Leadership Exchange

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. 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.

Tara brings together people, processes, and technology to transform learning in NYC Public Schools. As Director of the Digital Learning Initiative (DLI), Tara collaborates with educators, school leaders, and district leaders to personalize learning environments and experiences through technology solutions. Her unique expertise spans both teaching and learning, as well IT, strengthened by her former roles as Director of Citywide Ed Tech. Tara's classroom is deeply rooted in special education and ensuring all students needs are met universally. She helps connect IT, pedagogy, and adult learning to sustain an enterprise learning architecture that empowers all.

Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and learning designer. As the CEO of ASCD and ISTE, Culatta is focused on supporting education change-makers to create equitable and engaging learning experiences for students around the world. Prior to joining ASCD/ISTE, 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 U.S. 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 rethink 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. Culatta’s book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World, 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 equitable. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish teaching and a master's in educational psychology and technology from Brigham Young University.

With more than 26 years in education, Alexandria City Public Schools Interim Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed.D., has served in roles ranging from special education teacher to division leader. At Alexandria City Public Schools, she oversees a division with 15,700 students in 18 schools who hail from 119 countries and speak 124 languages. She believes we must address both equity and excellence in schools. Choosing to be a servant and visionary leader, her work around school and community is done with an unrelenting passion. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Eric Levels serves as the Executive Director of Digital Learning for Aldine ISD. He served as the Coordinator of Online Learning facilitating Learning Management System implementation and training districtwide to over 3,000 staff members and over 65,000 students. Levels was creator and curator within the Professional Learning department facilitating training and development of the district through evaluation, education, and elevation of high-yield teaching strategies. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is the Lead Pastor of Salem Missionary Baptist Church. His motto is to live life on purpose with purpose.

Jeff McCoy currently serves as the associate superintendent of academics for Greenville County Schools, the largest district in South Carolina and the 44th largest in the nation with over 78,000 students. McCoy is active both statewide and nationally on multiple advisory boards including the National K12 Congress Advisory Board, National School Transformation Conference Advisory Board and the National Chief Academic Officers Working Group. He also serves on the board of directors for the Upstate Children’s Museum and 1EdTech. He and three of his colleagues recently published a series of Blueprints on Personalized Learning, Cybersecurity, and The Marriage of Information Technology and Academics. He presents frequently around the country on the topics of personalized learning, innovation in education, and systems-level change and support.

Caitlin McLemore is a senior research associate and project manager at ISTE. She holds an Ed.D. in Technology Integration from Johns Hopkins and an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. Prior to working at ISTE, Caitlin was an educational technology consultant with experience in curriculum design, educational research, instructional coaching, and teacher professional development. She also worked for eight years in PK-12 independent schools as an academic technology specialist. Caitlin is a Google Certified Innovator and Trainer, ISTE Certified Educator, and published author.

Megan McMahon is a senior events manager with ISTE, helping shape amazing educator content and experiences like the Creative Constructor Lab. She also spent time as a teacher resident with IDEO’s The Teachers Guild, taught in San Francisco Unified School District for 10 years as an arts educator, facilitated experiential learning workshops as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, and was a co-founder of Beyond Borders Storytelling. McMahon is also an artist and is always seeking outdoor time in the sun. She believes changes in education will come from inside school communities, from the ground up.

Bryan O'Black, Ed.D., is the deputy superintendent of schools for the Shaler Area School District in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania. Located north of Pittsburgh, Shaler Area School District educates over 4,000 students from the communities of Shaler, Etna, Millvale and Reserve. The district employs over 600 staff members across seven schools. During his career, O’Black has been an active member of numerous professional organizations and associations and has presented at a number of national, state and regional conferences. O’Black is currently an active member of the PA Association of School Administrators Legislative Committee, the International Society for Technology in Education and the Tri-State Study Council. He is currently the president of the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. O’Black’s work has been recognized by the National School Boards Association as a “20 to Watch” recipient in 2015, and by the University Council on Educational Administration with the Excellence in Educational Leadership award in 2019. Additionally, O’Black was a 2018–19 fellow for the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Leadership Center.

Brandon Olszewski (Ph.D.), ISTE’s Director of Research, is passionate about making research practical. He leads many of the organization’s evaluation and research efforts, as well as projects that focus on educational technology, product usability and design, the learning sciences, and adult learning. With over 15 years’ experience in program evaluation and research, Brandon has managed the implementation and evaluation of innovative projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, state departments of education, and private foundations. He has published on topics including educational technology, sociology, special education, workforce development, and social science methodology and psychometrics.

Carmalita Seitz, an accomplished professional, bringing over 24 years of experience as a classroom educator, coach, and director. Her four-year tenure at ISTE has seen her spearheading the Certification for Educators program. With a wealth of knowledge in professional learning and working with adult learners, Carmalita guides educators through the certification process, equipping them with vital tools for success. Her deep commitment to empowering educators fuels her belief in purposeful technology integration to enhance teaching practices and maximize learning outcomes. Carmalita holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, a Master's degree in Education Leadership.

Ken Shelton has been an educator for over 20 years, many of which were spent teaching technology to middle school students. He has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of state departments of education, ministries of education and nonprofits, and was appointed to an Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Shelton regularly gives keynote presentations and consults and leads workshops on educational technology, equity and inclusion, anti-racism, multimedia literacy, cultural intelligence, visual storytelling and instructional design. He’s an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and a Google Certified Innovator. In 2018, he earned ISTE’s Digital Equity PLN Excellence Award. He was also named an influencer to follow by EdTech Magazine. Shelton holds a master’s degree in education with specialties in edtech and new media design and production.

Henry Turner, Ed.D., is an award-winning high school principal, author and nationally renowned speaker. Pointing to his unwavering commitment to equity and a student-centered culture, Turner was named 2020 K12 Principal of the Year by K–12 Dive. Turner is the author of the newly released book “Change the Narrative: How to Foster an Antiracist Culture in Your School.” As a national speaker and coach, Turner works with educators, leaders and communities on how to create a culture that commits to diversity, equity and inclusion; empowers students’ voices; and addresses economic and racial disparities.

Dr. Vanessa Wrenn serves as the Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In this role, she leads the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning, School Connectivity and Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Reporting, IT Strategy, Virtual Learning Support Services, and Systems Modernization. She has 24 years of experience as a state and public school district leader. Prior to her role as CIO, she led the NCDPI Division of Digital Teaching and Learning. She is focused on innovative approaches to education delivery models, modern data systems, quality online curriculum, and broadband connectivity for all households.