K-12 Advisory Council

Bill Bass is an award winning educator and former English teacher who now serves as Innovation Coordinator for Instructional Technology, Information, Library Media and Federal Programs in the Parkway School District in St. Louis, MO. As an international speaker, writer and professional developer, he focuses on systemic and sustainable integration of technology into classrooms at all grade levels. Bill has served as the president of ISTE Board of Directors and was named as one of NSBA’s 20 to Watch EdTech Leaders. He is an ISTE Certified Educator, Google Certified Innovator, Google for Education Certified trainer and has written numerous articles and book chapters. He has also authored three books: From Inspiration to Red Carpet (ISTE 2012), Digital Reading: What’s essential in grades 3-8 (NCTE 2015), and Leading from the Library (ISTE 2019).

As the Director of Knowledge and Resource Management​, Joyce supports processes for creating, sharing, applying and managing knowledge and instructional resources. This includes facilitating and leveraging innovative solutions and expertise within technology services, managing training and learning on various applications, and establishing workflow systems for content, document and digital standards to support all GaDOE divisions and users, Georgia education stakeholders, and other external education partners.

Suzan Brandt serves as the Technology Director for Mountain Brook Schools. She was previously Technology Coordinator at Mountain Brook Junior High School. She began her career with Hoover City Schools in 1994 and served as an Instructional Technology Specialist from 2000-2009. Suzan has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Auburn University and an M.A. in Special Education from The University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she also completed coursework for her Educational Leadership certificate. She earned an Ed.S. in Educational Technology from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Suzan has worked in the area of special education and has taught Language Arts, Math, and Computer Applications.
Suzan is actively involved in professional development and learning. She has presented at The Gulf Coast Writing Project, The Samford University Writing Project, ACTE Conference, EduCon, AETA, Tech & Learning Live, and the Alabama Educational Technology Conference. She is an organizer for edcamp Birmingham, edcamp Mountain Brook , and CoSN's Unconference, CoSNCamp. Suzan is the organizer for TEDxYouth@MBJH, co-organizer of the MBJH TED-Ed Club and was on the organizational team for TEDxRedMountain, Birmingham's first TEDx event. She is the Education Director of TEDxBirmingham where she is actively participating in the learning community.
Suzan was the 2014 recipient of the Margaret Spencer Ragland Award for outstanding performance by the Mountain Brook Foundation. In 2001 she was recognized as the Outstanding Special Education Alumna Award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Benjamin “Benjie” Brown serves as the Chief Technology Officer for Darlington County School District. Mr. Brown provides leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment throughout the District.
Darlington County School District Technology Department provides support for instructional technology, digital tools, delivery of IT infrastructure and services, information security systems and compliance, administrative systems, and client support services.
Brown is committed to working with the DCSD team to create an instructional environment that fosters and encompasses innovation as well as a sustainable IT infrastructure that supports personalized student learning and bolsters achievement.

Ryan Gravette is the Director of Information and Technology at the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance. Ryan has been an integral part of the Idaho Digital Learning Academy team for the past 19 years, developing systems and support infrastructure to make online learning possible. Prior to joining the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, Ryan worked in school districts in Idaho and California, where he supported and led networking and data projects. Ryan has been recognized for his exceptional support for technology by the Idaho Educational Technology Association, receiving the Presidential Award in both 2011 and 2020. Ryan is passionate about supporting students across the state and has a BS in Psychology from Westmont College, an MBA from Boise State, and is currently pursuing his doctorate in district administration.

Kimberly Jackson serves as the Executive Director of Instructional Technology where she provides leadership for the Instructional Technology and Media Services, Data Accountability and Analytics Reporting, State and Federal Reporting/Student Information Services, and Information Systems departments. She has been an educator for over 23 years. During her career in education, Kimberly has been a classroom teacher, instructional technology specialist, school administrator, and district-level leader. In her current role, Kimberly leads initiatives such as the development of the 2022 1EDTECH Learning Impact award-winning platform, HenryConnects, which is a fully interoperable one-stop shop leveraging a variety of IMS Global Standards and a range of digital transformation initiatives that require the adoption of IMS Global Standards that directly enhance students’ educational experiences.

Kimberly earned her undergraduate and Educational Leadership degrees from the University of Georgia, a Master of Middle School Education from Georgia Southwestern State University, and an Education Specialist degree of Instructional Technology and Media Services from the University of West Georgia.

As the Director of Information Systems for Clayton County Public Schools, Howard Langford is dedicated to fostering collaboration with high-performing teams to drive technology innovation that aligns with the organization's strategic initiatives. With a focus on designing, planning, implementing, and maintaining enterprise-level IT infrastructures, Howard provides strong leadership to ensure interoperability within the digital ecosystem, and support for instructional objectives. Howard has over twenty years of experience in education and technology leadership in the K-12 sector.

Dr. Marty Park is a seasoned education technology leader with a career spanning classrooms to statewide initiatives. Starting as a primary teacher, he transitioned into district leadership and is now Kentucky's Chief Digital Officer. In his current role, he focuses on strategic implementations and experience design of new and emerging technologies for learning, as well as working on and leading special projects statewide. Marty also consults on federal and state programs, while working with many leadership and instructional technology vision topics. He's a sought-after speaker, author, and consultant.

Jessica Preisig serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services in the School District of Pickens County. Mrs. Preisig provides leadership for a talented technology team dedicated to the continued development of a robust and secure digital ecosystem. Her department provides support for instructional technology, end-user devices, audio-visual technology, safety & security systems, IT infrastructure & services, and information systems & compliance. Jessica is passionate about working alongside the larger SDPC team to create an innovative and engaging instructional environment that empowers students for college, career, and life success.

During her 20 years as an educator, Jessica has served as a classroom teacher, instructional technology coach, school administrator and district leader. Jessica earned her initial undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of South Carolina prior to moving to upstate South Carolina, where she obtained an EdS in Administration and Supervision and will earn her doctorate from Clemson University.

Daniel Ralyea, Director of the Office of Research and Data Analysis at the South Carolina Department of Education, works with a broad network of decision makers to make the most of his state’s educational data. With nearly 750,000 K-12 students in the system, trying to deliver the best results for these students requires a strong team that can discover, share and make decisions from available data.

Executive Director of Department of Curriculum, Instruction and
Digital Learning for Chicago Public Schools