2020 Leadership Summit

Presenters

Leadership Summit presenters include a cross section of education leaders from across the country. Each year SETDA strives to include a variety of speakers including representatives from the White House, U.S. Department of Education, a variety of State Departments of Education, national education organizations, school administrators, teachers and students.

Keynote


Ken Shelton headshotKenneth Shelton
Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator. Ken has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, non-Profits, and was appointed to the Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Intelligences, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the ISTE Digital Equity PLN 2018 Excellence Award winner. Due to his extensive and broad impact Ken has also been named by EdTech Magazine as an influencer to follow.

Ken has had the privilege to speak at many major conferences and events around the world as well as schools and school districts. He brings a worldly breadth of practical experience, knowledge, and perspective. Ken also had the privilege to speak at the TEDx Burnsville ED event, as well as CRESSTCon16 at UCLA in front of a predominantly Higher Ed audience. Both can be viewed below. Ken has also provided and continues to provide consulting support to many companies, State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, school districts/systems Nationally and Internationally, as well as non-profits such as the California Emerging Technology Fund’s School2Home program which is designed to support closing the Achievement Gap and Digital Divide at low-performing California middle schools.

Speakers and Moderators


Berj Akian headshotBerj Akian
CEO and Founder, ClassLink
Berj Akian founded ClassLink in 1998. What started as an effort to help one local school with their technology plan became ClassLink. Today ClassLink serves students and teachers around the world. Berj has been a panelist, presenter, and moderator at hundreds of conferences and webinars with industry experts on various aspects of education technology. His ongoing work with school and industry leaders for almost two decades gives him a front row seat on technology in the learning process and the use of data to improve learning outcomes. He has authored many articles for industry journals and has judged many education and technology industry award programs.


Kurt Bernhardt headshotKurt Bernhardt
Director of Technology, Oklahoma Public School Resource Center
Kurt provides technology consulting and professional development for members. His knowledge and experience covers technology use at the administration level, including broadband needs, as well as teacher and student classroom technology use. Kurt has grown up with technology, learning how to program computers as a child back when personal computers were new. In 2012, he learned how schools were using technology to enhance education and decided to dedicate his future to helping public schools use technology effectively to engage students in their own learning. He worked for six years leading the education technology department at the Oklahoma State Department of Education before accepting the position at OPSRC. Kurt earned an MBA from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Oklahoma State University. He lives in Choctaw with his wife who is a third grade teacher, and his three sons.


Grace Borst headshot St AlbansGrace Borst
Innovation Specialist, St. Albans City School
Grace is one of two Innovation Specialists at St. Albans City School. She has the unique role of being able to work with students one-on-one or in the class setting. She also has the opportunity to collaborate and co-teach with colleagues to integrate technology into their lessons and projects. “Technology is so pervasive in our students’ day to day lives. Our job is to inspire them, to educate them, give them access and to help them use technology safely.”


Todd Call headshotTodd Call
Educational Coordinator , Utah State Board of Education (USBE) 
Todd helps oversee the Digital Teaching and Learning (DTL) Grant Program, Personalized, Competency-based Learning (PCBL) efforts, and other education initiatives. He has been with the USBE for over three years. Previous to USBE, he spent six years as a high school math teacher and district educational technology coach, and two years in enterprise mobile device deployment. Todd and his wife have four school-aged children, ranging from 1st to 8th grade, and are grateful for the amazing educators who have supported them over the years, especially over the past year. He loves sports, traveling with his family, meeting new people, exploring new cultures, and spending time outdoors.


Michael Campbell
President and Principal Advisor, Advancing Global Edu @AdvancingEdu
Michael Campbell is the President of Advancing Global Edu. With his network within the education and public library market, Michael is known as a connector in those industries. His passion for improving education through innovation has helped private and not-for-profit organizations market solutions that support success in learning. While serving in various executive marketing management positions in the PK – 20 technology and publishing industry, Michael has championed innovations in STEM, Social Emotional Learning, data management and student engagement. With experience beyond US borders, Michael has worked with companies in the Middle East, the U.K, and Canada, including the Ontario, Canada MaRS program as mentor for their Learning start-up community. Prior to his current position at Forward Thinking EDU, Michael held leadership positions with Learning Bird, Follett Software Company, ETA hand2mind, Pearson, Cengage and McGraw-Hill Higher Education.


