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President, National Commission on Teaching and America's Future

Dr. Thomas G. Carroll leads NCTAF’s efforts to improve teaching quality by restructuring school environments to meet the needs of 21st century learners. He served as the founding director of Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (“PT3”) at the U.S. Department of Education from 1999–2001. He was the first director of technology planning and evaluation for the E-Rate program at the Schools and Libraries Corporation from 1997–1999. He created and directed the Technology Innovation Challenge Grants Program at the U.S. Department of Education from 1994–1997. From 1986 to 1994, he was deputy director of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. From 1982 to 1986, he directed the research centers and regional laboratories at the National Institute of Education (NIE).

As an assistant professor of anthropology and education at Clark University from 1975– 1979, Dr. Carroll received grants from the National Institute of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. He earned a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from SUNY Buffalo in 1975. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural community development in Lesotho from 1967–1969.

Superintendent - Hampton City Schools

Dr. Patrick J. Russo is the superintendent for Hampton City Schools in Virginia and has held this post since 2004. With over 20 years of experience nationally as a school superintendent, his experience runs deep, having served as a superintendent of schools in Virginia, New York, Georgia and North Carolina.

The Hampton school division has much to celebrate under Dr. Russo’s leadership. Hampton teachers have received the highest pay raises on the Virginia Peninsula for the past two years; the school division has earned Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status for the past two consecutive years, and in 2008 the division had the highest percentage of Hampton schools earning AYP status ever. In addition, under Dr. Russo’s direction, Hampton schools have been cited by the Commonwealth of Virginia for effectively narrowing the achievement gap between low-income students and other students.

Dr. Russo, a charismatic leader who is committed to community engagement in the educational process, earned an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Charleston in West Virginia and a master’s degree in secondary education from Adelphi University. He also holds a doctor of education degree in education administration from Virginia Tech and a master’s of business administration degree from Dowling University in New York. He has worked in the public sector, serving as executive vice president for Convergent Media Systems in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Russo has been named Georgia’s Superintendent of the Year, Sandhills RESA Regional Superintendent of the Year, and on three different occasions was named one of the Top 10 Executive Educators, selected by the national publication Executive Educator.

Dr. Russo artfully combines solid business practices with his educational administration leadership skills, as his ability to enhance student achievement has been demonstrated time and again. His management style is that of serving as the motivator and manager, while ensuring that the needs of the district, the community and the key stakeholders are being met in exceptional fashion.

Dr. Russo and his wife, Brooke, have five children: Erik, Meagan, Sarah, Ashleigh and Patrick.

Director of the Learning Technology Center at the University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Paul E. Resta holds the Ruth Knight Millikan Centennial Professorship in Instructional Technology and serves as director of the Learning Technology Center at the University of Texas at Austin. His current work focuses on Web-based learning environments, planning and policy issues in the use of information and communication technologies in teacher education and the use of digital tools to support culturally responsive learning.

Dr. Resta is the founding president of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). He serves as president of the International Jury for the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education, and chair of the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Working Group on E-Learning for Teacher Development. He also serves on the Microsoft Partners in Learning National Advisory Group.

In 2007, Dr. Resta received the Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE) Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the recipient of the Navajo Nation Chief Manuelito Award for outstanding contributions to Indian education. He is the founder of the Educational Native American Network (ENAN), which enables Indian schools across the country to access the Internet. He was a leader in the Four Directions Project that explored the use of new telecommunications and multimedia technologies to help Native schools and communities to develop culturally responsive curriculum. He also developed the technology plan for the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian.

In 2001, Dr. Resta received the U.S. Distance Learning Association Award for Outstanding Achievements in Higher Education and the University Continuing Education Association National Distance Learning Course Award. Examples of his recent books include: Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education: A Planning Guide (UNESCO), Teacher Development in an E-Learning Age (UNESCO); and Toward Digital Equity: Bridging the Divide in Education (Allyn & Bacon). He also has authored numerous articles and chapters. Recent examples include: “The Presidential Timeline of the 20th Century,” Social Education, 7(3)115-1;”Technology in Support of Collaborative Learning,” Educational Psychology Review,19 (1)65-83;”Digital Technology to Empower Indigenous Culture and Education” in The World Yearbook of Education 2004: Digital Technology, Communities and Education (Kogan Page Publishers). Dr. Resta currently serves as editor of the Digital Equity Section of the International Handbook of Information Technology in Education.

