TechFest North
October 10th, 2024 - Tulalip Resort
(10200 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip, WA 98271)
FREE Event! Breakfast and lunch provided.
TechFest South
October 17th, 2024 - Spirit Mtn
(27100 SW Salmon River HWY, Grand Ronde, OR 97347)
FREE Event! Breakfast and lunch provided.
Keynote Speakers / Sessions
North - Tulalip, WA
Mark Sparvell, B.Ed, M.Ed.
Education Consultant at Microsoft
Mark Sparvell is an award winning education leader with over thirty years experience supporting transformation globally. Mark is particularly interested in how we leverage technology to humanize learning and not simply to digitize the curriculum content.
South - Spirit Mtn, OR
Dr. Corey Frazier, Ph.D,PE Engineer & Technology Leader @ Intel
Dr. Frazier has nearly 20 years of experience in technical leadership, innovation, and tech equity, including work on the Aurora Supercomputer and Space Shuttle missions. He drives strategic investments and partnerships that empower communities and foster business growth.
North Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, October 10th
08:30AM Breakfast & Check-In
09:00AM Opening Keynote:
Mark Sparvell - "The Power of Possible"
10:30AM Morning Sessions
Mark Sparvell - "Keynote Q&A"
Kathi Etchemendy - "Unencumbered by Experience - Growing Tech Career"
Edward Alexander - "Cultivating Creativity in a Digital World"
Becky Keene - "The Power of the Prompt: Using Copilot to Support Your Work"
11:30AM Morning Sessions
Leslie Snyder - "From Whiteboards to Touchscreens: Integration Journey"
Jennifer Styer - "Code without Shadows: Illuminating AI Equity"
Jon Woofter - "Cybersecurity: A Day in the Life of a Hacker"
Kristina Wambold - "What's New in EdTech: Top 10 Innovations"
12:00PM Lunch/Vendor Exhibit (Buffet)
01:00PM Vendors/Exhibitors
01:30PM Afternoon Sessions
Bre Urness-Straight - "Lessons Learned from the Annual Tech Survey"
Mark Vetter & Jeff Hinkle - "Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole"
Trinh Pham & Shannon Thissen, Ph.D. - "Optimizing AI Prompts to Enhance"
Danielle Pinta - "AI & The Future of Education"
02:30PM Closing Keynote -
Mark Vetter "Tech Lessons Learned as a Mariners Fan"
03:00PM Social Hour
South Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, October 17th
08:30AM Breakfast & Check-In
09:00AM Opening Keynote
Dr. Corey Frazier - "Accelerating Innovation in Education with AI"
10:30AM Morning Sessions
Dr. Corey Frazier - "Keynote Q&A"
Leigh Anne Scherer - "Transitioning from MacBooks to Chromebooks: A Seamless Journey for K-12 Educators"
Jon Woofter - "Cybersecurity: A Day in the Life of a Hacker"
11:30AM Morning Sessions
Kathi Etchemendy - "Unencumbered by Experience - Growing Tech Career"
Mark Vetter - "Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole or Intentional Work"
12:00PM Lunch/Vendor Exhibit (Buffet)
01:00PM Vendors/Exhibitors
01:30PM Afternoon Sessions
Leslie Snyder - "From Whiteboards to Touchscreens: A Journey of Interactive Panel Integration"
Marc Elliott - "Peer Collaboration within the K-12 Environment"
02:30PM Closing Keynote
Kathi Etchemendy -"Big or Small, Different in Similar Ways"
03:00PM Social Hour
Breakout Session Speakers
Jennifer Styer
Bellingham Public Schools
Jennifer Styer
Bellingham Public Schools
STEAM Teacher and CTE TOSA
Jennifer Styer believes that teaching everyone computer science will make the world a better place. With over 18 years of experience teaching high school STEAM classes in Bellingham, Washington, she combines art and creativity with technology to help her students solve problems.
Session: "Code without Shadows: Illuminating AI Equity"
Kathi Etchemendy
Greater Albany Public Schools
Kathi Etchemendy
Greater Albany Public Schools
Director of Technology
Dynamic and progressive, Kathi excels at matching individuals, skill-sets and desired outcome to achieve team excellence. She believes in consensus, creative conflict and outcome-based problem solving to bring the best solutions to customers, partners, employees, peers and teams.
