As education undergoes continuous digital transformation, these creators, collaborators and innovators are excelling as ed tech leaders.

Shannon Heston of Chicago Public Schools, Lana Nguyen of Poway Unified School District, in San Diego, Lacey Gosch of Judson Independent School District in Live Oak, Texas, and Shawnteé Cowan of Mansfield Independent School District in Mansfield, Texas, share their experiences as women in IT leadership.

Mareesa Nicosia is an independent multimedia journalist based in New York. In her work for The Atlantic, Wired, Hechinger Report and other publications, she investigates the experiences of marginalized youth in the U.S. and the policies that shape their lives. 

Mareesa Nicosia is an independent multimedia journalist based in New York. In her work for The Atlantic, Wired, Hechinger Report and other publications, she investigates the experiences of marginalized youth in the U.S. and the policies that shape their lives. 

When it comes to technology roles in K–12, women have traditionally been under-represented in leadership positions. But that gender disparity appears to be shifting. According to the Consortium for School Networking, 36 percent of K–12 IT leaders who took its 2022 leadership survey are women. This is an increase from 28 percent in 2019.

EdTech spoke with four women change-makers who shared lessons learned and innovations made on their journeys to the top.

Shawnteé Cowan is CTO of the Mansfield Independent School District in Mansfield, Texas, with 35,000 students. Lacey Gosch is assistant superintendent of technology at Judson ISD in Live Oak, Texas, with 24,000 students. Shannon Heston is executive director of IT at Chicago Public Schools, with 330,411 students. And Lana Nguyen is the director of educational technology at Poway Unified School District in San Diego, with 35,000 students.

Click the banner to find more inspirational IT leaders with this year's K–12 IT influencer list.

COWAN: When I was a teacher, I had a principal who mentored me, saw my leadership ability and helped me decide to go back to school for an administrative certification for educational technology and leadership. That was a pivotal piece.

The other piece is that while teaching, I had an opportunity to become a technology applications teacher and then an educational technology trainer; those skills helped me see the district as a whole. Understanding how campuses work, how to see goals and visions, and how technology is ingrained in the culture of a district were all critical for me to succeed in an IT leadership role.

GOSCH: I started out as a high school technology teacher. I taught more technical courses such as networking and telecom, but the technical side is not what I’d call my area of expertise. My strength is in the application of IT to curriculum and instruction. My current job encompasses both areas, and that requires a lot of trust between myself and my team. I don’t pretend to be the expert. I believe when you project yourself as the expert, you lose the collaboration of the team, and the efficiency of the department declines.

RELATED: Learn how to move into a technology role in your district.

HESTON: I came up through IT, starting in the private sector and then turning toward more impact-oriented roles. My experience as a project manager for technology projects is especially valuable in my current job; I rely on the nitty-gritty technology knowledge I gained when I dug into coding and testing.

As you rise up, you can use that knowledge to relate to your employees and make sure you’re asking all the right questions. If you’re troubleshooting an issue with an employee, you can support them by keeping the user perspective in mind every step of the way.

NGUYEN: I started out as a classroom teacher and became an educational technology coach/specialist supporting teachers before my current role. Here in Poway Unified, our IT department and our ed tech department work very closely together on all programs and initiatives. With my teaching background, I offer another level of support and perspective when implementing a new project or expanding purposeful technology integration.

It’s important to work hand in hand with IT to best support teachers in creating cultures and conditions to empower world-class learners.

COWAN: I was serving as CTO at Duncanville [Texas] ISD prior to March 2020, and we’d worked hard to set up a device refresh program and outline a multiyear plan to implement a one-to-one device program for the first time. After months of planning, our leadership team was close to implementing it; then the pandemic happened, and schools everywhere rushed to purchase equipment.

Every department was competing for financial resources, but since I had invested time up front in building my team, researching the tech and creating a detailed budget for the device refresh plan, district leadership prioritized it, and we were able to work together to put new processes in place in the midst of the crisis. Even though it was a challenge, it brought our team together.

