2022 ASCD Annual Conference

Weston Kieschnick is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, coach, husband, and father. He is the author of Bold School, Breaking Bold, coauthor of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of Teaching Keating, one of the most downloaded podcasts for educators and parents on iTunes.

Kieschnick has worked in collaboration with innovative tech and publishing companies, including Google, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Apple, to redefine teaching and learning in the digital age. As such, he's advised educators from every state in the United States and more than 30 countries around the world. Districts where he has designed content, implemented initiatives, and trained educational leaders have been recognized by the Learning Counsel as being among the top ten in the nation for their work in blended learning. Kieschnick's work has been published in EdWeek, EdTech Magazine, The Spark and featured on TED, the 10-Minute Teacher, Teaching Tales, Kids Deserve It, and LeadUp Teach.

Carol Ann Tomlinson works with educators to create classrooms that are more responsive to a broad range of learners. She is William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development. Tomlinson teaches post-graduate students mainly in the areas of curriculum design and differentiated instruction.

As an educator for more than 21 years, Tomlinson has also worked as an elementary and secondary public school teacher. She was named one of the two most influential higher education voices in the United States in Psychology and the 16th most influential in all education-related fields in 2014's EducationNext Edu-Scholar Public Presence rankings. She has written more than 300 books, book chapters, articles, and other materials for educators.

Known as one of today's most gifted communicators, Michael Jr brings laughter and encouragement to audiences all over the world. Using comedy and dynamic storytelling he inspires audiences to discover and activate their purpose.  This unique skill set has landed him on stages like The Tonight Show on NBC, TEDx talks and Jimmy Kimmel Live. His mission to make laughter commonplace in uncommon places means that he also seeks opportunities to share his gift with those in homeless shelters and prisons. You can find him in Sony Pictures' feature film War Room, as well as starring roles in Selfie Dad, Laughing on Purpose, and More Than Funny.

From education to activism, Liz Dozier has spent her career working tirelessly to disrupt the culture of inequity that is often pervasive in urban neighborhoods. Her ambition is born from her experiences as a teacher and principal in Chicago Public Schools.

In 2016, Dozier launched Chicago Beyond, an impact investor that backs the fight against the inequities pervasive in Chicago's communities. Today in our country, a child's zip code is one of the biggest predictors of their life outcomes. For that reason, Chicago Beyond invests in leaders and organizations that are positioned to disrupt that harsh reality. Since its inception, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $35 million in local nonprofit organizations and community leaders that fight for all youth to achieve their fullest human potential, including investments into programs that strengthen young African American fathers, reduce youth recidivism through employment in the performing arts, and take holistic and trauma-informed approaches to healing and bolstering communities. Because there is no single barrier to equity, Chicago Beyond invests in everything from education, to youth safety, to health and wellness, and beyond.

Transformative, forward-thinking, and always striving to help others realize their full potential, Dan Lerner has become known for his exploration of how positive psychology can affect the pursuit of world-class development, particularly how to leverage the advantage that a healthy psychological state can bring to performance excellence both at work and at home.

As a speaker, author, strengths-based performance coach, and instructor of one of the most popular undergraduate courses at New York University, Lerner's expertise in positive psychology helps people lead thriving, successful lives.

Lerner works with students, performing artists, athletes, and numerous Fortune 500 companies and executives around the world helping them manage stress and anxiety, achieve well-being, uncover their core strengths, and define and realize their own brand of success.

With a deep passion for helping the next generation of talent achieve their utmost potential, Lerner, along with his coauthor Alan Schlechter, penned U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life) addressing the opportunities and challenges every undergraduate faces.

Whether it is speaking, coaching, teaching, or writing, Lerner injects intellect with motivation, science with compassion, and makes change both exciting and fun.

Miguel A. Cardona is the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education. Secretary Cardona has dedicated his career to serving students, educators, and families as an elementary school teacher, school principal, district administrator, and, most recently, as commissioner of education for the state of Connecticut. Secretary Cardona's focus on equity and excellence for all learners has driven his work at all levels of the education sector. Secretary Cardona has led the federal government's effort to support states in reopening America's public schools for in-person learning amid the recovery from the pandemic, moving from only 46 percent of schools open when President Biden took office to nearly 100 percent of schools open today. Under Secretary Cardona's leadership, the U.S. Department of Education also has distributed historic funding through the American Rescue Plan to support K-12 schools and colleges and has granted more than $13 billion in student loan forgiveness.

Secretary Cardona earned a bachelor's degree at Central Connecticut State University as well as a master's degree and doctorate degree from the University of Connecticut. Secretary Cardona and his wife Marissa are the proud parents of two children who attend public school.