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Dr. Tracey Burns
Senior Analyst, OECD (Seconded) Strategic Advisor and Distinguished Research Fellow, National Center on Education and the Economy
Dr. Tracey Burns
Senior Analyst, OECD (Seconded) Strategic Advisor and Distinguished Research Fellow, National Center on Education and the Economy
Tracey Burns is Strategic Advisor and Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Center on Education and the Economy in Washington, DC. She is seconded to this position from the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills, where she was Chief of Research for the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. She is additionally a Commissioner in the UNESCO Broadband Commission and was an expert for the UNESCO International Commission on the Future of Education.
Tracey has authored numerous articles, reports, books, and book chapters, most recently What Schools for the Future? Leadership for Uncertainty; Trends Shaping Education 2022; Back to the Future of Education: Four OECD Scenarios for Schooling; Education in the Digital Age: Happy and Healthy Children and Educating 21 st Century Children: Emotional Well-Being in the Digital Age.
Previous to her time at the OECD she conducted research on language acquisition in children and newborn infants and was an award-winning lecturer on child development. Tracey holds a B.A. from McGill University, Canada, and a PhD in experimental psychology from Northeastern University, United States.
Philip Cutler
Co-Founder & CEO, Paper
Philip Cutler
Co-Founder & CEO, Paper
Philip Cutler is a teacher turned mission-driven entrepreneur. As a teacher, Phil saw firsthand the many inequities in our education system. Students from affluent families were more likely to receive the additional help needed to succeed. In contrast, students from marginalized and at-risk communities lacked the necessary resources and support, which created lifelong learning and achievement gaps.
Determined to help democratize education, Phil left the classroom to start Paper, a virtual Educational Support System which features on-demand tutoring, essay and writing review, college and career support, after-school learning programs, and other tools and resources. Paper provides unlimited, on-demand student support by hiring thousands of highly-qualified tutors who offer multilingual support in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
Paper’s mission is to help close the achievement and opportunities gaps by helping all students succeed academically and gain confidence for life.
As of June 2022, Paper partners with over 400 schools across North America, supporting over 2.5 million students. Paper works with school districts and state governments to provide its best-in-class virtual classroom at no cost to students or their families. In addition to its 2,000+ tutors, Paper currently has more than 500 full-time corporate team members.
In February of 2022, Paper closed a $270 million round of investment led by Saphhire and Softbank, which valued the company at nearly $1.5 billion. Phil and Paper have received countless awards from McGill University, the Globe and Mail, EdTech Digest, EdTech Awards, Tech Edvocate, Tech & Learning, the Stevie Awards, Great Places to Work, SIIA CODiE, and many more.
Phil’s entrepreneurial spirit predates Paper. He became the youngest ever elected City Councillor in Westmount, Quebec. He held that position for eight years before deciding not to run for reelection in 2021. Before starting Paper, Phil also founded Laurus Educational Services and Laurus Summer Camp.
Dr. Peter Balyta
President, Worldwide Education Business, corporate vice president of academic engagement and president of the Education Technology business, Texas Instruments
Dr. Peter Balyta
President, Worldwide Education Business, corporate vice president of academic engagement and president of the Education Technology business, Texas Instruments
Peter Balyta, Ph.D., is corporate vice president of academic engagement and president of the Education Technology business at Texas Instruments. He is responsible for leading teams that focus on the mission of improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. This includes several groups and programs that span TI, all of which aim to help students develop a strong educational foundation, setting them up for future success in a workforce that increasingly demands STEM skills:
- Education Technology, a global business that delivers market-leading science and math learning products, teacher professional development and classroom resources for the K–12 market.
- The university program, which works with university engineering faculty and students to facilitate the inclusion of TI technology in the learning experience.
- Collaboration with university engineering research faculty to work on life-improving research projects.
Before starting his career at TI in 2000, Balyta was a mathematics educator, math and science district supervisor and a Teachers Teaching with Technology™ (T³™) instructor. In his roles at TI, he has brought his enthusiasm and experience from the classroom to support and drive TI’s education vision of equipping and inspiring future generations of leaders and engineers.
