Judges

Samuel Dyson

Sam Dyson is Director of the Hive Chicago Learning Network, a MacArthur-supported initiative operated by the Mozilla Foundation to enact connected learning among teens and educators through a community of youth-serving organizations. His work explores the power of networks to solve complex challenges inherent in the work of teaching and learning. Sam has led development of connected learning programs and resources for teens and adults including Hive Fashion in Chicago and New York City Networks; STEAM Studio, a pop-up makerspace at the Chicago Cultural Center; and Maker Party and showcase events supporting the Chicago City of Learning. His prior positions include educational administration in both community-based and Chicago Public School contexts and 10 years of physics teaching experience. He is a 2007 recipient of the Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching and has a B.A. in Physics from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Maria Gibbs

Maria has extensive experience in the corporate, philanthropic and non-profit sectors, including senior leadership in Fortune 500 firms and innovative social-change initiatives.

She became the Hive Chicago Fund for Connected Learning’s Executive Director in 2014. The Fund supports initiatives to transform the learning landscape in Chicago, leveraging the advances of the digital age to connect academics to interests, learners to inspiring mentors and peers, and educational goals to the skills rewarded by the 21st Century economy. Fund investments aim to make it possible for all youth in the city to access exciting learning opportunities year-round and earn digital badges that unlock academic and internship opportunities. The Fund also mobilizes educators to innovate by fostering partnerships to create and sustain cutting-edge tools and practices.

Matt Hannigan

Matt Hannigan from The Sprout Fund in Pittsburgh supports small-scale, community-driven, learning projects and stewards a regional network of education innovators: Remake Learning. Through extensive work with national efforts like Mozilla’s Hive Learning Networks, LRNG, City of Learning, and digital badges, Matt and colleagues from schools, businesses, universities, and the broader community have fostered local, innovative maker, STEAM, and digital learning experiences for nearly 10 years.

John Palfrey

John Palfrey is the head of school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Prior to joining the Andover community in July 2012, John worked as a professor and vice dean at Harvard Law School and served as executive director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. He has published extensively on how young people are learning in a digital era, as well as the effect of new technologies on society at large. Outside of his work at Andover, John chairs the board of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the board of LRNG. He also serves on the boards of the Berkman Klein Center, School Year Abroad, and Data + Society. John is the author or co-author of eight books, including Born Digital (2016, with Urs Gasser) and BiblioTech (2015). He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. from Harvard College.