Opening Mainstage

Join us for the Opening Mainstage at ISTELive and ASCD Annual Conference 26! Exploring our daily theme of “Spark Curiosity,” this session invites educators to embrace the questions, uncertainty, and wonder that fuel learning and leading in times of change. ISTE+ASCD CEO Richard Culatta joins us to welcome attendees and set the stage.

Then, bestselling author, leadership expert, and LinkedIn Global Voice for Education Heather McGowan unpacks how educators and leaders can thrive in an era of relentless change. Through storytelling, she reveals why learning, unlearning, and re-learning have become the essential rhythm of work itself. McGowan explains how to build cultures where people recognize when they've outgrown their roles, embrace the discomfort of not knowing, and move forward together with intrinsic motivation and support. Learn how to transform uncertainty from a threat into a strategic advantage by activating your students’ and staff’s distinctly human capabilities of adaptability, empathy, and curiosity.