Consultant, Council of Chief State School Officers
Bb K-12 Advisory Board Member

Ms. Pittenger serves as a consultant to the Council of Chief State School Officers, specializing in virtual learning and next generation learning systems. She retired in 2008 from the Kentucky Department of Education where she served as Division Director for Secondary & Virtual Learning. In that capacity, she coordinated the state’s secondary reform initiative, served as Director of the Kentucky Virtual Schools, acted as the Department’s liaison on K20 initiatives to improve college and work readiness, and led implementation of the web-based Individual Learning Plan for all students in grades 6 - 12. Prior to that time, Ms. Pittenger served as a Director in the Department’s Office of Education Technology where she oversaw implementation of the E-rate program and served on the leadership team implementing Kentucky’s Master Plan for Education Technology as part of the 1990 Education Reform Act.

Ms. Pittenger was a founding Board member of the North American Council for Online Learning. She serves on the Advisory Board for the National Repository of Online Content, and has served on several committees of the Southern Region Education Board to support quality and expansion of virtual learning initiatives among the states. She also consults with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools

Dr. Joe A. Hairston has served since 2000 as superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, one of the nation’s 25 largest school systems. His results-based leadership has yielded rising student academic achievement throughout his tenure.

Many of the strategies Dr. Hairston employs in Baltimore County—including development of a “blueprint” for school system progress, effective use of technology to support student achievement and key partnerships with the College Board and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to promote college attendance—evolved over the course of his noteworthy career.

In 2007, the Horace Mann League of the United States elected Dr. Hairston to its 12-member Board of Directors. The League is comprised of 1,000 renowned educators who share the belief that public schools are the cornerstone of democracy.

Recognized by presidents and the national media, Dr. Hairston has received dozens of honors, including  the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award from The Washington Post, the Maryland State Department of Education Vanguard Award and the 2006 Virginia Tech Graduate Alumni Achievement Award. In 2005, Dr. Hairston received local, national and international honors for his leadership in educational technology, including an Outstanding Leadership Award from the International Society for Technology in Education. Dr. Hairston has been recognized as Superintendent of the Year by The Fullwood Foundation and has been profiled in District Administration and Scholastic Administrator magazines and The Christian Science Monitor.

Dr. Hairston earned a doctorate in education administration from Virginia Tech, a master's degree from American University and bachelor's degree from Maryland State University.

Senior Education Advisor to e-Luminate Group

Dr. Therese "Terry" Crane is an educational consultant who works with companies and institutions that are seeking to move into the 21st century with real solutions for challenging issues. She serves as the senior education advisor to the e-Luminate Group educational technology consulting practice. She applies her understanding of technology to solve educational problems, improve student achievement and foster teacher development.

With more than 30 years of experience as an educator, business executive and technology expert, Dr. Crane has been widely recognized as one of the nation's most innovative leaders in educational technology. In 1999, eSchool News selected Dr. Crane as one of the "Impact 30"—the top influencers of educational technology for the decade.

Dr. Crane was the former vice president for education and family products at AOL. She was responsible for the education strategy and initiatives, including AOL@SCHOOL, the Research and Learn and Parenting categories serving 34 million homes and schools worldwide. She served as the AOL education advisor from 2003 to 2007.

Dr. Crane previously served as president of Compass Learning, formerly Jostens Learning Corporation, where she oversaw the management of the company's core K-12 software business and served as the key liaison to the education community. In the 1990's, Dr. Crane led Apple Computer's highly successful, multi-billion dollar North American Education Division. In 1996, as Apple's senior vice president of worldwide strategic marketing, she developed long-term strategies for the consumer, education, publishing and scientific/technical markets.

Dr. Crane was co-chairman of the national CEO Forum for Education and Technology. The forum published a yearly report on the state of technology in U.S. schools from 1997–2002. As the 2003 chairman of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Dr. Crane led corporations and educators to set a vision for the 21st century learning environment.

Dr. Crane serves on the boards of Questia Media, Inc., Tutor.com, the Western Governor’s University, Camden Learning Corporation and is the chairman of Nobel Learning Communities Inc. She serves on the National Education Association Foundation Board and co-chairs the Development Board for The University of North Texas School of Education. She was a seven-year trustee and chairman of the National School Boards Foundation and a former board member of TestU and AlphaSmart.

An active participate in the education industry, Dr. Crane has been on the advisory boards for EdNet, the Software and Information Industry Association Board and the Education Industry Investment Forum Board.

A native of Texas, Dr. Crane has a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of North Texas. She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Crane began her career in the classroom, serving the Richardson Independent School District in Texas first as an elementary school teacher and then an intermediate principal. Intrigued by the possibilities personal computers held for her gifted and talented students, Dr. Crane designed and implemented the district's first technology plan in 1983.