Nya is an educator, writer, speaker, and facilitator. Her company, The Dignity Effect, is a boutique education firm specializing in social-emotional learning experiences for adults. As she educates, she anchors learners in dignity while centering truth-telling, soul care, and story. Consider Nya a fellow journeying companion, guiding in the areas of professional and personal relationships, faith-focused topics, mental and emotional health, and social justice. An intuitive communicator, she also finds specific joy in speaking and writing on wonder and awe with a special interest in cosmology and interconnectedness.

Nya is an educator, writer, speaker, and facilitator. Her company, The Dignity Effect, is a boutique education firm specializing in social-emotional learning experiences for adults. As she educates, she anchors learners in dignity while centering tru... Show more

Patricia (Tish) Jennings is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and emotional learning and mindfulness in education and Professor of Education at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Her research places a specific emphasis on teacher stress and how it impacts the social and emotional context of the classroom, as articulated in her highly cited theoretical article "The Prosocial Classroom." Jennings led the team that developed CARE, a mindfulness-based professional development program shown to significantly improve teacher well-being, classroom interactions and student engagement in the largest randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness-based intervention designed specifically to address teacher occupational stress. She is a co-author of Flourish: The Compassionate Schools Project curriculum, an integrated health and physical education program and is co-Investigator on a large randomized controlled trial to evaluate the curriculum’s efficacy. She is currently the Principal Investigator of Project CATALYZE, a study that will examine whether CARE enhances the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning curriculum funded by an Education Innovation Research grant from the US Department of Education to conduct. A member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development among Children and Youth, she was awarded the Cathy Kerr Award for Courageous and Compassionate Science by the Mind & Life Institute in 2018 and recently recognized by Mindful Magazine as one of "Ten Mindfulness Researchers You Should Know." Earlier in her career, Jennings spent more than 22 years as a teacher, school director and teacher educator. She is the author numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters and several books: Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom, The Trauma-Sensitive School: Building Resilience with Compassionate Teaching, Mindfulness in the Pre-K-5 Classroom: Helping Students Stress Less and Learn More, part of Social and Emotional Learning Solutions, a book series by WW Norton of which she is editor. Her latest book is Teacher Burnout Turnaround: Strategies for Empowered Teachers.

Patricia (Tish) Jennings is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and emotional learning and mindfulness in education and Professor of Education at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. ... Show more

Labra is the General Director at AtentaMente, a Mexican NPO dedicated to bringing well-being tools to education through social and emotional learning (SEL). She is an expert in SEL curriculum development and SEL leadership instruction for educators and has participated in nationwide and state-wide SEL teacher training in Mexico.

Labra is the General Director at AtentaMente, a Mexican NPO dedicated to bringing well-being tools to education through social and emotional learning (SEL). She is an expert in SEL curriculum development and SEL leadership instruction for educators a... Show more

A podcaster, a humanitarian and a researcher. I am passionate about improving our humanitarian response and accountability. As a consultant, I specialised in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning of humanitarian response programmes, and using innovation and localisation to align them to local markets. I have worked in a variety of humanitarian contexts including Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Bangladesh, Pacific Islands, Jordan, Malawi, West Africa, Nepal, and Madagascar.

I have an dual masters in International Humanitarian Action (Uppsala University), and in Humanitarian Analysis and Intervention Design (Rijkuniversitet Groningen); a Visiting Scholarship to SIPA, Columbia Uni NYC; a PG IP from Warsaw University, and a BA (IHons) in Philosophy and History of Ideas. I am the former recipient of the SCS-Engineering X grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd's Register, as an independent researcher on COVID-19 and Humanitarian Supply Chains. I am a current Doctoral Researcher at Hanken School of Economics and the HUMLOG institute (Finland).

I am the co-founder of the Local Procurement Learning Partnership, an MSP housed in the Humanitarian Logistics Association, promoting the use of local procurement in aid programmes around the world.

I am a host and co-producer of the forthcoming HUMLOG podcast "Humanitarian Unwrapped", the executive producer of the HCRI audio series "follow the thing", and the director of Poly Pages, an academic podcast and platform about alternative relationship philosophies.

