DA Staff

DA 100 education influencers: Tom Vander Ark

Tom Vander Ark is an author and CEO of Getting Smart, a hybrid of entities that bridge organizational gaps to accelerate innovation in teaching, leading and learning.

DA 100 education influencers: Robert Jagers

Robert Jagers, the vice president of research at CASEL, is spearheading work to uncover how SEL can foster equitable learning environments and developmental outcomes for students from historically underserved groups.

DA 100 education influencers: Damien Sweeney

Damien Sweeney, the director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the Kentucky Department of Education, has a passion for change agency and social justice.

DA 100 education influencers: Javaid Siddiqi

Javaid Siddiqi, formerly Virginia’s secretary of education, is president and CEO of The Hunt Institute, which seeks to inform elected officials and policymakers about key matters in education.

DA 100 education influencers: Hadi Partovi

Hadi Partovi is a tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Code.org, whose computer science classes now reach 30% of American students.

DA 100 education influencers: Jason McKenna

Jason McKenna is an author, speaker and director of global educational strategy for VEX Robotics where he oversees curriculum development and classroom integration.

DA 100 education influencers: Al Kingsley

Al Kingsley is an edtech guru, speaker and the group CEO of NetSupport Limited, a global provider of evidence-informed solutions for education and business.

DA 100 education influencers: Sal Khan

Sal Khan is CEO and founder of the groundbreaking Khan Academy, a nonprofit whose free online learning platform is now ubiquitous in K12 education.

DA 100 education influencers: Scott Muri

Ector County Independent School District (Texas) Superintendent Scott Muri has held several leadership roles, including more than 10 years as a tech leader and administrator at Disney’s Celebration School.

DA 100 education influencers: Sharif El-Mekki

Sharif El-Mekki, the founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, is working with is team to rebuild the Black teacher pipeline.

DA 100 education influencers: Quintin Shepherd

Long-time superintendent and K12 thought leader Quintin Shepherd recently took the helm at Pflugerville Independent School District in Texas after having led Victoria ISD since 2018.

DA 100 education influencers: Miguel Cardona

The sitting U.S. Secretary of Education has focused on academic recovery in the wake of the pandemic, closing the digital divide and creating a more equitable education system.

DA 100 education influencers: Eirik Berre

Eirik Berre is the co-founder and COO of Curipod, which allows teachers to plan and deliver interactive lessons on any topic with help from AI.

DA 100 education influencers: Lauren Rhim

Lauren Rhim is the executive director and co-founder of The Center for Learner Equity (CLE), a nonprofit that aims to provide students with disabilities equitable access to high-quality public education.

DA 100 education influencers: Julia Rafal-Baer

Julia Rafal-Baer is the co-founder and managing partner of ILO Group, a women-owned education strategy and policy firm that is helping district leaders tackle some of K12’s most pressing challenges.