National AI Literacy Day Summit Speakers 2026

Rudy Escobar is a STEM, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence education leader with over a decade of experience advancing inclusive and equitable PreK–12 learning. His work centers on positioning computer science as foundational to AI, ensuring educators and students move beyond tool use toward deep understanding of how AI systems work, their limitations, and their ethical implications. Rudy has led statewide and national initiatives that strengthen educator capacity, expand access for underrepresented learners, and support systems-level implementation of high quality computer science, STEM, and AI instruction.

Prior to education, Rudy worked in the pharmaceutical, environmental, and food industries, applying engineering and computer science to real world problems. These experiences inform his applied, interdisciplinary approach to STEM, Computer Science and AI education today. He currently serves in leadership roles across multiple organizations, including CSforCA, CSTA, CISC, ISTE, CALIE,  CASE, NGSS Collaborative, and the CAL MSCS Steering Committee. Through policy advocacy, professional learning, and community engagement, Rudy is dedicated to preparing students and educators to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by computing, science and STEM.

Dr. Vanessa Monterosa brings lived experience, educational leadership expertise, and a passion for equity to her role as Senior Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. Her 15+ years at the intersection of education, technology, and research inform her unique ability to bridge the work of practitioners, scholars, and innovators. Dedicated to empowering those furthest from opportunity, Dr. Monterosa shapes NewSchools' efforts to find, fund, and support transformative EdTech solutions. She's spearheaded a stakeholder-driven community engagement strategy, ensuring NewSchools investments reflect the real needs of students and educators.

Her impact is undeniable. As a Los Angeles Unified administrator, she revolutionized digital citizenship access and implementation, training over 14,000 educators and authoring the ISTE book, "Deepening Digital Citizenship." Her insights are widely sought, leading to features in Common Sense Media, Edutopia, EdSurge, and more. She is a proud Ronald E. McNair Scholar and Education Pioneer Alum. Dr. Monterosa's academic credentials - an Ed.M from Harvard and an Ed.D from Cal State Long Beach – underscore her commitment. From K-12 administration to philanthropy, she consistently drives innovation. As a first-generation Latina, her mission is clear:  create transformative K12 experiences that unlock the potential of underestimated students and the leaders who serve them.

A career educator, Tara currently serves as Chief Innovation Strategist, Education at Lenovo, focusing on creating transformational learning experiences through innovative programs, professional learning, redefining teacher roles and responsibilities, and emerging technologies. Tara spent over 20 years teaching and leading in school districts, most recently as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning for Arlington Public Schools (VA) and then transitioned to consultative roles as a Chief Innovation Strategist at Dell Technologies and Managing Director of Innovation Strategy at ISTE+ASCD. At ISTE+ASCD, Tara led teams focused on AI strategy, higher education, and professional learning.

Tara has actively supported educators in realizing safe and responsible use of AI including leading AI Task Forces for state departments of education and districts while also serving on the steering and advisory committees for Teach AI and the EdSafeAI Alliance. She was recognized as one of the leading Women in AI in EDU by ASU+GSV.

Tara earned a doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Pati Ruiz is a learning technology scholar and public interest technologist who investigates how emerging technologies can effectively meet the needs of diverse learners and their communities. She bridges research, technology, policy, and practice to ensure responsible, safe, and effective adoption of emerging technologies by learners, educators, and families. Dr. Ruiz contributes to international AI literacy efforts, serving on expert panels that shape global approaches to AI in education. Her research remains grounded in classroom realities through 16 years of experience teaching middle and high school Spanish and computer science, as well as serving in school administration roles. Through strategic partnerships with educators, researchers, policymakers, and learning communities, she influences how emerging technologies are conceptualized and implemented in formal and informal learning contexts. Dr. Ruiz is a member of the OECD-EU AI Literacy Framework Expert Group developing the framework for the 2029 PISA assessment and also served on the recent 2025-26 Brookings' Global Task Force on AI in Education. She was named a 2025 ASU+GSV Leading Women in AI, served on the 2024 NYC AI Expert Advisory Council, a 2023 EdSAFE AI Fellow, and a 2022 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics. 

Hiroshi Mendoza is the Founder of Read Sidekick, an innovative platform dedicated to improving literacy by leveraging AI. Bridging the gap between technical engineering and human-centered design, he brings over 15 years of experience building products for Silicon Valley companies, including roles at Uber and IDEO CoLab. Hiroshi holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and a Master’s in Product Design from the Stanford d.school.

Dr. Yingjie Liu is Director of Digital Learning Strategies in the Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation at San José State University, where she leads institution-wide AI and digital learning initiatives that advance academic excellence through the strategic integration of emerging technologies. In addition, she serves as principal investigator and co–principal investigator on grant-funded research initiatives, including projects supported by the National Science Foundation, focused on AI literacy, extended reality (XR), responsible technology integration, and scalable instructional design in higher education. Her work bridges research, cross-sector collaboration, and institutional strategy to strengthen teaching and learning in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Dr. Liu holds a Ph.D. in Cognition, Instruction, and Learning Technology and has over a decade of experience advancing pedagogy through research and faculty engagement.

Kristine Schaan serves as the Director of Integrated Health Services at Sourcewise, leading a portfolio of programs addressing the social drivers of health with a focus on care innovation, service delivery, and program growth. Within her department Kristine oversees the Sourcewise Digital Link Program, encompassing digital inclusion initiatives that help older adults access and effectively use technology. Through cross-sector partnerships with community organizations and public agencies, the Digital Link team has expanded older adult access to devices, broadband connectivity, and hands-on digital literacy training, resulting in greater engagement across the digital world and virtual communities.. These efforts also support older adults in confidently engaging with technology and emerging tools, including AI-enabled services. 

