Center for Social Impact Strategy

Our February speaker is Betty Chandy, Director for Technology Integration and Learning at Catalyst at Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE). Learn more about the talk below and register at https://bit.ly/SPEAK26. See you online! 🖥️

Talk Description: Artificial intelligence is woven into our daily lives - from the maps that guide us, to the recommendations we see while shopping, to the systems that quietly help us make decisions. This session will begin with a grounded introduction to what AI actually is, followed by a look at traditional machine learning systems and the ways they’ve improved everyday experiences. From there, Betty will explore the transformative moment marked by the launch of ChatGPT and the rapid rise of generative AI and other technologies reshaping how people study, work, and collaborate. Betty will close with an education‑focused lens on the benefits, risks, and emerging challenges of AI, and what it all means for a sector committed to social impact.

What you can learn during this session
Understand how AI systems (both traditional machine learning and newer generative models) shape everyday experiences, from navigation and online shopping to workplace and learning environments.

Differentiate between traditional machine learning and generative AI, gaining clarity on how the launch of tools like ChatGPT transformed how people study, work, create, and solve problems.

Identify key opportunities and risks of AI in education and social impact contexts, including implications for equity, access, creativity, assessment, privacy, and responsible use.

Speaker’s Bio: Betty Chandy, Ed.D. is the Director for Technology Integration and Learning Design at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, where she leads work that connects learning sciences, online instruction, and emerging technologies to support educators and school systems. She oversees the Virtual Online Teaching (VOLT) and Experiences in Applied Computational Thinking (EXACT) certificate programs, which prepare teachers to design meaningful and accessible learning experiences for diverse classrooms.

We are excited to announce our virtual session on November 25 at 3pm titled "Impactfully Leading Beyond the Numbers," featuring CSIS alumna featuring Susan Ní Chríodáin a CSIS Alum. Register now at bit.ly/sprk24 ! We look forward to seeing you there!

In the social impact space, where metrics and data drive decisions, it is crucial to remember that numbers don’t make decisions – people do. And our emotions play a role in decision-making, whether we acknowledge it or no

During the November virtual session, Susan will explore the vital connection between emotions and organizational performance, highlighting how understanding our body and brain's interconnections can positively influence people, performance, and impact. Just because feelings and emotions are invisible or intangible doesn’t mean they should be ignored. We are all emotional beings, and accounting for our emotions can increase our impact as leaders and help our people and organizations thrive.

Speaker Bio- CSIS alumnus, leadership coach and facilitator Susan Ní Chríodáin, sits at the nexus of business and emotion. Susan founded Beyond the Numbers to revolutionize workplaces. An award-winning chartered accountant hailing from the Big 4, her career spans three continents and a range of diverse leadership positions in a wide variety of commercial and non-profit operational, project, and financial roles in Europe, Africa, Asia, in-person and remotely. She is the author of the recently published bestselling Leading Beyond the Numbers: How Accounting for emotions tips the Balance at Work, where she reveals how to reintroduce humanity into the workplace for improved engagement and fulfillment, benefiting both individuals and organizations. She hosts the popular podcast Life Beyond the Numbers, which invites listeners to discover insights on how to have a more fulfilling work-life.