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PANELISTS

Sidney Fernandes
Vice President for Digital Experiences and Chief Information Officer at the University of South Florida (USF)

Sidney has been leading technology strategy at USF since 2014. Under his leadership, USF has been at the forefront of technological innovation and digital transformation, driving efficiency and client satisfaction with an emphasis on the safety and security of the university's digital assets.

Marc Watkins
Assistant Director of Academic Innovation and Lecturer in Composition and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi

Marc Watkins directs the AI Institute for Teachers and is an assistant director of academic innovation at the University of Mississippi, where he is a lecturer in writing and rhetoric. He has led research initiatives, exploring generative AI’s impact on student learning, training workshops for faculty on AI literacy and several institution-wide AI institutes. His work with generative AI in education predates ChatGPT and he advocates approaching the technology’s integration in education with curious skepticism. When training faculty in applied artificial intelligence, he believes educators should be equally supported if they choose to work with AI or include friction to curb AI’s influence on student learning. His work with training faculty in AI literacy has been profiled in The Washington Post. He regularly writes about AI and education on his Substack Rhetorica. Marc has spoken to colleges, universities and private organizations across the globe, including Stanford, Brigham Young University, Grammarly, The Southeastern Conference and the Northwest Commission of Colleges & Universities. He’s also worked with K-12 schools on AI literacy efforts. His award-winning writing has been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize and appeared in over a dozen literary journals, including Boulevard, Litmag, StoryQuarterly, Third Coast and elsewhere. As an educator, his work with open educational resources was recognized by Blackboard with a 2018 Catalyst Award for Teaching and Learning.

Christopher van der Kaay
Founder of Castle AI Consulting

Christopher van der Kaay, Ph.D., specializes in applying data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance institutional effectiveness in higher education. His work integrates traditional statistical methodologies with emerging AI technologies to support data-informed decision-making. With over 20 years of experience spanning K-12 and higher education, he focuses on AI-driven institutional data analysis and using AI to extract insights from unstructured data. He regularly leads professional development sessions on AI applications, data analysis and assessment methodologies at state and national levels. His current research interests center on the ethical use of AI in education, with emphasis on transparent and responsible approaches across teaching, learning and institutional operations.

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, senior editor of special content, previously served as Student Voice editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.