About Us

Christine Weiser is the Content and Brand Director for Tech & Learning, and has been with the company since 2008. She has reported on education for most of her career, working at Scholastic and Gale Publishing before joining Tech & Learning. Christine is also an author and musician, and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. 

Ray Bendici is an award-winning journalist, author, and editor, with more than 20 years of experience, including a specific focus on education. He lives in Connecticut with his two kids and a beloved backyard firepit. 

Allison Knapp is the Sales Account Manager for Tech & Learning, and has been with the brand since 2001. She loves helping solution providers meet and find success with the audience of Tech & Learning. Allison lives in the Bay Area, CA, with her husband, 3 kids, dog, cat, gecko, turtle, and fish. 

Erik Ofgang is a journalist, author, and educator. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Associated Press. He currently teaches at Western Connecticut State University’s MFA program. While a staff writer at Connecticut Magazine he won a Society of Professional Journalism Award for his education reporting. He is interested in how humans learn and how technology can make that more effective. 

Katie Tait is the Senior Marketing Manager for Tech & Learning Events. She has over 10 years of experience of marketing and delivering a range of events for the publishing and media industry. Home for Katie is in the UK, and she enjoys travel and socialising.

Dr. Kecia Ray is Tech & Learning’s Brand Ambassador. Her career includes designing technology within the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and directing technology research through Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Science Outreach programs. As a district administrator for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, she led the award-winning design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional technology programs, including instructional design for online and blended learning environments, redesigning physical learning environments, redefining school libraries, and establishing the first virtual high school to award the diploma. She leads K20Connect and other passion projects supporting K20 education around the world.

Marquita Amoah is the Event Partnership Development Director for Tech & Learning, and has been with the company since 2021. She has worked in higher education for most of her career, working at Barnard College and the University of Chicago before joining Tech & Learning. Marquita is also a writer and podcaster, and is a native New Yorker who now lives in Oakland. 

Blake Pippin has over 10 years of experience in planning, marketing, executing, and leading large scale, corporate, and social events. He is a graduate from the University of Georgia and is a true Bulldawgs Fan! He also holds a fine art degree and loves being involved in the arts. 

Anne Gregoire is a recent graduate from the University of Mississippi with a degree in marketing. She comes from a background in the toy industry specializing in developing early education toys and resources. A native Atlantan, she currently resides and works in New York City. 

Luke Edwards is a freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience covering tech, science, and health. He writes for many publications covering health tech, software and apps, digital teaching tools, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones, cars, and much more.

Dr. Stephanie Smith Budhai is an associate clinical professor in the department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum at Drexel University, holding a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies. She has more than a decade of online teaching experience, and has published myriad books, articles, and invited editorials surrounding the use of technology and online learning in education through major education publishers. Dr. Smith Budhai is the 2021 Emerging Leader for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education and the 2017 ISTE awardee for Excellence in Teacher Education. 

Gwen Solomon was Founding Director of The School of the Future in New York City, Coordinator of Instructional Technology Planning for New York City Public Schools, and Senior Analyst in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Instructional Technology. She has written and co-authored several books and magazine articles on educational technology.

Carl Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration since becoming an educator. As Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Eanes ISD, he has helped spearhead the LEAP program, which put one-to-one iPads in the hands of all K-12 students in his 8,000-student district. He's also the author of Ready, Set, FAIL!: Using Failure & Risk-Taking to Unlock Creativity (opens in new tab), designed to provide new ways to motivate learners of all ages and open up their creative pathways. Read more at Hooked on Innovation (opens in new tab). 

Susan comes from a strong policy background as a former staffer in the U.S. Senate and Legislative Aide in the Iowa House of Representatives. Along with experience at both federal and state levels, she served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Center for Digital Education, worked for a government relations firm in Arlington, VA, and heavily worked on federal and state education policy at iNACOL, where she wrote published reports to move the field forward with innovative learning models, best practices, and policy recommendations.