John Chadwick HeadshotJohn Chadwick
Educational Technology, E-Rate Coordinator, New Mexico Public Education Department
John Chadwick has been with the New Mexico Public Education Department since January of 2015 and is the state E-Rate coordinator for K-12 schools and the Educational Technology Coordinator.  John earned his doctorate in educational technology in 1998 from the University of New Mexico. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, John has been collaborating with leadership within PED and partners in other state agencies to address the homework gap impacting students in New Mexico. In 2017, John began working with Dine Education (Navajo) to address connectivity for tribal schools on the reservation. There are multiple E-Rate applications for bringing fiber to the Navajo Nation that will meet their goal of a unified network serving education, public safety, health, and economic development. The network design will allow BIE schools to connect to fiber with scalable speeds up to 10 Gbps.


Gar Clarke headshotGar Clarke
New Mexico Geospatial Information Officer
Gar supports the Broadband Program at the State Department of Information Technology (NM DoIT). He is managing a multi-year mapping of broadband availability that assists planning and implementation strategies to expand access and enhance adoption of broadband within the state. Previously, he was the Geospatial Information Technology Coordinator for the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NMOSE) and was charged with building an Enterprise solution that provided for water rights management statewide. In addition, he was employed by the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico where he built an intra departmental distributed Geographic Information System (GIS) that won an international award for excellence in 1999. While under the employment of a regional government council in the northwest he coordinated the development of a large multi-million dollar GIS based ground water management program that straddled two states. In 1983 he assisted in the development and implementation of the first GIS facility within the State of New Mexico. Previous to that he was a state botanist who coordinated all field survey projects for the Endangered Species Program in Hawai’i.


Monica Cougan headshotMonica Cougan
Manager of Strategic Relationships and Initiatives, ENA
Monica Cougan is the Manager of Strategic Relationships and Initiatives, where she leverages more than 35 years of experience in education and technology to help schools make the most of new technology. She has been an evangelist for the adoption of technology as a transformative educational tool. Monica has extensive experience helping K-12 school districts implement programs that foster systemic change.


Lindsey Craft-Goins headshotLindsey Craft-Goins
Director for Ecosystem Sales, Microsoft US Education 
Lindsey has held a multiple positions during her sales tenure, most recently leading the Ecosystem team within Microsoft’s US Education space, where she leads all go-to-market strategies for Microsoft’s Education Channel business across the U.S., including K–12 and higher education institutions. In this capacity, Lindsey manages the teams responsible for guidance, development, and delivery and strategy for the full Microsoft portfolio, ultimately empowering every student within our nation.


Photo Cynthia Curry

Cynthia Curry
Director, National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM Center) at CAST
Cynthia works with stakeholders across early learning, K-12, higher ed, workforce development, families and EdTech developers to increase the availability and use of accessible materials and technologies for individuals with disabilities. Cynthia brings diverse career experiences to her role, including positions as an engineer, science teacher, statewide technology integration mentor for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, OSEP project director and lecturer at the University of Southern Maine, and instructional designer and disability services coordinator at the University of New England.


André DeLeón headshotAndré DeLeón
Education Programs Professional, Nevada Department of Education
As a member of the Standards and Instructional Support (SIS) team, André’s responsibilities focus on K-12 science education and instructional material adoption for the state of Nevada. Professional experience includes over 25 years as a teacher, school administrator and school board member as well as work as a research sociologist and youth-at-risk counselor.


Jon Doney
Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success, LearnPlatform
Jon possesses extensive experience partnering with education leaders and institutions to successfully evaluate, acquire and implement solutions to improve the performance of their K-12 communities. Prior to joining LearnPlatform, he held leadership roles at School Improvement Network, Renaissance Learning, Pearson K-12 Technology, and PowerSchool, a division of Apple. He holds a Master of Science in Education, Education Technology from Boise State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from the University of Washington. Jon enjoys spending time with his family, fly fishing, good food and linguistics.

Melanie Durfee headshotMelanie Durfee
Education Specialist, Utah State Board of Education
Melanie Durfee, PhD is an education specialist at the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). She works with her team to manage the implementation of the Digital Teaching and Learning (DTL) Grant Program. Her specific area of expertise is helping educators write plans and collect relevant data that reinforce schools’ existing visions and cultures. Previous to USBE, she worked at a regional service center in southwest Utah, providing technology professional learning to the educators in the rural areas of the state. Melanie has taught secondary math, English, theatre, and computer technology. She looks forward to being able to safely interact with large groups of people for long durations of time.


