Sal Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. He is the founder of Khan Lab School, a nonprofit laboratory school in Mountain View, California, a cofounder of Schoolhouse.world, a nonprofit that offers free tutoring over Zoom, and cofounder of Khan World School, a new nonprofit online high school.
Sal’s interest in education began while he was an undergraduate at MIT. While there, he developed math software for children with ADHD and tutored fourth- and seventh-grade public school students. Sal also taught test prep courses for the MCAT and was named Teacher of the Year by a national test prep company. He holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Sal founded Khan Academy as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2008. Khan Academy’s platforms include more than 70,000 interactive practice problems as well as videos and articles that cover a range of preK–12 subjects. Khan Academy’s learning system is mastery based, which allows students to master key concepts at a pace that’s right for them while staying at grade level. The organization partners with more than 500 school districts and schools across the country. Schools use MAP Accelerator, Khan Academy Kids and Khan Academy Districts to help teachers tailor instruction for each student. Khan Academy has more than 150 million registered users around the world and has been translated into more than 50 languages. It is used in more than 190 countries.
Sal has been profiled by 60 Minutes, featured on the cover of Forbes, and recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. In his book, The One World Schoolhouse, Sal outlines his vision for the future of education.
Sal lives in Mountain View, California, with his wife and three children.
09/082023
Shawn Ginwright, PhD, is a leading innovator, provocateur and thought leader on African American youth, youth activism and youth development. He is a professor of education in the Africana Studies Department and a senior research associate at San Francisco State University. He’s also the author of the new book, The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves (North Atlantic Books.)
Dr. Ginwright’s research examines the ways in which youth in urban communities navigate the constraints of poverty and struggle to create equality and justice in their schools and communities. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Flourish Agenda, Inc., a research lab and consulting firm whose mission is to design strategies that unlock the power of healing and engage youth of color and adult allies in transforming their schools and communities.
In 2011 Dr. Ginwright was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Senior Specialist award from the US State Department for his outstanding research and work with urban youth. He is the author of the books Hope and Healing in Urban Education: How Urban Activists and Teachers Are Reclaiming Matters of the Heart; Black Youth Rising: Activism and Radical Healing in Urban America; and Black in School: Afrocentric Reform, Urban Youth, and the Promise of Hip-Hop Culture; and co-editor of Beyond Resistance! Youth Activism and Community Change: New Democratic Possibilities for Practice and Policy for America’s Youth.
Dr. Ginwright served as chairman of the board for the California Endowment from 2018 to 2021, with oversight of a $3 billion endowment to improve the health of California’s underserved communities. He also serves on the advisory board for the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning at the Jonathan Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Dr. Ginwright lives in Oakland, California. Learn more at www.ShawnGinwright.com.
05/172023
Mark C. Perna is the founder and CEO of TFS Results, a full-service strategic consulting firm at the forefront of the national paradigm shift in education and workforce development. As an international expert on the millennial and Z generations, Mark has devoted his career to empowering educators and employers to unleash the tremendous potential of today’s young people.
After successfully parenting two millennials as a single father, Mark has become a passionate advocate for bridging the generational divides that are contributing to America’s skills gap. As the founder of the Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion movement, Mark’s mission is to connect the pipelines between education, employment, and economic development in communities everywhere. Parents, educators, employers, and national organizations across North America have successfully used Mark’s strategies, including the Career Tree® strategy, to connect more effectively with the younger generations.
A dynamic and motivational public speaker, Mark today delivers over 70 keynote speeches annually at national and statewide events, where he frequently brings audiences to their feet. He has also spoken at Harvard University by special invitation.
At TFS Results, Mark heads an energetic team of talented professionals who share his vision of making a bigger difference in education and workforce development. TFS Results partners with schools, districts, businesses, and state organizations of all sizes nationwide to help them experience significant gains in enrollment, engagement, retention, and performance. Mark also serves on the Advisory Council for the Coalition for Career Development in Washington, DC.
Mark is a weekly contributor at Forbes.com, where his work reaches an audience of more than 3.3 million. He interviews frequently on radio shows, television, and podcasts, and hosts the 90-second Perna Syndicate podcast every weekday with listeners in more than 60 countries.
Mark’s bestseller, Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations, was written to help educators, employers, and parents understand and motivate the millennial and Z generations. Answering Why has won eight national book awards, including the Nautilus Award which is given to books thought to make a positive difference in the world. Find out more about Mark and his work at MarkCPerna.com.