AI: Where Were We, Where Are We Now, and Where Are We Going?

About the Presenters

Dr. Peter Aiken is the Superintendent of Central York School District in Pennsylvania. He is passionate about preparing students for a world that “gets crazier by the day.” Dr. Aiken began his teaching career in Norfolk, VA, as a reading teacher. He later returned to Pittsburgh as a high school English teacher. On his way to becoming a superintendent of schools, he served and garnered tremendous leadership lessons as an assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. Prior to his current position, he was the Superintendent for over five years at Manheim Central School District in Pennsylvania. Dr. Aiken’s core leadership tenet is that everything rises and falls on relationships. Originally from Oakmont, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, he now resides in Lancaster, PA, with his wife and three children. Dr. Aiken is an avid reader; you’ll often find him running and ruminating after a great read. Dr. Aiken has a leadership blog at http://www.educationrewired.org.

Dr. Jason Harris has served as Superintendent of Columbia School District, Mississippi, since 2017, leading its improvement from a C to an A rating. With two decades of leadership in public education, he has expanded academic programs and overseen major facility improvements, including a $10 million bond project and the $6.5 million redevelopment of Walter Payton Field. Previously, as Principal of Tupelo High School, he led the school to an A rating and implemented Mississippi’s first high school 1:1 laptop initiative. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi State University, preparing future superintendents and instructional leaders, and previously chaired the Gulf Coast Education Initiative Consortium. A native of Norfolk, VA, he holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Mississippi State University. He is active in his church and the Columbia Rotary Club. He enjoys a rich family life with his beautiful wife, Tamra, their four children, and their pets.

As Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Dr. Aaron Spence oversees the instructional leadership and administrative operations of 100 schools and centers serving over 77,000 students. Dr. Spence is recognized for his exceptional leadership and commitment to students. He was named Virginia State Superintendent of the Year in 2018 and received AASA’s 2026 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award, honoring his dedication to equity, service, and the well-being of students and communities. Before joining LCPS, Dr. Spence served as Superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools for nine years. He has also held positions as superintendent in North Carolina and as a central office administrator and school principal in Texas and Virginia. He began his career in 1994 as a French and photojournalism teacher, a foundation that shaped his enduring commitment to teaching and learning. Today, he leads with the belief that every student deserves opportunities to excel academically, socially, and emotionally in an ever-changing world.

Pete Just, CETL, CCRE, Serves as the Executive Director of the Indiana CTO Council and as CoSN’s AI Project Director. He retired in 2022 as CTO and COO MSD of Wayne after 24 years leading their IT and facilities efforts. Starting out as a teacher, he began using technology to expand learning and has been deep in digital innovation ever since. He received his MS in instructional systems technology from Indiana University and has served as adjunct faculty there. Pete was elected to the CoSN National Board in 2014 and served as the CoSN National Board Chair, completing his board service in 2023. He is founding Chair of the Indiana Chief Technology Officer’s Council and chairs the IDOE K12 Cyber Security Task Force. Pete has provided dozens of presentations nationally for AASA, ASBO, and CoSN on generative AI, serves as CoSN's SME on artificial intelligence, and serves as CoSN's representative to various non-profit partnerships.

About the Moderator

Ann McMullan is Project Director for CoSN’s EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, created in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Ann served as Executive Director for Educational Technology in Klein ISD, near Houston, Texas, until September 2013, when she and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. For 16 years, Ann led the district team that provided professional development on technology and 21st century instructional strategies to 4,000 educators serving 50,000 students. She was co-chair of the Texas Education Technology Advisory Committee, which developed the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Today, Ann works as a public speaker, writer, and consultant focused on leadership to meet the needs of today’s students. Ann serves on the edWeb.net Advisory Board and is a founding member of ERDI’s Ed Leadership Council. Ann is co-author of Life Lessons in Leadership.

AASA is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education.

ClassLink is the identity and access management platform trusted by over 25 million students and staff in more than 3,000 school systems worldwide. ClassLink simplifies access with single sign-on, automates provisioning and rostering, and strengthens security and governance across the school system. With analytics that connect edtech usage to student outcomes, ClassLink helps education leaders manage technology with confidence and invest in what works. Learn more at classlink.com.