For Immediate Release:
SIIA Contact: Michelle Harris, (202) 789- 4450
mharris@siia.net
SIIA Restructures Education Technology (ETIN) Division
Consolidating activities to strengthen focus on critical needs in EdTech Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2020) – SIIA, the longtime leader in education technology policy, announces a major restructuring with their Education Technology (ETIN) Division. The division will more directly focus on the EdTech community’s most critical needs at the moment surrounding public policy, as the division moves away from in-person events.
“Effective July 1, 2020, our ETIN Education Division will be consolidated within our Public Policy Division,” said SIIA President Jeff Joseph, “Change is difficult but necessary and change can drive extraordinary outcomes. We have enjoyed a long and supportive relationship with the Education Technology community. We look forward to the next phase of this relationship as we leverage our core strengths in policy and advocacy to help grow this critical and exciting sector.”
Current SIIA education division members in good standing are invited to remain SIIA members through SIIA’s Education Policy Committee (EPC) at their current dues level. The EPC will continue to operate under the direction of Sara Kloek, focusing on issues important to SIIA’s EdTech members and the industry at large including protecting student and children’s privacy, education funding, closing the digital divide, distance learning policies, accessibility, and interoperability.
SIIA also will continue to produce the EdTech industry’s leading and highly coveted EdTech CODiES Award program under the direction of SIIA Awards Director Jennifer Baranowski who has successfully coordinated the program for several years. At the same time, the association is terminating its standalone EdTech conferences and the majority of differentiated breakout content.
“We also are exploring how best to continue the amazing work launched by our EdTech members around diversity, equity, and inclusion, which remains a priority for our organization. And we are exploring transitioning existing ETIN committees and communities to a virtual platform along with evaluating opportunities to continue to participate in and support key industry forums and specific project work,” said Joseph.
“I want to thank Jill Abbott for her dedication, evangelism, and tremendous leadership,” Joseph added. “Jill helped create a compelling strategic vision for ETIN and has many successes of which to be proud, including most recently our Tech for Learners initiative. Jill has been a passionate champion for an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the EdTech community and across our organization. We look forward to celebrating her soon.
“I also want to thank the current ETIN Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the many volunteers who so unselfishly gave their time and expertise to support the division as well as the many great leaders who helped found and build the division.”
Abbott will leave SIIA effective July 1. Sara Kloek will continue to lead SIIA’s EdTech-related public policy thought-leadership and advocacy efforts. SIIA’s Public Policy Division is led by SIIA Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy Carl Schonander.
About SIIA
SIIA is the principal association representing software, information, education, technology and digital content industries. Through in-person and online business development opportunities, peer networking, corporate education, intellectual property protection and government relations, SIIA provides a network of resources for its 800+ member companies that drive innovation and growth. For more information, visit siia.net.
