We were honored to get to learn from such esteemed experts. The individuals profiled in this book have been through leadership challenges and have come out the other side transformed.

This section provides the professional biographies for each of the people we interviewed. A more personal articulation of each of their backgrounds is included at the beginning of each of the forthcoming chapters.

Chief Academic Officer – Jeff Hittenberger, Ph.D.

Dr. Jeff Hittenberger serves as Chief Academic Officer (CAO) at the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE). Prior to joining the OCDE team, he served in the Santa Ana Unified School District, at the Monterey County Office of Education, and at Vanguard University, where he most recently held the role of Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Dr. Hittenberger has been an educator for more than 30 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Planning, and Administration from the University of Southern California. He has taught elementary school and high school English and history, and he served as a university faculty member teaching education courses and ultimately serving as Dean of the School of Education.

Dr. Hittenberger has done research and training globally, serving on the United States Agency for International Development and working on research projects in South Africa, Israel, and Haiti. He was also a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Morocco. He was a co-founder of the Global Business Academy at Valley High School in Santa Ana and currently serves on the California Partnership Academies state advisory council and the California International Studies Project advisory board.

Chief Technology Officer, Educational Technology and Support – Rick Hassler

Mr. Hassler serves as the Chief Technology Officer, Educational Technology and Support for the Baldwin Park Unified School District. Prior to this role, he worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District and brought stability to the largest rollout of one-to-one mobile devices in the country as the Coordinator for Implementation and Deployment – Instructional Technology Initiative and Specialist for Integrated Library and Textbook Support Services.

Mr. Hassler draws from his K-12 public education experiences as a history teacher, principal, technology integration specialist, and coordinator to support students, teachers, and staff.

An educator serving public schools for 19 years, Mr. Hassler brings expertise from the leading edge of instructional and informational technology integration, as well as blended learning. As part of his formal education, Mr. Hassler obtained a master’s degree in Educational Technology from California State University of Los Angeles and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from California State University of Northridge.

In addition, he developed many of his project management skills in the private sector, implementing some of the largest automation systems for school districts. He brings to his work a passion for teaching and learning, as well as a deep understanding of how technology can truly transform both.

Mr. Hassler possesses a Chief Technology Officer Certificate, Administrative Services Credential, Supplementary Authorization: Computer Concepts and Applications, Clear Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate, and Professional Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential.

He is a member of the following committees and organizations: Site Technology Committees, Foothill Technology Consortium, Library Services Policy Committee, District Assessment Team, Project Management Institute, Parent Faculty Association, International Society of Technology in Education, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), District Technology Committee, and Transcript Committee.

He also serves as the Editor of Educational Technology and Information Services Newsletter and advised and collected data for the Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant.

Elementary School Principal – John Albert, Ed.D.

Dr. Albert is the Principal at California Elementary School, home of the iInspire Academy, where technology and language flourish. California Elementary School is a premier school-wide one-to-one, 24/7 Take Home iPad Program and also a Trilingual Spanish & Computer Science Immersion Program.

Dr. Albert has been a leader in the field of education for over 23 years. He has served as an educational leader at every level in education including high school, middle school, junior high, K-8, elementary, and at the district level. He has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and director of education.

His research body includes advancements in blended learning models in the classroom and online technology integration. He has successfully presented on numerous topics including PLCs, blended Intervention models, and technology integration.

Director of Educational Technology and Creativity Lab Facilitator – Ms. Elizabeth Thomas

Ms. Elizabeth Thomas serves as the Director of Educational Technology and Creativity Lab Facilitator at St. Junipero Serra Catholic School in Orange County, California. She is the production manager for the school broadcast studio and provides professional development.

She is a Trustee Fellow for the University of Notre Dame and serves as an ABLE Fellow for the Diocese of Orange County. Prior to her current role, she served as the Serra Catholic Athletic Director and Educational Technology Support teacher.

Ms. Thomas has been an educator for fourteen years. She holds a Multiple Subjects Credential with Cross-cultural, Language, and Academic Development (CLAD) from the University of California, Irvine and bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. She has taught elementary, middle, and junior high school.

Her professional affiliations include the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NSTM), National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Computer Using Educators (CUE), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE).

Ms. Thomas is an educational leader with a strong commitment to the development of students and staff. She is dedicated and enthusiastic in seeking ways to create a student-centered learning environment while focusing on the 21st Century literacy skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, and digital citizenship.

She believes that this learning takes place through an engaging and empowering experience in and outside of school to prepare knowledgeable students for our globally networked society.

Chief Executive Officer – Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.

Dr. Julie Evans serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org), an internationally-recognized education nonprofit organization that focuses on improving learning opportunities for students through the effective use of STEAM resources.

