Providing leadership and direction, while staying true to a vision, is our role. We are motivated by a desire to create something entirely new yet immediately useful. Join us.

Amy Pearl - Executive Director

Steve Burt - Board Chair
Co-founder, Steve has extensive experience in developing new technology solutions for the benefit of learners and organizations. A former high school teacher and administrator, he manages content and research for Clarity Innovations, Inc. an educational consulting firm whose clients range from school districts to international technology companies. A frequent conference presenter, Steve is paying close attention to emerging technologies that open new possibilities for learning and problem solving in developing countries.

Jane Krauss - Vice Chair
Jane is a long-time educator, curriculum writer, and expert in professional development. An innovative teacher and early adopter of instructional technologies, Jane and her elementary classroom were showcased in a video case study that thousands of teachers have used to learn about authentic, project-based learning. As former director of professional development for the International Society for Technology in Education and a consultant for Intel’s education initiative, she has helped educators around the world improve their practice. She recently co-authored a book with Suzie Boss on the effective use of technology in education, entitled Reinventing Project-Based Learning.

Alison Elmer - Secretary
Alison is one of the three co-founders, and has a long-standing commitment to its mission. She is a strategic thinker and applies her considerable experience to long-term planning. From her experience as an account executive for a major marketing communications agency and as a project manager for Intel, she understands how to keep large projects on schedule and on budget. As a small business partner, she has experience in new business development and financial management.

Suzie Boss - Director
Suzie is a veteran journalist who writes about teaching and learning in the 21st century. She and Jane have authored a book on using technology to empower teaching and learning called Reinventing Project-Based Learning. From interviewing and observing hundreds of teachers in both formal and informal contexts, she has seen how innovative approaches to education can engage learners and transform communities. The book is a unique educational resource that integrates interviews with leading experts, storytelling, and suggestions for putting research into practice. She has been an editor for the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, a freelance writer contributing to wide range of publications, and a community college instructor.

Ruthe Farmer - Director
Ruthe left the Girl Scouts of the USA where she directed science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives in order to begin the MBA program in Oxford, England, which she recently completed. This innovative program offers a special emphasis on social entrepreneurship. Ruthe brings a wealth of experience in informal education, with a special focus on programs that expand opportunities for girls and young women. She is on the Champions Board of the National Girls Collaborative Project, is a member of the Girls' FIRST Advisory Council, and co-chairs the K-12 Alliance of the National Center for Women and Information Technology. Ruthe brings a global perspective about the potential of young people to make a difference in the world.

Paul Osterlund - Director
Paul recently joined the Board of Directors following his retirement from Intel Corporation after 23 years working in design, engineering, and educational roles. He designed products, concepts, and developed facilities and educational programs including the Intel Oregon Innovation Center, designed for middle school classes to demystify and inspire visitors through hands-on access to sophisticated PC technology. He worked with MIT's Media Lab and Boston's Museum of Science to expand their Clubhouse model to a worldwide program of after-school facilities, offering professional quality PC-based technology in creative project-based learning environments serving youth in communities of high need. Paul is now Executive Director of the Abundance Farming Project, a social enterprise that provides technical solutions for subsistence farmers to increase food crop yields.

Ondrea Austin - Director
Ondrea obtained her B.S. degree in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego in 2002, along with a minor degree in Spanish Literature. Upon graduation, she joined the Peace Corps and led a variety of sustainable development projects in northern Costa Rica. Over the past four years, she has led community development programs and initiatives for various non-profit organizations. Most recently, she spearheaded a social entrepreneurship program for the northern California Girl Scouts council. She is currently pursuing her M.B.A. at Brandeis University in Boston, where she will specialize in Organizational Behavior and Development with a focus on social entrepreneurship.

Tom Bennett
Tom has spent nearly 20 years in the field of strategic information delivery. Currently the leader of the Technology Center at The New Group, a marketing firm with an international portfolio, he combines new and emerging technologies with proven strategies to create innovative solutions. In addition to extensive business sector experience, he has managed the development of technology products for K-12 education. Tom believes that technology best serves when it is appropriate, scaleable, and designed to meet a specific need.

Leslie Conery, Ph.D.
Leslie is deputy CEO for the International Society for Technology in Education. She brings an extensive background in professional development and experience at all levels of education—from the K-12 classroom to district administration to the university setting. She brings education experience as well as her global perpective to Springboard's educational programs.

Leslie has served on the NETS Leadership Team and the National Staff Development Council’s e-learning task force, and has been Project Director of ISTE’s Technology Leadership Academy and Conference Chair for the National Educational Computing Conference, the world’s largest educational technology conference. She believes that visionary leadership is critical for bringing about effective 21st century learning opportunities and environments for all students.

Charles Patton, Ph.D.
Charlie is a senior scientist for SRI International in Menlo Park, CA. In his current group, the Center for Technology and Learning (CTL), he helps build a technology bridge from research to practice. He works to apply innovation processes into the intersection of technology and learning, and brings years of critical knowledge and experience to LITC's work.

After completing his Ph.D. in the mathematics of quantum gravity at Stony Brook, with additional work at Oxford's Mathematical Institute, and France's I.H.E.S, spending a year as the first AMS Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Charlie was struck by the value of handheld technology when applied in education. Since then he has worked on numerous research projects in the areas of technology, learning, learning environments, and innovation.

Laura Peterson
Laura Peterson is the Founder and Executive Director of Hands to Hearts International (HHI), founded in 2004 to reach the world's neediest children. The mission of HHI is to empower women and to nurture children. Laura has spent her career healing children, including serving as Clinical Director for a non-profit serving children with severe mental health issues and acting as a faculty member at the College of Public Health at Oregon State University. In May of 2006 Laura received the "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Outcomes Award" from Wisdom University in honor of her impact on global humanitarian issues. Soroptimist International of Portland awarded Laura its 2007-2008 Making a Difference Award for Women, honoring women who are making a difference in the lives of women.