Annie Galvin Teich has more than 25 years' experience in education writing and publishing. She is an edtech industry expert in content marketing and copywriting. As a regular contributor to Tech & Learning she focuses on the information needs of district decision makers.

Diana Restifo has been Tech & Learning's web editor since 2010, and in that time, has covered a wide array of education technology news, resources, and products. Currently, she writes about the best websites and tools to help educators teach any topic creatively, with an emphasis on free and low-cost resources. 

Stacy Royster is the PowerSchool Program Coordinator for the Alabama State Department of Education. She is the former CTO/Director of Technology for Opelika City Schools in Opelika, Alabama. Her innovative technology integration methods have led to multiple opportunities to speak at local, national, and international events. She holds a master's degree in secondary mathematics education from Auburn University and holds the Chief Technology Officer Certification from the statewide organization Alabama Leaders in Educational Technology (ALET). 

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph is currently the Director of Evaluation, Supervision, Mentoring, and Hiring in Brockton Public Schools. He is also the CEO of X-Factor EDU consulting and publishing. He has been a school and district leader in many capacities in public education over his 28 years in the field. Follow him on Twitter @matthewxjoseph and visit his website at https://mxjedu.net (opens in new tab). He is also a regular contributor to Tech & Learning.

Presently Director of IT for the Township of Union Public Schools, Sandra Paul previously was a computer science and business education teacher. She was awarded administrator of the year by NJASL in 2007, a finalist for the 2014 Bammy Awards for Support Staff, and named in the Top 30 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers 2015. She served as the chairperson for Technology Advocacy for NJAET, co-chairperson for CoSN- NJ, Board member of NJGMIS, Chairperson CoSN-NJ member, has contributed to Sustainable Jersey Digital Schools Program and Future Ready Technology Leadership, and is an organizer for EdcampNJ.

Diane Doersch is a former classroom teacher, Director of Technology, and Chief Technology and Information Officer of a large Wisconsin school district. She is currently Director of Technology for the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (opens in new tab) Initiative at Digital Promise. Diane also serves on the CoSN Board of Directors, Northeast Wisconsin Women in Technology, and EquityEdu.

Rudy Blanco is the Director of Entrepreneurship and Gaming for The DreamYard Project (opens in new tab) and Founder of The Bronx Gaming Network based out of The Bronx, New York. His DreamYard work is based around the premise that the video game industry is rapidly growing with very little to no representation for BIPOC, queer, and women gamers both on and off screen. Blanco also focuses on the development of safe and inclusive online environments that represent all gamers.

Chris Aviles is a STEM teacher, edtech specialist, and president of Garden State Esports (opens in new tab). He is also a regular contributor to Tech & Learning.

Dr. Tracy Daniel-Hardy is the Director of Technology for Gulfport School District in Mississippi. She has 26 years of experience as an educator in various capacities including teacher, guidance counselor, and instructional technology specialist. She is an Innovative Directors Network member, Future Ready Tech Leader advisor, past President of Mississippi Educational Computing Association, and a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Technology Advisory Committee, Mississippi Educational Technology Leaders Association, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and other civic organizations. She is also co-author of Shut'em Down: Black Women, Racism, and Corporate America Anthology and the Foreword author for Women Who Lead in Technology Volume 4.

Coming from the Bio-Tech field, Dr. Armstrong found a second career in education, as a teacher of 11 years, counselor, AP, Principal and advanced through administrative positions as a Director of English Language Learners, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, a California superintendent, an educational consultant for the Puerto Rico Department of Education Hurricane Maria Recovery efforts, and now as the Executive Director for the National Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (opens in new tab) in Washington, D.C. 

Frank is the Supervisor of Technology for the Linwood Public School District (Pre-K-8) in New Jersey. He advises and contributes to educational technology publications as well as speaks regionally and nationally about educational innovation and instructional technology.

