About the Talk:

This Forum event brings together K-12 leaders and educators from around the country to share how they are using AI to simplify their work, support their students and focus on what matters most. The event will feature a demo from a 4th grade teacher who participated in the OpenAI Academy’s AI Skills Jam for K-12 Educators, held in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and districts around the country. She will show how she uses ChatGPT to build standards-aligned, differentiated reading materials. The panel and demos will be followed by an audience Q&A.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Patrick Gittisriboongul serves as Superintendent of the Lynwood Unified School District, leading Vision 2030 initiatives focused on academic excellence, innovation, and community empowerment. A former math teacher, CTO, and Assistant Superintendent of Technology & Innovation, he bridges instruction, technology, and leadership to create coherent systems of learning. Under his leadership, Lynwood has advanced a districtwide focus on Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning, strengthened digital equity, and integrated responsible AI and outcomes-based contracting to ensure measurable results. His work empowers every student to reason, connect, and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Francesca Summers is a fourth-grade ELA/Reading and Social Studies teacher in Hampton, Georgia. Originally from Colorado, she is a proud mom of three sons: London, Milan, and Holland. She is passionate about helping students become confident readers and writers and finding practical ways to meet them where they are.

In her classroom, Francesca uses AI to support good teaching, not replace it. She starts with the learning goal, data, and her students’ needs, then uses ChatGPT to create meaningful supports and make her instruction more responsive to the students in front of her. Today, she’ll give you a quick look at what that process looks like in her fourth-grade writing classroom.

Erika Vigil was born in San Salvador and raised in Houston, Texas. Her career is built around a simple belief: every student deserves an exceptional education, and every educator deserves the leadership, systems, and support to make that possible.

After earning her degree in Biology from Baylor University, Erika joined Teach For America in Dallas-Fort Worth as a biology teacher. What began in the classroom evolved into a passion for building organizations where great teaching can flourish at scale — from classrooms to campuses to district leadership, her work has centered on creating the conditions for students and educators to succeed.

Throughout her career, Erika has led transformational initiatives. She helped launch Dallas ISD's first International Academy, designing systems to support newcomer students academically, socially, and emotionally. As a principal, she led the turnaround of a historically underperforming campus to a "B" accountability rating by building a culture of high expectations, operational excellence, and student achievement.

Today, Erika serves on the senior leadership team within the Office of Academics for one of Texas' largest school districts, leading people and operational strategy that supports academic success across campuses. Her work spans talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and district-wide initiatives that free schools to focus on improving outcomes for students.

At the center of Erika's leadership is service. She believes students have the power to change the world, and educators have the privilege of preparing them to do it — so her focus stays on developing leaders, building high-performing teams, and turning ambitious goals into measurable impact.

Gautam Sethi is the Chief Information and Technology Officer at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), one of the nation's largest and most diverse school divisions, where he leads strategic IT initiatives impacting over 180,000 students and 24,000 staff. In this role, he manages a technology infrastructure rivaling major industries and government agencies, overseeing critical priorities including platform modernization and consolidation, comprehensive security and privacy protections, and equitable technology access for all students.

With more than two decades of progressive leadership experience in K-12 technology transformation, Sethi leads with a proven track record of strategic vision execution, organizational modernization, and substantial cost optimization. Since joining FCPS in September 2020, he has implemented groundbreaking initiatives including building a comprehensive IT security program and securing significant operational savings through strategic vendor management.

Prior to joining FCPS, Sethi served as Chief Technology Officer at Colorado's Douglas County School District (68,000+ students), where he led enterprise modernization, delivered $1 million in annual savings, and pioneered the nation's first Workday ERP implementation for a school district. His career spans major urban districts including Atlanta Public Schools as Executive Director of Information Technology and the New York City Department of Education as Director of Enterprise Solutions Architecture, where he drove 20+ system initiatives, spearheaded cloud deployments, and led transformative technology solutions.

A strategic leader grounded in both technical excellence and educational mission, Sethi's expertise encompasses IT transformation and modernization, enterprise architecture, security program development, budget stewardship, vendor management, and talent development. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Delhi, India, and an MBA from Emory University in Atlanta.

Sethi is passionate about leveraging technology as a catalyst for educational equity, student success, and community empowerment, ensuring that strategic technology leadership enhances learning, supports educators, and prepares students for the future.

Brian Johnsrud, Ph.D., is the OpenAI’s Global Head of Educational Engagement. As a former K-12 teacher, college lecturer, researcher, and thought leader in education technology, he’s passionate about helping the next generation unlock their potential and agency with the AI skills needed for success in school, careers and beyond.