Speaker+Information


 * Michael Wesch** -


 * Dr. Rick Oliver** - Rick Oliver 

Dr. Rick Oliver is the founder and CEO of American Sentinel University, an online university offering degrees in information, business and healthcare enrolling over 1,000 students in masters, bachelors and associate programs. Previously, he was a professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management where he taught strategy and global management. Today you will see firsthand why Rick received the Outstanding Professor Award and the Dean’s Teaching Award.

The author of seven books and numerous book chapters and journal articles about management, technology, and education, Rick has lectured around the world on these topics.

Prior to his academic career, Rick was Vice-President of Marketing at Nortel Networks. He serves on several corporate boards and served as Chair of the Board of Directors of SymmetriCom, Inc., a NASDAQ technology company. He has consulted for JP Morgan, Proctor and Gamble, American Express, and IBM among others.

A native of Canada, Rick holds a bachelor of science from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York. Rick’s two daughters are Harpeth Hall graduates, and he served on the Board of Harpeth Hall in the 80’s and was Chair of the Board from 1989-1991. He currently serves as an Honorary Member of the Board of Trustees.


 * Dr. Linda Colburn** - linda.colburn@gmail.com

Dr. Linda Colburn brings to us a wide range of educational experiences. She began her teaching career as a first grade teacher in rural Tennessee. Since then she has worked in both public and private elementary and secondary schools, including several years as a technology integrationist at Harpeth Hall School, and as a researcher and teacher at the university level. Linda is currently an assistant professor with the College of Education at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Linda, who has her PhD from Vanderbilt University, has a special interest in instructional technology at the K-12 level.

Because of her unique and varied experiences, Linda has an exceptionally astute, research-based sense of teaching and learning in the 21st century. What might the educational landscape look like 20 years from now? How can our schools more easily adapt to the rapid changes taking place in the world? How should we be reshaping the face of education to better prepare our students for their futures? Linda's views on the needs of today's students can help to lead our conversations on the shifts necessary in the roles of students, teachers, and schools in the future.

Linda is a teacher, a consultant, a researcher, and above all a lifelong learner dedicated to exploring the future of teaching and learning. She understands the need to deal with the rapid changes taking place in our students' world and how our schools need to adapt to these changes. Linda's message today? The future is now!