LANSING, Mich. — Seven Michigan educators have been accepted into the inaugural Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship, tying Michigan with only California for the most educators from their state in the Fellowship. This pilot year of the fellowship will bring together 25 of the most innovative and forward-thinking instructional leaders in K-12 education across the nation to work in partnership to influence the EdTech landscape and drive toward rigorous outcomes for students.
“Through our partnership with GSV, Michigan Virtual provided scholarships for 40 Michigan educators to attend the annual international ASU+GSV Summit where the groundwork for this fellowship was laid,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of Michigan Virtual. “We know the caliber of educators that Michigan has to offer and are thrilled at the prospect that the perspectives of these K-12 leaders will be at the forefront of EdTech innovation in partnership with Google through this fellowship.”
Michigan’s educators in the Fellowship include:
- Dr. Stephen Bigelow, Superintendent, Bay City Public Schools
- Patrick Malley, Chief Academic Officer, Bay City Public Schools
- Dr. Kelly Coffin, Assistant Superintendent for Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, Farmington Public Schools
- Djeneba (DJ) Cherif, Chief Academic Officer, University Prep Schools
- Sonja James, Executive Director of Educational Equity and Inclusion, West Bloomfield
- Naomi Norman, Superintendent, Washtenaw Independent School District
- Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross, Superintendent, Ypsilanti Community Schools
GSV Ventures joined forces with Google for Education to pilot the 2023-2024 Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship. The Fellowship is designed specifically for top-level instructional district leaders who are committed to working at the intersection of technology and instruction to inform the future of education. This inaugural cohort of fellows features exceptional instructional leaders dedicated to leveraging technology to transform education.
Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in sessions with executive coaches for ongoing leadership support, build a community with other senior leaders globally, participate in exclusive education leadership seminars, keynotes, and roundtable discussions, gain early access to Google for Education's latest features and roadmaps, showcase their work at the 15th Annual ASU+GSV Summit in April 2024, and more.
To learn more about the Fellowship, visit www.asugsvsummit.com/google-gsv-fellowship. For more information about Michigan Virtual, visit www.michiganvirtual.org.
Michigan Virtual
For more than 27 years, Michigan Virtual has partnered with K–12 school districts across Michigan to expand learning opportunities for students and educators alike. Through our high-quality online courses, taught by Michigan-certified, highly qualified teachers, we empower students to learn anytime, anywhere. We also provide affordable, impactful professional development to help educators grow in their craft. Most recently, Michigan Virtual has been at the forefront of innovation and artificial intelligence in education, offering consultation services and professional learning to guide schools in thoughtfully integrating new technologies and learning pathways.