MNTech

Winner: Tekne Exceptional Tech Leadership Award

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Last week was the 26th Tekne awards. Here is the website for it: tekneawards.org. It is Minnesota’s Premier Technology Celebration honoring the leaders and leading organizations who are fueling Minnesota’s tech-driven economy, with 15 Tekne Awards across 3 categories: Business Impact, Community Impact, and Individual Achievement. It is a celebration of the excellence and innovation within Minnesota’s technology ecosystem.

The 2024 Tekne Awards event was nothing short of incredible! Held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and hosted by the amazing Angela Davis radio show host on Minnesota Public Radio, the event was filled with brilliant technology leaders who are shaping Minnesota’s business ecosystem.


I am beyond proud to share that we did it! We brought home the Tekne Award (glass flame) for Exceptional Tech Leadership!!! 🏆

I say “we” because this achievement is not mine alone—it’s a reflection of the support of my wife and family, mentors, the tech community, and all the people who inspire me every day. Together, we’re driving change, sharing knowledge, connecting people, and creating opportunities for those who traditionally haven’t had a seat at the table in tech.

What made the evening even more special was having one of my sons, present me with the award.

I also want to extend a huge shoutout to the other exceptional nominees in this category: Greg Larson, Michael G. Wulf, Ed.D., Yanina Grinberg, Justin Grammens, and Amy Patton. This was a fiercely competitive category, and it’s truly an honor to be recognized alongside such impactful leaders.

Many of you I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with, and I look forward to finding ways to work with the rest of you. Your work is inspiring—let’s keep pushing boundaries and making a difference!

Also a congrats to all the other winners throughout the night! Here is a video with more pics from the award night:


A heartfelt thank you to the Minnesota Technology Association and the incredible team behind the Tekne Awards, including Jeff Tollefson, Ismail Ali, Keegan Carda, Ama Asantewaa, Lonni Ranallo, Piper Cleaveland, and everyone else who makes this event possible. Your dedication to fueling Minnesota’s tech ecosystem and supporting the next generation of technologists is truly commendable.

The future of tech in Minnesota is bright, and I’m excited to continue contributing to this amazing community. Let’s keep the momentum going!

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MN Computer Science Strategic Plan Finished

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📢 Six months ago, a coalition of esteemed technologists and educators united to establish the Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group, embarking on a journey to develop a comprehensive Computer Science Education Strategic Plan for all public K-12 and charter schools across the state. 💻 Throughout this six-month journey, we convened for five full-day meetings and workshops, undertaking two rounds of meticulous writing to synthesize our collective insights into the plan. The journey in posts:

#1 Working group started! – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7119683894882291713

#2 Plan draft done! – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/steveabuchanan_computer-science-working-group-update-activity-7159322360435634177-DglR

#3 Plan finished! – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7176989951132151808

Here is a summary of the effort:

📝 “Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group developed a state strategic plan for computer science, finalized in March, 2024, which describes ten recommendations for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota, as outlined in the Computer Science Education Advancement Act Minn. Stat. 120B.241 [2023]. The recommendations are aligned to the requirements outlined in the legislation, such as licensure, high-quality professional development, continuous improvement, and standards, among others.” 

Kudos to all of the amazing indivuduals in the working group:

  • Andrea Wilson Vazquez, Minnesota Department of Education
  • Wendy Robinson, Office of Higher Education
  • Katherine Anthony-Wigle, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
  • Alexandra Holter, Computer Science Teachers Association – MN Chapter
  • Steve Buchanan Microsoft, representative from the business community employing computer scientists or technologists
  • Greg Larson, Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech)
  • Mahmoud Aliamer, Science Museum of Minnesota, representative from a nonprofit organization working with students and teachers in computer science
  • Anthony Padrnos, Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA)
  • Tabitha Senty, Education Minnesota
  • Cassie Scharber, Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE)
  • Jennifer Rosato, CSforAll MN
  • • Sheri Levasseur, Pequot Lakes Public Schools, licensed library media specialist
  • • Erica Allenburg, Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA)
  • • Vic Dreier, SciMathMN
  • • Zhaawin Gonzalez, Tribal Nations Education Committee (TNEC)
  • • Jesse Kodet, Tribal Nations Education Committee (TNEC)
  • • High School Student, Under 1,000 student school
  • • High School Student, Over 1,000 student school
  • • Andy Olson, Hermantown Community Schools, K–5 teacher
  • • Kirsten Tetzlaff, Minnetonka Public School District, 6–8 teacher
  • • Indrayani LeMaire, Hmong College Prep Academy, 9–12 teacher
  • • Tika Kude, Wayzata Public School District, 9–12 CTE teacher

🙌🏼 It was an honor to contribute to this effort, one that will profoundly impact the youth of Minnesota for years to come. 🎉🎉 Yesterday, we partnered with the Minnesota Tech Association and the Raspberry Pi Foundation to commemorate the successful completion of this plan. Hosted at REM5 Labs in St. Louis Park, the event had great support, with a notable turnout of engaged individuals. Even had the chance to speak on a panel with Philip Colligan the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation! 🌟

📰 The next milestone involves publishing the plan to the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) Legislative Reports page, followed by its journey through the legislative process, with the ultimate aim of committing it into law.

You can download a PDF of the plan here:

Computer Science State Strategic Plan

🏛️This achievement marks just the beginning of the journey. Sustained dedication and the involvement of more volunteers will be essential to realizing the goals outlined in this plan. 💻

Stay tuned for further updates on the progression of our efforts. There’s much more to come around this initiative.

MDE Computer Science page:

https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/ComputerScience/index.htm

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Workforce for the Future of Work Tech Panel

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Recently (April 2021) I was invited to be a panelist during an event for the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County. At this event, we discussed how to leverage tech skills and the Ramsey County tech ecosystem to support a transformative workforce recovery. This panel was hosted by Tony Lusiba, WIB Tech Committee Chair.

The panelists included:

Some of the topics that were discussed

  • Trends to think about as we pivot our workforce post-COVID-19.
  • New skills that job seekers should have as companies move to hybrid models vs going back to the office 100%.
  • Technology enhancements employers should adopt to provide support for this new hybrid working model.

Here is a blog post about the event:

https://www.ramseycountymeansbusiness.com/workforce/workforce-news/p/item/34678/preparing-our-workforce-for-the-future-of-work-recording-now-available

Here is a direct link to watch the the recording:

Preparing our Workforce for the Future of Work panel discussion

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