Dan Cogan-Drew

Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer, Newsela

Dan brings twenty-plus years of professional experience spent working towards a more perfect union of teaching, learning and technology. Prior to Newsela, Dan was the founding Director of Digital Learning at Achievement First Public Charter Schools, where he spearheaded the integration of digital learning technologies across the network. He began his education career in Teach for America and went on to teach in public and private schools, as well as in the US Navy. He holds degrees from Wesleyan University, Brown University, and Tufts University.

Andrew Marcinek

Chief Digital Officer, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Prior to his role at BB&N Andrew served as the first Chief Open Education Advisor for the US Department of Education. As Open Education Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, Andrew focused on expanding and accelerating the adoption of open education policies within the Department, encouraged the expansion of such policies across the federal government and supported initiatives that dramatically increased the curation and sharing of open educational materials by educators throughout the country. 

Jim Bentley

5th grade teacher & Newsela Certified Educator

Jim Bentley is a Newsela Certified Educator who currently teaches 5th-grade in Northern California. Additionally, Bentley is a member of the National Faculty of PBLWorks, is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator, and a National Geographic Fellow and Explorer. He and his students work in a project based learning classroom, integrating filmmaking, media literacy, and exploration throughout the curriculum.

Rich Kiker

Founder and CEO of Kiker Learning

Rich has been the highest rated Google Trainer in the world. He served as Director of Online Learning where he built the K-12 online school and led the district to be selected as 1 of 9 school districts in the country spotlighted by the US Department of Education as a model “Future Ready” district. He has been awarded the “20 to Watch” award by the National School Board Association, recognized as the Outstanding Contributor to Blended and Online Learning, and has served in many roles that combine his expertise in both technology and education.

Rae Hughart

Director of Training and Development, Teach Better

Rae Hughart is a Middle Level Math Educator in Illinois, creator of the Teach Further Model, the Director of Training & Development for the Teach Better Team, and co-author of the “Teach Better” book and “Teachers Deserve It” book available August 2020. Rae facilitates rich discussions with educators around mastering personalized learning, providing targeted student-focused feedback, and the impact of incorporating purpose into student daily learning.