Amanda Bickerstaff

Amanda is the Founder and CEO of AI for Education. A former high school science teacher and EdTech executive with over 20 years of experience in the education sector, she has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that AI can offer. She is a frequent consultant, speaker, and writer on the topic of AI in education, leading workshops and professional learning across both K12 and Higher Ed. Amanda is committed to helping schools and teachers maximize their potential through the ethical and equitable adoption of AI.

Ana Herrera

Active writer and AI enthusiast, Ana Herrera is currently an 11th grader at Trinity Preparatory School. Beyond the classroom, she fuels her passion for language through active roles in the school newspaper and creative writing program.

Ana is also the president and founder of "Read, Write, & Inspire Society," which dedicates itself to sharing her passion for literacy with the community. With her writing and organization, she advocates the responsible integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education and creative expression. A believer in AI's potential to enhance student work and writing, while upholding academic integrity, Ana shares her expertise through "AI Lectures" across various English and creative writing classes, from elementary to college levels.

Recognizing the irreplaceable value of human individuality and its role in the creative process, Ana believes AI can be a powerful tool to magnify and celebrate humanity. This conviction fuels her desire to connect and share her passion as she embarks on college in the near future.

Nicolas Gertler

Nicolas Gertler is Yale University's first-ever AI Ambassador—he leads workshops on AI ethics and literacy, develops academic resources for responsible AI usage across the university, and builds equitable AI tools for the Yale community. Nicolas also researches infusing novel pedagogical approaches into AI-enabled platforms to foster more engaging and agential learning at the Yale Digital Ethics Center.

Nicolas is also the Vice President of Fidutam—where he manages the organization's day-to-day operations and spearheads its global expansion—and the Chair of the AI Issue Advisory Council and AI and Education Advisor at Encode Justice, where he leads 25+ AI Advisors, providing Congress with policy memos on AI's domain-specific implications and supports educational institutions in effectively and ethically integrating AI into their pedagogy.

Nicolas has spoken at events and conferences, including roundtables at the U.S. Department of Education, a Google Education Lecture, and an AI and education conference hosted by Digital Promise.

Pranava Manthena

Business owner and tech enthusiast, Pranava Manthena is a motivated junior at Middleton High School. Pranava's impressive achievements include winning first place in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) national competition, as well as becoming the district president of the organization.

In addition to his success in business and entrepreneurship, Pranava is also passionate about AI x Education. He has led business education workshops at the national level, and spoke at global conferences such as GovAI 2023 and the prestigious IIT Global 2024 regarding the future of AI in education. Furthermore, Pranava is currently developing two educational tools that seek to revolutionize the way students learn by providing personalized learning recommendations and differentiated coursework tailored to individual student needs.

Another area of Pranava's interest lies in the intersection of artificial intelligence and energy, where he is conducting research to make a meaningful difference in the world.

His dedication and hard work have earned him recognition as a leader and innovator, and he aims to further develop his skills so that he can create positive change in the world.