Meet the Leaders
Tom Ryan, Ph.D.
Tom Ryan, Ph.D. is co-founder of K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group (K-12 STAG), which is led by public school chief information officers who understand the challenges school leaders face. He is an education professional with 40+ years of K-12 experience. Dr. Ryan holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. He served as a CIO (16 years), as well as a high school principal and teacher for districts in New Mexico. He is engaged in leadership activities in several state and national organizations, including past Chair of the Board for the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN). He also is active in the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS). Work with the CGCS includes: large school district IT reviews of infrastructure, strategic planning, instructional technology, and digital transformation efforts. Dr. Ryan is a Senior Fellow for the Center of Digital Education.
Lenny Schad
Mr. Lenny Schad is the Chief Information & Innovation officer for District Administration. Mr. Schad has a BS in Management Information Systems, Computer Science and has been working in the technology field for 35+ years. Schad has worked in K-12 education since 2003 and has
successfully led the implementation efforts of multiple enterprise systems as well as BYOD and 1-to-1 in Katy and Houston ISD, respectively. Mr. Schad has achieved great success leading digital transformation implementations in both school systems leveraging his expertise in Organization Change Management (OCM) processes and practices. He is a past board member for CoSN and IMS Global and is a recognized leader who’s innovative and process-oriented
management styles have led to highly effective information technology departments. Mr. Schad is a published author, his book, Bring Your Own Learning: Transform Instruction with any Device, has helped many organizations implement digital transformation initiatives.
Joanne Ung
Ms. Joanne Ung has over 30 years of experience in operational and information technology related areas assisting public and private sector organizations including K-12 education, higher education, local and state governments, and numerous other industries.
Ms. Ung’s responsibilities involved leading numerous projects for large public and private school systems across the U.S. Projects involved business process transformation; program/ project management; IT governance development; human capital strategy and transformation; business strategy and accountability planning; information systems strategic planning and operations; systems design, development, and implementation; technology and organizational assessments and strategy; hardware and software assessment and selection; and, key performance indicators and performance metrics design and deployment.
She has served as a principal investigator on the “Cities Helping Cities” technical assist visits with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) in which teams of subject matter experts review in detail the various operations of a district and offer findings and detailed recommendations for improvements.
Kenneth J. Thompson, Ed.D.
Kenneth J. Thompson, Ed. D. served as the Deputy Superintendent and Chief Information Technology
Officer (CITO) for the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). He joined the SAISD team in
2018 after serving as the CITO for the Baltimore City Public Schools for seven years. He has had the
privilege to serve in K12 education technology for over 25 years serving in four different Local Education
Agencies (LEAs) leading complex IT service delivery organizations and leveraging IT resources to assist K-
12 organizations in achieving organizational goals. Throughout his years, he has continued to maintain a
laser focus on creating strategies to assist with the advancement of 21st century education in urban
school districts, while simultaneously building a cohesive and competent IT team. Kenneth believes that
strategy, governance and policy are the three pillars of any technology organization; however, he truly
understands that the people are the ones that moves the organization … they are the true foundation.
Kenneth is most comfortable when he is combining his technical expertise with strong business and
financial acumen to build and create an IT environment conducive for achieving student success. This
exposure has formed and shaped his core belief and drive to ensure each and every student has reliable
and equal access to a seamless technology environment. He is most noted for enhancing the
educational environment by working with stakeholders at different levels recommending, managing,
and validating the appropriate technology resources and enterprise systems to facilitate learning while
improving student performance with the appropriate technology tools and processes.
Scott Elder
Scott Elder is a transformative leader with over 30 years of experience in educational administration, specializing in integrating technology to enhance learning outcomes. As Superintendent of a district serving 90,000 students, he adeptly managed the transition to and from remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring all students had the necessary technology and support.
His educational career advanced from high school teacher to principal, and later as Chief Operations Officer, experiences that crafted his expertise in operational and educational leadership. These roles were instrumental in shaping his approach to the Superintendent position, where he transformed leadership by integrating robust technology strategies.
As COO of a district spanning 1,200 square miles, he was responsible for critical departments such as District Police, athletics, and facilities. This role deepened his understanding of the complexities of district-wide management and the pivotal role of technology in educational and operational success.
Following a significant cyber-attack in 2021, his engagement with AI technologies deepened,
leading him to earn certifications in Artificial Intelligence and prompt engineering from Vanderbilt University. He champions the use of AI to not only advance educational practices but also to enhance operational efficiencies across the board.
He holds degrees in Political Science and Spanish, with master’s degrees in Secondary Education and Business Administration from the University of New Mexico. His blend of educational insight, crisis management, and innovative technology use equips him to lead and
redesign school district leadership to effectively address the emerging challenges of cybersecurity and AI.
Our Vision for the Company
Transform and improve education systems through the innovative and effective use of technology.
The Core Mission Behind All Our Work
Strategically position the role of technology across the enterprise as a partner to effectively achieve goals through cross-functional alignment.
Our Core Values
Leadership
Leadership in our organization means steering the transformative power of technology in education, guiding the strategic deployment of tech solutions across all functions, and inspiring collaborative effort towards shared goals -- always with an eye on innovation, effectiveness, and enterprise-wide alignment.
Vision
Our core value of vision guides us to continuously imagine and strive for a future where education is constantly transformed and improved, driven by innovative and effective use of digital resources with a strategic, cross-functional alignment that ensures our technology serves as an integral partner in achieving
our shared goals.
Commitment
Commitment means fully embracing responsibility with a relentless dedication to exceed expectations, inspire excellence, and make lasting positive impact on education through innovative technologies, dedicating ourselves wholly to strategically position technology across the enterprise, constantly aligning our actions and decisions with the collective goal of enhancing learning and achieving effective cross-functional success.
Trust
Trust is the foundation of our relationships, fostering open, honest collaborations, empowering all partners in our shared mission to strategically leverage technology for cross-functional success and enhanced learning experiences.
Contact us today to see how we can help your organization achieve its vision for technology.
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