This article is part of a series of profiles highlighting founders across Indiana’s tech community.

Jason Padgett didn’t come to AI through a computer science degree. He spent his career in behavioral health and nonprofits and describes himself as a systems and problem-solving person. Today, he calls himself a “vibe coder,” someone without a technical degree who learned AI by doing.  

He is a co-founder of Wooden Boy Industries, an AI consulting practice that helps schools and education leaders make practical, responsible decisions about AI. The company’s belief is that AI should make people more capable, not less responsible. He works with Chakra AI Solutions, the company he credits with giving him room to explore. He also co-hosts the AGI Podcast with Julie Koehrer, (Advance, Grow, Innovate with AI) which focuses on AI in education, workforce development and small businesses.  

Starting as a Skeptic

Jason was working a development director at the Salvation Army in Lafayette when he first heard about ChatGPT on the radio. The host described a new tool that could write like a person.

He didn’t believe it. Writing had always been his strength.  

“There’s no way a machine is writing,” he said.  

So, he tested it, expecting to prove it wrong. The early version needed plenty of fixing, but it was useful. He used it to turn a social post into a newsletter or tighten a long draft.  

Jason had always leaned on partners for things like math and data. When he started asking AI questions, he realized it could help him learn those skills himself.  

“I now have a tool that not only can offset my weaknesses but can meet me where I am and teach me those things as needed as I go along,” he said.  

Within about a month, he was convinced this was the future. 

Building Wooden Boy Industries

Jason wanted to keep learning and to help others do the same. Along the way, he met Jeffrey Najar, a marketer, and Ronda Swartz, a high school principal in southern Indianapolis. Both were exploring AI in their own work. The three became friends and eventually began working together on shared projects.  

Jason Padgett, Ronda Swartz and Jeff Major smile for a selfie in a home kitchen. Padgett, on the left, gives a thumbs up. Major, on the right, points toward Swartz in the middle.
Jason Padgett, Ronda Swartz and Jeffrey Najar, co-founders of Wooden Boy Industries.

“We’re moving each other forward, and we’re surrounding ourselves with people we just really enjoy working with,” he said.  

The company’s name came from a late-night brainstorm. Jason pitched Claude an ambitious idea, and it suggested he come back to the idea later. He jokingly thanked it, calling it Geppetto, the woodcarver who made Pinocchio.  

The name stuck because of what it represents to him. In the story, Pinocchio is a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy. Jason sees his work as helping people grow into more than they thought they could be.  

Preparing Student for Their Future

Jason’s focus on education grew out of the podcast.  

He and Julie met in early 2023. They came from different generations and saw many things differently, but they could disagree respectfully, something Jason feels has become rare. Julie was curious about AI and had access to a studio. Jason wanted to start a podcast, which led to them hosting the AGI Podcast Network.  

Through his work in Lafayette, Jason had partnered with Purdue educators, and as a parent, conversations about students came naturally. That led to School’s Out Saturdays, a weekly show featuring educators and students preparing for an AI-driven future. It has run for two years.  

Ronda summed up the mission in a line that stuck with him. “We have to prepare kids for their future, not our past.” 

Jason had never connected with the idea of finding a deeper purpose in his work. This changed that. “I finally found the human-centric thing that I cared about.” 

That purpose now shapes Wooden Boy Industries. This fall, Jason led a workshop for 80 educators at a network of Indianapolis schools. The company also offers a District Leaders AI Design Lab, a working session that helps a school leadership team move one AI decision forward. In December, he will help lead an AI event for Scouts at Purdue.  

Advice for Founders

For Hoosiers thinking about starting a company, Jason is honest about the workload. Founders should expect long hours, and then some. 

He encourages founders to find something they’re truly passionate about and not neglect the people around them. He also stresses working with people who believe in you, care about you and bring strengths different from yours.  

Those relationships help protect something he says founders lose easily. “Optimism is probably the easiest thing to lose when you’re working all the time,” he said.  

You Can Become

Jason started as a skeptic. What changed his mind, he says, was seeing how technology could help people learn, grow and take on things they didn’t think they could.  

“Don’t be afraid to dream,” he said. “You don’t have to be a wooden boy or girl. You can become everything that you ever dreamed of.”