About the Presenters

Dr. David Miyashiro is a forward-thinking education leader skilled at creating and sustaining a culture of trust and innovation with a 25-year career successfully modernizing learning approaches, education models, and school district capabilities in Southern California. As a digital pioneer, he has navigated districts into the high-tech era, delivering numerous innovation “firsts,” for which he has garnered professional honors. Those include Superintendent of the Year, Acceptance into the League of Innovative Schools (Digital Promise), and K-12 Dive’s 2022 District of the Year. Districts under his leadership have also won awards, such as the California School Boards Association’s Golden Bell Award, the National School Boards Association’s Magna Award for Digital Learning, and the California Distinguished Schools Award. Dr. Miyashiro has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy from UCLA, an MA in education technology and curriculum from Grand Canyon University, and a BA from CSULB.

Ed Hidalgo is a well-known speaker, trainer, and advisor for school districts and edtech firms. He’s an expert in transforming schools to integrate career-related teaching and learning and helping students develop a vision of their hoped-for future possible selves. With over 25 years of experience in corporate human resources, higher education, and K-12 public schools, he’s a trusted voice in education and career development.

Saki Dodelson is the Founder and CEO of Beable, the Life-Ready Literacy Company, and one of today’s true visionaries in education. Prior to launching Beable, Saki was the Founder and CEO of the pioneering company that introduced online differentiated learning and patented its breakthrough methodology. Over the past two decades, Saki and her team helped more than six million preK-12 students significantly accelerate reading gains. Now, with Beable, Saki is building on this unprecedented foundation of success to more directly connect literacy to life readiness and to the skills all students need to unlock economic opportunity and lifelong success in a changing world. Saki has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 50 Women Entrepreneurs and is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Recognized as one of the Top 100 Influencers in Education in 2018 and 2019, Saki is a trusted thought leader and partner to districts nationwide because she always puts the needs of kids and their educators first.

Susan Gertler, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer at Beable. Dr. Gertler has been developing differentiated curricula in the preK-12 and adult education markets for over 25 years, leveraging her expertise in education and psychology to provide for the unique needs of every learner. Dr. Gertler brings to Beable a proven track record of innovation, putting theory into effective practice by recognizing the value offered by every stakeholder—student, teacher, school and district administrator, parent, community member—and creating the content and methodologies to magnify their contributions. Dr. Gertler collaborates with industry experts to build blended learning opportunities, focusing on how every student can demonstrate success through a combination of independent learning and targeted support. Dr. Gertler’s vision is instrumental to the success of Beable.

About the Moderator

Dr. Donna Wright has served in many roles in her 40-plus-year career as an educator. She has positively influenced the educational field as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and deputy director. Prior to being named the Superintendent of Schools for Wilson County (TN) in 2014, served as an Assistant Superintendent in Williamson County and Deputy Superintendent in Knox County Schools in Tennessee.

Dr. Wright earned her doctorate in leadership studies from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She has been published in numerous educational journals, invited to present at national and state conferences, and has served as an adjunct professor at various institutions of higher learning. Although Dr. Wright recently retired from K-12 public education, she continues to support and consult with colleagues and school districts around the country. Currently, she serves as the AASA Lead Superintendent directing the National Women’s Leadership Consortium and collaborates with public school districts around the country.