The Member Spotlight is a new way for CoSN members get to know each other and improve networking. Each month, CoSN will select a member who has volunteered to answer various questions about themselves, personal and professional, and then share their responses with our entire CoSN community.

March 2024 Member Spotlight

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Richard Platts, CETL®

Richard Platts, CETL®

Richard Platts, CETL®, serves as Chief Technology Officer of Allegheny Intermediate Unit (PA), which is an education service agency that serves 42 school districts in the Pittsburgh area. He also chairs the Professional Learning Committee for CoSN.”

1.  How long have you been a member of CoSN? Why did you join CoSN? 

“I joined CoSN in 2017 when a friend and colleague of mine had recently completed the CETL process and recommended that I learn more about the opportunities that the leadership certification may offer for career growth and advancement.

2.  Why did you join CoSN? What do you enjoy about being a member?

“Initially I joined CoSN in pursuit of professional learning and career advancement.  Since then I have found a network of colleagues around the country who are working together through the same challenges and opportunities.  No other organization offers such a focused set of resources on the direct work that I and my colleagues do every day. I’ve also been honored to be invited to participate in the Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory for the past several years."

3.  What CoSN Committee are you a part of?

"I’m thrilled to have been a part of the Professional Learning Committee since 2019 and serve as the committee’s chair.  This group of professionals provides feedback, recommendations and insights that help CoSN to develop opportunities for Education Technology Leaders to grow."

4.  How did you get into the field of educational technology?

"I began my career as a middle school teacher passionate about leveraging technology to maximize student learning.  I quickly became involved in districtwide leadership teams to improve technology integration and personalized learning for all students.  I had the opportunity to formalize my management and leadership education at Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Public Management (MPM) program, which opened up opportunities to take on leadership roles outside of the classroom setting."

5.  What does your daily work entail?

"AIU is an education service agency in the Pittsburgh area supporting 42 public school districts in Allegheny County.  We oversee the daily technology operations of one of the largest education organizations in the area with 135 programs that support learners in hundreds of locations.  The framework of essentials skills is a good representation of the leadership, instructional and technical responsibilities of my role."

6.  What’s one thing - either industry-related or not - you learned recently?

"I’ve been working on formalizing documented cybersecurity controls for our organization, which once again drove home the many challenges that districts face in their cyber-liability maturity journey, especially in small districts and schools with limited resources."

7.  What advice would you give to someone just starting our in the field?

“Never stop being curious and learning new things.”

8.  What are three words to describe yourself?

“Determined, student-focused, optimistic."

9.  What is your favorite movie or Movie you've recently enjoyed?

"Ted Lasso"

10.  What is your favorite weekend activity or hobby?

"Love to travel to new places and spend time outdoors with my family. "

Nominate yourself or another member by filling out the questionnaire.

If you missed any of the monthly member spotlights, click below to hear what our past spotlights had to say.