Alyssa Gallagher co-leads BTS Spark in North America, helping school leaders across the United States and Canada access leadership coaching and professional development. Alyssa combines experience of school leadership and school district administration with expertise in leadership development. She spent 20 years in the U.S. public education K–12 sector, filling many roles, including teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent. Under Alyssa’s guidance, Los Altos School District (California) became a nationally recognized leader in educational innovation, and her work was featured on CNN and by Forbes, Wired, The Economist, and 60 Minutes. Alyssa has coauthored two ASCD books: Design Thinking for School Leaders (2018) and Design Thinking in Play (2020).

Kami Thordarson is principal and school Designer at Campbell School of Innovation and is involved with the design thinking movement in K–12 education, engaging students and teachers with learning experiences that focus on authenticity and relevance.

She leads schools and districts in integrating, not only technology, but also innovative practices that fully move students into more personalized learning experiences. She values the challenge of helping school leaders develop real-world classrooms in which teachers facilitate and lead students through work that empowers them to have an effect in the world. Now also an author, she has worked in many roles as a public educator, from classroom teacher to professional development and curriculum designer.