Speakers & Sessions

Hundreds of speakers with diverse backgrounds and expertise will take the stage at SXSW EDU to share their knowledge and challenge us to think critically about the future of teaching and learning.


 Momentum & Movement: Black Women in Film – SXSW EDU 2022 – Photo by Jon Currie

Momentum & Movement: Black Women in Film – SXSW EDU 2022 – Photo by Jon Currie

About Speakers & Sessions

 

Thought leaders converge at SXSW EDU to provide professionals, at every stage of their career, with actionable learning, endless inspiration, and resonating insights through sessions and workshops. Content on the program is organized by thematic tracks designed to illuminate overarching focus areas.

Whether you're looking to engage in a thought-provoking discussion, participate in a learning activity, or connect with a specific community, session formats offer various ways to engage during the event.

The majority of conference programming is fueled by PanelPicker®, the two-part online process that enables the community to lend their voice to the event.

Initially selected sessions from PanelPicker have been revealed. Explore all sessions and speakers in the schedule.

FORMATS

 

Whether you're looking to engage in a thought-provoking discussion, participate in a learning activity, or connect with a specific community, session formats offer various ways to engage during the event.

Featured (60 min / 1-4 speakers)
A groundbreaking presentation focusing on leading trends and topics across the education space and beyond that highlights each hour of conference programming during the event

Keynote (60 min / 1+ speakers)
A plenary session highlighting thought leadership that kicks off each day of SXSW EDU programming

Meet Up (60 min / 1-2 speakers)
A speaker-facilitated networking event that encourages communities to connect around similar topics, passions, roles, or interests. Please note this is NOT a presentation-based session format

Performance (90 min, 1-4 speakers)
A musical, theatrical, storytelling, dance, poetry, or other performance that includes a workshop or extended Q&A to reflect on the value of the performing arts as a vehicle for deeper learning and offer takeaways for the audience

Podcast (60 min / 2-4 speakers)
A conversation on topics across the education landscape, hosted by media organizations and existing podcasts, and recorded in an intimate setting amongst a live audience to be used as a future episode

Solo (30 min, 1 speaker)
A short solo presentation highlighting new and emerging ideas, followed by an audience Q&A

Talk (60 min / 2-4 speakers)
A focused, diverse, and dynamic exploration of a particular topic, followed by audience Q&A

Workshop (90 min / 1-3 speakers)
An in-depth, instructional program with hands-on learning activities and specific takeaways

Keynote Sessions

 

Powerful thought leaders kick off each day of SXSW EDU taking the Keynote stage in hour-long plenary sessions that inspire and connect attendees from around the world. Explore the lineup of Keynote sessions below for SXSW EDU 2023.

Add Keynotes to Your Schedule

DESIGN-BASED LEARNING UNWRAPPED: Build Our Future

SXSW EDU 2023 Keynote Speaker Doreen Gehry Nelson

Doreen Gehry Nelson, Honorary AIA

Professor Emerita CalState Poly; Founding Director

Design-Based Learning, UCLA

SXSW EDU 2023 Keynote Speaker Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry

World-Renowned Architect & Partner

Gehry Partners

Liz Willen

Editor in Chief

The Hechinger Report

Ruth Simmons on Higher Education & American Democracy

Ruth J. Simmons

Former President

Prairie View A&M University

Adam Harris

Staff Writer

The Atlantic

Safer Schools: Students, Educators, & Mental Health One Year After Uvalde

Sewell Chan

Editor in Chief

The Texas Tribune

Kimberly Mata-Rubio

Lexi’s Mom & President

Lives Robbed

Nick Allen PhD

Ann Swindells Professor of Clinical Psychology

Center for Digital Mental Health, University of Oregon

Odis Johnson Jr, Ph.D.

Bloomberg Distinguished Professor & Executive Director

Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Johns Hopkins University

Teaching America: How We Fail Our Newcomers, Why It Matters, & How We Can Do Better

Luma Mufleh

Luma Mufleh

Inspirational Refugee Activist & Founder

The Fugees Academy

Featured Sessions

 


Education professionals, innovators, and futurists at the top of their fields take the stage to share their knowledge through powerful presentations that span across our many tracks. Featured sessions are groundbreaking presentations focusing on leading trends and topics across the education space and beyond that highlight each hour of conference programming during the March event. Explore the lineup of featured sessions below for SXSW EDU 2023.