A podcaster, a humanitarian and a researcher. I am passionate about improving our humanitarian response and accountability. As a consultant, I specialised in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning of humanitarian response programmes, and... Show more

Dr. Doreen N. Myrie is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Jackson State University. She also holds current teaching certificates in Special Education Mild-Moderate Disabilities K-12, and Elementary Education K-6. Before her current role as a Teacher Educator, she taught in K-12 inclusion and specialized settings for 18 years. Dr. Myrie is passionate about preparing teachers who are highly competent in their disciplines, culturally responsive, and committed to providing quality education to students from all backgrounds and abilities. Her areas of research include ways to support students with disabilities in the school and community, creating inclusive environments in school and extracurricular settings, strategies to promote self-determination skills, culturally responsive and inclusive teacher education practices, Social Emotional Learning, promoting STEM, the arts, sports and nature activities in the education of students with disabilities.

Dr. Doreen N. Myrie is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Jackson State University. She also holds current teaching certificates in Special Education Mild-Moderate Disabilities K-12, and Elementary Education K-6. Before her current role a... Show more

A champion for social emotional learning, Wendy Turner is an experienced, passionate, award-winning educator. Honored as the 2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year, Wendy spent 12 years at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, 11 in 2nd grade and 1 in 3rd. With SEL as her guiding light, she fostered growth in compassion, empathy, and resilience through dynamic learning experiences and creative approachs to integrating SEL with academics. Wendy contributed to positive school and district culture with her passion and knowledge of social emotional learning.

As a teacher leader, Wendy has been honored with many awards and has led change and growth around social-emotional learning for both students and adults. She enjoyed serving as a member of the Delaware SEL Core Team, the State Board of Education and now facilitates professional development via Wendy Turner Consulting. Wendy's mission is to foster curiosity, confidence, and competence in social emotional learning.

A champion for social emotional learning, Wendy Turner is an experienced, passionate, award-winning educator. Honored as the 2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year, Wendy spent 12 years at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, 11 in 2nd ... Show more

Antoine Snow is a senior solutions manager at AvePoint, leading the Public Sector business unit. He has held various positions in IT over the past several years ranging from front-end web developer to Microsoft 365 Service Owner. In his current role, Antoine focuses on governance and adoption challenges plaguing the modern workplace and helping government organizations understand the components of a governance strategy and its implementation. Antoine's views on these topics can be found in various blog posts and has been the focus of one-to-one workshops.

Antoine Snow is a senior solutions manager at AvePoint, leading the Public Sector business unit. He has held various positions in IT over the past several years ranging from front-end web developer to Microsoft 365 Service Owner. In his current role,... Show more

Dr. Catherine Zeisner is a proud Canadian scholar-practitioner who believes the best in education is right around the corner. As an assistant professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, Catherine teaches Master, Doctoral, and principal certification candidates. Catherine believes in the power of resiliency and positivity as demonstrated by conquering cancer in 2011 and completing 3 Chicago Marathons. Having taught and led in PK-12 education, Catherine believes all students can learn and all teachers can thrive in our diverse educational settings. As an ADHD program teacher, vice-principal, and principal, Catherine proved that relationships are the key to school success by bridging the gaps between what’s needed and what’s possible. Her message is simple, “Anything is possible if you have the right people in the right room at the right time, focusing on the right things".

Dr. Catherine Zeisner is a proud Canadian scholar-practitioner who believes the best in education is right around the corner. As an assistant professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, Catherine teaches Master, Doctoral, and principal c... Show more

Taylor Wilder is a nonprofit professional in Nashville, TN. She is passionate about capacity building for local nonprofits to maximize their impact in her community.

