Curtiss Barnes Named New 1EdTech CEO

1EdTech, the non-profit community partnership of education providers, government organizations, and ed tech suppliers working toward an open, trusted, and innovative digital learning ecosystem, has appointed education technology leader Curtiss Barnes as CEO. He will succeed longtime 1EdTech CEO Dr. Rob Abel, who announced his retirement last year.

With more than 30 years of education industry experience under his belt, Barnes has served in leadership roles at universities, technology startups, and enterprise businesses, including education-focused positions at Argos Education, Pearson, Cengage Learning, and Oracle. He was also a member of 1EdTech's (IMS Global at the time) board of directors from 2007 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2011.

"1EdTech's profound impact on ed tech standards over the last two decades is a direct result of the dynamic community and collaborations it has fostered," said Barnes. "I am excited to build on that legacy. 1EdTech is well positioned to provide leadership that reduces barriers to innovation, informs product-market fit, and improves time-to-market for all the entities in the ecosystem to help scale learning impact."

"Curtiss is a proven leader with a passion for the 1EdTech's mission of powering learner potential," said Melissa Loble, 1EdTech board chair. "We are excited to see the new heights his expertise will take this organization and the impact we will make worldwide."

"My gratitude and thanks go out to our many supporters worldwide who have enabled unparalleled growth and impact from our organization during my tenure as CEO," said Abel. "I'm confident I am leaving 1EdTech, the staff and its members, in good hands with Curtiss. He has the knowledge, skills and passion to take the organization where it needs to go next." Abel will stay on through July 15 to ease the leadership transition.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • elementary school boy using a laptop with a glowing digital brain above his head and circuit lines extending outward

    The Brain Drain: How Overreliance on AI May Erode Creativity and Critical Thinking

    Just as sedentary lifestyles have reshaped our physical health, our dependence on AI, algorithms, and digital tools is reshaping how we think, and the effects aren't always positive.

  • robot brain with various technology and business icons

    Google Cloud Study: Early Agentic AI Adopters See Better ROI

    Google Cloud has released its second annual ROI of AI study, finding that 52% of enterprise organizations now deploy AI agents in production environments. The comprehensive survey of 3,466 senior leaders across 24 countries highlights the emergence of a distinct group of "agentic AI early adopters" who are achieving measurably higher returns on their AI investments.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • blue and green network lines

    HPE Intros Agentic AI Enhancements to Mist Platform

    HPE recently introduced new capabilities for its Juniper Mist platform that leverage agentic AI to enable more autonomous, intelligent, and proactive network operations.