Jon Castelhano is currently the Executive Director of Technology for the Gilbert Public School District in Gilbert, Arizona. Jon is a seasoned educator with more than 20 years in educational technology and 26 years in public education. He oversees all technology needs at Gilbert Public Schools, including a successful grades 7-12 1-to-1 initiative, and a technology services team dedicated to the students and staff of the district.

Beverly Miller spent the first 10 years of her IT career working in a corporate IT environment. She felt called to move to public education and became the first IT Director for the Greeneville City Schools in Greeneville, Tennessee, in 1995. She held that role for 17 years and was promoted to Assistant Director of Schools, a position she has now held for 9 years. She is passionate about providing best-in-class tools backed up by extraordinary customer service and support to the people she serves and leads.

Frank Murray has been in K-12 Education for 20 years and post-secondary education for 7 years. With his M. Ed in Educational Technology and 14 years training teachers on integrating technology, he has seen a lot of changes in the classroom. He has played a vital role in team building, planning, training, distribution, expectations, and follow through with a successful technology integration.

Todd Dugan is the Superintendent of Bunker Hill CUSD #8 located in Bunker Hill, Illinois. A rural, distant district, Bunker Hill is in the midst of both a digital conversion to 1-to-1 device environment while simultaneously changing both the pedagogy and learning environment. A 2017 Tech & Learning Leader of the Year and the 2018 Illinois State University EAF Superintendent of the Year, Todd has presented and published numerous times on education and disrupting inequity, digital and otherwise.

Dr. Adam Phyall, Director of Technology and Media Services in Covington, Georgia, focuses on how teachers can keep students engaged in rigorous learning by putting technology in the hands of students. Adam works directly with teachers showing them fun and easy methods of incorporating technology into instruction by “Putting the Pieces Together.” His philosophy on teaching is: “If you’re having fun teaching it, then your students will have fun learning it.”

Shad McGaha is currently the Chief Technology Officer for Belton ISD in central Texas. He has 23 years of experience in education. Shad loves to lead change and strives to share his passion for technology in education in everything he does.

Phil Hintz is the Director of Student Information for Barrington School District 220 in Barrington, Illinois. In 2015, he was the recipient of ISTE’s Outstanding Leader of Year Award, in Philadelphia, and collaborated with the team at Gurnee School District 56 to be inducted into the League of Innovative Schools by Digital Promise. In 2017, Phil helped Gurnee D56 to earn the coveted ISTE Distinguished District Award. Most recently, Phil was awarded the 2019 Withrow CTO of the Year by the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN).

Lisa Nielsen has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. Her areas of expertise include ed tech, digital citizenship, and digital accessibility. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator (opens in new tab). Nielsen is the author of Teaching Generation Text as well as several other books and her writing has been featured in various outlets such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. You can Tweet her at @InnovativeEdu. She is also a regular contributor to Tech & Learning.

Nikki Schafer is an Instructional Technology Facilitator, Board Member, grad student, and mom living in Omaha, Nebraska.

Eileen Belastock, CETL, is an educational leader who throughout her career in both the corporate and educational settings, has encouraged and supported both adult and student learners to challenge themselves to find their passions, be lifelong learners, and be contributing citizens in the global environment. Due to her work and involvement with state and national edtech organizations, she is a 2020 top 100 edtech influencer. Through her articles, she supports and highlights educators and administrators on their work to ensure digital equity and student safety.

Bill Bass is the Innovation Coordinator for Instructional Technology, Information, Library Media, and Federal Programs in the Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri, where he leads the district library program, instructional technology, grants, and innovation. He is an award-winning educator, international speaker, and past president of ISTE Board of Directors. During his 20+ career in education, he has held positions in both K-12 and higher ed, and has written numerous articles, book chapters and has authored three books on the role of technology in education. 

Amy Liang is passionate about transforming the way people learn through technology. She is currently the Director of Technology, Assessment, and Accountability for Los Gatos Union School District, a small district in Northern California with nearly 3,000 students. Amy oversees technology, state assessments, and the district STEAM initiative. Previously, Amy spent eight years as the Director of Instructional Technology for the Cupertino Union School District.