Taylor Wilder is a nonprofit professional in Nashville, TN. She is passionate about capacity building for local nonprofits to maximize their impact in her community. Show more

Sandra Logan-McKibben, PhD, NCC, NCSC, DCC, ACS is Program Director & Clinical Assistant Professor at Sacred Heart University (SHU). Prior to earning her doctorate, she worked as an elementary and middle school counselor in Southern California, was the district-level Tobacco Use, Prevention, and Education (TUPE) Coordinator, and was a site supervisor for practicum and internship students. Her specific research interests include school counseling, supervision, adult SEL competence and wellness. She has served in multiple leadership roles with various state and national counseling associations, including California Association of School Counselors, Florida Counseling Association, Florida School Counseling Association, and Chi Sigma Iota International. Recently, she co-authored her first book, The Ultimate School Counselor’s Guide to Assessment & Data Collection.

Sandra Logan-McKibben, PhD, NCC, NCSC, DCC, ACS is Program Director & Clinical Assistant Professor at Sacred Heart University (SHU). Prior to earning her doctorate, she worked as an elementary and middle school counselor in Southern California, was t... Show more

Kendra is a digital strategist and product leader who specializes in leveraging digital platforms to scale best practices. Named one of State Scoop’s Top Women in Technology for 2017 and 2018, Kendra is a champion for digital best practices within both the public and private sectors.

As part of her role as Director of Product for Ad Hoc's Federal Civilian business unit, Kendra leads Ad Hoc’s platform capability maturity team, where her wealth of experience informs her work with a team of strategists to assess the technical platform maturity of federal agencies and establish roadmaps to platform adoption.

Before joining Ad Hoc, Kendra established the product practice for Digital Services Georgia, where she oversaw the state of Georgia’s enterprise web platform. Under her leadership, Georgia was the first state to scale responsive design, accessibility, web performance, and HTTPS everywhere across their web platform. She also operationalized training and support processes for the state’s nearly 500 content managers.

Kendra then spent three years leading product strategy for the first federal agency API platform, where she worked closely with a team of more than 40 technologists in an agile environment to scale API availability and security as well as developer relations and adoption. The program continues to be a model for new API platforms across the US federal landscape.

Kendra is a digital strategist and product leader who specializes in leveraging digital platforms to scale best practices. Named one of State Scoop’s Top Women in Technology for 2017 and 2018, Kendra is a champion for digital best practices within bo... Show more

Cheryl Smith Turner is a lifelong educator, child development practitioner, national presenter and educational consultant. Cheryl has trained extensively for various regional and national agencies, staff development organizations, universities and private schools and advocacy groups. As the founder of REACH TLS, LLC., Cheryl helps educators develop and utilize techniques that will contribute to a positive climate for learning. Her trainings focus on a variety of topics, to include child guidance, social-emotional learning and a wide variety of additional topics relevant to Pre-K, KDG and school age educators and leaders. She utilizes a high-energy, interactive training style that combines practical strategies and relevant content with a dash of humor and a heaping helping of fun!

Cheryl Smith Turner is a lifelong educator, child development practitioner, national presenter and educational consultant. Cheryl has trained extensively for various regional and national agencies, staff development organizations, universities and p... Show more

\\Konzepterin und Moderatorin für Themen der Nachhaltigkeit in Bildung, Kultur und Zivilgesellschaft\\

Als selbständige Diskurgestalterin für die sozial-ökologische Wende und Nachhaltigkeitsmanagerin mit Schwerpunkt Programmatik in Bildung, Kultur und Zivilgesellschaft habe ich viel erforscht, beobachtet, gelernt und verstanden. Meine breite Praxiserfahrung in der Konzeption und Kuration von Bildungs- und Veranstaltungsformaten hilft mir, drängende gesellschaftlichen Fragestellungen mit Workshops, Beratung und Konzeptionen nach nach vorne zu bringen. Ich arbeitet mit Teams an passgenauen transformativen Diskursformaten und nachhaltigem Wissensmanagement, berate und moderiere Prozesse und leite durch eventbasierten Austausch.
Angesichts multipler globaler Krisen, fokussiere ich seit einigen Jahren auf drängende sozial-ökologische Transformationsvorhaben: Postwachstumsökonomien, Umwelt- und Naturschutz, eine nachhaltige Digitalisierung, lebenswerte Städte, Mobilitätswende ... all diese Bereiche (und noch viel mehr) müssen in die öffentliche Wahrnehmung. Dabei steht die Frage im Mittelpunkt, wie Austausch und gemeinsames Lernen in und für die Transformation gestaltet sein müssen, wie soziale Kipppunkte (im positiven, transformativen) Sinne erreicht und gleichzeitig der demokratische Diskurs gestärkt werden kann: systemisch, feministisch, diskrimierungskritisch und empowernd. Neue Formate zu erproben und nicht immer alles so zu machen wie immer schon, ist mir zugleich Herausforderung und Vergnügen!

