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Kristina Ishmael
Kristina Ishmael
01:08

Kristina Ishmael

U.S. Department of Education

Austin, TX USA

"Life is short—you’ve got to go where you want to go."

Career Roadmap

Kristina's work combines: Education, Government, and Accomplishing Goals

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Day In The Life

Deputy Director, Office of Ed Tech

I develop national EdTech policy that enables everywhere, all-the-time learning and supports digital equity.

01:26

Day In The Life Of A Deputy Director For The Office Of Ed Tech

My Day to Day

I spend a lot of time in meetings speaking with all of my colleagues about upcoming policy. I also manage a team of seven people, so I spend time checking in on them and their projects. I make connections with people throughout the field of education. I speak with educators and ed tech developers to stay grounded in what's happening throughout the field in order to better inform the policy that we make.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Business and Mass Communications

    Arizona State University

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education

    Peru State College

  • Graduate Degree

    Reading and ESL

    Concordia University, Nebraska

  • Graduate Degree

    Instructional Technology

    Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology

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Life & Career Milestones

I've taken a lot of twists and turns

  • 1.

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in business and mass communications from Arizona State University.

  • 2.

    I moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and had my first interview for business in the private sector, during which I had a massive panic attack—my body was telling me that I was not where I needed to be.

  • 3.

    I decided to pivot and found a post-baccalaureate program where I pursued early childhood education and elementary education.

  • 4.

    After graduating, I worked as a classroom teacher and then transitioned to the state level, where I worked as a state ed tech director for the state of Nebraska.

  • 5.

    In 2016, I moved to Washington D.C. to work at the federal level as a fellow, supporting states and school districts as they moved away from traditional materials and into open education resources.

  • 6.

    I spent a little bit of time working in the nonprofit sector but knew I wanted to go back into the administration.

  • 7.

    In 2021, I rejoined the U.S. Department of Education and am currently leading the Office of Education Technology.

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