Announcing SXSW EDU 2023 Closing Keynote, Four New Featured Sessions, and International Women’s Day Celebration

SXSW EDU 2023 is only four days away, and we are proud to announce new and exciting Keynote and Featured Sessions being added to the lineup!

Hear from powerful voices, including leading experts and advocates spanning policy, higher education, technology, and media as they facilitate conversations dissecting several of the most timely topics in education, from safety inside our schools to the teacher pipeline.

Plus, join us in celebrating International Women’s Day with a special evening program presented by The Female Quotient & Direct Digital Holdings.

Keynote

Safer Schools: Students, Educators, & Mental Health One Year After Uvalde

On May 24, 2022, 19 schoolchildren and two educators were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in the second deadliest such shooting in U.S. history. The tragedy raised questions not only about gun safety and policing, but also about mental health, social media, loneliness, and the erosion in student well-being that began even before COVID-19. In partnership with The Texas Tribune, Sewell Chan, editor in chief, will moderate a panel with health and education experts and with the parent of a child whose life was taken in Uvalde.

Sewell Chan, Editor in Chief, The Texas Tribune
Nick Allen PhD, Ann Swindells Professor of Clinical Psychology, Center for Digital Mental Health, University of Oregon
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, Lexi’s Mom & President, Lives Robbed
Odis Johnson Jr, Ph.D., Bloomberg Distinguished Professor & Executive Director, Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Johns Hopkins University

Featured Sessions

Fostering the Next Generation of Storytellers

Hear how these art industry leaders have overcome adversity in school and how identifying what they thought was a weakness as a superpower has allowed them to be successful today. They will do a deep dive on how to understand and support the next generation of creative leaders in and out of the classroom.

Phillip Boutté Jr, CEO & Co-Founder, 9B Collective Studio
Nicole Hendrix, Co-Founder & Executive Director, BRIC Foundation
Alison Mann, Manager & Co-President + Co-Founder & CEO, BRIC Foundation
Mike Uwandi, Concept Artist, 9B Collective Studio

Raise the Bar to Elevate & Diversify the Teaching Profession

Join a discussion of the teacher pipeline, both the shortages and the lack of diversity. How can we attract young people to the teaching profession as well as build a strong and diverse teacher pipeline to help school districts stem the tide of retirements and the current teaching shortage? You will hear about national and local strategies being used to recruit, retain, and support prospective teachers. Teachers are the backbone of our public education system, and we must elevate them and their profession.

Miguel A. Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education
Javaid Siddiqi, President & CEO, The Hunt Institute
Michael Sorrell, President, Paul Quinn College

Supporting HBCUs for Equity in Education & Beyond

Over the past few years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) experienced a dramatic increase in the number of applicants. Despite this surge in interest, HBCUs continue to be under resourced and undervalued.

HBCUs are pillars of local communities, one we should invest in to drive social, economic and cultural growth for all Americans. This conversation will explore how nonprofits, corporations and institutions of higher education must work together to invest in educational equity.

Mark Brown, Executive Director, Student Freedom Initiative (SFI)
Mambu Sherman, Executive Director, Southern Communities Initiative
Suzanne Walsh, President, Bennett College

Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI: What's Next?

As OpenAI's ChatGPT continues to amaze with its abilities to craft essays, write computer code, and even pass a medical licensing exam, the potential of AI in education becomes increasingly clear. This panel will explore the current and future impact of AI on education, from smart teaching assistants to emerging ethical concerns. Join us as we explore the cutting-edge advances and exciting possibilities for teaching and learning in the age of AI.

John Bailey, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Terah Lyons, Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Cameron Wilson, President, Code.org

International Women’s Day Social

Women That Flex: Celebrating Women Leaders with Far Reaching Impact

Join The Female Quotient, Direct Digital Holdings, and SXSW EDU in celebration of International Women’s Day in Austin, Texas. We will hear from women executives in media, technology, education, and business about how they have navigated their careers to become top leaders on a national and global stage. They will share what drives them, why they are passionate about what they do, and how they are setting the bar for more women to succeed in their industries.

Join Your Community in March

Register to attend in Austin or experience SXSW EDU Online. Celebrate education through compelling sessions, networking opportunities, and so much more at SXSW EDU from March 6-9, 2023.

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Keynote and Featured Session speaker photos provided by the speakers.