Ich lebe seit vielen Jahren in Berlin, bin berührt und inspiriert von der Klimabewegung, Openeverything und einer Kultur des Teilens. Vor meiner Tätigkeit als selbständige Diskursgestaltung war ich fünf Jahre als Innovatorin und Projektleiterin der politischen Medienbildung bei mediale pfade tätig. Ich bin Teil der Bits & Bäume Bewegung und Co-Kuratorin der re:publica.

\\Konzepterin und Moderatorin für Themen der Nachhaltigkeit in Bildung, Kultur und Zivilgesellschaft\\ Als selbständige Diskurgestalterin für die sozial-ökologische Wende und Nachhaltigkeitsmanagerin mit Schwerpunkt Programmatik in Bildung, Kult... Show more

Annie is an educator and a community builder - so working in student life on a college campus is really the perfect combination of these two roles. She believes in lifelong learning and is passionate about providing opportunities for meaningful connections both on campus and in the community.

As the Associate Director for Student Life, Annie supervisors professional staff, graduate students, and an undergraduate marketing team. She also serves as the Advisor to the Student Senate at Minnesota State University Moorhead. She cares deeply about having great working relationships with staff and students. She enjoys supporting teammates while helping them grow or achieve goals they've set for themselves.

Annie is an educator and a community builder - so working in student life on a college campus is really the perfect combination of these two roles. She believes in lifelong learning and is passionate about providing opportunities for meaningful conne... Show more

Philomena Compton is a Business Development Leader at Mission Multiplier. Philomena was a Technologist Media Specialist, serving as an educator for 30 years with a technical background including IT networking and troubleshooting, technology instruction, and technology workshop facilitation. She is a grant writing consultant and National Board Certified Teacher. Her BSED is in Education from Athens State University, MLIS from University of Southern Mississippi, an EdS in Educational Technology from Boise State, and Master’s in Cybersecurity Management from Murray State. She is currently earning her doctorate in Cybersecurity Management at St. Thomas University focusing on Space Systems and best practices for Cybersecurity Resilience, IR, Cyber Ethics, and TableTop Exercises.

Philomena Compton is a Business Development Leader at Mission Multiplier. Philomena was a Technologist Media Specialist, serving as an educator for 30 years with a technical background including IT networking and troubleshooting, technology instruc... Show more

Tovah Denaro (she/her) is the founder and lead consultant of IBC. She began this work in 2011, through her own experience in the classroom as a Special Education teacher for youth impacted with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities. Through her years in the classroom, she began to strategically focus her work on supporting youth who are historically marginalized. Specifically, BIPOC youth, youth in Special Education, youth who are or have been incarcerated, and youth that identify within the LGTBQIA+ community. Tovah founded IBC, is to ensure that any adult who is working with youth within a historically marginalized group, has the skill and the understanding of what it means to build sustaining relationships with youth and to recognize the power that an adult/student relationship has on keeping youth engaged and in school.

Innovative Behavioral Consulting collaborates with school districts and communities to focus on the mental health and wellbeing of youth, families, and staff. IBC works with communities to understand brain development, unpack the data of school districts to determine areas of need, and learn about historically marginalized youth within the school system. We work alongside gender expansive youth and families to help navigate the multiple systems they are involved in to ensure rights and responsibilities are understood and being followed. This is all through a Trauma-Sensitive lens to ensure the best outcome, safety, and sense of belonging for youth and families.

IBC understands that supporting and working with youth cannot be done without adults understanding the historical trauma, present day trauma, and our youth’s personal experiences within the framework of the school. IBC also acknowledges the need for adults within a school building to understand their own mental health need and recognize the importance of wellness inside and outside of the school building.

