About the Presenter

Donnie Piercey, the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, is a tech-savvy educator in Lexington, Kentucky, with over a decade of teaching experience. He’s renowned for his ability to harness technology to foster student engagement and inquiry. Donnie’s global impact includes hosting the Teachers Passing Notes podcast by GZMShows, representing Kentucky on the National Geographic Teacher Advisory Council, and leading the Google Earth Education Experts Network in North America. His expertise as one of Kentucky’s first Google Certified Innovators and Google Certified Trainers has made him a technology trailblazer in education. Donnie’s work in AI and education has earned him national recognition, including appearances on Good Morning America and features in the Associated Press and PBS. His book, 50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom, published by Teacher Created Materials, empowers educators to enhance teaching with artificial intelligence. Despite invitations to speak globally, Donnie remains committed to Kentucky, providing valuable professional development to school districts across the state, ensuring technology enriches local education.

About the Moderator

Joyce Whitby is a lifelong EdTechKnowLedgist who started off as a special education educator in NYC, and then taught graduate-level EdTech courses at Long Island University. Since then, Joyce has been in the business of educational technology and has held key leadership roles in sales leadership, professional development, and marketing with organizations like Apple Computer, Scientific Learning, and SchoolMessenger. She has been a longtime member and past co-chair of the SIIA EDU Board, and still coordinates their Innovation Showcase which is now part of the CODiEs. She also has extensive experience working with startup EdTech ventures. In 2017, Joyce and her husband (aka @tomwhitby, co-founder of #edchat) launched their consulting business coaching emerging and growing EdTech companies on their go-to-market plans. Joyce works with Ideamapper as their exclusive Sales Agent in North America.