Dan is the author of the best-selling book, The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide To Artificial Intelligence In Education. He writes weekly on the transformation of education for Forbes. His work has earned him esteemed accolades such as the Tech Champion Award at the Digital Industry Dynamite Awards and Top 30 K-12 Influencers by EdTech Magazine. Dan's former roles include serving as Director for Digital Strategy at Education Partnership North East and as a senior leader at a secondary school. Presently, he assumes the role of Director at Thirdbox Ltd. Dan holds an M.A. from Durham University, a PGCE from UCL, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Design Thinking & Innovation from MIT. This robust foundation in academia has endowed him with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the ever-evolving world of AI and education. Dan has helped 60k+ educators worldwide embrace AI. 

Amber Garrison Duncan is the Executive Vice President of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), where she champions innovative policies and practices to enhance student learning and success, particularly for minoritized communities. With over 20 years of progressive leadership experience, Amber specializes in competency-based education, learning frameworks, assessment, credential recognition, and quality assurance.

Before joining C-BEN, she served as a strategy director at Lumina Foundation for eight years, focusing on adult learners and community college student success. Her leadership has been instrumental in initiatives such as Learning and Employment Records, the T3 Innovation Network, and the Competency-Based Education Network. Amber also held the role of Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Research at the University of Oregon, pioneering learning and assessment methodologies outside traditional course structures.

Dr. Amelia Parnell is the President of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Organization (NASPA. 

Amelia is an accomplished higher education executive and an internationally recognized thought leader regarding current issues and emerging trends in the field. She is a passionate advocate for higher education as a tool for personal advancement and impact, and she seeks opportunities to partner with organizations and individuals who share her sincere commitment to centering students' needs.

She is a frequent keynote speaker at national and regional conferences, has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and PBS NewsHour, and authored the book, You Are a Data Person.

Amelia holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Florida A & M University.

Dr. Angela Gunder is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Opened Culture, a pioneering collaboratory that empowers educators and institutions to advance access to education through open collaboration, academic innovation, and community engagement.

Dr. Gunder has earned accolades from UNESCO IITE, MIT Open Learning, and UPCEA. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Fine Art from Fordham University, a M.Ed. in Education Technology from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies from The University of Arizona.

Anissa Lokey-Vega has been a professor of Instructional Technology at Kennesaw State University since 2011. Dr. Vega currently serves as the Associate Vice Provost providing oversight of curriculum, digital learning, academic policy, and academic innovations. In this role she leads and supports the institutional curriculum review process, general education, and online course quality review. Under the umbrella of academic innovation, she supports several cross-campus initiatives including alternative college pathways, micro-credentialing, and learning analytics. In 2014, Dr. Vega was awarded the Affordable Learning Georgia Textbook Transformation Award and inducted into the Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame in 2017 for online teaching by the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia (USG).  Dr. Vega’s research and presentations have focused on curriculum alignment, online teaching and learning, new learning models and innovation in higher education.

Dr. Jessica Riddell is a Full Professor of Early Modern Literature at Bishop’s University and holds the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence. 

As founder of the Hope Circuits Institute (HCI), she drives systems-change in higher education, focusing on governance, leadership, and student success. In a landscape rife with indictments of broken systems, her work invites people across the post-secondary ecosystem to co-create blueprints for meaningful rewiring that centers justice, equity, and access. 

Her 2024 book, Hope Circuits: Rewiring Universities and Other Organizations for Human Flourishing (McGill-Queen's Press), offers a roadmap for this transformation. 

Meet Michelle

Dr. Michelle Weise (pronounced W-ice) leads Long Life Learning Strategies, a consulting firm for organizations seeking to prepare working-age adults for a longer future of work. Her award-winning book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist Yet, was recognized by University Professional and Continuing Education Association as the most outstanding work of continuing higher education literature in 2021. That same year, Thinkers50 named her one of 30 management and leadership thinkers in the world to watch.

Dr. Sean McMinn is the Director of the Center for Education Innovation at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). His role includes leading the development of digital education, including AI for education initiatives, at the university. Sean also currently sits on multiple international committees, including the AI and Education International Panel, Digital Education Council, and the Cyber-Physical Learning Alliance. He has won various awards for his work in digital education, including the 2024 Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance (GMA) Award for his work in AI Education, the 2016 School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) Teaching Excellence Award and the 2007 Teaching Innovation Award for his work with podcasts and education at HKUST. 

Jerry Kolber is the Emmy-nominated creator of National Geographic's #1 series, the Emmy-nominated Brain Games, and is the creator of the family podcasts  "Mysteries About True Histories" and "Who Smarted?", the world's most popular thrice-weekly kids' educational podcast reaching over 15 million downloads. As a pioneer in educational entertainment, he partnered with Pharrell Williams to create Netflix's hit series Brainchild, continuing his mission to make learning both engaging and entertaining. A seasoned creator and showrunner, Kolber specializes in developing groundbreaking educational content that challenges traditional learning models while captivating audiences through compelling storytelling.

 Karen Costa is an author, adjunct faculty, and faculty development professional working to support both faculty and student success in higher education. She specialises in supporting higher educators with weaving climate action into their teaching, creating neuroinclusive learning environments, and all things online pedagogy. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, son, and shih-tzu.

Karen’s first book, 99 Tips for Creating Simple and Sustainable Educational Videos (Stylus, April 2020), focuses on helping faculty and teachers to make creative use of videos in their classrooms. Her second book, Open Minds: Designing and Teaching for ADHD Students' Success, is under contract with JHU Press.

Kim is the Interim Senior Associate Provost for Digital Innovation and Academic Services at the State University of New York (SUNY).

She previously led SUNY Online, the online learning initiative across the State University of New York's (SUNY's) 64 campus system. Her experience includes: 25+ years of progressively responsible experience in managing a variety of educational programs, including a system-wide professional development program, an award-winning distance learning program, summer programs, and two regional sites; two years of strictly budgetary support and coordination across multiple departments; and two years in grant and scholarship administration at the state level. .

Matthew Rascoff is Vice Provost for Digital Education at Stanford University. He was previously Associate Vice Provost for Digital Education and Innovation at Duke University. Before Duke, he served as Vice President and founder of the Office of Learning Technology & Innovation for the University of North Carolina system, where he worked from 2014-17. 

See Matthew's writing on digital education.

Mike Yates is a Senior Designer at the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.

At TFA, he’s focused on figuring out where learning is going and pointing Teach for America in that direction. Right now that looks like leading AI for the organization and he runs hackathons, designs unique and engaging workshops, and trains TFA staff to use AI in novel ways to better their work. 

Mike is also a sought-after speaker (appearances include TedX and SXSW, among others), and is a consultant for edtech companies. 

Prior to joining TFA, Mike Yates worked in education as a college readiness tutor, education programs coordinator and teacher. 

 Realizing a bright, innovative, and equitable future of learning is why Mike gets up in the morning.

Nathifa Forde is the Founding Executive Director of NYC Her Future, where she strategically develops policies, programs, and partnerships to support young women, girls, and gender expansive New Yorkers of color in overcoming disparities. With a decade-long career in the NYC nonprofit sector, Forde has spearheaded a multitude of initiatives such as the Health Career Credentialing Program at CUNY and partnerships with organizations like the Black Women's Blueprint to address maternal-infant mortality rates.

Prior to her current role, Forde was the acting executive director of the NYC Young Men’s Initiative, served as a National Urban Fellow at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and held positions at the NYC Center for Youth Employment. She is an alumna of CUNY holding both a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Medgar Evers College and a Master of Public Administration from Bernard M. Baruch College.

Tom Andriola is UC Irvine’s VC for Information Technology and Data and Chief Digital Officer. His role is designed to ensure the strategic use of data and technology, drive interdisciplinary partnerships, and champion digital strategies.

Andriola is a global business & technology leader with a broad array of experience in the public and private sector. He is an advocate for progress and equity utilizing technology and data, serving on the boards of OCHIN and Unizin. 

He holds a bachelor's degree from George Washington University, a master's degree from the University of South Florida, and has completed the Stanford Executive MBA program.