Higher Ed Reimagined

Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur & Futurist

Speaking across the globe, Byron brings great enthusiasm and talent for deciphering our common destiny and unlocking business opportunities within it. As a successful entrepreneur and award-winning futurist, Byron employs his perspective as a historian, futurist, and technologist to illuminate how the technology of today can solve some of our most daunting global challenges.

As a futurist, he understands the unprecedented technological change upon us and explores the dramatic transformation of society it will bring. As a technologist and entrepreneur, he knows
how to manage change and inspire innovation, while still meeting the immediate obligations and
realities of operating a business.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Managing Partner at Emerson Collective

Arne Duncan served as U.S. Secretary of Education from January 2009 through January 2016 as part of the Obama Administration. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Duncan served as chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. From 2001 to 2008, Duncan won praise for uniting the city’s stakeholders behind an education agenda that included opening 100 new schools; expanding after-school, summer learning, early childhood, and college access programs; dramatically boosting the caliber of teachers; and building public-private partnerships around a variety of education initiatives.

Principal at Achieve Partners; Co-Founder alternativestocollege.com

Cassidy Leventhal is a Principal at Achieve Partners and was formerly at University Ventures where she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education. She is a Director of Optimum Healthcare IT, Ease Learning and Ro Health, and is regularly featured in outlets and events focused on the future of education and work, including Staffing Industry Analysts, ASU GSV, Talent Tech Labs, and Techstars.

Outside Achieve, Cassidy co-founded alternativestocollege.com and serves as co-chair for Talent & Diversity at Impact Capital Managers. Prior to Achieve and UV, Cassidy was a consultant at McKinsey and led the Firm’s women’s recruiting at multiple colleges including her alma, Barnard College.

Chief Scientist and Architect of SNHU’s Human Systems

George Siemens researches how human and artificial cognition intersect in knowledge processes. He is co-founder, Chief Scientist and Architect of SNHU’s Human Systems – an organization building resources to respond to the systemic impact of AI on learning and wellness. He is the founding Director and Professor of the Center for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L) at University of South Australia and developed the Masters of Science in Learning Analytics at University of Texas at Arlington.

He has delivered keynote addresses in more than 40 countries on the influence of technology and media on education, organizations, and society. His work has been profiled in provincial, national, and international newspapers (including NY Times), radio, and television. He has served as PI or Co-PI on grants funded by NSF, SSHRC (Canada), OLT (Australia), Intel, Boeing, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Soros Foundation. He has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Universidad de San Martín de Porres and Fraser Valley University for his pioneering work in learning, technology, and networks. He holds an honorary professorship with University of Edinburgh.

President of DePauw University and Professor of Education

Dr. White has spent over 40 years working in higher education. Prior to her arrival at DePauw she served as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis and Professor of Practice in Education. Dr. White has also worked in various student and academic affairs leadership positions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Southern California, Stanford, Georgetown and San Diego State Universities, and University of California, Irvine.

Dr. White is active nationally in several higher education organizations and is on the Board of Directors for the Council for Independent Colleges (CIC) and College Well. She co-chairs the Association of Governing Boards Council of Presidents, is part of the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness group sponsored by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and has served on the accountability committee for National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). A longtime leader in student affairs, Dr. White chaired the 2016-17 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Board of Directors, was named a Pillar of the Profession by NASPA in 2009 and received NASPA’s Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession in 2024. Dr. White, along with five other liberal arts college presidents, founded the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Alliance (LACRELA). She also served on the Bipartisan Policy Center Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression.

Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Rochester and Director of NXT GEN MED Program

Dr. Andrew M. Petzold is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Rochester and Director of the NXT GEN MED program. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Molecular Biology and primarily teaches classes in biology, physiology, and related subjects.

Dr. Petzold focuses on shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders through innovative curricular design and high impact educational practices. His research on effective practices in physiology education has advanced disciplinary understanding of how to engage students in critical inquiry and scientific literacy as they discover the mechanisms of how the human body functions. As evidenced by his publications, Dr. Petzold’s work prioritizes interdisciplinary collaborations in order to create, share, and strengthen teaching methodologies in the sciences. This interdisciplinary approach to education undergirds his role in the development of the NXT GEN MED program and his continued leadership within the initiative.

Author; Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University

Jim Lecinski is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he teaches popular courses on Marketing Strategy and Omnichannel Marketing, and was named Kellogg Professor of the Year in 2022.

He is a recognized expert, in-demand consultant and keynote speaker with over 30 years of marketing industry experience, including a notable twelve-year career at Google, where he was Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Americas.

Student, Texas Tech University

Scout Sonnenberg is a rising senior at Texas Tech University studying Studio Art and Art Education. She is a visually impaired muralist, who has completed 12 murals in her hometown. She works part time as an intern giving tours of Texas Tech University’s renowned Public Art Collection. Immediately following this conference, Scout is excited to head to Austin, Texas, to teach a three-week intensive art camp at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Scout plans to continue her educational journey at Texas Tech University, to get a Master of Special Education with a certification to teach students who are visually impaired. Scout lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband Ryan, and her chihuahua Pyper.

Nursing Student, Chamberlain University

Sienna Berrocal is a dedicated junior nursing student who recently made Chicago their home a year ago. Falling in love with the city’s vibrant atmosphere, Sienna has been immersing themselves in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. Actively engaged in their school’s Student Nurses Association and the state-level chapter, Sienna has even applied to join the National Student Nurses Association’s Resolution Committee. Balancing academics with hands-on experience, they currently serve as a nurse intern at a hospital in Lakeview, specializing in telemetry/ICU step-down care. Beyond the hospital walls, you can find Sienna indulging their passion for cooking and exploring the outdoors. With graduation just around the corner, Sienna is eagerly anticipating the next chapter in their nursing journey.