Andrés Guerrero is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience, recognized for his commitment to quality education and his enthusiasm for learning. He holds a bachelor's degree in modern languages, a master’s degree in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and another in Educational Excellence and Quality. Throughout his professional career, Andrés has held various roles in the field of education in the United States and Latin America.

He began his career as a teacher, where he developed his pedagogical skills and nurtured his passion for learning. Andrés has also worked as a coach, providing support and guidance to other education professionals. Currently, he serves as the Corporate Director of Academic Consulting at Santillana, the leading education company in the Spanish-speaking world. In this role, he is responsible for designing and coordinating training and professional development programs for teaching staff in 18 Latin American countries.

Dr. Kristen Mattson has been in education for nearly twenty years as a classroom teacher and school librarian. She now supports pre-service school librarians in the field and teaches grad courses in media literacy and digital citizenship at The University of Illinois. Additionally, Kristen has served as a subject matter expert on various projects with ISTE, the National Parent Teacher Association, the Bureau of Education & Research, and the Kentucky Department of Education. She also loves taking what she’s learned in the field and sharing it with educators through conference presentations, school district partnerships, webinars and writing. Kristen is the author of "Digital Citizenship in Action" (ISTE, 2024) and "Ethics in a Digital World" (ISTE, 2021). She also authored the “Digital Citizenship in Action” ISTE U course.

Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and author of the book STEAM Power from ISTE. He has worked as an educator for over 25 years currently serving as a technology integration specialist and teaching art, film, and emerging media at Smithtown School District. He’s a TEDx Talk speaker, professor at Five Towns College, and has been featured on NPR, New York Times, Columbus Museum of Art, and Norman Rockwell Museum. He’s also a board member of NYSCATE and NYSATA, ISTE Community leader, NASA Solar System Ambassador, and Connected Arts Network PLC leader.

Brandon Petersen is an admitted geek, pop culture junkie, and fan of things learning. He currently teaches 5th Grade at Woodland Elementary in the Cherry Creek School District and is looking forward to starting up their STEM program there next year. He has served as a STEM, Design Thinking Teacher, and 3rd Grade teacher in CCSD over the past five years. He also spent two years serving as a Microsoft Learning Consultant for Microsoft in Education. He started his career however as an Preschool Teacher and Elementary Technology Teacher at Sand Creek Elementary (the school he went to as a kid) and as Course Developer for Douglas County School District over the course of 10 year, followed by a year as a Field Support Specialist for Denver Public Schools.

He currently serves as Board President for InnEdCO, Innovation Education Colorado, which is a local non profit that exists to inspire and sustain communities of innovative learners. Over the course of his career, Brandon has developed a huge appreciation for Computer Science and the power it plays in a lot of jobs in our world. He helped bring FREE Computer Science training for all teachers in Colorado, thanks in part to Code.org. He has enjoyed exploring modern day industry and careers and finding ways to integrate essential skills into schools.

Arsenio Romero, Ph.D., is the secretary of education for the state of New Mexico, based in Los Lunas. A native New Mexican and son of an educator, Romero has spent the last quarter century serving New Mexico communities as a school and district leader. Prior to his appointment as secretary, Romero served as superintendent of Los Lunas Schools and superintendent and CEO of Deming Public Schools. He also oversaw district curriculum as assistant superintendent for instruction and transformation for the Roswell Independent School District. Since 2013, Romero has been a lead performance coach/executive coach for the New Mexico Public Education Department. He started his career in education as an elementary school teacher and principal for Las Cruces Public Schools. He has taught at New Mexico State University (NMSU) since 2014, and joined the NMSU Board of Regents in 2020.

Julie Mitchell, Ed.D., is the superintendent of schools for the Rowland Unified School District in Los Angeles. With 35 years of experience in public education, Mitchell is committed to providing all students with an exceptional educational experience that will help them become thriving members of an ever-changing global society. Her leadership has brought a laser focus and unwavering vision and commitment to “innovative learning for all” that supports the individual needs of students, families and staff. This vision helped the Rowland Unified School District garner many state and national awards, including being named as a 2018 Visionary School District, receiving a Districts of Distinction honor from District Administration Magazine and being a part of Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools. Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University, a master’s from the University of La Verne and a doctorate from Pepperdine University.

Kristina Ishmael is the deputy director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology in Washington, D.C., where she executes the office's mission of developing national edtech policy that enables everywhere, all-the-time learning and supports digital equity and opportunity. In her nearly two-decade career, Ishmael has worked at the federal, state and school levels, helping her develop a unique perspective on policy and practice. Previously, she worked as an educational consultant and senior research fellow on New America’s Teaching, Learning and Tech team, where she advised on the inclusive technology portfolio at the intersection of open education, digital equity, and culturally responsive and sustaining education. Ishmael also served as the digital learning specialist for the Nebraska Department of Education, where she led professional learning, developed policy and advocated for school librarians. She began her career as an early childhood and elementary teacher for emerging bilingual students in Omaha.