Presented by Dr. Bryan Duffie, Superintendent, Alma School District (AR); Dr. Deborah Kerr, Superintendent, St. Francis Public School District (WI); Dr. Michael Lubelfeld, Superintendent, North Shore School District 112 (IL); and Pete Just, AI Project Director, CoSN
Moderated by Ann McMullan, Project Director, CoSN/AASA EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)
This edLeader Panel series is presented by CoSN and AASA.
Sponsored by ClassLink
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features. This program may qualify for CoSN CETL® Recertification.
There is no question that artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a source of intrigue and new learning for multiple facets of society. School systems are no exception. In its various forms, AI can sometimes be an effective help, but it can sometimes also be a hindrance to the goals and functions of educators. However, there is no doubt that AI will have a place in the world of the future. And since the role of every educator is to prepare each student to thrive in their future, AI is a critical part of leading and teaching in schools today.
In this edLeader Panel, three leading-edge superintendents are joined in conversation with CoSN’s AI Project Director. Together, they will share what they have each come to learn about AI over the past few years. They will describe effective processes and policies for using AI appropriately for teaching and learning, as well as for multiple other school leadership functions. An overview of CoSN’s free AI resources with links to access them will be shared.
Attendees of the live broadcast will have the opportunity to pose questions to the panel. This edLeader Panel will be of interest to K-12 district leaders, school leaders, education technology leaders, teachers, and librarians.
View all of the recent EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panels.
About the Presenters
Dr. Bryan Duffie is the current Superintendent of the Alma School District. He was previously Superintendent with the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Westside Consolidated School District in Arkansas. He served in various roles prior to becoming superintendent. He has 34 years of experience in education.
Dr. Deborah Kerr serves as Superintendent of the St. Francis Public School District, bringing over 40 years of educational leadership to her role, including 26 years as a Wisconsin superintendent. Her career began at the prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and has included roles as a teacher, middle school principal, adjunct professor, and state championship coach. Dr. Kerr earned her doctorate in educational leadership from National Louis University, a master’s from the University of Alaska–Fairbanks, and a bachelor’s from Valparaiso University. A Past President of AASA (2019), she currently chairs the Education Market Association, championing the power of learning spaces as the “third educator.” Passionate about empowering women leaders, Dr. Kerr founded and co-leads AASA’s Bold Women—Bold Conversations and the EDmarket Bold Women Collective. She believes that “we all rise when we lift one another.”
Dr. Michael Lubelfeld has served as a public school superintendent in Illinois since 2010 and currently leads North Shore School District 112, serving Highland Park and Highwood just north of Chicago. A nationally recognized educational leader, he speaks widely on leadership, student voice, global service learning, innovation, and the future of schools. He is the co-author of The Unlearning Leader (2017), Student Voice (2018), The Unfinished Leader (2021), The Unfinished Teacher (2024), and the new Leading for Tomorrow’s Schools Today (2025). Dr. Lubelfeld’s leadership has earned multiple honors, including the Rotary Service Above Self Award (2025), IETL Delta Award for Innovation (2025), the Robert H. Koff Award from the National Superintendents Roundtable, and recognition as a Top 100 Influencer in Education. He is a 2025 ISTE-ASCD Generation AI Fellow and a 2025-26 Google-GSV Fellow. Mike and his wife, Stephanie, live in suburban Chicago, where they raised two children.
Pete Just, CETL, CCRE, serves as CoSN’s Generative AI Subject Matter Expert and Project Director, and is Executive Director of the Indiana CTO Council. A nationally recognized thought leader in K-12 technology and cybersecurity, Pete retired in 2022 as CTO and COO for MSD of Wayne Township, where he led transformative IT and facilities initiatives for 24 years. Beginning his career as a teacher, he quickly saw technology’s power to expand learning and earned his M.S. in instructional systems technology from Indiana University, where he later served as adjunct faculty. Pete has presented nationally for AASA and CoSN on generative AI and leads the IDOE K-12 Cybersecurity Task Force. He has also collaborated with TeachAI on policy and practice and with 1EdTech on the AI Data Rubric Project. Pete’s enduring mission is to empower technology leaders to innovate responsibly and help every learner realize their God-given potential.
About the Moderator
Ann McMullan is Project Director for CoSN’s EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, created in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Ann served as Executive Director for Educational Technology in Klein ISD, near Houston, Texas, until September 2013, when she and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. For 16 years, Ann led the district team that provided professional development on technology and 21st century instructional strategies to 4,000 educators serving 50,000 students. She was Co-chair of the Texas Education Technology Advisory Committee, which developed the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Today, Ann works as a public speaker, writer, and consultant focused on leadership to meet the needs of today’s students. Ann serves on the edWeb.net Advisory Board. Ann is co-author of Life Lessons in Leadership.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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AASA is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education.
ClassLink is a global education provider of identity and analytics products that create more time for learning and help schools better understand digital engagement. As leading advocates for open data standards, we offer instant access to apps and files with single sign-on, streamline class rostering, automate account provisioning, and provide actionable analytics. ClassLink empowers 19 million students and staff in over 2,500 school systems. Visit classlink.com to learn more.
