Dr. Akbar Herndon, CTO of Grace Church School and a founder of the NEET conference, discusses his unique journey from professional jazz violinist to technology leader. He shares strategies for building highly diverse IT teams through a culture of belonging and explains why a "human first protocol" is essential when integrating AI into the independent school classroom.

1. Akbar’s LinkedIn Profile
2. Grace Church School
3. NYSAIS Education, Information, and Technology (NEIT) Conference
4. Black Swan Quartet, Akbar’s jazz group and recording
5. Weather Report, jazz fusion band
6. Max Roach, jazz drummer and composer

Dr. Geri Gillespy joins the podcast to discuss the transition from AI consumption to purposeful production. She shares her "three-legged stool" framework for change management and explores the emerging role of AI agents in independent schools. Learn how workforce development and human-in-the-loop practices ensure technology amplifies, rather than replaces, human creativity.

1. Microsoft Elevate for Educators, program designed to provide educators and school leaders with access to a global community, professional development, and resources to confidently integrate AI into teaching and learning.
2. Cyber Tabletop Simulation Game
3. Elevate webinars -- available to all? She mentioned “webinar I did yesterday”
4. Copyright gem
5. Mofongo, dish from Puerto Rico with plantains as its main ingredient
6. Fungo, special baseball bats used for training

Leaders from Blackbaud and Veracross join the panel to discuss the complexities of AI governance and student data privacy . The conversation covers essential steps for establishing AI policies, understanding international regulations like GDPR and NIST, and the shift toward agentic AI. Gain practical insights on vetting vendors and securing your digital perimeter.

1. Blackbaud, cloud software provider serving nonprofits, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and CSR entities in the areas of fundraising, financial management, and education administration.
2. Veracross, cloud-based student information system (SIS) and school management platform designed specifically for private and independent K-12 schools, connecting academics, admissions, accounting, development, and student health.
3. Data Harmony: Integrating Systems, Empowering Schools, previous episode of TTWA featuring Blackbaud and Veracross
4. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)
5. NIST AI Risk Management Framework (RMF)
6. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
7. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
8. Coquito, traditional Christmas drink that originated in Puerto Rico

This episode is a replay of Season 4, Episode 79

Relive the dynamic opening keynotes from the ATLIS Annual Conference with Felix Jacomino and Claire Goldsmith. Felix, Director of Technology at St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School, reflects on past tech trends to provide a roadmap for future innovation. Claire, Principal of Lamplight Education, discusses harnessing emerging technologies like AI and Web3 to build resilient, future-ready schools, emphasizing curiosity, collaboration, and ethical courage.

1. Lamplight Education
2. St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School
3. Stanford Online High School
4. Malone Schools Online Network
5. Enrollment Management Association
6. Zoom
7. Grammarly
8. ChatGPT
9. Claude

This episode features a reply of Season 4, Episode 80 of Talking Technology with ATLIS.

Below are the show notes and link to the original episode:

This episode replays a dynamic panel from the 2025 ATLIS Annual Conference, exploring the future of education with experts in AI, quantum computing, and extended reality (XR). Dr. Jacob Farinholt of Booz Allen, Vriti Saraf of Ed3 DAO, and Patrick Schuermann of Optima XR, along with students Jalen and Maggie, discuss how emerging technologies will reshape learning, the skills students will need, and why human-centered pedagogy remains critical.

Original Episode

Wolfgang Soeldner of the International School of Geneva joins the podcast to discuss the evolving role of IT and ed tech leadership in a global context. The conversation dives into the "collective responsibility" of data compliance under GDPR and the EU AI Act, alongside a provocative look at why AI necessitates a total revolution in student assessment.

1. Ecolint: International School of Geneva
2. Technology Readiness Council (TRC), global organization connecting and supporting senior leaders in international schools
3. 9ine, specialists in data privacy, cybersecurity, and vendor vetting
4. Council of International Schools
5. History of Mardi Gras
6. Carnival, Wikipedia article

Dr. Jonathan King joins the podcast to discuss Riverdale Country School's unique approach to technology leadership. He explains the benefits of an engineering-focused mindset, the strategic inclusion of data teams within IT, and a long-term commitment to building talent pipelines that prepare the next generation of technology directors for the community.

1. Riverdale Country School
2. Toddle LMS
3. Flint AI for Schools
4. Veracross
5. Asana Project Management
6. GitHub

Kevin Warenda, Director of IT Services at The Hotchkiss School, joins the pod to discuss the intersection of business acumen and technical leadership. Learn how Kevin utilizes Agile methodology to manage complex financial system migrations and the construction of a data warehouse for institutional research while maintaining organizational continuity amidst senior leadership churn.

1. The Hotchkiss School
2. Center for Institutional Research in Independent Schools (CIRIS)
3. Veracross, school information systems
4. National Business Officers Association (NBOA)
5. The Oregon Trail
6. Asana, project management tool)
7. The Tech Whisperers Podcast