The Presenters

Dr. Sabba Quidwai is a speaker, author, and advisor who helps visionary leaders design human-centered systems that are technology-driven. As the CEO of Designing Schools and a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, Sabba blends research-backed strategy with real-world application. A former high school educator, and Education Executive at Apple, Sabba has been researching the future of learning and AI since 2014. Her book and documentary Designing Schools explore how design thinking helps people lead through change with confidence and creativity. She believes cultures of innovation begin with cultures of empathy, where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to grow.

Sabba’s signature message? Innovation begins with empathy.

Lower school computer science teacher Salma Baig joined Harker in 2020. From 2009-2020 she was the technology coordinator at Good Shepherd School in Pacifica, where she built the K-8 computer science program by introducing into the curriculum electronics, micro-controllers, robotics, 3D printing, web design, audio and video editing, programming with C++ and digital art. Under her leadership, the school was rewarded with a grant from the Archdiocese of San Francisco to equip a Makerspace. Before that she worked with an educational consulting company in London, conducting research and providing in-school consultancy on enhancing STEM education in the classroom.

Ms. Baig has a Certificate of Specialization in C++, and completed several CS courses at the College of San Mateo: Python, Java, C++, Javascript, HTML/CSS, Linux OS, Databases with SQL, Networks, and Internet of Things.

Ms. Baig was born in Pakistan and raised there and in the U.K. It is her passion to make seemingly difficult subjects like mathematics and computers science as accessible, intuitive and exciting as literature, art and poetry. “All human knowledge ultimately comes from the same impulse – to make sense of the world that we live in. Even though we categorize knowledge into subject areas for convenience, they are all connected at the root and are all the result of our desire to understand and creatively interact with the fascinating world in which we find ourselves.”

Dr. Rachel A. Blumenthal is an English educator and scholar whose work sits at the intersection of literary studies, writing pedagogy, and emerging technology. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University and currently serves as Chair of the Upper School English Department at Menlo School, where she collaborates with faculty on making literary studies meaningful for students navigating a rapidly changing world. Her teaching philosophy centers students as recursive writers and dynamic thinkers, a framework she brings directly to questions about how AI is reshaping what it means to read, write, and think. She co-teaches an advanced seminar, Literature in the Age of AI, and has published on AI and the future of writing. She has also served as Co-Chair of Menlo School's AI Working Group and presented on AI and humanities pedagogy at professional development events. She is genuinely excited to meet educators ready to grapple with the big questions reshaping our field.

Andi Bo has been a teacher at Harker since 2016. Having taught a wide range of grades from kindergarten to grade 4, she consistently strives to make her classroom an inclusive and supportive place for all. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Ms. Bo has been immersed in its rich culture from the beginning. Influenced daily by the world around her, she continues to weave literature and aspects from all cultures into her classroom.

While at Harker, Ms. Bo has led workshops on ways to utilize technology to reach all learners, as well as various ways teachers can instruct students to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn and thrive. She is also a lower school diversity leader for the Harker Diversity Committee. When not teaching, she can typically be found enjoying the outdoors with her friends and family.

Meredith Cranston serves as the Upper School Campus Librarian and a Class Dean at the Harker School. In these dual roles, she designs engaging, inquiry-based learning opportunities that foster student agency and strengthen community ties. Drawing on over a decade of experience in education, Meredith collaborates with faculty across disciplines to help students navigate a complex information landscape. Her teaching philosophy centers on information literacy, empowering learners to ask—and answer—their own questions. A champion of digital citizenship, she is dedicated to helping students become mindful, ethical users of information and emerging AI technologies. In an era of algorithmic feeds, Meredith believes the ability to verify and vet information is the most important tool we can give our students.

Lisa Diffenderfer brings over 30 years of teaching and leadership expertise to her role as TK-12 Director of Learning, Innovation, and Design at The Harker School in San Jose. A passionate advocate for meaningful learning experiences, she also co-leads the K-5 Sustainability Team and Tournament of Books Committees. In all of her roles, Lisa focuses on creating innovative pedagogy that engages and inspires students across all grade levels. She has shared much of her work at local and national conferences and is excited to bring her insights and collaborative spirit to this year's Harker Teacher Institute.