With a strong emphasis on community-based aging, Kristine’s expertise spans new program development, systems design, and organizational strategy. Prior to joining Sourcewise, she worked alongside CEOs and co-founders to help scale Asian startups in the emerging gerontech sector. Kristine’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to improving social health outcomes and quality of life for aging populations through innovation, education, and strategic collaboration.

As the Vice President of Programs and Instruction, Eduardo leads Breakthrough Silicon Valley’s programming from middle school admissions through college matriculation. He sets the vision for the program team, develops strategies and resources to ensure high-quality, effective programming for students and families, and coaches staff as they execute the vision. 

Eduardo started at Breakthrough Silicon Valley as the Director of Admissions and Middle School Programs in 2019. Prior to BTSV, Eduardo was a Director at the Center for Educational Partnerships at UC Merced, where he supported three school districts by strengthening college readiness counseling, designing academic interventions, and analyzing data to guide decisions, bridging the gap from K-12 to higher education.

Eduardo grew up in Los Banos, CA, a small town in the heart of the Central Valley, and was the first in his family to attend college. He has a B.S. in Economics and B.A. in Chicano Studies from UC Irvine and a Master’s in School Counseling.

Albert Glee is the Privacy & AI Officer for the City of San José, overseeing responsible and effective deployment of over 200 AI and technology initiatives a year. He is also the GovAI Coalition lead, a group of over 3,000 members and 900 government agencies ensuring public sector AI serves the public good. Albert and his team have been recognized as national leaders in privacy and AI governance by organizations such as NIST, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House.

Myra Jain is a sophomore at Mountain View High School and an executive board member of the MVHS Principal’s Tech Internship. She co-leads the program’s community outreach initiatives, helping organize AI-focused parent nights, student workshops, and schoolwide technology events. Through her role, Myra supports the district’s approach to emerging technologies by creating clear, student-centered resources and fostering open conversations about AI on campus. Looking ahead, she hopes to continue shaping inclusive, accessible technology education that helps schools adapt to innovation responsibly.

Nikita Narang is a senior at Mountain View High School and has been an executive board member of the MVHS Tech Internship for one year. With a passion for technology and public speaking, she co-leads on-campus and general tech support and manages social media for the program. Outside of the internship, Nikita has pursued design and innovation by building parade floats for her city, hand-painting clothes, and taking computer science classes. Now, Nikita wants to continue her studies through interdisciplinary engineering and business programs, and she is excited to continue working in the EdTech community in the future.

Kip Glazer is the proud Principal of Mountain View High School and the advisor for the MVHS Principal's Tech Internship. She has over two decades of experience as a classroom teacher, tech coach, and school leader. She is the author of the new book Ready to Lead with AI: A Practical Guide for School Leaders. She is considered an expert in PreK-12 AI and GenAI implementation, and she has keynoted and presented at national and international conferences. She is part of the Practitioner Advisory Group for EngageAI Instituted, which produced the Educators' Bill of Rights document, which was used to create a card game to encourage discourse among educators on the ethical use of AI.

Yash Maheshwari is a junior at Mountain View High School and an Executive Board member of the MVHS Principal's Tech Internship. He sits at a rare crossroads between building AI systems and shaping how they should be used. At Aisera, he developed AI tools and filed two patents on MCP technology. At Stanford's Kai Lab, he cut AI response latency by over 60% for a platform helping students with learning differences. That hands-on experience shapes how he approaches the bigger picture. He has co-designed district AI philosophy featured in The Washington Post, briefed state legislators on pending AI bills, and presented at national conferences from ASU+GSV to FETC 2026. Outside of school, he co-founded Tech Spark, a nonprofit that has taught robotics and coding to young students for over five years. Looking ahead, Yash wants to keep working where technology and real-world impact meet, building AI solutions that actually serve students.

Sophia Zhang is a senior at Mountain View High School and an executive board member of the MVHS Principal’s Tech Internship. As executive co-lead of on-campus and general tech support, Sophia has led AI-Philosophy workshops, professional development, an AI-Parent Night, and AI-Playlab, among other events, to develop clear, accessible AI frameworks for school administration, faculty, students, and parents. Beyond this role, Sophia has helped shape deliberation-centered AI innovation at Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab. Passionate about inclusive, representative policy, Sophia hopes to continue bridging technology, policy, and business to help schools adopt innovation responsibly and equitably.

Dhruv Vijay serves as an Executive Board member for the Tech Internship Program, where he leads a team of 25 students dedicated to advancing AI and technology initiatives within education. His work is centered on making EdTech accessible, encompassing the building of educational resource guides and the co-development of an AI policy pathway tool for school administrators. Dhruv has been an active advocate for student digital well-being on national platforms, including speaking at the Common Sense Summit on AI literacy and presenting to the California Department of Education. Beyond this leadership role, he has further honed his technical abilities through a software engineering internship and participation in competitive robotics. Dhruv plans to pursue a college major combining Engineering and Business to continue building innovative solutions that transform the way students learn.

Sophia Zhang is a senior at Mountain View High School and an executive board member of the MVHS Principal’s Tech Internship. As executive co-lead of on-campus and general tech support, Sophia has led AI-Philosophy workshops, professional development, an AI-Parent Night, and AI-Playlab, among other events, to develop clear, accessible AI frameworks for school administration, faculty, students, and parents. Beyond this role, Sophia has helped shape deliberation-centered AI innovation at Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab. Passionate about inclusive, representative policy, Sophia hopes to continue bridging technology, policy, and business to help schools adopt innovation responsibly and equitably.