Coworking is a weekly segment where we spotlight Tech Brew readers who work with emerging technologies. Click here if you’d like a chance to be featured.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?
At ETS, I lead the charge in leveraging technology to improve education globally. When the first iterations of generative AI came about, I knew it would have a major impact on the field of education. In 2020, I founded the AI Labs at ETS so that we could be the leaders in helping educators and students learn how to use it responsibly and effectively. As edtech continues to advance, my team is responsible for researching and understanding it, as well as providing ethical user guidelines and finding the best way to incorporate it into our operations to deliver the next AI-powered solutions.
What’s the most compelling tech project you’ve worked on, and why?
It’s definitely my current work at ETS on authentic skills assessment. I have the privilege to contribute to the transformation of educational measurement and how technologies, such as multimodal AI, can help people naturally diagnose, develop, and ultimately demonstrate their unique tapestry of skills.
While I work at an organization with a global reputation as a leader in assessment, I believe the future is actually testless. Based on my training in psychometrics, I work from the inside of the industry to disrupt how we approach educational measurement but continue to create valid and reliable measures. In this dynamic economy, the skills people need to be successful extend beyond the cognitive skills that are measured on traditional tests. My teams build solutions that reliably and validly provide signals on affective, behavioral, and cognitive skills—but don’t require a No. 2 pencil.
What does that mean exactly? I fundamentally believe people are so much more capable than they know. My vision for the future is a comprehensive platform that helps people identify their full set of skills and discover how they might apply those skills in jobs they didn’t otherwise know they could be successful in. We also want to help employers identify the best talent. This future way of testing is the key to unlocking individuals’ full potential and building a strong workforce pipeline.
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All of this is possible thanks to the power of AI, and that’s what my teams are focusing on. We’re leveraging AI capabilities paired with meaningful user experiences to build data relevant to both the individual and the employer.
What technologies are you most optimistic about? Least? And why?
I’m most excited about the integration of generative AI and personalization. This synergy creates the opportunity to serve up meaningful and contextualized content to users throughout the world. Individuals demonstrate what they know and can do most effectively when they can relate to the experiences. The combination of generative AI and personalization unlocks the potential for more valid, efficient, and socio-culturally relevant learning and assessment experiences.
I’m least excited about the advances in deepfake technology and the spread of misinformation on social media and other outlets. It makes me skeptical of digital content and its impact on trust and society. So many people, especially young people, are getting their information from social media—deepfake technology has the potential to fundamentally shift society based on misinformation. It gives me pause, for sure, and I commend the technologists who are working hard against those threats.
What’s the best tech-related media you read/watch/listen to?
I’m a big fan of MIT Technology Review. Its strong academic affiliation, commitment to in-depth analysis, editorial excellence, ethical considerations, and especially its global perspective make it a great resource for staying informed about the latest innovation in tech and the broader societal implications.
What’s something about you we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile?
I’ve had some of my most innovative ideas while surfing. Something about that feeling of complete freedom sparks my creativity.
What do you think about when you’re not thinking about tech?
I’m constantly thinking about the dynamic society we’re living in. Particularly the increasingly non-linear path folks are taking between education and the workforce—and what that path might look like when my four young sons are navigating it. This is one of the reasons I’m so fascinated by AI and the potential to help everyone along that complex journey.