The LearnLaunch Institute today announced the expansion of its board of directors, adding leaders in education innovation to its governing board. As of July 1, 2016, four new corporate board members will join the LearnLaunch Institute:

Dr. Paul Dakin -- Paul Dakin has served for 42 years as a teacher and educator, with the last 15 years as Superintendent of the Revere, Massachusetts Public Schools.

Michael Horn -- Michael Horn is the author and co-author of multiple books, white papers, and articles on education, including Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns and Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. Horn is principal consultant at Entangled Solutions, an executive editor at Education Next, and co-founder and distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.

Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc -- Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc is President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), the largest provider of online higher education in New England, one of the five largest in the country, and the first to have a full competency-based degree program (untethered to the credit hour or classes) approved by a regional accreditor and the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Vijay Kumar -- Vijay Kumar provides leadership for sustainable technology-enabled educational innovation at MIT. He currently leads Strategic Educational Initiatives as Associate Dean in MIT's Office of Digital Learning.

"We are thrilled to have great leaders in education innovation join the board of LearnLaunch Institute," said Eileen Rudden, Board Chair. We look forward to their guidance as we continue to focus on creating the possibility for personalized learning for all students."

LearnLaunch Institute is known for building community: It's fifth annual Across Boundaries conference will be held Feb 2-3 2017, at the Hynes Auditorium, and is expected to attract more than 1,000 educators, entrepreneurs, investors and edtech strategic players. LearnLaunch Institute hosts over 40 events annually on the topic of education technology, which attract over 4,000 people.

LearnLaunch Institute is also building knowledge. The recipient of a grant from the Gates Foundation, LearnLaunch Institute's MassNET project worked with 6 Boston Public Schools, 40 teachers and 1,100 students during the past school year, supporting teachers' expressed desires to move to more personalized learning for their students.

About LearnLaunch Institute

LearnLaunch Institute catalyzes a community that drives innovation to transform learning and increase achievement. Our education innovation ecosystem mobilizes educators, entrepreneurs, learners, investors, and industry affiliates. As a nonprofit, the Institute offers learning opportunities, supports services, and a school pilot network. We believe in expanding access to learning that is engaging, personalized, and effective. Edtech is a critical component of achieving this vision at scale. For more information, visit www.learnlaunch.org.LearnLaunch Institute is a part of LearnLaunch.

About LearnLaunch

LearnLaunch is dedicated to connecting, supporting, and growing the education technology ecosystem to drive innovation and transform learning. We are a vibrant community, delivering educational events, a selective accelerator program, and a collaborative co-working space. We are based in Boston, a world education hub. For more information, visit www.learnlaunch.com and follow LearnLaunch on Twitter at @learnlaunch.