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$404 Bn
That’s the estimated edtech spend by 2025 - Holon IQ.
And many visionaries have started to work towards it, started to bring a change, started to create an impact.
Here are 40 Edtech leaders who are in the race to transform the Edtech industry. They’re here to make you unlearn things, and learn them in a new way.
40 Top EdTech leaders transforming education and learning experiences
Pasi Sahlberg
Pasi Sahlberg is a Professor of Education Policy at the School of Education (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) at UNSW. Pasi talks about - Learning and play. After relocating to Australia from Finland, Sahlberg wrote this essay on different countries’ approaches to education, alluding to his own children’s journey. This defence of outdoor play attracted more than 200 reader reactions.
Dr. A. Tracie Brown
Dr. A. Tracie Brown is a Chief Schools Officer at Arlington ISD. She is highly experienced in school leadership, is principal supervision, executive coach, and consultant with a successful track record of working in K-16 education management. She is also the founder of Future School Leaders Network, Inc. (FSLN).
Ben Drew
Ben Drew is the founder of Open Future Learning an online learning provider 100% dedicated to the developmental, intellectual, and learning disability workforce. He talks about the power of stories, dedicated specialists, engaging content, learning on demand, action learning, blended learning for the specially-abled
Melissa Milloway
Melissa Milloway is a Learning Experience Design Manager at Miro and also a part of the Learning and Development Advisory Board and Committees. She is a speaker on topics like Using Design Systems for Scalable, Accessible, Cohesive E-Learning Experiences and the Power of UX/UI in E-Learning
Eduardo Padrón
Eduardo Padron is the President Emeritus of Miami Dade College (MDC) for the last 25 years. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., for being a prominent national voice for access and inclusion in higher education. He is the past chair of the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE) and is a past chair of the board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and former chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF).
Divya Gokulnath
A teacher from the age of 21, Divya Gokulnath believes that education is one of the most powerful tools that shapes and molds the way our youth think. She is the Co-founder of BYJU’S, India's largest ed-tech company, and the creator of the school learning app
Mohamed Lachemi
Dr. Mohamed Lachemi is president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University. An internationally recognized researcher and accomplished academic administrator, he has been a key contributor to the growth and development of Ryerson over a transformational time in the university’s history. Publishing in English and French, President Lachemi has more than 285 peer-reviewed technical publications, book chapters and conference proceedings, and extensive contributions as an editor and technical reviewer. He has delivered more than 50 keynote addresses and invited presentations around the world.
Stephanie Espy
Stephanie Espy’s mission is to empower the next generation of STEM leaders by inspiring, mentoring, and coaching them in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics content and careers at MathSP and STEM Gems where she is also the founder.
Gavin McCormack
Gavin McCormack, a children's author was nominated for Australian Author of the year 2017. He is an advocate for innovative education practices and believes strongly in the development of essential skills in our students from an early age.
Adam Geller
Adam Geller is the founder of Edthena and author of "Evidence of Practice." His book talks about accelerating teacher growth. Edthena is a video-powered professional learning platform. Adam has written on education technology topics for various publications including Education Week, Forbes, and edSurge, and he has been an invited speaker about education technology and teacher training for conferences at home and abroad.
Elizabeth Leiba
Elizabeth Leiba, is the Director of Instructional Design and Innovation at City College, Florida. She is the founder of Black Women Handle Business, a website directory for black women entrepreneurs and professionals to network, collaborate and share resources.
Doug Lederman
Doug Lederman is the Editor and founder at Inside Higher Ed, the leading source for the latest news, analysis, and services for the entire higher education community. Lederman digs deep into the ways that colleges and universities are wrestling with the pandemic-necessitated move to remote learning. As editor-in-chief of a leading source of online news about education, this EdTech thought leader offers the big picture, plus a friendly willingness to engage with readers in the comments.
Dave Miyashiro
Dave Miyashiro is the superintendent at the Cajon Valley Union School District, a collaborator with the White House and the U.S. Department of Education (DoE), and a frequent speaker at education conferences and summits. His passion is taking education to new levels through innovation.
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis is the host of the "The 10-minute Teacher Show" which trends in the top 10 in K12 Podcasts on iTunes. She is also named as Linked in Top Education Voice 2020. Vicki's goal is to help educators teach with better results, lead with a positive impact, and live with greater purpose by helping educators build their PLN and find and share best practices.
