V. Sue Cleveland, Ed. D.

Superintendent
Rio Rancho Public School District
Rio Rancho, NM

Dr. Sue Cleveland has been Superintendent of the Rio Rancho Public School District since its creation in 1994. During that time, the district has grown from 5,900 to almost 16,000 students. The district has been recognized for the quality of its instructional programs, facilities, and outstanding staff, as well some unique partnerships with the New Mexico business community.

Prior to her current position, Dr. Cleveland was Superintendent of Schools in Cherokee County, South Carolina, and held teaching and administrative positions with the Deer Park Independent School District (Houston metro area). Her initial teaching experience was in the Las Cruces Public Schools in New Mexico.

Dr. Cleveland’s recognitions include, among others: 20 Women to Watch in the New Millennium (Sage Magazine) in 2000, the YWCA “Woman on the Move” Recognition in 2000, and Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Woman in 2001. Most recently, in 2007, she was recognized as a Women of Influence by the New Mexico Business Weekly. Dr. Cleveland was one of four national finalists considered for the AASA National Superintendent of the Year Award in 2004. She was featured in the Administrator Profile of District Administration (periodical) in 2005 and New Mexico Woman Magazine in 2006.

She received her B.A. from the University of New Mexico, M.A. from New Mexico State University, Ed.D. from the University of Houston and post-graduate work at the University of South Carolina.

Christopher J. DeDe, Ed.D.

Professor
Graduate School of Education
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Dr. Christoper J. DeDe is the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. His fields of scholarship include emerging technologies, policy and leadership. His funded research includes a grant from the National Science Foundation to aid middle school students learning science via shared virtual environments and a Star Schools grant for the U.S. Department of Education to help high school students with math and literacy skills using wireless mobile devices to create augmented reality simulations. In 2007, he was honored by Harvard University as an outstanding teacher.

Dr. DeDe has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Foundations of Educational and Psychological Assessment, a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Panel on Technology, and International Steering Committee member for the Second International Technology in Education Study. He serves on advisory boards and commissions for PBS TeacherLine, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center, and several federal research grants. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boston Tech Academy, an experimental small high school in the Boston Public School system, funded by the Gates Foundation.

His co-edited book, Scaling Up Success: Lessons Learned from Technology-based Educational Improvement, was published in 2005. A second volume he edited, Online Professional Development for Teachers: Emerging Models and Methods, was published in 2006.