Rita Ferrandino

Partner, Arc Capital Development, Instructor, University of Pennsylvania-Graduate School of Education, Education Entrepreneurship Program

Ferrandino has built an international reputation as one of the most effective strategist and coalition-builders in the education entrepreneurship community. She is a recognized STEM education expert, an authority on US education policy and politics, and a leader in Future of Work strategies. Rita is the founding partner at Arc Capital Development, a global private investment and advisory firm. Arc invests in, operates and advises companies in the education and corporate training markets and has served over 125 clients in the US, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Ireland, Turkey, Israel & India. Arc clients and portfolio companies provide products generating over a billion dollars a year.


Melinda Fiscus NEW Head shotMelinda Fiscus
Digital Access Coordinator for the Learning Technology Center of Illinois
Melinda provides networking opportunities, consulting services, professional development for school districts, and advocates for the advancement of educational technology across Illinois. She serves as one of the Illinois representatives to the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and also serves as a governing board member. She is one of the Illinois State E-rate Coordinators (SECA), and is a founding member of the Classroom Connectivity Project. Melinda is in her 20th year working in IL educational technology, and is currently excited about IL broadband opportunities, the Future Ready School Initiative, and is passionate about creating immersive learning experiences for staff and students.


Charlie Fitzpatrick EsriCharlie Fitzpatrick
K12 Education Manager, Esri
After being a formal student for many years, Charlie taught social studies in grades 7-12 (mostly 8th grade geography) for 15 years. He also started teaching teachers to understand the patterns, relationships, and systems of the world using computers. He joined Esri as education manager in 1992, where he works with students, educators, and influencers across the nation. He and his colleagues work to provide software, instructional resources, and educator support free to every school and club, so learners of all ages can explore and understand the world, analyze information, make good decisions, and solve problems by thinking geographically using GIS.


Christine Fox headshotChristine Fox
Interim Executive Director, SETDA
As Interim Executive Director, Christine is charged with charting the strategic direction, administration, planning and financial decisions involving SETDA. She also facilitates the members’ online and in-person professional learning opportunities. In addition, she manages SETDA’s research and product development projects from conception to publication. The management of such projects includes supervising consultants and staff, coordinating data collection from all states, ensuring member input and supervising the publication process. Recent publications and projects include the eLearning CoalitionNavigating the Digital Shift reports 2015-2019, the Professional Learning and K12 Instructional Materials Dashboards, the Broadband Imperative Report Series, Guide to Quality Instructional Materials and the Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States online portal. Christine’s background includes experience in education as an educational consultant and curriculum developer, ESOL coordinator and third grade teacher. She has a Master of Science in teaching English as a second language from Florida International University and received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Florida State University. She lives in south Florida with her husband and two daughters.


Stan Freeda 2019Stan Freeda
State Educational Technology Director, Bureau of Student Support, New Hampshire Department of Education
Stan is the State Educational Technology Director and online learning specialist at the New Hampshire Department of Education. His focus is to provide guidance, resources, and technical assistance to districts regarding programs that include digital literacy, educational technology, and/or online learning.  His work involves participation in the NH School Connectivity Initiative, Future Ready New Hampshire, Title IV-A State Technical Assistance Team, and other statewide initiatives and programs in which technology integration, blended learning, and digital literacy are involved; along with other broader New Hampshire initiatives, such as personalized learning and competency-based education.  Stan received bachelors’ degrees in both physics and biology, and earned master’s degrees in limnology and oceanography, and education.  He also earned an advanced graduate certificate in educational technology and online learning.  Stan has worked at the NH Department of Education since 2006.  Prior to his work for the State of New Hampshire, Stan taught at both the secondary and post-secondary levels, in the online and face-to-face environments, teaching a variety of science, mathematics, and education courses.


Rick Gaisford
Educational Technology Specialist, Utah State Office of Education and Secretary
Rick Gaisford has 23 years in education at the classroom, school, district and state levels. Currently, Rick is the Educational Technology Specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. His current state responsibilities include teacher professional development on integrating technology, the educational technology core curriculum for K-12 students, and consulting with districts on how to effectively integrate technology tools and resources into teaching and learning. Previously he was an elementary school teacher, school technology specialist, district technology trainer and technology specialist. He is currently on the SETDA Board of Directors and previously served as the Board Chair. He has also served on the state ASCD and ISTE affiliate boards of directors.