Listed as one of EdTech Magazine’s K-12 IT influencers for 2020, Greg is currently the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for the Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In this position, Greg works with schools that are 1:1 assisting them in integrating the technology into their curriculum. Prior to this position, Greg was the principal at Barger Academy of Fine Arts where he served for ten years infusing technology with the arts program. Before stepping into the role of administration Greg worked as a band director, computer teacher, and the Technology Integration Specialist for 21st Century Academy. He has been a presenter at Google Summits, state and national technology conferences, as well as at EdCamp encore events. He also host the educational Podcast "Books with Bagby."

Mike began his career as a high school math teacher and served many roles, including Academic Coach, STEM Academy Director, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, and Director of Technology. He is currently serving as the Coordinator of Technology Services for Northwest RESA, an organization that supports 17 school systems and 180 schools in northwest Georgia. He is passionate about instructional practices and how technology supports good teaching. 

Teri Green is an innovative IT leader with more than 16 years of experience in the telecommunications, education, and technology services industries. She is the co-founder/CISO for Lite Technology Solutions, LLC, a cybersecurity firm, and serves as the board president at ETA (Education Technology Association in Missouri). Green mentors two organizations, the International Consortium of Minority Cyber Security Professional (ICMCP) mentor and STL- TechLx Mentor woman executive series.

Dr. Martin Miller has 36 years of experience in education and currently serves as the Superintendent of Antwerp Local Schools in Antwerp, Ohio. In 2022, he was a finalist for the 2022 Ohio Outstanding Superintendent Award and Tech and Learning's Innovative Leader Award. Dr. Miller speaks nationally on digital learning and was a member of the U.S. educator delegation to the World Leadership Summit in 2022. He is the founder and president of GENZED, LLC., a company providing online education for Chinese students. 

Jennifer Parker, Ed.D. is an instructional technology/school data consultant for Macomb Intermediate School District and adjunct faculty for Central Michigan University’s Master of Arts in Learning, Design, & Technology. She is an ISTE Certified Educator and ISTE’s 2018 Digital Leader of the Year. Her consultant work includes ISTE Certification, ISTE Library Standards, and authoring ISTE-U courses. Parker was recognized by Tech & Learning Magazine as one of the top Ed Tech leaders to watch (2018) and for Best Digital Curriculum (2022). 

Kate Grunow has been in education for over a decade as a K-12 digital media specialist and English teacher. She currently serves 130,000 students and over 10,000 teachers in metro Detroit. She is one of the co-creators of the 21 Things 4 project and a presenter at local, state, and national conferences on topics such as blended learning, free technology tools, learning management platforms, and digital learning. She is the Schoology implementation lead for Macomb ISD where she has trained over 3,000 teachers on Schoology basics and tech best practice. 

Kristen Brooks is a veteran educator with the last 18 years exclusively in edtech. Currently she serves as a technology specialist and leader on the Digital Innovation Team at Indian Knoll Elementary School, a Microsoft Showcase School. Ms. Brooks presents nationally on educational technology and the importance of fostering a culture of creativity in all classrooms.

Kyle Berger has over 23 years of K-12 technology leadership and has earned awards such as Technology Director of the year for Texas, 2020 National Edtech Leadership, and Institutional Leadership award for interoperability. In 2022 Kyle was named one of the Top 100 Influencers in Edtech by Edtechdigest. He serves as the Chief Technology Officer for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, a Texas school district of 14,000 students.

Gina is a middle-school special education teacher and district-wide edtech coach with a passion for both STEM and the healing arts. She is a certified nature therapy guide, yoga and mindfulness instructor, stress resilience facilitator and reiki master.