At IBC, we call our guiding values our core values, because they truly make up the core of who we are. Our values are to build authentic relationships with youth, families, communities, and schools, challenge injustice, and to acknowledge the unique strengths and challenges of our youth. These values lead the work and the mission of IBC forward. These values help IBC support school districts and their communities to develop purposeful partnerships in support of improved outcomes for youth through a Culturally Responsive and Trauma Sensitive lens. The values drive this through a comprehensive Trauma Informed Multi-Tiered System of Support, based on the individual needs of each school and district. The future of IBC is about spreading Trauma Sensitive and Culturally Responsive Mental Health practices to school districts across the state of Washington, emphasizing social emotional learning and wellness systems for all.

www.innovativebehaviors.org

Tovah Denaro (she/her) is the founder and lead consultant of IBC. She began this work in 2011, through her own experience in the classroom as a Special Education teacher for youth impacted with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities. Through her years... Show more

Procuradora da Fazenda Nacional desde 2007 e mestre em Administração Pública pela EBAPE/FGV. Coordenou o projeto de transformação digital da Procuradoria-Geral da Fazenda Nacional (PGFN) de 2017 a 2020. Foi P.O. (product owner) do portal digital de serviços da PGFN, o REGULARIZE, e P.O. do chatbot do REGULARIZE, a IZE. Facilita oficinas de inovação, design thinking, design de serviços e transformação digital em organizações públicas e privadas.

Procuradora da Fazenda Nacional desde 2007 e mestre em Administração Pública pela EBAPE/FGV. Coordenou o projeto de transformação digital da Procuradoria-Geral da Fazenda Nacional (PGFN) de 2017 a 2020. Foi P.O. (product owner) do portal digital de s... Show more

Jason Jones is a full-time disruptor, activist, educator, and software engineer. Jason leads TLM’s conversations with existing and potential partners for TLM’s future with a focus on creating mutually beneficial partnerships that impact TLM’s learners on a high scale. On September 25, 2018, Jason was released after 13 ½ years incarcerated, during which time he graduated from The Last Mile’s inaugural coding class. Three weeks before his release, Jason became the first person from his cohort to sign a work agreement with a tech company as a software engineer. Jason was also the first justice-involved person to be accepted into the Lightspeed fellowship with a team from Stanford. Jason has gone on to graduate from the Koch Associate Program. Jason currently sits on the board of Rosecrans Ventures an organization that focuses on mentoring opportunity youth from marginalized communities. He is passionate about creating more opportunities for representation in tech and mentoring youth, which inspired him to continue to tutor and teach opportunity youth computer coding. Outside of his work with TLM he runs his own tech consulting company called Disrupt 2 innov8 LLC (D2i) where he consults companies on integrating MBM and technology to amplify their impact. #createChange #Disrupt2innov8

Jason Jones is a full-time disruptor, activist, educator, and software engineer. Jason leads TLM’s conversations with existing and potential partners for TLM’s future with a focus on creating mutually beneficial partnerships that impact TLM’s learner... Show more

Mike Altieri hat Mathematik studiert und in der Mathematikdidaktik/Pädagogik promoviert. Während seiner Professur für Angewandte Mathematik und Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften/Mathematik an der Hochschule Ruhr West hat er sich auf Digitalisierung in der Lehre in Theorie und Praxis spezialisiert. Heute ist er Professor für Mediendidaktik an der OTH Amberg-Weiden, leitet dort den Studiengang Educational Technology sowie das Kompetenzzenzentrum Digitale Lehre und bekleidet das Amt des Vizepräsidenten für Lehre, Didaktik und Digitalisierung. Er hat in verschiedenen Bildungsunternehmen gearbeitet und ist Prokurist einer Sprachschule.