Balyta holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and technology education from McGill University; a master of science in mathematics education from Concordia University; and a master of business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. He remains an educator at heart and is passionate about engaging today’s students in STEM subjects to build the problem-solving and critical thinking skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce.
Dr. Susanne Lajoie
Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
Dr. Susanne Lajoie
Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
SUSANNE LAJOIE MA, Ph.D., is an Educational Psychologist, a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Health Sciences Education. She received her Doctorate from Stanford University in 1986 and is a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Advanced Technologies for Learning in Authentic Settings in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Psychological Association as well as the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She received the ACFAS Thérèse Gouin-Décarie Prize for Social Sciences along with the AERA-TICL Outstanding International Research Collaboration Award. Dr. Lajoie directs the Learning Environments Across Disciplines partnership grant funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada. She explores how theories of learning and affect can be used to guide the design of advanced technology rich learning environments in different domains, i.e. medicine, mathematics, history, etc. She uses a cognitive approach to identify learning trajectories that help novice learners become more skilled in the areas of science, statistics, and medicine. She presented her research worldwide including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Mexico, the UK and the Ukraine. She has numerous publications including two volumes on Computers as Cognitive tools published by Erlbaum. These volumes have highlighted the necessity for theory-driven design of technologies for education and training.
Dr. Christopher Manfredi
Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), McGill University
Dr. Christopher Manfredi
Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), McGill University
Christopher Manfredi has served as Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) at McGill University since July 1, 2015, and was reappointed for a second five-year term in October 2019. As the University’s chief academic officer and chief budget officer, he supports the university’s mission by providing academic leadership and sound administrative management.
Prior to becoming Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), Professor Manfredi was the Dean of McGill’s Faculty of Arts, a position he held for two terms between 2006 and 2015. He joined McGill’s Department of Political Science in 1988, and served as Chair of the Department from 2000 to 2006, with one year for a sabbatical.
Professor Manfredi earned his PhD from the Claremont Graduate University in 1987. He also holds an MA from Claremont, and an MA and BA from the University of Calgary. His research interests include judicial politics, constitutional design, constitutional theory, law and politics, and legal mobilization.
Professor Manfredi has published seven books, most recently Contested Constitutionalism: Reflections on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (2009, edited with James Kelly) and Judging Democracy (2008, with Mark E. Rush).
Kathy Hurley
Former EVP Pearson Foundation and Industry Consultant
Kathy Hurley
Former EVP Pearson Foundation and Industry Consultant
Kathy has over forty years of experience in the education industry in both traditional publishing and the ed tech sectors. Kathy began her career as a special education teacher before moving to the private sector side of the industry. She has worked in sales, marketing and business development for DLM, IBM, The Learning Company, Grolier, Mindscape, Skillsbank, NetSchool, PLATO Learning and Pearson and the Pearson Foundation.
In addition to her work as an executive, Kathy has served on numerous education and industry boards including ISTE 100, CoSN, NSBF, SIIA, AEP/AAP, NCEA, AASA Advisory Board. She currently serves on the boards of NCTET People to People, Asia Society, Spark 101, Women s Education Project, and in 2009-2010, Kathy served as the Chair for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).
In 2014, Kathy retired from Pearson after being with the company for ten years. Kathy, along with her colleague, Deb deVries, founded a new global non-profit, Girls Thinking Global, which seeks to connect changemakers to girls empowerment organizations across the world. She is also serving as an industry consultant and working with several companies in the ed tech sector. She is a co-editor with Priscilla Shumway of a book called “Real Women Real Leaders” which is being published in April by Wiley Publishing. Kathy completed the Harvard Advanced Leadership Program in 2014.
