Organizers and Founders

Founders

Lisa Abel-Palmieri, Ph.D. @Learn21Tech

Lisa is the Head of School and Chief Learning Officer at Holy Family Academy, a new innovative independent school. Holy Family Academy is an equitable school choice in the Pittsburgh region - accessible to all families through its disruptive funding model. Prior to joining Holy Family Academy (HFA), Lisa was most recently the Director of Technology & Curricular Innovation, Head of Computer Science and led partnerships and outreach as Director of the Learning Innovation Institute at The Ellis School. A disruptor, designer and change agent, she brings over 15 years of teaching, outreach, information systems, marketing and administrative experience. Lisa was awarded Non-Profit CIO of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council in 2013. In 2014, she was an honorable mention for Leader of the Year from Technology & Learning Magazine, Athena Young Professional Award Nominee and an NAIS Teacher of the Future. In 2015, the Huffington Post selected Lisa as the 18th most social K12 technology leader. Lisa was named an ASCD Emerging Leader and Deeper Learning Equity Fellow in 2016.

Justin Aglio @JustinAglio

Justin Aglio is the Director of Innovation at Montour School District in Pennsylvania. Recently, he was mentioned as a 2016 “Edtech and Elearning Top 100 Influencer” by Onalytica. He was honored by the Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology as the 2014 Outstanding Leader of the Year. In 2013, ISTE named him as an Emerging Leader. He was one of three featured principals in the book Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to School Improvement. Justin is a board member of The Flipped Learning Network, an advisor for the Carnegie Science Center, a member of the Remake Learning Network, and co-organizer of EdCampPGH.

Katie Bordner @mskbordner

Katie Bordner has been teaching students Spanish for over a decade. She has taught on the South and West sides of Chicago, and now teaches at City Charter High School. Katie is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences for her students by integrating technology into the curriculum, inviting native Spanish speakers to converse with students, and participates in an international service learning trip that takes students to Costa Rica. Katie loves to discuss ways to improve educational outcomes for youth, and has participated in CORO's Leaders in Learning Program.

Norton Gusky @ngusky

For over thirty years Norton Gusky has demonstrated in his teaching the power of technology as a tool for empowering kids, educators, and communities. Norton believes that technology offers students a tool for creative production, communications, and collaboration. Norton first began his exploration of technology in education as a teacher of the intellectually gifted in West Virginia. For the past twenty years he has worked as the Coordinator of Educational Technology for the Fox Chapel Area School District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Norton is also on the Board of Trustees for the Manchester Academy Charter School in Pittsburgh and leads the planning of the Three Rivers Education Technology Conference. Norton believes in using technology to empower communities. He serves as the vice-president and technology chair for Neighborhood Learning Alliance (NLA), a Pittsburgh non-profit agency, that serves as an umbrella organization for over forty faith-based and community-based organizations.