Cator To Be Named New Ed Tech Director at Department of Education
Apple's Karen Cator is being named director of education technology at the United States Department of Education. The announcement is being made formally Nov. 3 at the 2009 Leadership Summit and Ed Forum, hosted by the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) in Washington, DC.
Cator has most recently served as director of education leadership and advocacy at Apple and was chair of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills from September 2006 to September 2007. (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an advocacy group focused on integrating 21st century skills into the curriculum in K-12 education.)
The Office of Educational Technology (OET) at ED helps implement research projects, develop policies, and organize summit meetings.
"We are very excited to hear about Karen Cator's appointment," said Mary Ann Wolf, SETDA's executive director. "SETDA has enjoyed working with Karen in the past and look forward to her continued leadership in education. Karen has in-depth knowledge and first-hand experience on the potential of technology to transform teaching and learning. She understands that we need to meet and engage kids where they are, addressing various learning styles and individualizing instruction. We welcome the opportunity to work with Karen to improve education for all kids."
The formal announcement of Cator's appointment will be made tomorrow by Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement for the U.S. Department of Education, at the SETDA Leadership Forum. Further information about that event can be found here.