Lisa Schmucki
Founder & CEO, edWeb.net
Lisa Schmucki
Founder & CEO, edWeb.net
Lisa Schmucki is the founder and CEO of edWeb.net, an award-winning professional learning network that serves the global education community. edWeb helps educators share their best ideas and practices to improve teaching and learning, and prepare students to be successful in life. Previously, Lisa held senior marketing and product development positions in education, publishing and media with Time, Macmillan, Peterson’s, Films Media Group, and Achieve3000. She is a graduate of Princeton University and works with the university on issues of undergraduate social life and community service. Lisa has a Masters Degree from the Stern School of Business at NYU. Lisa has served on the board of the SIIA Education Technology Industry Network and is on the Advisory Council for the ERDI Education Impact Alliance.
Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan
Public/Private Company Board Director, C-Suite Executive, Audit, CEO, Author
Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan
Public/Private Company Board Director, C-Suite Executive, Audit, CEO, Author
As a business-centric c-suite executive, innovator, and board Member, I lead disruptive transformation through 30+ years in the development and commercialization of digital learning products for wide-ranging audiences. I bring a career of leadership roles across EdTech companies, for-profits, non-profits, PE firms, and educational institutions. Board governance and advisory roles include two public companies, 35+ private companies, and five non-profits that include charitable organizations and higher education institutions.
I’m pursuing a public or larger private company board seeking to develop, expand, or acquire innovative digital learning as part of their digital product strategy, and advise through deep insight honed from the intersection of technology, learning products, and innovation. I bring deep connections as well as experience in CEO and board succession planning, M&A, strategy and product evaluation. Leadership achievements:
• Commercialized 8 innovative, digital learning products across software, platforms, open/shared education resources websites, and online modules for Curriki.org, MSFT, McGraw-Hill Inc., TENET, Claris Inc., and others.
• Partnered with Microsoft to develop MSFT’s first children’s software product, Creative Writer and Fine Artist. Led as Executive Director of Curriki, and delivered one of the most innovative, robust global open source education communities with Sun Microsystems with +250K members and +40K resources in the first 4 years.
• Envision strategic M&A synergy of how two companies will increase stakeholder value. Acquired and sold Swiss culinary school; acquired MediaSeek, Homework Central, and Get a Clue; served as Interim President of Edunetics Ltd after acquisition, growing successfully.
• Invested in 35+ start-ups through PE and leadership at Penn in programs to train entrepreneurs including a Masters in Entrepreneurship in Education and EDSi, an educational technology. Invested $45M in through Core Learning Group.
Doug Currie
VP Corporate Services, Strategic Development and Stakeholder Relations, Holland College
Doug Currie
VP Corporate Services, Strategic Development and Stakeholder Relations, Holland College
Currently Vice President at Holland College in Prince Edward Island leading all Corporate Services, Strategic Development and Stakeholder Relations. A former Minister of Health, Education Early Learning and Culture and Minister of Family and Human Services. Demonstrated leadership in Federal, Provincial and Territorial ministerial relationships in health, seniors, housing and education. A successful 20 year career in school administration and education. Skilled in coaching, leadership, public speaking, strategic development, team building, and community relations. Holds a Master of Education MEd focused in Counselling Psychology from UNB, and a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts.
Rahmatullah Arman
Founder & President, Teach For Afghanistan
Rahmatullah Arman
Founder & President, Teach For Afghanistan
Rahmatullah Arman is leading Afghanistan’s largest youth led organization Teach For Afghanistan as its Founder & President.
Mr. Arman has completed his Masters education in International Human Resources Management from the ISM, India and Bachelor’s degree in Politics – International Relations and Economics from AISC, India, he has also completed his secondary school studies in Kabul, Afghanistan.
At Pune University, Mr. Arman was among the highest ranked national and international students from 2007-2011, and earned several national and international awards at debates and conferences.
Mr. Arman has served in leading positions within government and private sector organizations
in a variety of fields.
Mr. Arman is also a Global Youth Ambassador, Malala Fund Education Champion & Global Steering Committee Member, HOD university teacher, Emerging Leaders Advisory Council Senior Member, International Youth Council member and Board Director of PRDO Organization.
Mr. Arman is also an inspiring speaker who gives lectures and seminars on Positive thinking, Educational Management and Leadership in universities and institutes, inside and outside Afghanistan.