Ling has been a K-12 teacher, instructional coach, and EdTech leader. Ling started her career as an elementary classroom teacher in Hawaii, then moved to Princeton, NJ to specialize in curriculum development and teaching computer science and robotics. In 2015, Ling moved to the Bay Area to help schools create their makerspace and continue to teach and advocate for STEAM, Design Thinking, and Maker Education. Her work and presentation have earned several awards and were recognized and published by ISTE and IDEO. Ling is currently the Director of EdTech at Helios School, Sunnyvale, California.

Dr. Kristy Beam serves as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in Decatur, Georgia. Beam’s experience includes teaching public education, serving as an administrator in the public, private, and international setting, and preparing teachers in the university setting. She is passionate about leading, learning and finding ways to break down barriers that impede student success. She believes technology is often at the heart of building new pathways to personalizing the student experience. 

Andrew Wallace has been the technology director for South Portland Schools in Maine for the past twenty years. He is president of the Maine Educational Technology Directors Association (METDA) and represents Maine schools on the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Forum. A former librarian, Wallace is a Maine Commissioner of Libraries, and is a member of the graduate faculty in Educational Technology for University of Maine system. Wallace's current passion is designing effective learning spaces to facilitate the purposeful use of technology in teaching and learning. 

Jenith Mishne has been passionate about technology and learning for the past 26 years. She is the Director of Education Technology in Newport Mesa USD, working with students, teachers, and administrators as they learn to integrate technology into their learning and lives.

Dr. Scott Van Der Aa is a superintendent at Benton Community School Corporation in Indiana.  He has been in education for over 20 years in various roles and has a passion for serving multi-language learners and helping their families increase their involvement in the education of their children.  

Melissa Jacobs is the Director of Library Services for the NYC Department of Education/New York City School Library System. Melissa was named the 2022 New York Library Association Distinguished Service Award winner and received the 2022 Tech and Learning Innovative Leader Award. She was also named the 2022 EdWeek Leader to Learn From and Library Journal Mover and Shaker. Melissa has contributed to School Library Journal, Knowledge Quest, Teacher Librarian, and School Library Connection. 

Alec Couros is a professor of educational technology and media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina, in Saskatchewan, Canada. An award-winning educator, Alec helps his undergraduate and graduate students take up the incredible affordances of our connected world through the integration of educational technology in teaching and learning.

Rico D'Amore is the Director of the Academic Services Technology at Benedictine University, providing support and management of the online learning environment, Brightspace Design2Learn. At Benedictine University, he also has the opportunity to teach a College of Education course for pre-service teachers to help them create innovative learning opportunities and infuse technology into their classrooms.

Christopher Dechter, CTS-D, CTS-I, is the Manager of Instructional Technology at the University of Wyoming. In his almost twenty years of AV and IT, he has focused almost exclusively on the design and integration of technology in higher education at multiple institutions. He shares his AV stories with anyone willing to listen and, like the protagonist of terrible 1980s television, has spent his career traveling from town to town solving mysteries … of higher education technology. He hosts a podcast with five other AV nerds at AV SuperFriends (opens in new tab).

Gillian R. Hayes is Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division at UC Irvine. She is also the Robert A. and Barbara L. Kleist Professor of Informatics in the School of Information and Computer Sciences with courtesy appointments in computer science, education, and pediatrics. She also co-directs the global Jacobs CERES research network, and is a Jacobs Foundation Senior Research Fellow alumna and a Kavli Fellow from the National Academy of Sciences.  

Julie Johnston is the Director of Learning Spaces for Indiana University. This position manages four entities of UITS Learning Technologies: Classroom Technology Services, Learning Space Design, Collaboration Technologies, and Student Technology Computing. Along with managing these services, she is ultimately responsible for the technology component of the design of Learning Spaces for the campus. She was actively involved in assisting with the launch of Indiana University's new active learning initiative, Mosaic (opens in new tab),and has more than 20 years working in Instructional Technology Leadership positions in higher education. 