Shane Dillon
Shane Dillon is the founder of UniAdvisor - a university ranking and comparison platform based on international student reviews and graduates employment data and Cturtle - a data company and employment network for university graduates globally. He has also been recognized as 2020 - LinkedIn Top Voices - Education
Jennifer Carolan
Jennifer Carolan is the Co-founder, and Partner of Reach Capital, a passionate and diverse group of people committed to empowering learners and educators. She co-founded her first fund NewSchools Seed Fund in 2011 and co-founded second Reach Capital I in 2015 and Reach Capital II in 2018. These funds have aggregated more than $250M in capital to back amazing Founders who are passionate about creating exceptional tools for teachers
Barbara Coward
Barbara Coward is an MBA Admissions Consultant and Top Ten LinkedIn Voice 2020: Education. She is a B-school industry expert and internationally acclaimed admissions consultant with demonstrated expertise in strategic and influential content development and storytelling.
Ross Morrison McGill
Ross Morrison McGill was listed as one of 10 LinkedIn Top Voices in Education and was also nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times. He works with pupils, teachers, and school leaders all over the world, supporting teaching and learning, workload, and mental health. His website - Teacher Toolkit Limited has been accessed by 15.5 million teachers.
Brandon Busteed
Brandon Busteed is the Chief Partnership Officer (Universities and Employers) and Global Head, Learn-Work Innovation at Kaplan. He is also a Board member at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He helps colleges and universities adapt and grow in mission-critical ways.
Gayleen Gray
Gayleen Gray is the Assistant Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at McMaster University. Her focus is on collaboration with her academic and administrative partners to ensure the IT systems, infrastructure, and services on campus will support the mission of the university.
Jesse Lubinsky
Jesse Lubinsky is the Chief Learning Officer at Ready Learner One. He is an education technologist, teacher, school administrator, and doctoral student based out of Westchester County in New York. Jesse was named one of BestCollegeRankings.org’s 100 Top Experts in #eLearning and #EdTech as well as a Top 100 K12 Tech Leader and Top 100 Most Social CIO by Extreme Networks. In 2016, he received a Technology Leader Pioneer Award from the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center.
Josie Ahlquist
Josie Ahlquist Digital Engagement & Leadership Author, Consultant & Keynote Speaker. LinkedIn Top Voices in Education. She is currently finishing her first solo book with Stylus Publishing, released in 2020, on digital leadership in higher education.
Justin Shaifer
A rising leader in STEM education and advocacy, Justin "Mr. Fascinate" Shaifer is a Linkedin Top Voice in Technology with a talent for inspiring Generation Z. Justin has hosted science TV shows with WGBH, Travel Channel, and Al Roker Entertainment. From “Innovative Tech and The Future of Society” to “How to Speak Gen Z” his keynotes earn rave reviews while changing the way we see science, STEM, and innovators.
Nicol Turner-Lee
Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee is a senior fellow in the Brookings Governance Studies Department, the Director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and co-editor of TechTank. At the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI), Dr. Turner-Lee researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world
Paige Francis
Paige Francis is theChief Information Officer at Alliance Support Co (ASC). She is an Executive I.T. leader with a wide range of experience spanning business/industry, government, philanthropy, and higher education.
Dr. Matthew Lynch
Dr. Matthew Lynch is a writer, activist, and former Dean of the School of Education, Psychology, & Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Union University. He is the owner of Lynch Consulting Group, which offers comprehensive educational consulting services to the P-20 market. He is also the owner of Pedagogue, a social media network for educators.
Sophie Bailey
Sophie Baliey is the Founder of The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between 'ed' and 'tech' for better innovation and impact, through storytelling. She worked as an industry advisor and mentor, including to the UCL Knowledge Lab initiative EDUCATE, as well as a Reimagine Education, GESA Awards, Bett Awards and XPrize Adult Literacy judge, and previous Edtech50, Edtech I.T in Higher Education, and Edtech Digest winner.
Whitney Kilgore, PhD
Whitney Kilgore, is the co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at iDesign- iDesign partners with universities to build, grow and support online and blended courses and program offerings. She is an innovative thought leader in academic technology with a track record of success. Skilled at leading the development of proactive and collaborative initiatives in support of teaching and learning.
