WSSDA 2024 Annual Conference

The child of two teachers, Jeff’s been rethinking education since his teenage years working his local farm in the Spokane Valley. His first mentor, a fourth grade teacher, agreed to let Jeff serve as a volunteer teacher at the age of 17. From these very first experiences in the classroom, Jeff understood how critical it is for learning to authentically honor learners.

Jeff’s experiences as a volunteer served as a catalyst for his career. Early on in his educational practice, Jeff’s passion and commitment to student learning led to him being awarded a Bill and Melinda Gates Grant, the Technology Leadership Project. Jeff’s curiosity about the evolving role of technology in education pushed him to experiment with blended learning, network literacies, and digital collaboration during a time when very few schools were savvy to the coming shift.

Jeff’s dedication to students drove him to document his learning as an educator, an instructional leader, an administrator, and a consultant to technology startups. Sharing his insights through his blog and podcast, he caught the attention not just of local leaders, but of leaders around the world. In 2010, Jeff was invited by the Prince of Bahrain to participate in conversations to reimagine teaching and learning. In 2018, Jeff was invited by the UN to share his thoughts at the Global Knowledge Summit in Dubai.

Today Jeff has upskilled more than 55,000 educators around the world. He’s been a keynote speaker at dozens of events globally, and he’s consulted with over 400 School Districts. He co-facilitated the creation of the Gen AI guidance for schools for Washington State and is working with states, districts, organizations and fortune 500 companies around leveraging AI in a human-centered approach.

Unwavering is Jeff’s personal mission to ensure schools prepare students for their future, and not our past. He has never stopped learning, and he has never stopped volunteering his support for students. Jeff is currently working on a new book, new professional learning pathways, and a new podcast series from his home in Seattle.

To learn more about Jeff Utecht, visit his website.