Robb Mann has been a member of the Information Technology Services department at UNCW for the last 16 years, and is currently the manager for the Integrated Educational Technologies (IET) group, which has oversight for all AV on campus. He has been a finalist for the UNCW Award of Excellence on three occasions (awarded to the outstanding staff member of the year), and has held his CTS certification since 2012 and CTS-I since 2014. Robb has been a member of the NC Classroom Summit organizing committee for the last seven years, as well as being a presenter and breakout session leader on many occasions.

Audrey Muhammad is an educator, writer, fitness instructor and inspirational speaker who has been an educator for 28 years in three school districts, and has been a mentor teacher and a facilitator of various workshops. She has authored four books and one audio book, including How to Set Worthy Goals and Rhymes of the Times: Black Nursery Rhymes. She is also the publisher of the inspirational Virtue Today Magazine, which has featured: Erykah Badu, May May Ali (daughter of Muhammad Ali), Dr. Ava Muhammad, Dr. Jewel Diamond Taylor, and Iyanla Vanzant.

Holly Owens is a Senior Instructional Designer with Academic Partnerships. She has more than 15 years of experience in education, including high school educator, instructional technologist, and podcast host. Holly has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in education and instructional design at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Coppin State University, and Northern Virginia Community College. For the past four years, she has been teaching instructional design courses with the Instructional Technology Program at Touro College, Graduate School of Technology. Her podcast, EdUp EdTech, is a go-to resource to stay updated with the latest and greatest edtech tools that are disturbing (in a good way) education. 

Justin Rexing is an Audiovisual Systems Design Engineer for Western Kentucky University. Justin has designed and engineered audiovisual solutions for various vertical markets from government and enterprise to large stadiums, corporate, entertainment, restaurants, and houses of worship venues. He has assisted in developing courses for AVIXA, and currently holds senior faculty status with AVIXA. Justin is a member of the AVIXA Foundation Board. 

Jameson Rinehart is an AV Systems Designer at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Jameson has 15 years of navigating the intricacies of designing for higher education. He is a regular presenter at the annual Avixa conference. 

Dr. John Thompson is Associate Professor Emeritus at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, N.Y. He also operates his own educational consulting business - Global Learning Institute, Inc. Although retired, He continues to teach 100% online courses on a part-time basis. Prior to working in higher education, his career experience included working in urban, suburban, and rural schools as an elementary and secondary classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, principal, and school superintendent. He also functioned as director of training for two state governments and director of a university-based computer training organization. 

Dr. Josiah Way is the Director of Learning Environments at the University of Southern California and 2019 AV Professional of the Year. He was named to EdTech’s Higher Ed IT Top Influencers list, and most recently was awarded the 2020 and 2021 AV Project of the Year. He is the CEO of the Higher Ed AV Media Group, hosts Higher Ed AV podcast, and is the co-founder and chair of the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance. With more than 25 years’ experience in education, technical production, and organizational leadership and management, he is the author of Producing Worship, serves on the AVIXA Tech Managers and Diversity Councils, and has received awards in education, the arts, and business. He is a keynote speaker and writer for AV-industry and higher ed conferences and media outlets. 

Dr. Jonathan L. Wharton is associate professor of political science and urban affairs at Southern Connecticut State University. He currently serves on the New England Political Science Association, Connecticut Mirror and Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation boards. He is a frequent New York City tristate area NPR stations' contributor as well as for ctnewsjunkie.com, New Haven Register, and Connecticut Post. His teaching and research centers on state and local government, public policy, economic development as well as identity and coalition building politics. He is also a regular contributor to Tech & Learning. 

Kyle Whipple is an assistant professor in Education for Equity and Justice at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Whipple graduated from the University of Minnesota with a PhD in STEM Education in June 2018 with a focus on science and mathematics. His research interest is focused on LGBTQ+ teachers and their implementation of inclusive pedagogy and curriculum. He started the LGBTQ+ Teacher Mentors organization in 2019 to create a social network connecting preservice and inservice teachers who identify as LGBTQ+. He taught science and mathematics in public-schools for twenty years, and he identifies as a queer trans man.