Phil Hintz has been approved by the D219 Board of Education as the next Chief Technology Officer for the 2023-2024 school year.
Phil has led the charge for his district to develop and implement Student Data Privacy systems in the State of Illinois and recently presented at ISTELive22 on these protocols and processes. Previously, Phil was the Director of Technology for Gurnee SD 56 in Gurnee, Illinois where he had served for 14 years. Phil has also presented workshops for the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), LearnFest ATX (formally known as iPadpalooza) festival in Austin, Texas, and at the CUE Conference in California.
Round Rock ISD (TX) selected Donnie Bruton, Jr. as chief technology officer this month.Bruton has over 23 years of experience supporting technology endpoint devices and infrastructure systems in state, higher education, and K-12 public school environments. He has been Round Rock ISD’s director of technology infrastructure since 2021. And previously, Bruton served in technology leader roles for Georgetown and Pflugerville Independent School Districts. Bruton is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in chemistry with computer science and engineering coursework.
Dr. Robin Stout was named the chief technology officer for Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD (CFBISD) (TX). She most recently served as the senior director of digital learning for the district and has previously served in Lewisville ISD and Marion County School District as an administrator in the curriculum and technology departments, an instructional specialist, a campus librarian, and an English language arts teacher. She has also taught graduate-level courses as an adjunct professor for Texas Woman’s University and Dallas Baptist University.
Dr. Stout holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Education from the University of Florida, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University. She also completed school librarian certification coursework from Texas Woman’s University, received a Principal Certification from Concordia University of Texas, and was a member of the Lilead Fellows Program at the University of Maryland iSchool.
Trisha Leary was recently selected to be Director of Technology and Digital Learning for Seekonk Public Schools (MA). Leary has spent the past 24 years working in education, during which time she has consistently championed the effective use of technology to supplement instructional practices for both students and teachers.
In her most recent position as Dartmouth Public Schools’ District Instructional Technology Specialist, Leary chaired a committee to align and integrate digital literacy standards for Grades K-12. She also collaborated with instructional technology specialists, building administrators and coaches to develop and/or modify curriculum maps to align with digital literacy standards in addition to collaborating with elementary and secondary directors of teaching and learning to ensure that the software supported instruction, assessment and curriculum.vPrior to serving as the district’s Instructional Technology Specialist, Leary also held the positions of instructional technology specialist and classroom teacher for Grades 4 through 6.vLeary holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Cambridge College, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and holds several certifications in teaching.
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Chief Information Officer Terry Loftus was at the White House this month to speak at the Back to School Safely: Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 Schools. Loftus joined U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, First Lady Jill Biden, and school administrators, educators, and representatives of private sector companies to discuss best practices and resources available to strengthen schools’ cybersecurity, protect students and schools, and prevent cyberattacks from disrupting classrooms.
“We know that our nation’s K-12 system makes high-quality education accessible to all and is an institution that is key to the future prosperity of United States,” said Loftus. “Unfortunately, our K-12 sector is deeply under-resourced and outmatched when it comes to evolving and increasing cybersecurity threats. A ‘better together’ strategy is critical moving forward. K-12 school districts, charter schools, county offices, and state-level agencies must continue to innovate and evolve best practices while concurrently building more robust and purposeful partnerships between K-12 entities, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) and other state and federal partners.”
Loftus is respected as an expert in K-12 cybersecurity. In 2021, he received the California State Information Security Leader of The Year Award, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates outstanding influence across organizational boundaries by developing future IT leaders and creating strategies to promote information sharing and collaboration within their own organization or among government organizations.
- Meet the Winners—Dr. Kellie Wilks, Chief Technology Officer, of Ector County Independent School District, TX (ECISD) - April 12, 2024
- Meet the Winners—Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) in Manassas, Virginia wins the 2024 Community Leadership Award for Digital Equity. - April 12, 2024
- #CoSN2024 Conversation – Tom Ryan Co-Founder K-12 Strategic Technology Advisor Group (NM) - April 10, 2024