Michael Golden headshotMichael Golden
Executive Director & Senior Fellow at Catalyst University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
Dr. Michael Golden is the Executive Director and Senior Fellow at Catalyst @ Penn GSE. In this role, he directs a bold new endeavor at the University of Pennsylvania to design innovative education practices and to create and scale actionable solutions to pressing problems in education. Previously, Dr. Golden co-founded and served as CEO of Educurious, a non-profit corporation that provides problem-based courses and professional development services. Formerly Dr. Golden served as the Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, developing systems, programs and funding to make schools more effective and efficient including the formulation and implementation of statewide education technology policies and initiatives. He also served as Senior Vice President at Pearson’s U.S. education division and as Corporate Vice President of Education at Microsoft. In that role he directed Microsoft’s global efforts in education across the company. He was honored with the 2005-2006 SETDA SLY Award.


Melissa Greene
Director, Strategic Partnerships, SETDA
Melissa is SETDA’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and brings over 20 years of experience in education, including eight years of experience working as a sales consultant and representative in educational publishing. While at both Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Teacher Created Materials, Inc., Melissa was known for her excellent customer service and relationship building skills, as well as her creative and customized marketing strategies for all of the New York school districts that she served.
Ms. Greene’s career has focused on increasing the quality of education for all students as an educator, in the private sector and most recently via New York’s state education agency. Prior to joining SETDA, Melissa was a project coordinator in the Higher Education Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness at the New York State Education Department. From 2013 through 2015, Melissa coordinated grants, teacher and leadership events and meetings, professional development projects, created presentations for the Board of Regents meetings, and participated in policy-making groups and conferences in order to improve teacher and leader quality in New York State.


Alan Griffin HeadshotAlan Griffin
Curriculum Content Specialist, Utah State Board of Education
Alan Griffin has been an educator in Utah for the past 38 years. He is currently the curriculum content specialist at the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). He has taught in many areas of social studies, as well as in computer applications and programming. Mr. Griffin has served on the executive boards of the Utah Commission of Volunteers, the Utah Coalition for Civic, Character, and Service Learning, and the Utah 3Rs organization. He has served as the State Education Agency coordinator for Learn and Serve grants awarded in the state. He has presented at numerous state and national conferences on service learning, life skills, and evaluating instructional materials. He has also been heavily involved in technology, serving as the technology coordinator in the Weber District for 11 years, and presently provides technology support for the teaching and learning staff at USOE. He is currently President of the State Instructional Materials Review Association (SIMRA), a national organization that collaborates regarding curriculum evaluation processes. He and his wife Billie are the parents of 11 children and live in West Haven, Utah.


Eric Hileman
Executive Director of IT Services, Oklahoma City Public Schools
Eric is the Executive Director of IT Services for Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma’s largest and most diverse school district with approximately 45 thousand students and 4700 teachers. Prior to joining OKCPS, Eric served as the Director of Instructional Technology for the Oklahoma State Department of Education where he held that post for 14 years. Additionally, he conducts a church choir for an Episcopal parish in Oklahoma City. Eric holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Oklahoma City University, Master of Education in Instructional Psychology and Technology from the University of Oklahoma, and currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning.


Colleen Hoy headshotColleen Hoy
Senior Manager of Product Management, ENA
In this capacity, Colleen serves as the leader for all product team needs and specifically oversees the development and management of ENA’s suite of security products. Previously, Colleen served in product management capacities in her roles with the Nashville Technology Council and Emerge Financial Wellness. In addition, Colleen has served as consultant with c/3 consulting (now Ankura), and in numerous community capacities to create and support Learning Technology at Metro Nashville Public Schools since 2012. Colleen has a BA from Dickinson College and a M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in International Education Policy & Management.


Alice Im headshotAlice Im
English Department Chair, Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy
Alice Im is English Department Chair at the Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy, on the campus of Roosevelt High School, of Los Angeles Unified School District, in East LA’s storied Boyle Heights neighborhood. Her work focuses on the reimagining of “schooling” for communities of color to be equitable, transformative, and liberatory primarily through the development of student researchers. Alice led students on stage of Esri’s UC2013, and she and a colleague received Esri’s UC2018 Making A Difference Award.


