Patricia Brown, Ed.D., or "MsEdtechie," is a director of technology in St. Louis. She is passionate about using technology to promote student growth and close the digital equity divide. With over 20 years of experience, she fosters authentic learning and the 4Cs while breaking down traditional classroom barriers.

Dr. Brown's expertise has earned her numerous accolades, including being a National School Board Association's 20 to Watch in EdTech, an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google for Education Certified Innovator & Trainer. Her work has been featured in various edtech publications, and she is a sought-after national keynote speaker and presenter.

Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and learning designer. As the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, Culatta is focused on supporting education changemakers to create equitable and engaging learning experiences for students around the world.

Prior to joining ISTE+ASCD, Culatta served as the Chief Innovation Officer for the state of Rhode Island. In this role, he led an initiative to make Rhode Island the first state to offer computer science in every K-12 school and created a state vision for personalized learning.

Culatta was appointed by President Obama as the Executive Director of the Office of Educational Technology for the US Department of Education. In that capacity, he led efforts to expand connectivity to schools across the country, promote personalized learning and develop the National Education Technology Plan. He also pioneered new opportunities for engagement between the Department, education leaders, and tech developers - including bringing top game designers from around the world to the White House to help re-think the design of assessments. Culatta also served as an education policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and a Resident Designer for the global design firm IDEO.

Richard's book Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (HBR Press) uncovers the challenges with our current approaches to preparing young people to be effective humans in virtual spaces and presents a path to a healthier and more civil future digital world.

Culatta began his career in the classroom as a high school teacher and has coached educators and national leaders around the world on making learning more. He holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish teaching and a master's in educational psychology and technology, from Brigham Young University.

Richard Culatta es un innovador y diseñador de aprendizaje reconocido a nivel internacional. Como Director Ejecutivo de ISTE+ASCD, Culatta se enfoca en apoyar a agentes de cambio en educación para crear experiencias de aprendizaje equitativas y significativas para estudiantes de todo el mundo.

Hank Thiele serves as the superintendent of Community High School District 99, which serves over 5,000 students. District 99 is recognized as one of the first districts to fully close the “Homework Gap” by ensuring every student has access at school and home to a computer, digital resources, and Internet access.

Throughout his career he's led others through the deployment of several large-scale initiatives related to teaching, learning, and technology. Examples include working with Google to bring Google for Education into many K-12 settings (including the first deployment of Google in the K-12 setting), launching full-scale 1:1 learning programs, transitioning print resources to digital platforms, and leading the districts to be recognized nationally for innovations in technology and learning.