DIVE DEEPER: Four influencers share their challenges, joys and reasons for working in ed tech.

GOSCH: I’d been in my role less than 30 days when our district was hit with a ransomware attack that led to a total network takedown. Managing the situation successfully came down to building trust and collaboration between staff and supervisors. I took over a technology department that previously operated as three separate entities with no superior officer to bring the team together. In working with the ransomware situation, I gathered individuals, not based on their titles, but based on who had the skills to successfully overcome the situation.

Taking this approach demonstrated to everyone that each team member was key to solving the problem, even if their role shifted to meet the need. Even my role went from manager to “doer;” for example, I showed I was there to collaborate by testing Wi-Fi hotspots and walking campuses alongside technicians. It’s about doing whatever it takes to get the job done. It’s one thing for a leader to say, “I’m here to support you,” but following through on that promise by taking action is extremely important, especially in a field dominated by men.

HESTON: When the pandemic started and schools closed, our team led the work to measure student engagement in the absence of a classroom experience. We stood up a new learning management system within a month, and to use it effectively, we had to develop new metrics to help us understand if chronically absent students were in trouble. Developing those metrics caused us to break down the question of what learning is in a thoughtful way.

The data, as well as tapping into our teachers’ perspectives, helped us target outreach to families during spring and summer 2020. It was a lot of door-knocking and phone calls to connect students to summer learning and just make them feel connected to their school community.

NGUYEN: I’m very proud of the work our district has done to reimagine our professional learning for all staff. When we couldn’t meet in person during the pandemic, we had to be innovative in how we provided professional learning for our teachers. By leveraging technology, we were able to offer voice and choice learning options for teachers, with self-paced options or prerecorded sessions. This enables us to meet teachers where they are, in the ways they need it the most.

COWAN: The phrase “you should aspire to be a chief technology officer” is typically not something you hear in education circles with regard to women of color or women in general. But having women in IT roles to show that it can be done and even encouraging others to get into these fields is a big deal. Mentoring current educators is essential, as is raising awareness of the opportunities that exist in IT for women.

GOSCH: I am a huge proponent of growing people from within districts. We should identify those people who are what I call the torchbearers — teachers who are enthusiastic about trying new things with technology. They’re the ones who carry the message for you that IT positions are attainable for educators. But leaders have to build systemic processes to support growth in the field through training and certification.

HESTON: My advice is, don’t be afraid to ask IT experts those “silly” questions; then listen deeply to what they say and channel that information into your next job. If you embrace the strengths and limits of your own expertise, you’ll show up with authenticity, and that will help you form collaborative, respectful relationships with new IT colleagues.

NGUYEN: Everyone has things to share that can make an impact on others. If you are interested in getting ahead in this field and you’re passionate about what you’re doing, then go for it. It’s important to have perspectives from diverse backgrounds and cultures so that we can make a greater impact for children.

READ MORE: K–12 CTO pushes for digital equity in leadership and learning.

If you are an educator interested in making a transition into K–12 IT or are ready to level up to CTO, check out these tips from women who have risen in the ranks:

Proactively seek out professional development. For many IT jobs, you will need to invest in an IT certification or an advanced degree.

Train other teachers. If you’re the teacher everyone asks for help with classroom technology, look for opportunities to step into a formal teacher-trainer role.

Find an educational technology mentor and shadow them on the job.

Remember that your teaching experience has value. You don’t have to know everything about IT. As an expert in instruction, curriculum or another area, you offer a valuable perspective.

Build trust. Spend time forging individual relationships, listening and building trust with people working with you or for you.

Collaboration is a must. The technology department shouldn’t operate as a silo. Get familiar with your district’s organizational model and infrastructure to understand how IT fits into the big picture.

The Benefits of Integrating Technology into Today’s K–12 Classrooms

Review: Okta Grants Access to Necessary Apps for Authorized Schools Anywhere

Visit Some Of Our Other Technology Websites:

Tap into practical IT advice from CDW experts.

Copyright © 2022 CDW LLC 200 N. Milwaukee Avenue , Vernon Hills, IL 60061