Session: "Unencumbered by Experience - Growing Your Tech Career in K12"
Edward Alexander
Everett Community College
Edward Alexander
Everett Community College
Executive Director of Technology Services
As Executive Director of Technology Services, Ed manage the technical team that creates and supports a vast majority of the technology experience at EvCC. This includes student and staff hardware and software products, the wired and wireless computer network, the campus server infrastructure, our web presence and integrated applications, and the tech support structure that assists and trains the campus community.
Session: "Cultivating Creativity in a Digital World"
Bre Urness-Straight
OSPI
Bre Urness-Straight
OSPI
Director of Educational Technology
Bre is an educational technology leader with over 25 years of experience in roles such as technology director, integration coach, and technical support specialist. She is the Director of Educational Technology at the OSPI, leading efforts in digital equity, media literacy, cybersecurity, and EdTech funding for all districts, especially rural and small ones.
Session: "Lessons Learned from the Annual Tech Survey"
Mark Vetter
MicroK12 | Puyallup School District
Mark Vetter
MicroK12 | Puyallup School District
Education Ambassador
Innovative leader of technology with a demonstrated history of working in the primary/secondary education and technology industry. A builder of systems and excellence, a lifelong learner with a Master's degree focused in Organizational Leadership from Seattle University and Superintendent's credentials from Western Washington University.
Session: "Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole or Intentional Work"
Jeff Hinkle
Puyallup School District
Jeff Hinkle
Puyallup School District
Solution Engineer Manager
With nearly two decades of IT experience in education, they have led IT management platforms and teams to shape Microsoft’s flagship products to meet educational and business needs, seamlessly integrating IT facets to create products that 'just work.'
Session: "Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole or Intentional Work"
Becky Keene
insight2execution
Becky Keene
insight2execution
Director of Operations
As the Director of Operations at insight2execution, Becky leads a team providing customized solutions for learning management, training design, and stakeholder engagement. With over 15 years of experience, she has supported schools and organizations globally in integrating technology into education.
Session: "The Power of the Prompt: Using Copilot to Support Your Work"
Leigh Anne Scherer
North Clackamas School District
Leigh Anne Scherer
North Clackamas School District
Director, Technology & Services
Leigh Anne transitioned to education technology in 2020 and now serve as the Director of Technology & Information Services in the North Clackamas School District. With a rich academic background and diverse roles ranging from ESL Teacher to Education Consultant, she brings a unique perspective to K-12 leadership.
Session: "Transitioning from MacBooks to Chromebooks: A Seamless Journey for K-12 Educators"
Leslie Snyder
Retired, Puyallup School District
Leslie Snyder
Puyallup School District
Retired, Teacher Trainer
Having spent 16 years in the classroom and 18 years training and coaching teachers, Leslie specializes in empowering educators to leverage classroom technology effectively. With an impressive 34-year career in education, Leslie brings a wealth of experience in adapting to change and implementing best practices to support student learning. Leslie's background in educational technology coupled with her deep understanding of teacher and classroom needs give her a practical lens and a nuanced understanding of the value of classroom technology
Session: "From Whiteboards to Touchscreens: A Journey of Interactive Panel Integration"
Trinh Pham
Puget Sound ESD
Trinh Pham
PSESD
Director of Education Technology
Trinh is passionate about inspiring connections, innovations, and transformations. As a leader, she
offers extensive knowledge of instruction, change theory, technology, and insights into effectively
working with teams. She brings value to professional learning, data analysis facilitation,
stakeholder collaborations, multilingual learners and dual language programs, and digital equity
and inclusion. Trinh has served school districts in Washington State and British Columbia, Canada,
engaging teams in deeper learning and building equitable opportunities for all.
Session: "Optimizing AI Prompts to Enhance User Interactions"
Shannon Thissen, Ph.D.
Capital Regional ESD
Shannon Thissen, Ph.D.
Capital Regional ESD
Regional Administrator for Educational Technology & Computer Science
Shannon is passionate about integrating technology in all academic content, providing educator
support in implementing computer science programs, and training and supporting the use of
Artificial Intelligence. As a leader, she emulates visionary leadership, is an effective communicator,
is a lifelong learner, and facilitates change. She has experience teaching in middle and high school,
Community college, University, and workforce training. Her research examined increasing
technology use in elementary education by introducing Computational Thinking as a foundation.
