is Laravel, Vue js, Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap and Nuxt Js. He’s based in Kaduna state, Nigeria.
Keeley Meetze is one of our customer support specialists who just made the move from Madrid to Barcelona, where she was working as a Native American Language and Cultural Assistant in a local bilingual high school for the past 2 years as well as a freelance English tutor online. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a minor in Human Resources from Clemson University. Keeley brings her enthusiasm, passion for the classroom, and 5 years of experience in education to the team.
Lesley Williams is a customer support specialist who lives in the state of Michigan in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Post-Baccalaureate in Elementary Education with Minors in math and science from Oakland University. She also has a Master of Science Education from Lawrence Technological University. Lesley brings a love for technology and a passion for helping others as well as ten years of teaching experience to the team.
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