Richard Culatta

  • Internationally Recognized Learning Innovator and Tech Futurist
  • CEO, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE+ASCD)
  • First Ever Chief Innovation Officer for The State of Rhode Island
  • Former Executive Director, Office of Educational Technology, US Dept. of Education, Obama Administration

Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and tech futurist, known for helping organizations around the world  establish cultures of innovation and problem-solving.  Through his work as a designer at IDEO, to leading learning innovation at the CIA after 9/11, to becoming the first Chief Innovation Officer for the State of Rhode Island, Culatta has gained national attention for pioneering strategies to bring innovation into complex organizations.  He was appointed by President Obama to lead a national agenda using technology to make education more accessible and equitable. Culatta currently serves as the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a nonprofit organization focusing on using AI and cutting-edge technologies to accelerate innovation in learning. His leadership has helped transform some of the world’s most complex organizations, positioning them to thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Richard is known for his ability to reimagine how organizations tackle tough problems, delivering non-traditional solutions to complex challenges. Culatta’s approaches consistently deliver breakthrough results. He explores the role of using Artificial Intelligence to help us become better at being human.   In his book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (Harvard Business Review Press) Culatta offers a hopeful, forward-thinking approach for the future, and provides practical solutions for becoming better humans in virtual spaces. As a hands-on parent and global thought leader, he provides practical strategies that families and institutions can use to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world, making his message essential for organizations navigating the challenges of the future. His visionary insights are transforming the way we think about technology— as a powerful force for good that can shape a more innovative, inclusive, and equitable world.

 

 

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Rave Reviews About Richard Culatta
Words cannot express how much gratitude we feel for Richard's contribution to our conference this week! Your enthusiasm is absolutely contagious!

Richard Culatta: Artificial Intelligence, Education, and Our Two Possible Futures | ISTE - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Richard Culatta
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Digital for Good/Creating Digital Citizens: Preparing the next generation to be successful humans in a digital world

Innovating in Complex Systems (a.k.a. Hacking Bureaucracies)

Lessons Learned from a UX Designer that can Transform our Organizational Learning

Preparing For an Artificial Intelligence Workplace

Computational Thinking: The Language of Future Problem Solving

Lessons from Silicon Valley to Bring Innovation to Government

Personalizing Learning: How Technology can Help Fix One-Size-Fits-All Learning

Rethinking the User Experience of Higher Education

Tequity: Closing Long Standing Opportunity Gaps through Technology

Using AI to Help us Become Better at Being Human

While Artificial Intelligence dominates the headlines we have not spent nearly enough time exploring how we can learn to use AI to become better at being human. In this engaging session, Richard Culatta combines humor with real-time demos to showcase the transformative power of AI. He invites partic ...

While Artificial Intelligence dominates the headlines we have not spent nearly enough time exploring how we can learn to use AI to become better at being human. In this engaging session, Richard Culatta combines humor with real-time demos to showcase the transformative power of AI. He invites participants to reflect on what are the uniquely human skills (that should never be replaced by AI) and how we can use AI to help us be better at those skills. He offers practical, actionable strategies to integrate AI into any organization, creating a culture that fosters innovation and healthy adoption—empowering teams to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Digital for Good - Preparing the next generation to be amazing humans in a digital world

Whether it’s working, shopping, and learning, or family reunions, doctors appointments and piano lessons, many of our most important life moments now happen in virtual spaces.  But we’ve been entirely haphazard in our approach to preparing young people to thrive in this new world.  We are seeing the ...

Whether it’s working, shopping, and learning, or family reunions, doctors appointments and piano lessons, many of our most important life moments now happen in virtual spaces.  But we’ve been entirely haphazard in our approach to preparing young people to thrive in this new world.  We are seeing the effects of this as we dive deeper into research on the impacts of teen use of social media.  Yet, our current approaches to help teach kids to be safe online may actually be reinforcing some of our digital dysfunctions.  Based on his book Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (HBR press) Richard shows how a new and refreshingly positive approach to teaching digital engagement and wellbeing that can help families find balance in using technology in ways that uplift and strengthen relationships. Participants will walk away with practical strategies that empower them to harness digital tools for good.

Creating a Culture of Innovation

When we think about where innovation happens, we might picture a silicon valley startup with foosball tables, or an off-the-grid R&D team free from corporate constraints. But what happens when you need to innovate in large organizations and established systems where bureaucracy often stifles cre ...

When we think about where innovation happens, we might picture a silicon valley startup with foosball tables, or an off-the-grid R&D team free from corporate constraints. But what happens when you need to innovate in large organizations and established systems where bureaucracy often stifles creativity? Richard Culatta has spent decades helping bring innovation into some of the most complex environments, from the nation’s largest school districts, to multinational companies, to state governments - even the Central Intelligence Agency. In this compelling talk, Richard reveals that the most impactful innovations aren’t just the most creative—they’re the ones that get adopted. He shares actionable insights and a step-by-step playbook for accelerating the adoption of innovation within environments that are often resistant to change, empowering organizations to create lasting impact from the inside out.

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Biography

Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and tech futurist, known for helping organizations around the world  establish cultures of innovation and problem-solving.  Through his work as a designer at IDEO, to leading learning innovation at the CIA after 9/11, to becoming the first Chief Innovation Officer for the State of Rhode Island, Culatta has gained national attention for pioneering strategies to bring innovation into complex organizations.  He was appointed by President Obama to lead a national agenda using technology to make education more accessible and equitable. Culatta currently serves as the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a nonprofit organization focusing on using AI and cutting-edge technologies to accelerate innovation in learning. His leadership has helped transform some of the world’s most complex organizations, positioning them to thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Richard is known for his ability to reimagine how organizations tackle tough problems, delivering non-traditional solutions to complex challenges. Culatta’s approaches consistently deliver breakthrough results. He explores the role of using Artificial Intelligence to help us become better at being human.   In his book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (Harvard Business Review Press) Culatta offers a hopeful, forward-thinking approach for the future, and provides practical solutions for becoming better humans in virtual spaces. As a hands-on parent and global thought leader, he provides practical strategies that families and institutions can use to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world, making his message essential for organizations navigating the challenges of the future. His visionary insights are transforming the way we think about technology— as a powerful force for good that can shape a more innovative, inclusive, and equitable world.