Julie Jaeger  
Professional Development Coach, JJaeger Consultants
Julie Jaeger, professional development coach and consult, is a veteran gifted educator, technology integrator, and elementary/ middle school educator. She enjoys bringing “a-ha” moments and higher order thinking to educators and students via Technology Integration, Differentiated Instruction, Digital StoryTelling, and Curriculum Enrichment using Higher Order Thinking, Problem Solving and Questioning Strategies in all areas. She currently serves as Outgoing Chair for ISTE Digital Storytelling Network. has led the Digital StoryTelling Playground for ISTE 2012-20 and Creative Constructor Lab’s 2020 Digital StoryTelling Playground, has presented webinars for ISTE Webinar Series and Digital StoryTelling Network Webinar series, and was awarded the 2016 DSN Leadership and Creativity Award. She serves as a Member at Large for ND Association for Gifted Educators (NDAGC), NDDPI ESSA Committee, ExploraVision Ambassador, FableVision League of Visionaries, and was a finalist for 2014 ND Teacher of the Year. She has a Masters in Education with Technology Integration, Credential in Gifted and Talented, and Undergrad in Elementary Ed and Speech Pathology.


Mary T Lane headshotMary T. Lane
Education Consultant, New Hampshire Department of Education
Mary’s responsibilities include her role as the liaison to the implementation of IDEA regarding accessibility and equity for all students, schools, and families. She is the NH NIMAC Coordinator, and the NH American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Ex-Officio for infants and school age children. Mary oversees the NHAEM Center, the New Hampshire Universal Design Innovation Network; the NH Assistive Technology Connect; the NH Scholastic Center for Family Voice; the New Hampshire Building Innovation Learning Ecosystems and the New Hampshire All Together Now New Hampshire (ATN) work based on the NASDSE Deaf Education Guidelines. Mary earned her BS in elementary mathematics from Salem State University, and her MEd in Special Education and Multi-Cultural Education from Lesley University. Mary enjoys spending quality time at the New Hampshire seashore with her family at Hampton Beach.


reg leichty headshotReg Leichty
Founder and Partner, FLP Advisors
With over two decades of legal, policy, and lobbying experience, Reg advises education leaders, national associations, and other stakeholders about the federal laws, regulations, and programs that directly impact and support efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities. Among other laws, he counsels clients about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the Universal Service provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. His recent work has included a specific focus on federal requirements and programs related to education technology, early learning, accountability and assessment, data use, and educator professional development and preparation.


Jennifer Case Nevarez headshotJennifer Nevarez
Director, Community Leaning Network (CLN)
CLN is an educational nonprofit dedicated to “building stronger communities through real-life learning,” and is the home of the New Mexico TechWorks initiative to “”expand Tech access and education and increase Tech enterprise and employment”” and the “1000 websites in 1000 days” campaign. A professional, credentialed educator with a Master’s degree in Education, Jennifer facilitates the Northern New Mexico Regional Tech Task Force and the Northern New Mexico STEAM Coalition, and she is an active member of the New Mexico Homework Gap Team.”


Janice Mertes HeadshotJanice D. Mertes
Assistant Director of Digital Learning , WI Department of Public Instruction
Janice Mertes is the Assistant Director for Teaching and Learning -Digital Learning team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Janice leads the statewide Future Ready and Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan programs in addition to the State Superintendent’s Digital Learning Advisory Council (DLAC) focused on policy, practice, funding, and research. Janice coordinates partnership programming with the Wisconsin Digital Learning Collaborative (WDLC) to support online and blended learning along with other partners to support personalized, innovative student learning opportunities. The digital learning team supports the Wisconsin standards for Information and Technology Literacy, Keeping Kids Safe Online Cybersafety, digital leadership development, Title IVA and ESSA program support, coding, and district planning. Janice is a CoSN Certified Educator Technology Leader (CETL) and helps to coordinate the statewide credentialing program with the Wisconsin Education Technology Leaders. Janice previously served on the SETDA Board of Directors and currently leads the SETDA State Action committee. She currently serves on the CoSN Driving Innovation workgroup. She was named as one of Ed Scoop’s Top 25 State Leaders in 2017.


Jocelyn Moore headsotJocelyn Moore
Global Practice Leader, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Microsoft
In this capacity Jocelyn is responsible for leading Global Diversity & Inclusion for the Go to Market groups. She brings 20 years of progressive Human Resources experience from global companies like Aon Hewitt, Medline Industries, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and DXC Technology. She holds a Bachelor of Science in HR Management and MBA from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois and currently resides in the Seattle, WA area.


Kendall Moore, Program Manager, Google for Education

Born and bred in the windy city, Kendall is passionate about putting the best tools in the hands of educators. Throughout her career, she has found joy in encouraging underserved student communities, including Black, Latinx and women of all ages to embrace science and technology as a pathway to unlocking their full potential. A current volunteer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and a former volunteer at Girls in Tech Inc., Kendall is an advocate for active mentorship and support both in and out of the classroom.


