Speakers Hall of Fame

Audrika Thakuria, an accomplished educator and EdTech visionary, is dedicated to revolutionizing the world of education through technology. With a deep-rooted passion for leveraging technology to provide quality education globally, Audrika holds a Master of Science in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a prestigious Merit Scholarship. Serving as a UNESCO consultant, she played a pivotal role in crafting EdTech policies for 46 countries, with a specific focus on equipping teachers with digital skills during the pandemic, ensuring no child was left behind. Currently, Audrika leads the division of Delta Careers, Crimson Education, where she spearheads the use of technology to prepare high school students for the dynamic corporate world. Her dedication to integrating AI technology into cutting-edge online modules is matched by her commitment to a fully remote global team, whose upskilling remains a top priority.

Ellen Prescott, Ph.D., PMP, is a seasoned instructional designer with over 15 years of expertise. Currently an Instructional Designer at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Ellen is dedicated to crafting dynamic and context-rich Canvas courses that engage and inspire learners.

Prior to her role at CIIS, Ellen held pivotal positions as a Learning Designer and Senior Project Manager at Freedom Learning Group. She seamlessly collaborated with cross-functional teams in these roles to infuse best practices into instructional materials, ensuring quality learning experiences for diverse student populations.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Dr. Prescott is a staunch advocate for education, firmly believing in the untapped potential of each learner. Her passion for learning design is evident in her dedication to creating impactful educational content.

Outside of her professional life, Ellen finds solace in reading, maintains an active lifestyle through running, and relishes the joys of travel with her family. She is a devoted parent to three children, embodying her commitment to fostering growth and knowledge in her career and within her own family.

Dr. Corey Seemiller is a professor in the Department of Leadership Studies in Education and Organizations at Wright State University. She is the author of The Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook, a prominent resource for developing youth and college student leadership programs. Dr. Seemiller is also the co-author of several articles as well as four books on Generation Z, including Generation Z: A Century in the Making, Generation Z Goes to College, Generation Z Leads, and Generation Z Learns. She also co-authored the Gen Z Voices on Voting research report and the Campus of Tomorrow report. Dr. Seemiller recently led the Global Gen Z Study where she worked with 91 research collaborators from around the globe to better understand Generation Z in a post-COVID world. Participants from 81 countries took part in the study, and the research will be published in Gen Z Around the World with Emerald Publishing. She is currently working on her fifth study, Generations in the World of Work, and is writing a book with the same name for SAGE Publishing. Dr. Seemiller’s work has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, as well as in several other news publications and academic journals. She has also been interviewed for podcasts as well as TV and radio shows worldwide and has engaged in market research consulting for Fortune 10, 50, and 500 companies. Her highly popular TED Talk on Generation Z at TEDxDayton showcased how Generation Z is making a difference in the world and has been watched by more than a quarter million viewers.

Chris Mackey is a co-founder at Skillsline, which is fundamentally committed to cultivating growth and achievement in individual learners and their organizations. His professional path is characterized by innovation and Entrepreneurship, focusing on developing impactful products through collaborative partnerships. Before Skillsline, Chris served as a vice president and general manager at The Myers-Briggs Company, Innovation Labs, where he led the creation and marketing of award-winning products focused on increasing student retention and success at minority-serving institutions engaging educators and learners and the ease of implementation. Chris holds an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and Management and is a good scholar at Indiana University Bloomington.

Rebecca Roese has been at 2U/edX as a Curriculum Management Director for just over four years, specializing in designing and delivering graduate curricula for a broad range of universities. She has worked in higher education since 2007 and has expertise in adult learning theories, intentional curriculum design, and programmatic curriculum scaffolding. Rebecca holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in healthcare administration and post-graduate studies in cybersecurity law and regulations.

Aditya Agarkar is a co-founder of Edulastic where he led the company from founding to its leading position as a K-12 assessment platform with over 10 million students and teachers. Aditya has spent over 30 years in the software industry with the last 12 years in EdTech entrepreneurship, content creation, product development and distribution. Aditya has also worked with higher education publishers and helped them launch personalized e-learning courses using their textbook content.

Keith Wakeman is a purpose-driven innovator & brand builder. As CEO & Co-Founder, he leads the expansion of SuperBetter to address the mental health crisis among youth and young adults. A champions for using the psychology of gameplay to address global challenges. He led the development & launch of over $1 billion of new products.

Stuart Draper is the co-author of Digital Marketing Essentials, the bestselling text in higher education of its kind. He has experience doing digital marketing for companies that range from mom and pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. He successfully bootstrapped GetFoundFirst.com (acquired December 2015), and is currently the founder and CEO of Stukent.com, a digital courseware company that has now helped over 850,000 educators and students by providing dozens of simternships (simulated internships), courseware, videos and projects to schools that range from Ivy League to technical and community colleges. Stukent is a 5x Inc. 5000 honoree in Inc. Magazine. In 2018, Stukent became the #268 fastest growing company in the US. Stuart’s work has taken him all over the globe to speak to audiences ranging from ten to north of 1500 people about entrepreneurship and digital marketing.

Martine Holland is Head of Assessment at Bedrock Learning, an EdTech committed to transforming learning through literacy, where she creates assessment tools that combine the highest quality pedagogy and assessment theory with the convenience of up-to-date technology. Prior to this she was a senior assessment specialist and advisor to the leadership of the IELTS language proficiency examination, and has published on the implementation of remote technologies during the pandemic and practical applications of plurilingualism.

She has keen side interests in assessment for learning including metacognition and learner self-efficacy, academic skills, student-centered education and non-examined assessment.

Lauralyn is a motivational speaker, passionate about healthy digital citizenship,, and safety, and making sure that everyone has the digital literacy skills they need for success. She holds a BA in Sociology, Certificate in Leadership and Spiritual Direction and a Masters in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Currently, she is Director of Operations and Educational Services with Beyond Tech Ed, writer and speaker on keeping our kids safe and balanced with technology. While in college, she discovered technology and how it helped her succeed in academia.

Erin Lenihan is an AI enthusiast with a mission to help educators, students, and professionals embrace a transformative mindset regarding this revolutionary technology.