Richard Culatta, chief executive officer, for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Culatta brings vast experience in education policy, teacher preparation, educational technology and innovation to his role with ISTE. Culatta is a longtime ISTE member and a past recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award. Prior to joining ISTE, Culatta served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. As the director of the U.S. Department of Education Office's of Educational Technology, Culatta focused on efforts to expand connectivity to schools across the country and develop the National Education Technology Plan. Prior to his role with the Department of Education, Culatta served as an education policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. Culatta began his career in the classroom as a high school teacher. He holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish teaching and a master's in educational psychology and technology, both from Brigham Young University.