Ron Houtman

Ronis a USAF veteran who brought the discipline and mission focus of military service into one of the most important fields there is: public education.

For 23 years across Kent ISD and Kent Career Technical Center, Ron has been at the intersection of education and technology - not as an observer, but as a builder. Today, as Director of Strategic Planning and Organizational Initiatives at Kent ISD and REMC 8 Director on the REMC Association of Michigan Board, he shapes how an entire region's educational infrastructure operates and evolves.

His most significant work may be one most people have never heard of: Ron serves as Project Manager for the Michigan Student Data Privacy Consortium, a free statewide service he helped establish to protect student data and eliminate the administrative burden on K-12 districts navigating complex vendor agreements. Across Michigan, school districts now operate with stronger protections and cleaner processes because of work Ron helped build from the ground up.

At Michigan State University's College of Education, Ron brings that same real-world weight to future educators as an adjunct instructor, preparing teachers to lead in technology-rich classrooms before they ever walk into one.

A longtime voice in the educational technology community, Ron has presented at MACUL and national ed tech conferences for years, and served on the MACUL Board - including as Conference Chair.

Underlying all of it is a conviction that has never wavered: technology is the great equalizer. When students learn to harness it with confidence and agency, it doesn't just change their academic experience - it changes the trajectory of their lives. Ron has spent 23 years making sure more students get that chance.