Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher EducationGeneral Sessions |
September 29, 1:15 PM ET
Patti Constantakis, Walmart.orgPatti Constantakis, PhD is a Director on the Economic Opportunity team for Walmart.org. She leads the Foundation’s portfolio that seeks to accelerate economic mobility for frontline workers through a more equitable talent system that uses skills and competencies as a foundation. She brings decades of experience working to increase economic opportunities for underserved adult learners. Previously at Digital Promise, Patti was the Director of Adult Learning and Workforce Development Initiatives where her work focused on using technology to build the literacy and numeracy skills of our lowest-skilled frontline workers. She also developed a competency-based digital skills program, backed by Facebook, for non-traditional adult learners and workers. Prior to Digital Promise, Patti was the Director of Product, Content, and Curriculum, at GreatSchools.org and was responsible for developing e-learning programs for teachers as well as apps and other electronic resources for immigrant parents. In the years prior to GreatSchools, Patti worked with several startups designing and developing products for community college students and other non-traditional adult learners.
Patti grew up on the U.S.- Mexico border and, as a Latina, is fully bilingual in Spanish and English. She earned her B.A. in Journalism and Spanish from New Mexico State University and her Ph.D. and M.A in Communications from the University of Texas, Austin.
Kathleen founded the Education Design Lab after eight years on the Board of Virginia’s largest public university, George Mason. A social entrepreneur, she has launched or co-launched four non-profits in the past two decades, all related to improving the quality of education for non-elite students. With the Lab, she saw the need for a non-profit to help learning institutions and other players design education toward the future of a fast changing world. The Lab has supported some 125 colleges, as well as employers and high school districts and regions, in their move toward a skills based economy. Kathleen has been asked to share learnings and ideas about the learner-driven skills revolution around the world.
In addition, Kathleen serves as the president of the deLaski Family Foundation, a leading grantmaker in education reform and new pathways to the middle class. She founded and served as board chair for EdFuel, a national non-profit working to build a diverse talent leadership pipeline for K-12 education. Previously, Kathleen created Sallie Mae’s award-winning college access foundation, co-founded Building Hope, a charter school facilities financing non-profit and helped Michelle Rhee create StudentsFirst, a national advocacy movement to improve school options and quality.
Spending five years at America Online, she developed the first interactive tools to engage the public online in elections and the political process and helped the biggest news organizations create digital brands. She and her boss, Steve Case, were named by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics among “25 People Changing the World.” Kathleen was named by President Clinton as Chief Spokesman for the Pentagon, where she oversaw the military’s worldwide public information team. She also spent 13 years as a TV journalist, including 5 years as an ABC News Washington correspondent.