April SSS - A Conversation on Tech and Education

Join us for a conversation on technology and education with Mohannad Arbaji (UWC USA '07) and David Hawley (Former Head of Pearson College) during a special edition of our SSS in April. Appetizers will be provided! 

Mohannad Arbaji

Mohannad is the founder & CEO of ChalkTalk (www.chalktalk.com), a SaaS platform that uses AI to power teacher-led ELA & math classes at school districts around the country. Districts who used ChalkTalk have been seeing gains in student outcomes up to 6x higher on official state tests compared to the control group in a fraction of the time.

Mohannad Arbaji grew up in Jordan where he attended the Jubilee High School for Talented & Gifted Students on full scholarship. At 16 years he arrived in the US alone to pursue a full scholarship at United World College USA, followed by a full ride at Brown University where he graduated with multiple degrees (Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Economics, and Business/COE). At Brown, Mo authored 4 academic textbooks; invented a device that converts solar, wind & mechanical energy into electricity for use by remote households; and was a recipient of the Karen T. Romer Research Award where he co-authored the EO100 (the first triple-bottom-line standard for oil & gas extraction, currently implemented in several oil fields in the Americas.)

As the son of a teacher, ChalkTalk is Mohannad’s second education company—the first one he bootstrapped from $300 to a franchise in 3 countries while still in college. Prior to ChalkTalk, Mohannad worked in banking (PwC - Deals, and EY - Transaction Advisory), management consulting, technical consulting, and software engineering in the big data space.

Learn more at: https://www.mohannadarbaji.com/

David B. Hawley

Global Education Leader, former head of Pearson College

David B. Hawley is a visionary leader in international education. With a career spanning continents, he has made a lasting impact on educational institutions worldwide including as head of school of the Lycee Francais in NYC, the International School of Geneva, Atlanta International School and of Pearson College for 9 years between 2006 and 2015. He also served as the Chief Academic Officer for the IB providing curricular leadership for more than 4,000 IB World Schools serving 1.5 million students in 155 countries.

David lives in Manhattan with his wife Lisa H. Weld, PhD and is the proud parent of Nico & Sophie, both UWC Alumni. He’s also a triathlete and has biked coast to coast across Canada, not once, but twice!

Your ticket goes to drinks and snacks so please make sure to get a ticket in advance! Mark your calendars, gather your friends (non-UWCers are always welcome!), and see you on April 16th at 6pm!