Mike Altieri hat Mathematik studiert und in der Mathematikdidaktik/Pädagogik promoviert. Während seiner Professur für Angewandte Mathematik und Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften/Mathematik an der Hochschule Ruhr West hat er sich auf Digitalisierung in... Show more

Lily Scheuerpflug has an education background in International Relations, Globalization and Development Studies. She has been working as a project and partnerships manager in the field of access to entrepreneurship and education for the last five years and has been with Kiron since 2017. Kiron is a non-profit organization providing access to quality education opportunities specifically to refugees via its online learning platform Kiron Campus. Lily is responsible for building partnerships within Kiron's 'Collective Impact Campus' initiative that offers partners the opportunity to digitalize their learning programs to continue reaching their learners and scaling their impact in times of COVID-19 and beyond.

Lily Scheuerpflug has an education background in International Relations, Globalization and Development Studies. She has been working as a project and partnerships manager in the field of access to entrepreneurship and education for the last five yea... Show more

Ms. Olazabal, Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation, is an award-winning data and evaluation expert with a professional portfolio ranging more than 15 years, four continents and numerous global agencies including philanthropy the MasterCard Foundation, social venture Nuru International, and non-profit The Food Bank For New York City. In addition to serving on a number of funding and advisory committees, Ms. Olazabal serves on the Board of the World Benchmarking Alliance and was recently elected as President-elect of the American Evaluation Association (AEA).

She is also privileged to be the recipient of several industry awards and fellowships including the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award presented by AEA for exemplifying outstanding practice and contributing substantially to the field of evaluation in 2014. Ms. Olazabal is an alumni of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey where she completed a bachelor's degree in Communications and masters in Urban Policy and Planning. She also completed a masters in Socio-cultural Anthropology at Columbia University where she has recently become an Adjunct Professor for their School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

Ms. Olazabal, Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation, is an award-winning data and evaluation expert with a professional portfolio ranging more than 15 years, four continents and numerous global agencies including philanthropy the MasterCard... Show more

Christina Hupy is a Senior Education Program Manager at GitLab where her focus is to facilitate the adoption of GitLab and DevOps at educational institutions around the world. Christina is passionate about innovation in teaching and learning and bridging the gap between industry and higher education. Christina spent a decade as a professor teaching geospatial technology in Wisconsin (Ph.D. in Geography) before joining the tech industry as a training and education leader.

Christina Hupy is a Senior Education Program Manager at GitLab where her focus is to facilitate the adoption of GitLab and DevOps at educational institutions around the world. Christina is passionate about innovation in teaching and learning and brid... Show more

Dr. Lisa Marie Blaschke is program director of the Management of Technology Enhanced Learning (MTEL) master program at the Center for Lifelong Learning at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Oldenburg Germany, as well as a senior researcher at the Duale-Hochschule Baden-Wuerttemberg (DHBW) in Heilbronn. She is a former executive committee member of the European Distance Education and E-Learning Network (EDEN) and is a Senior EDEN Fellow and Chair of the Board of the EDEN Fellows Council. She is also a former adjunct associate professor at the University of Maryland University College, where she received the Stanley J. Drazek Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016. Lisa has a BS in Technical Communication, and two master’s degrees (MDE, MBA), and a PhD. Prior to academia, Lisa worked for SAP for over a decade in Walldorf, Germany, leading and implementing enterprise-wide knowledge management and training processes and solutions. Lisa’s research interests are in the areas of self-determined learning (heutagogy), online collaborative learning, pedagogical application of web 2.0 technology and social media, and user interface design.

Dr. Lisa Marie Blaschke is program director of the Management of Technology Enhanced Learning (MTEL) master program at the Center for Lifelong Learning at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Oldenburg Germany, as well as a senior resear... Show more

Agile Coach e mestrando em educação, sou professor há quase 12 anos para cursos técnicos, de graduação e pós graduação. Sou especializado em produtividade e metodologias ativas de ensino, e cofundador da Escola InspiraSer, de desenvolvimento humano através de soft skills...

Agile Coach e mestrando em educação, sou professor há quase 12 anos para cursos técnicos, de graduação e pós graduação. Sou especializado em produtividade e metodologias ativas de ensino, e cofundador da Escola InspiraSer, de desenvolvimento humano a... Show more

Hi! I manage all sorts of things at OpenCraft, and I've been working as a needs analysis consultant and instructional designer for many years.