Add Featured Sessions to Your Schedule

Athletes Advancing Education

Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi

U.S. Olympic Champion in Figure Skating (1992) & Founder

Always Dream

Arik Armstead

Arik Armstead

NFL Defensive End for the San Francisco 49ers & Founder

Armstead Academic Project

Aila Malik

Aila Malik

Nonprofit Executive & Founder

Venture Leadership Consulting

Building Sustainable Early Childhood Education

Mia Pritts

Vice President Of Strategic Partnerships

Wonderschool

Michelle Kang

Michelle Kang

Chief Executive Officer

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Emily Tate Sullivan

Emily Tate Sullivan

Senior Reporter

EdSurge

Natalie Renew

Natalie Renew

Executive Director

Home Grown

Drag Story Hour: Fight for Queer Herstories

Beatrice Thomas as Black Benatar

Beatrice Thomas as Black Benatar

Board President

Drag Story Hour

SXSW EDU 2023 Featured Speaker Lil Miss Hot Mess - Board Treasurer, Drag Story Hour

Lil Miss Hot Mess

Board Treasurer

Drag Story Hour

Jonathan Hamilt as One Louise

Jonathan Hamilt as Ona Louise

Executive Board Director

Drag Story Hour

Felix Nguyen-Dalton

Senior Executive Assistant

Transgender Education Network of Texas

Educating Away Hate

Hadiya Masieh

Founder

Groundswell Project UK

Maeve Park

Project Manager & Researcher

Groundswell Project UK

Empowering College Hopefuls Through YouTube

Danielle Bainbridge

Assistant Professor Of Theatre, African American Studies, and Performance Studies

Northwestern University

Hank Green

Science Communicator & Co-Founder

Crash Course

Katie Kurtz

Managing Director & Global Head Of Learning At Youtube

Google

Maria Anguiano

Executive Vice President

Arizona State University Learning Enterprise

Finding Identity Through Poetry, Art, & Nature

Joy Harjo - Photo by Denise Toombs

Joy Harjo

U.S. Poet Laureate

Random House Children’s Books

Michaela Goade - Photo by Sydney Akagi

Michaela Goade

Caldecott Medalist and Best-Selling Artist and Illustrator

Random House Children’s Books

Mandy Smoker Broaddus

Mandy Smoker Broaddus

Practice Expert In Native Education

Education Northwest

Fostering the Next Generation of Storytellers

Phillip Boutté Jr

CEO & Co-Founder

9B Collective Studio

Nicole Hendrix

Co-Founder & Executive Director

BRICFoundation

Alison Mann

Manager & Co-President + Co-Founder & CEO

BRIC Foundation

Mike Uwandi

Concept Artist

9B Collective Studio

How New Attention to R&D Will Transform Learning

Joanna Cannon

Joanna Cannon

Fellow

Walton Family Foundation

Roberto J. Rodríguez

Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

U.S. Department of Education

Kumar Garg

Vice President of Partnerships

Schmidt Futures

Pamela Cantor

Pamela Cantor

Founder & Senior Science Advisor

Turnaround for Children

NAEP Results Are Dismal—So Where Do We Go from Here?

Adrienne Battle

Director

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Stephanie S. Elizalde, Ed. D.

Superintendent

Dallas Independent School District

Denise Forte

President & CEO

The Education Trust

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed. D.

Interim Superintendent

Alexandria City Public Schools

Raise the Bar to Elevate & Diversify the Teaching Profession

Secretary Miguel Cardona

Miguel A. Cardona

U.S. Secretary of Education

Javaid Siddiqi

President & CEO

The Hunt Institute

Michael Sorrell

President

Paul Quinn College

Ratchetdemic Street Scholars: A New Direction to Healing in Education

Angel Jones

Author & Professor

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Christopher Emdin

Professor

HipHopEd

Dena Simmons

Founder & Executive Director

LiberatED

Napoleon Wells

Author & Psychologist

Department of Veterans Affairs

Real Talk with Two National Teachers of the Year

Kurt Russell - Courtesy of the Ohio Education Association_Photo by Rae Holloway

Kurt Russell

2022 National Teacher of the Year

Rodney Robinson

2019 National Teacher of the Year

Sarah Brown Wessling

2010 National Teacher of the Year

Supporting HBCUs for Equity in Education & Beyond

Mark Brown

Executive Director

Student Freedom Initiative (SFI)

Mambu Sherman

Executive Director

Southern Communities Initiative

Suzanne Walsh

President

Bennett College

Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI: What's Next?

John Bailey

Nonresident Senior Fellow

American Enterprise Institute

Terah Lyons

Fellow

Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

Cameron Wilson

President

Code.org

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION CREDITS

SXSW EDU is partnering with The Association of Texas Professional Educators to provide attendees with continuing professional education (CPE) credits.

Visit atpe.org to create an account and access their online professional learning to earn credits by attending SXSW EDU sessions.

Photo by Tico Mendoza

Photo by Tico Mendoza

Get Involved

Stay in the Know

Stay up to date on the latest announcements and important deadlines by subscribing to the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival newsletters.

Subscribe

Watch SXSW EDU Sessions on YouTube

Watch Keynote, Featured, Partner Sessions, and Live Studio Interviews from SXSW EDU 2023 on YouTube.

Watch Now

Program at SXSW EDU

PREMIER SPONSORS

American Student Assistance logo
Stand Together Trust logo

Stay Tuned

Sign up to receive the latest announcements, tips, networking invitations and more.