Mr. Brett Roer

Brett Roer is an international keynote speaker, facilitator, and thought leader on artificial intelligence, innovation, and ethics in education, and the CEO of Amplify & Elevate Innovation. His work focuses on keeping humanity at the center of education in the age of AI, helping education leaders use AI to improve outcomes while strengthening relationships, increasing clarity, and making values-driven decisions. Brett serves as the Senior Director of AI, Innovation, and Professional Development for CITE, New York State’s largest provider of graduate-level educator preparation programs. In this role, he leads AI leadership development and professional learning across New York City Public Schools and districts statewide, supporting principals, teachers, students, and families through human-centered, policy-aligned initiatives. His work includes leadership academies, whole-staff AI literacy professional development, community listening sessions, student voice initiatives, family workshops, and targeted systems work focused on instructional coherence, multilingual communication, and chronic absenteeism. Brett’s work sits at the intersection of AI literacy, leadership clarity, and community voice. In collaboration with The Rithm Project, he has facilitated The AI Effect Game across multiple states with thousands of educators and students. This large-scale, interactive experience helps communities surface beliefs, tensions, and priorities around AI in teaching and learning and has become a catalyst for districts developing shared AI guidance, playbooks, and policies rooted in community values. Brett serves as a facilitator for the ISTE + ASCD GenerationAI Community of Practice, a national collaboration supporting educators and leaders as they navigate generative AI through equity-centered, human-focused approaches. Before launching Amplify & Elevate Innovation, Brett spent sixteen years in New York City public schools as a teacher, college and career advisor, and principal. While serving in the Bronx, he helped lead an approximately 40 percent increase in graduation rates and a 50 percent increase in College and Career Readiness in four years, driven by instructional rigor, leadership development, and deep listening to students, families, and staff. Brett contributes his expertise through national service and advisory roles. Brett participated in the Prioritizing Students with Disabilities in AI Policy roundtable hosted by the Educating All Learners Alliance and New America, engaging with policymakers and education leaders on inclusive, human-centered AI policy. He serves as a volunteer review panelist for the U.S. Department of Education’s Your AI Horizons Challenge, evaluating AI-focused high school innovation proposals. Brett is also a board member of the New York City Affiliate of NYSAWA and an Advisory Council Member for the University at Albany School of Education’s Academy for the Advancement of Teaching, Leadership, and Schools, contributing to educator preparation and leadership development. Brett has presented globally at conferences including ISTE, ASU+GSV, EdTech Week NYC, and the Global Back to School AI Summit. He also co-hosts the AmpED to 11 Podcast, highlighting innovation and AI through conversations with educators, researchers, and system leaders shaping the future of learning. A proud husband and father of two elementary-aged children, Brett believes that while AI will transform education, its future must be guided by ethics, community voice, and human connection.