SHN Virtual Colloquium

Todd McLees

CEO, HumanSkills.AI

Todd McLees is the Founder of humanskills.AI, where he's on a mission to help millions of people flourish in the AI economy. Working with over 50 universities and community colleges, Todd brings practical frameworks like "Human-First AI" and "AI Agility" to help people from all walks of life navigate this transformative time.

His focus is simple but vital: helping people build healthy habits and sustainable practices for using AI while developing the uniquely human capabilities that will matter most in the years ahead. Through his work, Todd shows how AI can enhance our work and well-being when we approach it thoughtfully.

A LinkedIn Top Voice in AI for both 2023 and 2024, Todd shapes the conversation around human potential in the AI era through his regular contributions to the Harvard Business Review. He serves on several key advisory boards and AI task forces, including the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Achieving the Dream, and Wisconsin's Higher Education Regional Alliance.

His belief that education, and particularly community colleges, are the primary path for helping millions thrive alongside AI drives everything he does at humanskills.AI.

Kevin Baird

Chief Experience Officer, Prometric

Kevin E. Baird is a global leader in accelerated literacy and workforce development. He is focused on priority instructional practices for equitable teaching and learning; the development of portable and validated international credentials for workforce mobility; and the application of Large Language Models and predictive analytics for conversation-based human development. In his role as Chairman at the non-profit Center for College & Career Readiness, Mr. Baird collaborates with education leaders across the United States and around the world to deliver experiences which accelerate student literacy and workforce readiness.

Kevin's recent projects include the design of graduate level courses for teachers and administrators focused on trauma readiness and trauma response, alongside his most recent books Whole: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive (with Rex Miller and Bill Lathan, Wiley 2020) and Trust Me: Discovering Trust in a Culture of Distrust (with Joseph Myers and Dr. Jesus Jara). He is co-author of the Global Implementation Pathway for College & Career Readiness, has worked with the US National Science Foundation funded Survey of Enacted Curriculum and is currently involved in the study of student engagement using neurobiological measurement with Dr. Paul Zak of Claremont Graduate University.

Kevin's work in early literacy includes the integration of foundational literacy skills into digital platforms, collaborating with Dr. Kay Stahl at the NYU Literacy Clinic; the development of language-rich, cognitive complex classrooms with Dr. Karin Hess; and the development of global early literacy programs using mother tongue texts with NABU, in collaboration with the United Nations.

Mr. Baird leads an effort to develop low-bandwidth streaming capabilities and AI driven "any language – any modality" content to engage, delight and develop learners in all parts of the world.

Beyond degrees in Sociology, Anthropology and Business, Kevin E. Baird is one of the world's first Accredited Learning Environment Planners. He is a recipient of the Beinecke National Scholarship, has served as a Wingspread Fellow, and has participated in the Secretary's Circle at Phi Beta Kappa. His family foundation is actively involved in the development of schools and teachers globally, most recently with the building of new facilities across Nepal in collaboration with ADWAN.

Aoife Dempsey

Senior VP for Product Management, Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt

Aoife has spent over 20 years in educational technology, focused on helping students achieve their learning goals in professional, higher ed and k12 environments. With the acquisition of Waggle, she joined HMH in 2019 as SVP Product Management in the Supplemental and Intervention group. She leads the development and strategy for HMH's Supplemental portfolio, with award winning programs Waggle and Writable.

Her area of specialty has been creating personalized digital experiences using gamification, machine learning, and generative AI to create effective learning tools for all k12 learners. Most recently Waggle holds the SIIA Codie award for Best Gamification in Learning, while Writable holds the award for Best AI Implementation in K12.

Prior to joining HMH, Aoife was founder and CEO of Waggle, a K12 Ed tech company providing award winning adaptive learning solutions for teachers and students. Aoife also led the development and launch of market leading education platforms in both McGraw Hill and Wolters Kluwer.

A native of Ireland, Aoife holds a BA from University College Cork. She calls Brooklyn home, where she lives with her husband and son, Harry.

Victoria Pu

CEO & Co-Founder of Pace AI

Victoria Pu is the CEO of Pace AI, which she left her PhD at MIT in applied math to found. Before that, she conducted applied ML and computational economics research at Microsoft Research and was named a 2020 Rising Star of AI for Social Impact by Harvard University. She holds BA, MS degrees from Stanford University.

Partnering with community colleges, adult schools, and employers, Pace AI is the only AI made just for adult ESL and lower-literacy learners. Our AI accelerates working adult learners onto career pathways and higher education, by effectively integrating language acquisition with workforce training that meets learners where they are with personalized language practice, role-play scenarios that augment on-the-job training, and their own AI Tutor who supports in 100+ languages.