Hi! I manage all sorts of things at OpenCraft, and I've been working as a needs analysis consultant and instructional designer for many years. Show more

Kyler Chin is a computer science student at University of California, Irvine and researches public transport computer science at Catenary Transit Initatives.

Kyler Chin is a computer science student at University of California, Irvine and researches public transport computer science at Catenary Transit Initatives. Show more

Përparim Mjeku is Head of Curriculum and Learning Programs at Cyber Academy in Kosovo, where he leads the design and delivery of cybersecurity training programs spanning offensive security, defensive operations, and threat intelligence. His work focuses on building high fidelity lab environments that translate real world attack techniques, from web and enterprise exploitation to mobile and cloud threats into structured, reproducible learning experiences.

Over the past four years, Përparim has developed 15+ cybersecurity courses and trained 50+ students through intensive long term programs, alongside hundreds of participants across bootcamps and workshops delivered to governmental organizations and U.S. and EU based companies.

In addition to teaching, he develops hands on labs and demonstrations built around newly disclosed vulnerabilities, modern attack chains, and software supply chain risks helping practitioners understand not just how real world compromises happen, but how to detect and stop them.

Përparim Mjeku is Head of Curriculum and Learning Programs at Cyber Academy in Kosovo, where he leads the design and delivery of cybersecurity training programs spanning offensive security, defensive operations, and threat intelligence. His work focu... Show more

Seasoned professional with expertise in communication, PR, innovation, China and Italy

Seasoned professional with expertise in communication, PR, innovation, China and Italy Show more

Dr. Jennifer Warren is an educational leader with over 20 years of experience spanning classroom, district, and higher education leadership. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Lamar University, and she currently serves as the Executive Director of Special Programs at Bryan ISD. She prioritizes innovative staffing, program redesign, and university partnerships that improve outcomes for all learners.

Dr. Jennifer Warren is an educational leader with over 20 years of experience spanning classroom, district, and higher education leadership. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Lamar University, and she currently serves as ... Show more

Venkata Kartheek Reddy Somasani is an accomplished Information Technology Security and Cybersecurity Engineer with over nine years of specialized experience designing, implementing, and securing enterprise-scale network infrastructures across on-premises and cloud environments. Based in Dallas, Texas, he has built a distinguished career focused on protecting critical public sector systems and safeguarding sensitive government operations.
Since May 2018, Venkata has served the City of Dallas through KC Synergy Solutions Inc., where he plays a pivotal role in securing vital municipal infrastructure. His responsibilities include comprehensive cybersecurity defense for the Dallas Police Department and Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), ensuring the protection of sensitive law enforcement data through multi-layered security controls such as OKTA two-factor authentication, advanced VPN architectures, and strict CJIS compliance. He has engineered secure, disaster-resilient communication channels between CAD911 dispatch systems and the Texas Department of Public Safety, ensuring uninterrupted emergency response coordination statewide.
One of Venkata’s most significant accomplishments is the architecture of a secure, multi-zoned SCADA network for Dallas’s freshwater, wastewater, and stormwater treatment facilities. By implementing air-gapped environments, zero-internet-access zones, and IDS/IPS protections, he has directly safeguarded critical public health infrastructure from cyber threats. His expertise was further demonstrated during a major ransomware incident, where he successfully detected, contained, and eradicated malware by isolating compromised systems and blocking communication with the Royal ransomware group.
Venkata’s technical expertise spans Cisco ASA, Firepower Threat Defense, SD-WAN, Palo Alto firewalls, F5 BIG-IP, and web application firewalls. He has architected secure hybrid cloud environments using AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, and IPSEC tunnels, supported by AWS architect level certifications. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Assurance and maintains advanced certifications, including CJIS Level 4 and Cisco Firepower NGFW, consistently ensuring compliance with NIST and federal cybersecurity standards.

Venkata Kartheek Reddy Somasani is an accomplished Information Technology Security and Cybersecurity Engineer with over nine years of specialized experience designing, implementing, and securing enterprise-scale network infrastructures across on-prem... Show more