Announcing the First Nine Featured Speakers Set to Speak at SXSW EDU 2025

We are thrilled to give a first look into SXSW EDU 2025 programming by announcing nine inspiring Featured Speakers that will join us in Austin, Texas March 3-6, 2025!

From utilizing video games like Minecraft to bring global awareness and catalyze youth-driven change, to the power libraries have on children and adults alike, hearing from a student voice, and so much more, these nine speakers are kicking off our first announcement with a strong start.

Dive into these speakers:

Annabelle Chang

Founder, Annabelle's Book Club LA

At 16, Annabelle Chang conceived of and opened Annabelle’s Book Club LA, an independent bookstore focused on young adult literature. Now a freshman at Stanford University, Annabelle continues to be an advocate for community engagement, literacy, and love of reading.

Sinead Bovell

CEO & Co-Founder, WAYE

Co-Founder and CEO of WAYE, an organization that prepares youth for a future with advanced technologies, with a focus on non-traditional and minority markets, Sinead Bovell is an 11-time United Nations Speaker, advises c-suite executives and senior leadership across governments, global business giants and startups alike, and currently serves as a strategic advisor to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union on digital inclusion.

Ana Homayoun

Author, Speaker, Academic Advisor, & Executive Director, Luminaria Learning Solutions

Ana Homayoun is an academic advisor, early career development expert, founder of Silicon-Valley based Green Ivy Educational Consulting, executive director of Luminaria Learning Solutions, as well as author to four books, most recently Erasing the Finish Line: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admission.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace

New York Times Bestselling Author & Co-Founder, The Mattering Movement

Jennifer Breheny Wallace is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It. She is the founder of The Mattering Institute and co-founder of The Mattering Movement, as well as a Journalism Fellow at The Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Ana Homayoun and Jennifer Beheny Wallace will be in conversation on wellbeing, executive functioning skills, and attainment for modern students.

Elisa Villanueva Beard

Chief Executive Officer, Teach For America

As CEO of Teach For America, Elisa Villanueva Beard has served with the organization for over 25 years and will be sharing an expansive look at her career at SXSW EDU 2025. She also sits on the boards of the Holdsworth Center, City Fund, GoGuardian, and Leadership for Educational Equity and chairs the U.S. Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council.

Mychal Threets

Librarian & Literacy Ambassador

Passionate about libraries and curious about why people love them, Mychal Threets utilizes social media to share the stories of library kids and library grown-ups that he encounters. At SXSW EDU 2025, he will be diving deeper to discover the power of library joy and mental health.

Allison Matthews

Head of Minecraft Education, Microsoft

Allison Mattews leads the Minecraft Education team at Mojang Studios with a mission to build a better world through the power of play. With a passion to empower all students with technology, Allison enjoys talking to new audiences about the power of Minecraft and other video games to make a positive impact on young people’s lives through meaningful, immersive learning experiences.

Susanna Pollack

President, Games for Change

As a social entrepreneur and cross-sector leader, Susanna Pollack has over 25 years of experience advancing ambitious social impact goals through traditional and interactive media. At Games for Change she leads a global nonprofit and community dedicated to using games to tackle real-world challenges.

Jose Antonio Tijerino

President, Hispanic Heritage Foundation

Jose Antonio Tijerino is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, social impact and culture, as well as executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center.

Allison Matthews, Susanna Pollack, and Jose Antonio Tijerino will be joined in conversation exploring the power of partnerships in building equitable communities, particularly through video games in education.

See These Speakers in March

Registration and Housing for SXSW EDU 2025 are now open! Lock in your badge early at the lowest rate of the season and see these speakers March 3-6, 2025.

Register to Attend