Ron DeChristoforo is the State Policy Director for Texas Instruments (TI), Education Technology Group. In this role, he works directly with national, state, regional, and district education and leadership organizations. He also leads TI advocacy for initiatives to support teacher development, improve student performance and advance access to opportunities for success in school and careers.
Most recently, Ron managed the TI project STEM4: The Power of Collaboration for Change, a published roadmap for STEM implementation jointly authored by national education leaders representing each of the STEM disciplines: AdvanceCTE, Association of State Supervisors of Math (ASSM), Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), and the International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA), with guidance from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
Ron also represents TI on the board of Expanding Your Horizons: National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and on the Blue Ribbon Corporate Advisory Group for the Council of the Great City Schools.
He has spent most of his career in education and technology: teaching college English and working in marketing and research for major publishers. When the first computers were introduced into classrooms, Ron invested the rest of his career in education technology, supporting remarkable tools and educators driving constant innovations in instruction. He holds degrees from Temple University and Columbia University.
Laura Kreutzer is the Corporate Director of Youth Programs for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Focused on its mission to make people happy by providing fun, immersive, and memorable experiences, the company owns and operates 11 amusement parks along with two outdoor water parks, one indoor water park, and four hotels.
Since 2012, Laura has been exclusively focused on creating awareness and expanding the student/youth programming throughout the Cedar Fair park portfolio, to create unique and memorable experiences with an emphasis on "Edutainment." She has over 20 years of experience in the theme park industry, working for industry leaders such as Universal Parks and Resorts and The Walt Disney Company, and has spent the past five years as a board member for the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA). Laura graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a Minor in Early Childhood Education from Arizona State University.
CAB is made of up corporate leadership who invest in the afterschool landscape and understand the return on investment when actively participating in the development of our future workforce. Their goals for 2019 include:
- Attracting corporate leadership who share an interest in corporate investment in youth outside of the classroom.
- Hosting briefings with corporate partners on topics critical to workforce preparedness and providing family-friendly environments.
- Increasing corporate dollars creating and expanding opportunities for young people in afterschool and to increase the quality of afterschool programs and providers.
