The ENGAGE Conference is proud to have the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, Richard Culatta as our conference opening keynote speaker. From the ENGAGE Mainstage, Richard will take us on exploration of how to reimagine education in the age of artificial intelligence. He will share a transformative approach to preparing students to flourish with AI as an amplifier of human potential rather than simply learning about it. Richard will address common barriers to educational innovation while exploring practical strategies for creating learning experiences that empower students to develop uniquely human skills in an AI-enhanced world. Come ready to ENGAGE!
Lunch provided by: Dell Technologies, Gaggle, and Engaged Systems
Join us for lunch and a fireside chat with ISTE+ASCD CEO, Richard Culatta, and ENGAGE Conference Director, Holly Martin. This dynamic pair will discuss how educators can navigate the dueling priorities of developing future ready students, and the call for less screen time in the classroom. Richard and Holly will share perspectives, stories, and experiences, giving insight to how educators can enable students to thrive in a digital world. Additionally, audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and engage with the speakers. Come ENGAGE in the conversation!
Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and learning designer. As the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, Culatta is focused on supporting education changemakers to create equitable and engaging learning experiences for students around the world.Prior to joining ISTE+ASCD, Culatta... Read More →
As we close Day 1 of the ENGAGE Conference, don’t miss this dynamic panel featuring innovative instructional and edtech thought leaders who are shaping what’s next for teaching and learning.
The most powerful learning environments don’t happen by chance - they are intentionally designed when instructional and technology leaders come together around a shared vision for students. In this inspiring, forward-thinking conversation, panelists will explore how breaking down silos and uniting these perspectives leads to learning experiences that are not only engaging and personalized, but truly transformative and future-ready.
Expect bold ideas, real-world insights, and energizing dialogue that will challenge your thinking and expand your vision for what’s possible. This is more than a conversation—it’s a call to reimagine how we design learning for today’s students and tomorrow’s world. Come ready to be inspired—you won’t want to miss it.
Prior to joining ERDI, Jeff was the Associate Superintendent for Academics at Greenville County Schools, the largest district in South Carolina. In this role, he spearheaded transformative initiatives in curriculum development, digital learning, and instructional leadership, impacting... Read More →
Director of Development, Creative Leadership Solutions
Emily Freeland, Ed.D. has over thirty-two years of experience, including administrative positions at the state, district, and school levels, as well as teaching science. Much of her work has been concentrated in schools identified as underperforming, where she supported the implementation... Read More →
Founder and Chief Learning Officer, The Learning Loop
Allison Rodman is the Founder and Chief Learning Officer of The Learning Loop, an educational consulting organization that provides professional learning services to districts, schools, nonprofit organizations, and businesses internationally. This includes work with public, charter, and independent schools, over 20 archdioceses, and over 60 sites across the... Read More →
Director of Professional Learning and Leadership, All4Ed
Dr. Adam Phyall is a former high school science teacher who recently served as the Director of Technology and Media Services for Newton County School System in Covington, GA. Since Adam got his first laptop in college, he has been hooked on the fantastic things that technology can add. Early in... Read More →
Staff Development Specialist, Mountain Brook Schools
Holly Martin is the Staff Development Specialist for Mountain Brook Schools, an ISTE+ASCD Certified Instructional Leader, and a former TED Education Fellow. She leads nationwide learning experiences for educators as a speaker, as the director of the ENGAGE Conference, and serves as... Read More →
Sheryl is the recently retired Chief Technology Officer for the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, Louisiana where she built and led the district’s innovative technology department for over 20 years. She has served as a catalyst for technology integration throughout... Read More →
Allison Rodman will take the ENGAGE Mainstage to kick-off day two of the conference. She is an author, the Founder and Chief Learning Officer of The Learning Loop, a certified Framework Specialist with The Danielson Group, and a ASCD faculty member. Allison will share the importance of building collective efficacy in schools as a powerful driver of student achievement. Through stories of shared vulnerability, demonstrated strength, and continuous growth, we will discover how true learning organizations emerge not from flawless execution but from the courage to fail forward together. She will explore why "unreasonable hospitality" - those unexpected acts of care and attention - creates the psychological safety necessary to for teams to take risks, innovate, and ultimately transform their practice. Allison will reveal how learning communities focused on continuous growth create environments where both students and adults flourish. Together, we will leave with a framework for building fierce commitment to both excellence and belonging, understanding that transformation requires both breaking through barriers and breaking bread together.
Founder and Chief Learning Officer, The Learning Loop
Allison Rodman is the Founder and Chief Learning Officer of The Learning Loop, an educational consulting organization that provides professional learning services to districts, schools, nonprofit organizations, and businesses internationally. This includes work with public, charter, and independent schools, over 20 archdioceses, and over 60 sites across the... Read More →
To close the ENGAGE Conference, best-selling author Allen Levi, and Mountain Brook Schools' Superintendent, Dicky Barlow invite us into a powerful, deeply human moment of reflection. Through the story of Theo of Golden, we are reminded that long after the strategies, standards, and tools fade, what endures is how we made our students feel, and whether they were truly seen.
In a world moving faster and becoming more driven by technology, this closing session calls us back to what matters most: slowing down, listening closely, and choosing connection. It is a heartfelt reminder that every student carries a story, and the simple act of noticing, valuing, and believing in them can be transformative.
Expect to leave moved, grounded, and reconnected to your purpose, because the most powerful impact we make in education does not come from what we teach, but from how deeply we care.