Nagler SquareMichael Nagler
Superintendent of Schools, Mineola Public Schools
Michael P. Nagler, Ed.D., has held many positions in his 32 years in education. Before assuming his current position as Superintendent of the Mineola Public schools, he began his career as a school teacher in NYC while completing his Master’s and earning his professional diploma. Dr. Nagler then went on to earn his doctorate from Columbia University and accepted an administrative position with Mineola in 1999. Believing strongly in the district’s mission to create lifelong learners who contribute positively to a global society, Dr. Nagler rooted himself in the Mineola School District and never left.


Cliff Rudnick headshotCliff Rudnick
Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, California Department of Education
Cliff Rudnick has been with the California Department of Education for over 32 years, serving as the Administrator of the Instructional Resources Unit for the last nine years. Prior to his current position, he also served as the State Education Technology Director from 2008 to 2011. Cliff’s teaching experience is at the high school level, specifically ninth grade English. He has undergraduate degrees in English and Communication Studies and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from California State University, Sacramento


Kriss Stewart headshotKriss Stewart
Instructional Materials Adoption Program, South Carolina Department of Education
Since 1988, Kriss Stewart’s role with the South Carolina Department of Education has been to coordinate the Instructional Materials Adoption Program and to facilitate the vetting of instructional materials by teachers and content area specialists for State Board of Education approval. Kriss has been an active member of State Instructional Materials Review Association (SIMRA) for the past 15 years.


DeLaina TonksDeLaina Tonks
Principal, Mountain Heights Academy
DeLaina has been involved in education since 1991. Prior to coming to Mountain Heights Academy, DeLaina taught high school French and Spanish, and worked as an instructional designer in Upper Arlington, Ohio. She is a 2014 “Best of State – Principal” winner and was named as one of Utah Business’s “30 Women to Watch.” She holds a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology from Brigham Young University, her initial alma mater, where she also earned a BA in French and Spanish Teaching. She also has a Master of Arts in Linguistics/Second Language Acquisition from the Ohio State University.


Joseph Wender
Senator Markey’s Senior Policy Advisor
Joseph Wender currently serves as Senator Markey’s Senior Policy Advisor and handles a wide range of issues including telecommunications and privacy. Mr. Wender previously served as then-Representative Markey’s Legislative Director. Prior to working for Markey, Mr. Wender served as Counsel for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He received his BA from Wesleyan University and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.


Cheryl Wilson headshotCheryl Wilson
Computer Science Consultant, Michigan Department of Education
Cheryl’s primary role is to help with the implementation of Michigan’s Computer Science Standards in districts throughout the state. As the first step in district implementation, she is leading districts through SCRIPT (Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool) workshops to help them develop a computer science vision as well as goals to form a district computer science education pathway for students. During the workshops she shares the experiences and knowledge that were accumulated through thirteen years of teaching computer science and mathematics in addition to seven years as a technology consultant.


Anne Wintroub headshotAnne Wintroub
Director of Social Innovation, AT&T Foundation
Anne specializes in philanthropy and program development in ed-tech, media and the arts. She leads the AT&T Aspire Accelerator for ed-tech startups, and built the AT&T social innovation portfolio. A tireless intrapreneur, Anne has developed programs with partners including Google, Warner Media (Warner Bros, HBO, CNN) and Khan Academy, and has created countless learning and skills-building experiences for young people across the country.  Anne is the founder of The Augie Fund, which provides free glasses and lenses to children across the Bay Area in partnership with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. She was previously the Deputy Director for the San Francisco Public Library Foundation and the Director of Communications for KQED Public Broadcasting, the highest rated public broadcasting station in the country. Anne is a board member for 826 National, a network of youth writing and tutoring centers, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts. She received her Master of Arts from New York University in Performance Studies and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Davis. Anne lives in San Francisco with her husband and sons, and their dog, NickNolte.


Kelly York headshotKelly York
Director of Professional Development, Five Star Technology Solutions
Kelly is a Google Certified Trainer who has a passion for creating awesome professional development for educators. Kelly is a wife, mother, and tech enthusiast with more than a decade of classroom experiences and eCoach support. With teaching experience at the elementary and middle level, she developed a strong love for strong instructional approaches, technology and innovation. Kelly is an Indiana University graduate, Go Hoosiers!


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