Center for Digital Education Market Briefing: San Diego CA 2015

Leighangela Brady is recognized as a cutting edge leader in educational transformation. She is an author of Transforming Ice Age Schools: A Practical Guide for School Leaders, as well as Test Less, Assess More: A K-8 Guide to Formative Assessment. Leighangela is well known for engaging and motivating educators to think about shifting practice to meet the needs of today’s students. Using the Twitter hashtag, #melttheglacier, Leighangela calls for educational leaders to speak out and get their voice heard. Only together can educators melt the educational has been created throughout the history of our educational system.

David Damico has been a teacher, media specialist, assistant principal, principal, charter school director, and director of alternative education. He currently serves as the Director or Information and Educational Technology in the Sweetwater Union High School District. Sweetwater is currently deploying iPads to middle and high school students at a rate of 7,000 devices annually. The goal is to be 1-1 district wide by the 2016-17 school year. Currently, 21,000 students in grades 7-9 are using iPads in SUHSD.

Dr. Robert Grano has worked in the field of education for over 36 years. He has taught elementary school, as well as Spanish and Italian at the middle and high school levels at several schools in New York City and San Diego. His administrative positions include coordinator of English Learner programs, Title I coordinator, vice principal, principal at the elementary and middle school levels, area superintendent, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Director of Educational Technology. Dr. Grano completed his doctoral studies in January 2015 at the University of California, San Diego. In his research, he explored how social capital (relationships) allows principals and central office administrators to access resources within their organization.

Dawn Kale serves as the Director of Information Technology for the Poway Unified School District. She has been working in the technology field for thirty years. During this time, she has held a number of technology positions including customer support for a software developer, pre & post sale’s technical support for a technology distributor, network technician, network supervisor and program manager for K12 education. Ms. Kale manages projects involving network and technology infrastructure, identity management, database design, programming, and web development for the Poway Unified School District. Dawn and her colleagues implement and support all of the software, network, computers, phones, and electronic systems within the 40 site school district. She has a depth of experience, technical skills and management capabilities that she brings to her current position where she oversees the administration and management of IT operations as well as provides leadership in support of the district’s core mission.

Dan Stoneman is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of San Diego Unified School District. He runs the Integrated Technology Support Services (ITSS) department at San Diego Unified. The ITSS department's responsibilities are:
Integrated Technology Support Services (ITSS) provides students and staff with effective management, technical support, and professional development focused on instructional technology tools, resources, business and data systems, and network infrastructure, to manage and support student learning. ITSS is comprised of four primary divisions, including Instructional Data Support and Research and Reporting group, Educational Technology group, Applications group, and the Information Technology Infrastructure group.