Dr. Eric Hengstebeck is an English educator with over ten years of teaching experience at the high school and college levels. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University and currently teaches at The Harker School in San Jose, where his work focuses on writing pedagogy, deeper learning, and teaching literature in the age of AI. His research and classroom practice explore how students develop durable understanding, intellectual agency, and ethical awareness, and how writing instruction can be reimagined to keep humanities thinking at the center of learning. He has published and presented on AI and the future of writing as well as on equity-conscious, AI-responsive pedagogy. A former yoga instructor, Eric believes that powerful learning attends to the whole person and that the habits of mind cultivated in a writing classroom — curiosity, reflection, revision, and care — are essential not just for academic success, but for democratic life.

Christopher Hurshman has been an English teacher at Harker since 2015. His teaching career spans more than two decades and includes seven years at South Kent School in Connecticut as well as four years of college-level instruction during his doctoral work at Yale University.

At Harker, he teaches 10th-grade British literature and an ever-evolving set of senior electives, including Literature into Film, Russian Literature, Great Novels, Creative Nonfiction, and the Bible as Literature. He values classroom environments that foster precise and independent thinking and sustained engagement with complex texts.

In addition to his classroom teaching, Mr. Hurshman has held a variety of student-facing leadership roles, including class dean, director of residential life, and chair of disciplinary committees and hearings. He has coached soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, and advised a variety of student organizations, such as film club, guitar club, and philosophy and ethics club.

He has participated in multiple National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminars, including programs on Chaucer and on teaching literature through adaptation.

As the Middle School Director of Learning, Innovation, and Design at The Harker School, Megan Madden specializes in bridging the gap between bold imagination and tangible solutions, utilizing innovative thinking and technology to turn complex challenges into creative breakthroughs. Drawing on over 15 years of experience across various K–8 settings, she leverages her background as an ISTE, Google, and Seesaw certified educator to reimagine the classroom experience and help faculty craft educational environments where curiosity isn't just encouraged- it’s the curriculum. Whether she is mentoring faculty through digital transformations or designing hands-on projects that bridge the gap between abstract concepts and real-world impact, Megan is a firm believer that middle school is the ultimate laboratory for lifelong discovery. She is thrilled to connect with fellow forward-thinkers to discuss the future of design thinking, student agency, and why the best learning usually happens when things get a little messy. 

Diane Main has worked in education since 1992 and is the Upper School Director of Learning, Innovation, and Design at The Harker School. Her career spans classroom teaching, instructional design, and educational technology leadership, and her work focuses on supporting thoughtful, future-focused learning in partnership with faculty. A central emphasis of her work is the use of play and games to support engagement, curiosity, and deeper learning. She has presented at local and national conferences and values opportunities for shared reflection and collaboration, including at this year’s Harker Teacher Institute.

Amy Pelman is the Upper School Librarian at the Harker School. Her professional experience now spans over two decades, including stints as a Librarian and Academic Technology specialist at Kent Denver School in Colorado, and before that a Teen Librarian and then the Digital Services Manager at Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Illinois. She started her career at Burlingame Public Library. She has always been committed to serving teens, with a focus on technology and information literacy. She enjoys hiking, reading, and is learning to play the drums. Of teaching she says, “Helping students become savvy academic researchers is often the goal, but witnessing their transformation into thoughtful, knowledgeable, critical consumers of media and information is the ultimate reward!”

Eileen Schick joined Harker in 2005, after enjoying time at home raising her twins and playing as much tennis as possible. In addition to teaching, Ms. Schick assistant coaches the upper school boys and girls tennis teams. In 2006 her USTA tennis team represented Northern California in the 3.5 Women's Nationals.

Ms. Schick's former classroom teaching experience was with two private, independent schools. At the first school she taught grades 4, 6, 7 and 8. While pursuing her master's degree, she wrote the math curriculum for K-8 and also developed an honors math program for grades 6-8.

Several years later Ms. Schick joined the math team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, where she taught both algebra and geometry. In addition, she has been a private math tutor for over 13 years, with students ranging from grades 1-11, and including both HSPT and SAT prep.

Ramsay Westgate is a 30+ year Middle and High School educator, who has taught in public, private and international schools over the course of his career. Driven by a commitment to helping students gain agency and “unlearn helplessness,” his passion for inquiry-driven learning has been at the heart of his practice from the outset, encompassing teaching students from grades 7-12, including nearly a decade teaching AP US History. Committed to a “Skeptic-Plus” approach to using AI in education, he has worked most closely with Google’s “NotebookLM,” using it as a framework for class work in history and his current role as a Middle School Class Dean. Proud husband of a long-time Homestead High School math teacher and parent to two rising juniors (one college, one high school), he relishes spending time on the Monterey Peninsula and obsesses over his hometown Boston sports teams, especially his beloved Celtics.