San Diego, California – February 2026

Brighten Learning, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition, Consolidation, and a New Brand Experience

We are excited to share an important update about the evolution of our organization, one that reflects our growth, renewed focus, and ongoing commitment to supporting students, educators, clinicians, and families through high-quality social‑emotional learning (SEL) programs.

For many years, Brighten Learning has operated as the business name for The Language Express, Inc., creators of The Social Express® and Cool School™. During this time, Brighten Learning has grown into a trusted partner for SEL in classrooms, therapy settings, and home environments across multiple countries.

On September 1, 2025, we completed a planned and carefully executed leadership transition and organizational consolidation designed to strengthen our operations and prepare us for the next phase of growth, product innovation, and educator support.

Leadership Transition

On September 1, 2025, Marc Zimmerman, Founder of The Language Express and the creator of The Social Express®, transitioned from his operational leadership role into a long‑term position on the Brighten Learning Advisory Board. Marc’s vision and dedication to helping learners build meaningful social‑emotional skills continue to help guide our mission.

At the same time, Huy Ly, formerly Chief Technology Officer, became the Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Brighten Learning, Inc. With more than a decade leading our technology and platform development, Huy brings deep continuity and a clear, student‑centered strategic direction for the future of our programs and services.

Corporate Consolidation & Rebranding

Alongside this leadership transition, all assets, programs, and operations were unified under Brighten Learning, Inc. This consolidation strengthens our internal alignment and creates a more efficient foundation for improving our products, supporting educators, and delivering a consistent and accessible experience for all users.

As part of this transformation, we are proud to introduce our new logo and redesigned website. These updates reflect our evolving identity: modern, student‑focused, mission‑driven, and committed to providing high‑quality SEL solutions.

a more unified and intuitive customer experience
improved navigation and accessibility
simplified access to program information and support
a clearer expression of our mission, values, and long‑term direction

We invite you to explore the new look at www.brightenlearning.com.

Infrastructure Upgrades for Better Performance

Over the past several months, we have also upgraded all of our servers and core infrastructure. These enhancements deliver faster performance, improved reliability, and a smoother experience across our programs. This investment ensures that our platform is ready to support new content, new apps, and the long‑term needs of our schools and learners.

A Note to Our Customers and School Partners

We recognize that this announcement may come as a surprise, especially since the transition occurred several months ago. We chose to share the news at this time so that our internal systems, new platform updates, and refreshed brand could all launch together in a smooth and coordinated way.

This timing also reflects our desire for the leadership transition to be introduced within the context of progress. Our new CEO, Huy Ly, felt it was important to step into the role under the updated brand identity, one that better represents the direction we are moving as an organization and the continued evolution of our social‑emotional learning programs.

Aligning the announcement with our rebrand allowed us to present a unified message: renewed focus, modernized tools, and a stronger foundation for serving educators and students. We wanted the transition to feel like a step forward, not simply a change in title.

Throughout this period, your access, student accounts, customer support, and program functionality have remained unchanged and uninterrupted. Your classrooms were always our priority.

Thank you for your patience and trust. Our mission remains focused on providing stability, clarity, and increasing value for the educators and students we serve.

What’s Coming Next

2026 represents one of the most exciting phases in our history. This year, we will be:

modernizing our entire technology infrastructure
expanding program content and SEL curriculum resources
enhancing user experience across all platforms
releasing brand‑new mobile apps for:
- The Social Express® (iOS + Android)
- Cool School™ (iOS + Android)

These improvements reflect our commitment to delivering more value, greater flexibility, and more impactful tools that educators can trust to support student growth and social‑emotional development.

Our Mission, Stronger Than Ever

Our mission remains unchanged: to empower learners with engaging, effective social‑emotional learning experiences. This leadership transition, organizational alignment, and refreshed brand identity position us to better serve our community with stronger technology, clearer communication, and an expanded vision for the future.

We are grateful for your continued partnership and excited for everything ahead. To explore our new look and stay informed about upcoming releases, please visit: