The voices behind K-12 webinars.

Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education in Rhode Island since April 2019. Has led the state through COVID-19 recovery, advanced readiness-based graduation requirements, earned national recognition for reducing chronic absenteeism, and is overseeing the state intervention in the Providence Public School District.

Dr. Dani Molle

Research Director, CALL-ECL · ISTE+ASCD

Dr. Dani Molle is a qualitative researcher who conducts inquiries related to equitable education for historically underserved students. With a background in the teaching and learning of English as an additional language, she focuses on expanding educators' capacity to meet the needs of multilingual students through job-embedded professional learning. She is the research director of CALL-ECL, a large grant-funded project focused on equity-centered school leadership.

Indiana's first Secretary of Education and the state's top education official, leading a unified, student-centered vision from K-12 to college. Oversees eight state agencies/boards, including the Indiana Department of Education and Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and chairs the State Board of Education.

Mitchell L. Yell, Ph.D., is the Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chair in Teacher Education and a Professor in Special Education at the University of South Carolina. He earned his Ph.D. in special education from the University of Minnesota. His interests include special education law, IEP development, progress monitoring, and parent involvement in special education. He has published 132 journal articles, 6 textbooks, and 36 book chapters, and serves as a State-level due process review officer in South Carolina.

Jake Simpson

Head of Esports · Newcastle United Foundation

Heads up esports within the community and educational partnerships for Newcastle United Foundation.

Joe Ayala is an ed-tech leadership consultant who advises K–12 districts on technology strategy, vendor partnerships, and procurement practices.

John Bayes

ICT Director · Hull College

Oversaw the installation of one of the UK's first college esports arenas at Hull College.

Mark Sanders

Technical Lead · University of Salford

Technical Lead responsible for overseeing the running of the University of Salford's esports facility.

Editor and columnist for Chalkbeat Ideas, a section devoted to explaining and examining the ideas and debates shaping American schools. Previously covered K-12 education for the Wall Street Journal.

Mike Anderson

Education Consultant & Author · Leading Great Learning

Mike Anderson is an independent education consultant and author with over 25 years in education. A former classroom teacher of 15 years, he received the Milken Educator Award in 2004 and the NHASCD Outstanding Educational Leader Award in 2020. He is the author of many books on great teaching, including Hugging Porcupines and the bestseller What We Say and How We Say It Matter.

Chair of the Esports Trade Association Education Committee and a core curriculum writer for the Pearson BTEC in esports.

Pete Just

Project Director, CoSN AI Initiative · CoSN / Indiana CTO Council

Project Director of the CoSN AI Initiative and Executive Director of the Indiana CTO Council.

Phil Hintz

Chief Technology Officer, Niles Township District 219 · Niles Township District 219

Host of the Zero Breach Zone podcast.

Robert Dunlop

Educator & Author · MotivatEdu

Robert Dunlop has been an educator for 23 years. After 12 years teaching grades 7 and 8, he supported his district with technology, then served as assessment/evaluation and new-teacher consultant for a district of 32,000 students across 112 schools, and briefly as a vice principal before returning to the classroom in 2024. He co-created a free staff wellness program for educators and is author of STRIVE for Happiness in Education and co-author of You've Got This.

Shawn Neal is the IT Director and EdTech Strategist at Venture Academy in Eau Claire, WI, focused on responsible technology adoption in K-12 schools.

Suzanne Dailey

Professional Developer & Podcast Host · Central Bucks School District

Suzanne Dailey is a professional developer for the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania, where she works with more than 500 elementary teachers and 8,000 students across 15 buildings. National Board–certified with a master's in reading, she is host of the weekly podcast Teach Happier, author of Teach Happier This School Year, and co-author of You've Got This: Finding Happiness and Success in Your First Years of Teaching.

Trina Reaves is an ed-tech leadership consultant focused on helping district leaders navigate market shifts and build effective partnerships with education technology vendors.