Mr. Arman’s work for women rights, children rights, education rights, youth activism have been
praised by many high level government officials, UN agencies, International & national organizations and international & local media outlets.
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Maxim Jean-Louis
Chief Executive Officer of Contact North | Contact Nord
Maxim Jean-Louis
Chief Executive Officer of Contact North | Contact Nord
Maxim Jean-Louis is President – Chief Executive Officer of Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education and Training Network, headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Maxim worked in senior management roles for over 15 years at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada’s open university.
He is also a member of the Comité consultatif en matière d’éducation postsecondaire en langue française dans les régions du Centre et du Sud-ouest.
Maxim is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the World University Service of Canada and of the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario, as well as a past member of Ontario’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board, and he served as a member of the Canadian Advisory Mission to support the implementation of the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by the South African Qualifications Authority. He also served as President of Collège des Grands Lacs, one of Ontario’s three French-language community colleges.
In 2011, Maxim was appointed Special Advisor to Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities for an Ontario Online Institute, producing a 125-page report and recommendations to the Minister on opportunities for online learning in the province.
Karen Yamada
Chief Learning Office & CFO, C21 Canada
Karen Yamada
Chief Learning Office & CFO, C21 Canada
Karen has enjoyed a 37-year career in leadership and collaboration with an ongoing focus on learning innovations in technology and assessment. Karen has been privileged to serve leader roles of influence in classrooms, schools, professional networks, district, government and post-secondary organizations, with continued service nationally and internationally.
Dr. Adam Dubé
Associate Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Director, Learning Sciences & Health Professions Education, McGill University
Dr. Adam Dubé
Associate Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Director, Learning Sciences & Health Professions Education, McGill University
Adam Dubé is an Assistant Professor in the Learning Sciences Program of the Educational and Counselling Psychology Department at McGill University, the head of the Technology, Learning, & Cognition Lab (mcgill.ca/tlc), and a joint Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the Society of Research in Child Development in middle childhood education and development. He investigates how educational technology augments the learning process and teaches courses on the use of emerging educational technologies. His work on the use of tablet computers in education is published in book “Understanding tablets from early childhood to adulthood: Encounters with touch technology.” One focus area of his research asks whether educational tablet math games are able to simultaneously entertain and educate and it is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada as well as the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Société et Culture. Another recent focus area is on how the use of digital assistants (smart speakers) affects the development of children’s theories of artificial minds and is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Altogether, Dr. Dubé’s work on educational technology has gone so far as to inform the recent United Nations industry Guidelines on Digital Learning.
Dr. Mario Chiasson
Director of Research, Innovations and Change Management at District scolaire francophone Sud
Dr. Mario Chiasson
Director of Research, Innovations and Change Management at District scolaire francophone Sud
Dr. Mario Chiasson is known for his practical insights on learning innovation. He is experienced and equipped to make big things happen. As the founder of My Learning My Space, Mario has helped countless organizations and institutions (schools, districts, ministries, colleges, universities, business and communities) to navigate through disruptive change, develop innovation capabilities and drive continuous improvement. From startups and small projects to educational and community reform.
Mario is a researcher that focuses on the design of spaces that influence the learning and the teaching process of new skills aligned with the innovative society. He holds a Bachelors degree in Physical Education with two concentration (Math and Science), a Masters in school administration with a focus on ICT and a Ph.D in Education at Université de Moncton, New-Brunswick, Canada. He is a Microsoft Innovative Teacher, a Cisco IT Essential Teacher, an Apple Distinguished Educator, an Apple Certified Trainer.
Coral Kennett
Education Lead for Canada, AWS
Coral Kennett
Education Lead for Canada, AWS
Education Sales Leader · Amazon Web Services (AWS)Coral Kennett helps the public sector understand the impact of these changes. In her role as education lead for Amazon Web Services, she works with the University of British Columbia’s Cloud Innovation Centre, a public-private collaboration between UBC and AWS. In this interview, we discuss the inextricable link between Lean, Agile, Continuous Deployment, DevOps and Cloud computing, and dig into a couple of fascinating projects in medicine and emergency services that the CIC has pioneered since its founding.
