We are thrilled to share the results of our recent voting and celebrate the incredible dedication of our fellowship participants and voters alike.
First, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took the time to participate in the voting process. Your engagement and thoughtful consideration of each team’s work demonstrates the collaborative spirit that makes our educational community so strong.
We are thrilled to share highlights from the Riverbat Experience 3.0 and the results of the product voting! It was an inspiring event filled with energy, innovation, and collaboration alongside ACC colleagues, students, community members, and industry partners.
Product proposal rankings from the 2024–25 Transform_Ed cohort are:
1st Place – VIDA: Virtual Intelligence Driving Achievement
Student Affairs Team: Renee Burrell, Oddett Garza-Weatherspoon, Youssef El-Hage, Luc Jones, David Zuñiga, McKayla McCarty, Hilda Gartzke
2nd Place – Take Flight: A New Framework for Engaging at ACC
TLED Team: Dr. Cori Coburn, Andrea Heckler, Manal Mahmoud, Dr. Shih-Ting Lee, Bethany Swoveland
3rd Place – Student Success Through Future Ready Skills
Instructional Team: Dr. Samuel Echevarria-Cruz, Laura Jacob, Silke Morin, Gary Mott, Nathan Pasley, Erica Wright
However, as we reflect on this year-long fellowship journey, we want to emphasize something far more significant than any single placement. Each of our three teams has demonstrated remarkable growth, innovation, and commitment to student-centered approaches throughout this transformative year. The real victory lies not in rankings, but in the profound learning experiences, collaborative relationships, and educational insights that have emerged from each group’s unique journey.
Our fellowship participants have engaged in deep reflection, tackled complex educational challenges, and developed innovative solutions that will benefit students for years to come. They have pushed boundaries, supported one another, and remained steadfast in their commitment to putting students at the center of everything they do.
The process itself has been transformative. Through monthly workshops, peer collaboration, action research projects, and continuous reflection, each team has contributed valuable perspectives and practices to our broader educational mission. The relationships built, skills developed, and insights gained represent the true measure of success.
While we celebrate today’s results, we recognize that all of our participants are winners. Their dedication to student-centered learning, their willingness to take risks and try new approaches, and their commitment to continuous growth exemplify the very best of educational leadership.
Thank you again to our voters, our cohort participants, and everyone who has supported this journey. Together, we are creating lasting change that puts our students first.
Congratulations to all of our Transform_Ed cohort participants – your efforts to help advance the ACC North Star are truly immeasurable! I appreciate you for having the Courage to Go First!
In collaboration,
Dr. Monique Reeves
Futurist / Executive Vice Chancellor, Office for the Future
Keynote:
Todd McLees founded Humanskills.AI to equip millions to flourish in the Agency Economy. Partnering with more than 50 community colleges and universities, he delivers practical frameworks like Human-First AI and AI Agility. More than 25,000 people from every background have completed the AI Agility Challenge and are in better position to thrive as AI continues to advance.
Todd’s priority is clear: help people build healthy, sustainable AI habits while sharpening the human capabilities that endure. His programs prove that, when applied with intention, AI elevates critical thinking, value creation and well-being.
A LinkedIn Top Voice in AI (2023, 2024) and Harvard Business Review contributor, Todd shapes the dialogue on human potential in an AI-driven world. He advises the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Achieving the Dream, and Wisconsin’s Higher Education Regional Alliance.
He champions community colleges as the fastest path to broad, inclusive AI readiness—an idea powering every initiative at humanskills.ai.
Contact
If you have any questions about the Riverbat Experience, please email riverbatexperience@austincc.edu.
Receive Professional Development for Attending the Riverbat Experience 3.0
Participation in the Riverbat Experience 3.0 can earn you professional development credits. To self-report your credit in Workday, follow the instructions below:
- Log into Workday.
- Navigate to your “Profile” by clicking your picture or initials in the top right corner and clicking “View Profile.”
- Select “Career” from the left navigation menu.
- Move to the “Training” view by clicking the corresponding tab.
- Scroll down to the Add button and enter the details of your professional development.
