Our 12th annual Summit and Community of Practice take place this week—and it promises to be a tremendous couple of days. From the moment you step onto the Astroturf (just trust us), you’ll see that this is going to be more engaging and more fun than any other event we’ve ever hosted. We’re working with the Aspen Institute for the first time and offering more choices, more time to network, and more interaction inside sessions. Please check out the May 17th Community of Practice agenda and the May 18th Summit agenda and speaker list, plus logistics for both days. You’ll find both days filled with inspiring and honest conversation about entrepreneurial work that benefits education for low-income kids. As a community we will come away not only energized, but recommitted to the kind of genuine innovation that can change lives, and systems, for the better. And while the whole event is going to be terrific, we want to call out a few not-to-miss items.
Tuesday, May 17
- Keynote with Bing Gordon: Our CEO Ted Mitchell will moderate a provocative talk about the intersection of gaming and education by the nation’s reigning videogame expert, Bing Gordon, at 5pm in the Hyatt’s Grand Ballroom ABCD.
- Community of Practice Dinner: Portfolio entrepreneurs are invited to come together for a dinner at Max’s Opera Cafe, a quick walk from the Hyatt. Please note this dinner is by invitation only. We’ll share information with other groups about other local restaurants we recommend.
- Opening Reception: Later that evening, from 8:30 to 10:30pm, all are welcome to join us back at the Hyatt for a reception in the poolside pavilion, generously sponsored by Target.
Summit: Wednesday, May 18
- Start early and healthy: If you’re up early, come practice your downward dog with Laura Camp, founder of Flying Yoga at our early-riser yoga in Harbour AB. Looking for cardio? Join Anna Kurtz for a run and mini-clinic on stretching and technique.
- Just for first-timers: If this is your first Summit, join us for an orientation to the day at the first-timer breakfast. The breakfast starts at 7am in Grand Ballroom EF, with content starting at 7:15am and ending by 7:40am so you can make it to the main ballroom in time to get a good seat for the opening session.
- Tell your story: All day, you can visit our video story booth, where you can talk about your passion for educational entrepreneurship in the style of NPR’s Story Corps.
- Large sessions: You’ve probably heard about some of the big sessions already; the day kicks off with a conversation between Sal Khan and Joel Klein, and at lunch, John Doerr will interview Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The end of the day features Reed Hastings and Kaya Henderson in conversation. But the big sessions are only half the story…
- Not-so-large sessions: There are no fewer than 14 smaller sessions—with titles like “Create Your Own Education Legislation,” “Innovating to Serve the Most Underserved,” and “Reimagining Education”—that offer wonderful opportunities to interact, share ideas, and build new solutions. And we’re keeping sessions short and building lots of time between them so you’ll have time for smaller conversations.
- Name tags: With a record 750 people registered, we are going to be a big crowd—bring your name tag to get into sessions! You’ll also want to show up early at sessions, as some will fill up.
- Making it possible: We appreciate our generous sponsors, who have helped to make the day possible.
If you weren’t able to wrangle a spot at this year’s Summit, you can still join the conversation online. Join us on Twitter by using the hashtag #NSVFsummit.