Warren Buckleitner
CEO, Childens Technology Review

Warren Buckleitner

Warren Buckleitner is an educational psychologist who reviews children’s interactive media. He’s been a preschool, elementary and college teacher (currently at TCNJ). He is the founding editor of Children’s Technology Review (www.childrenstech.com). He speaks at education and library conferences, and contributes content to many books and publications, including a decade of children’s tech coverage for the New York Times. He holds a degree in elementary education from Central Michigan University (Cum Laude), an MA in early childhood education from Pacific Oaks College, and a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University.  He serves as a Sr. Advisor to the Breteau Foundation, and coordinates the KAPi prize at CES and the BolognaRagazzi Digital Prize at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In 2000, he started Dust or Magic (www.dustormagic.com) and the Mediatech Foundation (www.mediatech.org), a non-profit community technology center in his town’s library where he serves as a Trustee. He is the father of two daughters, tries to play trumpet in a Dixie band.

Brian Cohen
New York Angels

Brian Cohen

Brian Cohen serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of New York Angels, Inc. He was an early investor in Pinterest. Previously, Mr. Cohen created iFluence PR. He also developed Good Cause Communications. He is the Founder of Technology Solutions, Inc (TSI). Mr. Cohen founded New York Angels, Inc. in 1983. He sold New York Angels, Inc. to The McCann Worldgroup, Inc. in 1997 where he served ad the Vice Chairman of Technology Group. . Before launching TSI, he was a founding Publisher of Computer Systems News and InformationWeek magazine at CMP Publications. Mr. Cohen created and instituted the RPM (Rapid Publicity Marketing) model of strategic communications. While in graduate school, he was involved with pioneering computer trade publications including Personal Computing Magazine and Minicomputer News from Benwill Publishing. Mr. Cohen serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board of Directors. As an educator, Mr. Cohen developed the AIMS (Applied Internet Media Studies) Program. He is a frequent speaker on topics related strategic communication, entrepreneurism and early startup investing. He received a Masters Degree in Science Communications from Boston University’s School of Public Communications in 1978 and received two Honor B.S. degrees from Syracuse University in Biology and Speech Communications. Brian is also the author of “What Every Angel Investor Wants You To Know”.

Mamadou Diallo
2015 Winner, 10Under20

 Mamadou Diallo

Mamadou is a hackathon guru currently in his senior year of high school. He enjoys coding websites and iOS apps in addition to solving problems that makes people’s lives better. Mamadou is also the Co-founder of The Young Hackers, an organization dedicated to connecting and empowering a diverse new generation of programmers. Mamadou really enjoys playing pickup basketball, procrastinating on Youtube, and freestyle rap-battling with his friends. He aspires to work towards alleviating poverty and social injustice everywhere. He will be studying at Stanford University in the fall.

Kerry Goldstein
Producer, TransformingEDU

 Kerry Goldstein

Kerry Goldstein is passionate about education and spreading the word about those individuals, companies, and organizations making a difference. As Producer of TransformingEDU she is responsible for creating the conference program that highlights K-20 educational innovation. Kerry brings over 20 years of strategic marketing, product, and promotion experience with educational companies and organizations, many of whom have been at the forefront of the digital education revolution. Before joining TransformingEDU, Kerry served as Chief Marketing Officer for Cambium’s Voyager Learning division, a leading provider of preK-12 print- and tech-based reading and math intervention solutions. Prior to that, Kerry was part of the higher ed online learning boom, serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development at American College of Education.

Alyssa Kapasi
Student, Brearley School

 Alyssa Kapasi

Alyssa Kapasi is a student at the Brearley School in New York and the author of the winning essay for her school’s FIRST Robotics team’s 10 Under 20 award in 2015. She has won numerous awards in debate, martial arts, and a Golden Gavel at Princeton Model Congress for Science and Technology. She is the principal researcher on a study investigating what girls want in STEM products and how they view STEM products. She has spoken on STEM this past year at The International Toy Fair In New York. Alyssa has attended John Hopkins Center For Talented Youth Program and will be interning for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and attending a workshop at Harvard this summer.

Diane Levitt
Sr. Director of K-12 Education, Cornell Tech

Diane Levitt

Prior to joining Cornell Tech, Diane was the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Belkin, the global consumer electronics organization. She managed Belkin’s philanthropy, community engagement, employee volunteerism and events, and government relations and was philanthropic and public policy advisor to Chairman and CEO Chet Pipkin. She helped develop Belkin Education, products designed to maximize the learning opportunities technology offers, and was deeply engaged in supporting the growth of high achieving charter and traditional public schools for low income students in Los Angeles, including several STEM schools. Prior to that, Diane worked for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District managing philanthropic and public funding. As a consultant, Diane has worked for the California Endowment and the California Wellness, Ewing Marion Kauffman, James Irvine, and Stuart Foundations.

Diane received a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College, and a Bachelor of Science in Women’s Studies and Anthropology from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Frank Migliorelli
Director of Digital Experience, New York Public Library

Frank Migliorelli

Frank Migliorelli is the New York Public Library’s Director of Digital Experience, a new position created to lead the development of the institution’s overall digital strategy for user experience, exhibits and educational programs.  He is an award-winning interaction designer and educator specializing in media-rich software and exhibit development. With a portfolio that includes children’s games and media, corporate websites, and media enhanced installations around the world, he has been a creative and innovative leader in interactive media design for a wide range of educational, institutional and corporate clients. Before coming to the New York Public Library, he taught digital media design for educational technology at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University as a Visiting Clinical Professor. He also taught exhibit and children’s media design at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), Tisch School of the Arts.

Frank has been a Senior Vice President of Design at ESI Design and has led a design collective with a focus on experience and interactive media design.

Surendra Persaud
Director@TheYoungHackers

Surendra Persaud

Surendra is a hackathon enthusiast currently pursuing Computer Science at high school. Surendra enjoys programming, scratch, and playing games. Surendra used to love tinkering with computers as a kid when started playing games. Surendra has served as an organizer, and enjoyed organizing hackathons for NYC. Surendra has also volunteered as the community manager at Amsterdam Nursing Home. Surendra really enjoys being outgoing and loves to have fun with people

Ayelet Segal
Head of Education, TouchCast

Ayelet Segal

Ayelet Segal has devoted the last 25 years exploring problems in the realm of Cognitive Psychology, Education and HCI, in both academia and industry.
Dr. Segal earned her Master’s and PhD in Cognitive Psychology, Education and Technology from Teachers College, Columbia University in NYC, USA. Her research focuses on embodiment theory and gestural interfaces to promote cognition and learning. She conducted and published the first research of children learning with the iPad. She also holds a Master of Arts in Interactive Media from Middlesex University in London, UK. She is the Head of Education at TouchCast, a leading interactive video platform for students and educators. Dr. Segal is an international speaker and a published author as an expert on how students learn with video. She is the co-author of the chapter ‘Embodied Cognition and Learning Environment Design’ of the book ‘Theoretical Foundations of Student-centered Learning Environments.’ (New York: Routledge. By D. Jonassen and S. Lamb (Eds).) Ayelet has achieved international recognition and critical acclaim and has been honored with international awards. Selected conferences that she was invited to talk at are FlipCon15, ISTE2015, CES16, SXSW16, CUE16, the UPenn educational leadership program.