For Doug Roberts, Co-Founder and CEO of The Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), it was go big or go home in 2020 with hosting actual in-person events, with actual school district leaders. With some of his and his team’s own use of innovation, they pulled it off. In this episode of EdTech Today, Doug talks about both the pivots they made to survive, as well as the moves education executives continue to make as districts prepare for the fall.

IEI Summits bring together instructional leaders, solution providers, and edtech investors to develop effective, sustainable solutions to real-world, right-now issues in K–12 public education.

Due to Covid-19, the organization transitioned their summits to regional, hybrid events with virtual and on-site attendees. The health and safety of our members and guests was crucial but work still needed to be done.

Doug has worked with leading ed-tech entrepreneurs and district administrators for almost 20 years, developing partnerships that improve outcomes for students and help nascent organizations get their "sea legs."

As Founder and President of Educational Solutions Consulting, Doug found that there was a piece of the puzzle missing, a barrier between those who run school districts and those who start companies to help school districts. He partnered with some of the nation's most innovative educational leaders to form IEI to bridge that gap.