Dr. Evans has been CEO of this organization since 1999 and has created several innovative initiatives to impact education, including the heralded Speak Up Research Project which annually collects and reports on the authentic views of 500, 000 K-12 students, parents, and educators on education issues each year.

Dr. Evans serves as the chief researcher on the Speak Up Research Project as well as leading research efforts on the impact of mobile devices, digital content, and blended learning models in both K-12 and higher education. Over the past fourteen years, over 5.4 million K-12 students, teachers, and parents have participated in the Speak Up Research Project, representing over 35,000 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and locations around the world.

Prior to this position, Dr. Evans enjoyed a successful career in national and regional sales and marketing management with Unisys and two education technology startups.

Dr. Evans is a graduate of Brown University and earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, San Diego. She serves on several boards and advisory councils including the Project Tomorrow Board of Directors, the Future of Education Technology Conference Advisory Board, the National Advisory Council for Cybersecurity, the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training Board, the Reaching At-Promise Students Association (RAPSA) Advisory Board, and The Journal Editorial Board.

Dr. Evans is a frequent speaker and writer on K-12 and higher education issues around digital learning. In November 2015, she was named one of the Top 30 Technologists, Transformers, and Trailblazers nationwide by the Center for Digital Education.

Principal – Lari Nelson, Ed.D.

Dr. Lari Nelson serves as the Principal of Bryant School of Arts & Innovation in the Riverside Unified School District in Riverside, California. Prior to her role as principal, she served as assistant principal, Title I categorical program specialist, instructional coach, Beginning Teacher Support and Assistance (BTSA) Support Provider, and elementary school teacher throughout Riverside, California.

Dr. Nelson holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University San Bernardino. She earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Tier II Administrative Services Credential from Chapman University in Orange, California. She possesses a Professional Clear Multiple Subjects Credential and Language Development Specialist Certificate (LDS-CLAD).

Dr. Nelson’s affiliations include the Riverside Association for School Administrators (RASM), Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), Riverside Unified Public Relations Committee, Riverside Unified Instructional Council, Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Partnership with Downtown Area Neighborhood Association (D. A. N. A.), and Partnership with The Downtown Riverside Rotary.

Executive Director of Innovation – Erin Marie English, Ed.D.

Dr. Erin English serves as the Executive Director of Innovation for the San Diego County Office of Education. She concurrently is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Oceanside Unified School District, adjunct professor at Concordia University, and Digital Promise Administrative Coach. Prior to her current roles, she served in Southern California as director of curriculum and instruction, administrative coach, board trustee, principal, and assistant principal.

Dr. English earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne, a Master of Science: Educational Technology from National University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from San Diego State University.

She has a California Tier II Administrative Services Credential and Multiple Subject Clear Credential with the following certificates: Chief Innovation Officer (EIA/ACSA), Leading Edge – Curriculum and Innovation (TICAL/ACSA), Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP/ACSA), Assistive Technology (Special Needs) Applications (ATACP), Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), California School Leadership Academy (CSLA), and National Institute of School Leadership (NILS) Facilitator.

Dr. English has organized professional learning opportunities for 2,400 teachers, participated in the National Institute of School Leadership Program, worked with the Federal Department of Education as an early adopter of the Open Resource Initiative #GoOpen (OER), and initiated a Long-Term English Learner Innovation Lab where students were exposed to coding, robotics, engineering, art, and digital media while improving their language and writing skills.

Her professional affiliations include the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Elementary Educational Council, Curriculum and Instruction Representative, Former Vice President of the North County School Managers Chapter, California Educational Technology Professional’s Association, California Computer Using Educators, and Southern California Professional Development Federation.

Instructional Technology Coordinator – Kevin Fairchild

Mr. Fairchild serves as the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Prior to joining the SVUSD team, he served as a teacher on special assignment for technology and learning and science coordinator in the San Dieguito Union High School District. He also served as a secondary science teacher of Physics, AP Physics, and Earth Science at La Costa Canyon High School, Science Department Chair, Digital High School Coordinator at La Costa Canyon High School, and Science VPSS Curriculum Developer and Instructor in the San Diego County Office of Education.

Mr. Fairchild received a Master of Science in Instructional Leadership from National University and a bachelor’s degree in Physics with a minor in History from Harvey Mudd College.

Mr. Fairchild has earned his Leading-Edge Certification in Online and Blended Learning, Professional Learning Leadership, Google Certified Innovator, National Board Certification, Adolescent/Young Adult Science certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, California Single Subject Physical Science credential with Cross-cultural Language Academic Development emphasis, and supplemental authorization in mathematics credential.

He serves as the Vice President and Technology Fair Coordinator for the San Diego Computer Using Educators. He is also a member of the International Society for Technology in Education and the Lead Learner for Computer Using Educators.