Session: "Optimizing AI Prompts to Enhance User Interactions"
Jon Woofter
NCCE
Jon Woofter
NCCE
Professional Learning Specialist
Jon Woofter spent 20 years in K-12 public education in Naples, Florida: first in the classroom and then in a series of administrative positions focused on curriculum, instruction, and school improvement. He has directed numerous large-scale technology adoption projects and pieces of training related to the thoughtful use of technology integration. Jon has accepted a position at Clark College as the Technology Adoption and Integration manager, overseeing the implementation of student success software and a data analytics platform. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching from the University of Akron and a Master of Education in Educational Technology from the American College of Education.
Session: "Cybersecurity Basics for Educators: A Day in the Life of a Hacker"
Marc Elliott
Olympia School District
Marc Elliott
Olympia School District
Chief Information Officer
Marc is the current Chief Information Officer for the Olympia School District, in the state of Washington. This is his 11th year serving in that position, after spending 17 years in the Bethel School District as a classroom teacher, Technology TOSA and Technology Director. Marc has always been passionate about educational technology, innovative teaching practices and collaborating with peers. As the CIO for Olympia School District, Marc oversees Instructional Technology, Operational Technology and Student Information Systems. He is currently serving in his third year as a board member for the Association for Computer Professionals in Education (ACPE).
Session: "Peer Collaboration Within the K-12 Environment"
Kristina Wambold
ESD 112
Kristina Wambold
ESD 112
Integrated EdTech Coordinator
Creator of the DigitalBug, Google Education Trainer, SWIS Facilitator, eVal Trainer, Adobe Trainer, Microsoft Innovative Educator, Technology Peer Coach, Certified Teacher and life long learner
Session: "What's New in EdTech: Top 10 Innovations for the 2024 Classroom"
Danielle Pinta
Google for Education
Danielle Pinta
Google for Education
Regional Program Manager
Danielle Pinta is a Regional Program Manager on the Google for Education team. Danielle works primarily with mid-sized school districts to help enable technology usage within K-12 districts. Outside of Google Danielle lives with her partner in Chicago and her two dogs, Ellie and Willow! Danielle has a deep passion for learning and helping students thrive; outside of Google you can find her taking a comedy class at Second City or cooking up a fun recipe! Danielle is currently working on getting her MBA at Northwestern in Chicago.
Session: "AI & The Future of Education"
Districts Attending
Auburn School District
Bainbridge Island School District
Bellevue School District
Brewster School District 111
Burlington-Edison School District
Coupeville School District
Dieringer School District
Edmonds SD
Everett Community College
Federal Way Public Schools
Franklin Pierce School District
Highline Public Schools
Kent School District
Lake Stevens School District
Lake Washington School District
Lakewood School District #306
Launch Learning
Lynden School District
Marysville School Distirct
Monroe School District 103
Mukilteo School District
North Thurston Public Schools
Northshore School District
Oak Harbor Public Schools
Open Window School
Puget Sounds ESD 121
Puyallup School District
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
Saint Louise School
Seattle Christian School
Stanwood Camano School District
Sultan School District #311
Tacoma School District
Taholah School District # 77
Tahoma School District
Tukwila School District
Junction City School District 69
North Clackamas School District
North Marion School District 15
North Santiam School District
Northwest Academy
Ocean Beach School District
Scappoose School District
Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
Washington State School for the Blind
and more...
Present at TechFest 2024
Showcase how your work has had a transformative impact on technology integration in education. Your insights and innovations will be shared with and applied by educators and tech leaders across schools and districts.
Sponsors
What Attendees Say About TechFest
"I always look forward to TechFest each year. It is a great place to network with other districts as we always learn from each other. The vendors are amazing and always help us look to the future for our learning spaces. Thank you for this inspiring event!"
Tracy Dabbs
Burlington-Edison School District, WA“TechFest was an amazing opportunity for us to learn from industry leaders and peer school district Techology departments on challenges facing the K-12 environment. I really appreciated the sense of community it fostered. It gave us a chance to connect and collaborate with some brilliant minds. I couldn't help but come away from TechFest with a refreshed positive outlook on the challenges school districts face."
Sark Kirishian
Mead School District, WA“Techfest was an excellent experience. I found a great amount of content and value fit into one day. You can tell that MicroK12 really cared about making sure everyone felt welcome. I felt like I was seen as a valued individual and not just another attendee.”
Ross Rother
North Central Education Service District, WA“TechFest is a prime platform for networking with tech industry leaders. The event offered insightful workshops and discussions, expanding my knowledge in cybersecurity, tech trends, and funding strategies. Overall, TechFest is an invaluable experience for anyone seeking to stay ahead in the dynamic world of technology.”