Brett Roer

Brett Roer is the CEO and Founder of Amplify & Elevate Innovation, where he partners with schools, districts, and educational organizations to put humanity at the heart of AI in education. With over 16 years of experience as a teacher, advisor, and principal in New York City public schools, Brett helped spearhead a nearly 40% increase in graduation rates in the Bronx while developing his leadership philosophy centered on clarity, care, and community engagement.

Brett is the Lead Content Expert for ISTE’s AI Literacy for Leaders course and Lead Facilitator for ISTE’s 2025-2026 National Community of Practice for Building Leaders. He has co-hosted AI Summits across six states and served as Ohio Regional Director for The AI Education Project (aiEDU), where he assisted in drafting statewide AI policy. A nationally recognized keynote speaker, Brett brings a practitioner’s perspective to every conversation about AI in education — grounded in real schools, real families, and real communities.

AI, Education & The Future of Human Connection

Claire Zau—Partner and AI Lead at GSV Ventures, Stanford and UPenn graduate, former varsity fencer who’s lived in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and the Bay Area before landing in New York—has watched the AI education conversation evolve from the front row. She writes a widely-read newsletter at aieducation.substack.com, invests in the companies building the future […]

Rethinking AI’s Role in Teaching

Merissa Sadler-Holder has spent thirteen years in the classroom and seen education from the inside: the overwhelm, the burnout, the inbox full of emails about pedagogy and assessment. She’s also seen how one email—from an angry parent—became a teaching moment about how AI could help her respond with professionalism and clarity. That sparked something. Now, […]

The Nun Who Saw What Everyone Else Missed

What if educators are the only group that can push society toward the good AI future? Jeremy Shorr is a STEM consultant and Director of Digital Innovation at Ties and STEM Ecosystems. With 16 years in Ohio public education, he brings a problem-first philosophy to AI integration: start with what teachers hate doing and what […]

Where NOT to Use AI – Accountability Without Fear

What does it mean when policy disconnects from the classroom, and AI is forcing us to finally pay attention? Julia Fallon is the Executive Director of SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association) and has spent three decades navigating the intersection of education, technology, and policy. She calls it “the unglamorous middle”, the space where good […]

Parents Want to Be Partners, Not Informed Bystanders

Parents discover their teenagers are using AI in school, but they’re learning about it after decisions are already made. Jason B. Allen, National Director of Partnerships at the National Parents Union, isn’t interested in fixing a communication gap. He’s here to close a partnership gap. Jason brings 21 years in education as a certified teacher, […]

What If School Made You Love Yourself?

This week on AmpED to 11, Brett shares the mic with Sonn Sam, keynote speaker, equity champion, and national director at Big Picture Learning—for a raw, reflective, and radically human conversation about what happens when we stop asking, “Are you smart?” and start asking, “What are you passionate about?” Sonn’s journey begins as a square […]