Geoff Edwards
Superintendent of Learning Technologies, Ottawa Catholic School Board
Geoff Edwards
Superintendent of Learning Technologies, Ottawa Catholic School Board
Superintendent of Learning Technologies at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Responsibilities for the St. Joseph and Notre Dame Families of Schools.
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Peter Singh
Executive Officer – IT Services, TDSB
Peter Singh
Executive Officer – IT Services, TDSB
Peter brings 23+ years of K-12 sector technology know-how to his CTO portfolio. He has been at the forefront of bringing innovative technologies to the Toronto District School Board. He’s a practitioner of emotional intelligence who is spearheading the TDSB “Information Technology Services” team from a digital era to Quantum Age of Information Technology.
Dr. Dilson Rassier
Co-Chair, Dean of the Faculty of Education, McGill University
Dr. Dilson Rassier
Co-Chair, Dean of the Faculty of Education, McGill University
Dr. Rassier holds a Canada Research Chair in Muscle Biophysics (Tier 1), and is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
Dr. Rassier‘s research interests focus upon muscle physiology and biophysics, with a special interest in the molecular aspects of muscle contraction in health and disease.
Sophia Mendoza
Director, Instructional Technology Initiative L.A. Unified & International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) Board Member
Sophia Mendoza
Director, Instructional Technology Initiative L.A. Unified & International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) Board Member
Innovative, systems-level collaborator with over 20 years of experience as an education leader in L.A. Unified. Leading the implementation of computer science education and digital citizenship programs across 1300 schools. Committed to cultivating leaders and learners ready for a growing digital world. Named a NextGeneration Leader by EdScoop and CoSN, 2018 Most Influential People in EdTech by Tech & Learning and recently announced as an ISTE Impact Award honoree for 2019 an honor that recognizes her work in establishing strategic partnerships and programs that expand instructional technology opportunities for all students.
Amanda Rose
Educator | Tomken Road Middle School – Peel District School Board
Amanda Rose
Educator | Tomken Road Middle School – Peel District School Board
Amanda Rose is an educator at Tomken Road Middle School – Peel District School Board. Winner of the Schools of the Future Challenge of 2022.
Shawn Young
CEO and co-founder, Classcraft, President, Edteq
Shawn Young
CEO and co-founder, Classcraft, President, Edteq
Shawn Young is a co-founder and CEO of Classcraft, an innovative platform that motivates students using the culture and mechanics of games. Since its launch, Classcraft has gained incredible traction with educators worldwide, providing tools to transform behavior and classroom cultures.
Shawn taught 11th-grade physics for 9 years, holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s in education from Université de Sherbrooke, and is also a seasoned web developer. Shawn is the co-chair of UNESCO’s MGIEP Global Collective for SEL and Digital Learning is the president of the Edteq Association and is an Ambassador for the Education faculty of the University of Sherbrooke.
Shawn is interested in how we can create a community in the classroom and how playful principles can help teach the whole child.
Steve Brown
President & Chief Executive Officer, NELSON
Steve Brown
President & Chief Executive Officer, NELSON
Steve Brown has made his mark in Canada and Internationally by leading organizations through digital transformation. His career spans a diverse mix of industry and technology experience from multi-media entertainment, logistics services, automotive, and now to learning solutions.
Since joining NELSON in September 2016, Steve has transformed the vision for this 104-year-old company by reimagining the role and purpose of a publisher in 2017 and beyond. Introducing a matrix driven view to the management culture, and unifying a K20 student-centric business division is at the core of this shift to a cohesive customer focused structure. He has reframed the organization’s digital competency by instituting a technology department comprised of some the world’s best and brightest talent based in Silicon Beach California. Additionally, over the past 12 months the company has engaged in various M&A activities, including the acquisition of one of its largest competitors, as well as signing numerous agency and partnership deals to ensure NELSON offers a world class portfolio of learning solution and for all its markets.
Steve’s passion and commitment to transforming education, and the student learning experience, continues to fuel the innovation pipeline at NELSON.