Tom Murray serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready SchoolsⓇ, a Project of the Alliance for Excellent Education, located in Washington, D.C. He has testified before the United States Congress and works alongside that body and the US Senate, the White House, the US Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement student-centered, personalized learning while helping to lead Future Ready SchoolsⓇ and Digital Learning Day. Murray serves as a regular conference keynote, was named the “2018 National/Global EdTech Leader of the Year,” the “2017 Education Thought Leader of the Year,” one of “20 to Watch” by NSBA, and the “Education Policy Person of the Year” by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. His latest book, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today, is an ASCD best seller and was published in 2017. 

Tom is presenting at Sunday's Opening Keynote.

MaryEllen Elia is the New York State Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York (USNY). In this role, she oversees the work of more than 700 school districts with 3.2 million students; 7,000 libraries; 900 museums; and 52 professions encompassing more than 850,000 licensees. A native New Yorker, Commissioner Elia has 45 years of experience as an educator. Prior to her appointment in New York, she served as superintendent of schools in Hillsborough County, Florida, for 10 years. She is the 2015 Florida Superintendent of the Year, a recipient of the 2015 AASA Women in School Leadership Award from the School Superintendents Association, and was one of four finalists for the 2015 National Superintendent of the Year award.

Commissioner Elia was born, raised, and attended school in Western New York. After graduating high school in Lewiston, NY, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Daeman College in Buffalo, a Master of Education from the University of Buffalo, and a Master of Professional Studies from SUNY Buffalo. In 1970, she began her career in education as a social studies teacher in Buffalo’s Sweet Home Central School District and taught for 19 years before moving on to administrative positions.

Commissioner Elia will close the Fall Leadership Summit on Tuesday morning.

Shadrack Boakye was born in Liberia, Africa during a crippling civil war that took the lives of over 200,000 citizens in the early 1990’s. Along with his mother, Shadrack was one of the few survivors to escape the war-stricken country. Through all the hardships he has had to endure once he entered the United States, among them not being able to read, he has since then, proudly overcome adversities that many immigrants who enter a new country face. His drive and passion for the arts have presented many opportunities for him to channel his creative passion. He is now an accomplished debate champion, public speaker, writer, playwright, director, performer and the president of “The Truth Urban Theater Group.” For the past five years, his company has been traveling to venues on Long Island, New York City and other major cities performing original works. 

Some of his accomplishments include:

• Earning multiple national awards: a signed boxing glove accompanied by a personal letter from the heavy weight boxing icon Muhammad Ali and winning two Gold medals on the NAACP-ACT-SO playwright and performance competitions which was judged by a distinguished Harvard graduate and a Columbia University Professor.

• When not performing or writing, Shadrack is an official Motivational Speaker for Scholastic, Inc. His audiences include Educators, School District Administrators, middle and high school students. Scholastic has recently published a book about his story called "Unstoppable" for System 44 students all over the country. 

• He has performed and lectured at Universities on various topics such as: Discrimination, Immigration, Relationships, Inter-racial dating, Decision-Making, Child Soldiers, HIV/AIDS, Anti-Gang Violence, Bullying, Self-Esteem, Racism and Redemption. He has been a panelist on NBC’s Education Nation with Anne Curry to discuss what he thinks needs to be done to ensure that every student receives a world-class education and has been sponsored by Miriam D. Couch, former President of 100 Black Women of Suffolk County through the I Am the Voice…Poetic Theater for Justice Program as a featured act at the United Nations. 
  
  
• In 2010, He has received the honor of becoming the youngest male to be awarded the Black History Month Distinguished Service Award. Shadrack Boakye has proven that with faith and persistence, that any and everything is possible. His aim is to touch the world with his gift.

Shadrack is presenting at the Monday Morning Keynote.