Conference Summits

Kathie O’Brien has had a rewarding career as a CTE instructor and faculty advisor at various community colleges throughout the northwest where she coordinated technology programs and learning centers in addition to teaching online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses. She is passionate about the benefit of CTE for all students and has been involved in efforts to promote CTE as a pathway to careers and college for many years. Kathie is an educational consultant, professional learning specialist, project manager, and grant project specialist. She led efforts to redesign college courses with goals of increasing enrollments, enhancing student success, increasing retention, and effectively reaching students with diverse knowledge and abilities. In recognition of this effort, the program was awarded the Idaho Postsecondary Exemplary Program Award. Kathie has received numerous honors including induction into the Business Professionals of America Hall of Fame, Distinguished Service Awards, and various Faculty Achievement Awards. Kathie has had the privilege of presenting at several conferences throughout the country. Kathie received her Bachelor of Science in Business Education from Oregon State University, her Master’s in Business Education from Portland State University, and her Ed. Specialist degree in Adult Learning and Organizational Leadership from the University of Idaho.

Pete Just, CETL, CCRE Serves as the Executive Director of the Indiana CTO Council. He retired in 2022 as CTO & COO MSD of Wayne after 24 years leading their IT and Facilities efforts. Starting out as a teacher, he began using technology to expand learning and has been deep in digital innovation ever since. He received his MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University and has served as adjunct faculty there. Pete was elected to the CoSN National Board in 2014 and served as national CoSN Board chair and completed his board service in 2023. He is founding Chair of the Indiana Chief Technology Officer’s Council and has chaired the Indiana DOE K12 Cyber Security Task Force since 2018. Pete’s numerous IT security presentations at the state and national level help technology leaders be empowered with the cyber security knowledge and resources to lead proactively in their own school systems.For the past year, he has also served as CoSN’s SME on Artificial Intelligence. Believing technology can enhance learning and opportunity Pete’s passion is in giving all students and staff the chance to fulfill their God–given potential.

Dr. Randy Russell currently serves as the Freeman, WA School District Superintendent. Dr. Russell is a visionary and results-producing Education Leader with a career-long passion for serving others by focusing on relationships, leadership, and partnerships for educational excellence. His positive, outgoing personality enables him to interact, communicate, build relationships, and work successfully with a diverse range of students, staff, adults and agencies.
During his thirteen years in Freeman, the Freeman School District has achieved a high school graduation rate exceeding 98%; developed a collaborative professional development system grades P-12; successfully completed over $40 million of construction projects including the renovation of Freeman High School and Elementary schools, a new K-8 multi-purpose room, a new Palouse Regional Transportation Cooperative, a remodeled Freeman Middle School, the painting of all exterior buildings, and complete renovation of all athletic facilities; passed levies, capital project levies and technology levies; and developed a broad school and community engagement processes to create, implement the Freeman 2025 Strategic Plan.
He currently serves on the NEWASA Board, the Banner Furnace and Fuel Board of Directors and the North Palouse Chamber of Commerce Board. He has served on the AASA Governing Board and Executive Committee, as well the WASA Board of Directors. In addition to serving as the WASA President, Randy has also served as the WASA Superintendent’s Component Chairperson, the NorthEast Washington School Administrator’s President and as the Spokane, WA County Superintendent’s President.
Randy has served thirty-six years in education as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal in addition to his time as a superintendent in Washington, Idaho and Montana. He has been the keynote speaker and presenter at numerous local, state, regional, and national conferences and symposiums. He is also the Founder and President of RLR Leadership Consulting.

Dr. Sarah Moukhliss, a Florida resident, is proud of her 23 years of professional experience, primarily in education, spanning public libraries, K-12 school libraries, and academia. Holding degrees from The Ohio State University, Kent State University (MLS), Drexel University, Indiana State University, and the University of West Florida, including a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction. Moukhliss’s dissertation investigated the methods employed by school librarians to instruct students labeled as at-risk on using library technologies. Moukhliss excels in student-centered pedagogy. She specializes in designing online courses for library research skills and information literacy. Moukhliss supports faculty in locating Open Education Resources, conducts research consultations for all levels, and instructs nursing doctoral candidates in research strategies. She co-authored a peer-reviewed article on a quality assurance tool for library guide design that she created (LGAS rubric) and regularly presents at conferences on online course design, quality assurance, and OER advocacy. Moukhliss contributes to Florida’s Textbook Affordability and OER Standing Committee and the FLVC Florida OER Summit Planning Committee. She has led her university in trialing and implementing LinkedIn Learning and she currently is a member of her university’s badging steering committee. Her educational expertise ranges from K-8 library media skills to innovative pedagogical strategies for college-level online learning content creation. Dr. Moukhliss completed the ACLU OER bootcamp. Additionally, she is certified in Quality Matters 7th Edition and is currently working through Microsoft credentials.