Robert Iskander
A serial entrepreneur and a corporate leader with many years of experience in Information Technology, strategic planning, and innovation, Robert is a global business transformation leader passionate about leveraging technology to improve the quality of life for all, with a special focus on K-12 education. Nominated as one of the Top 100 EdTech Influencers in 2017 by EdTech Magazine. Currently, Robert is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GG4L (Global Grid for Learning, PBC) a social impact company focusing on K-12 education.
Vesa Perälä
Vesa Perälä is the CEO and founder of The Claned platform, which includes built-in learning design elements that intuitively guide course creators to create better, more engaging, rewarding, and valuable online courses. He is also the Chairman of Steering group of Education, Finland- a national education export program.
Josh Bersin
Josh is an industry analyst, researcher, educator, and technology analyst covering all aspects of corporate HR, training, talent management, recruiting leadership, and workplace technology. He is a keynote speaker and advises HR teams and vendors in the HR space, and also serves as an educator, thought leader, and personal coach to HR and business leaders around the world.
Christopher Pappas
Christopher is the founder of eLearningIndustry and Dottely. Christopher has rapidly become a reference in the e-learning field because he analyses the market without ideology or bias. His true objective is to help a vast community keep updated with what happens in a rapidly evolving field where you should simultaneously address competencies management, return on investment, and digital literacy.
Charles Jennings
Charles is recognized as one of the world's leading experts on building and implementing learning and organizational performance strategies. He has led learning and performance improvement projects for multinational corporations, government agencies, not-for-profits, and other organizations for more than 40 years and currently serving as managing director at Duntroon Consultants. He is also a partner with Internet Time Alliance and Tulser / 70:20:10 Institute.
Karl A L Smith
Karl Smith is the Co-Founder of Agile World. He has always been fascinated by how technology can augment the lives of humans. Karl is a highly creative and motivated person with keen insight ability. He is a critical thinker and can rapidly discover the essence of problems then define, communicate, create buy-in and deliver solutions. He mainly focuses on customer experience engagement and management in both B2B and B2C sectors.
Enrico Molinari
Enrico Molinari is professor of economics, marketing management & innovation, digital transformation and business tech at University Academy of Fine Arts of Sanremo - Italy. Top Global certified influencer in marketing, fintech and insurtech.
Anant Agarwal
Anant Agarwal is the chief open education officer of 2U/edX. He was the founder and CEO of edX, an online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT. Anant taught the first edX course on circuits and electronics from MIT, which drew 155,000 students from 162 countries. Anant won the Maurice Wilkes prize for computer architecture, the Yidan Prize for Education Development, and MIT's Smullin and Jamieson prizes for teaching.
Rafranz Davis
Rafranz Davis is the executive director of professional and digital learning for the Lufkin Independent School District. She is a Google certified innovator, and Microsoft innovative education expert and serves in advisory roles for multiple technology companies. She uses her voice in education to speak at local, state, and national events on topics such as connected learning, digital equity, student data and privacy, creativity, digital learning tools, and diversity in Edtech.
Monica Burns
Dr. Monica Burns is a curriculum and Edtech consultant, author, founder of ClassTechTips.com, and an adjunct professor at Kean University. She works with schools, districts, and institutions to provide actionable and engaging professional growth. Monica started her blog in 2012 to help make Edtech easier for fellow educators and launched the Easy EdTech Podcast to support tutors who want to facilitate and streamline technology integration.
Alice Keeler
She is an educator who is passionate about educational technology, gamification for Education, collaborating and working with other educators to be more connected and to use technology to improve connections with students. She currently teaches high school math and is a developer for schoolytics.io. Google certified innovator, Google developer expert, K12 disrupter, Microsoft innovative educator, keynote speaker, professional development workshop leader, consultant, and blogger.
Kasey Bell
Kasey is a Google certified innovator, trainer, disruptor of the boring, engaging, innovative, and from the heart sharer who inspires educators while transforming their teaching with original, timely, and use-tomorrow ideas for student choice, differentiation, and technology integration. She is the host of The Shake Up Learning Show Podcast and the author of Shake Up Learning.
Did we miss someone?
We could have missed some leading edtech influencers that deserve to be on this list. That’s where you come into the picture.
Let us know who you think should be included in our list and we’ll get in touch with them and make the magic happen!
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