AI is rapidly changing how students learn, how educators teach, and how people prepare for their careers. But the conversation around AI in education often gets stuck between two extremes: excitement about what the technology can do and concern about what it might replace.

In this interactive session, Julia Dixon will explore what AI means for the future of education and how educators and leaders can think about it in a practical, human-centered way.

Participants will discuss how AI is changing the skills students need, the role educators play when information and content are increasingly easy to generate, and why uniquely human abilities such as critical thinking, self-awareness, communication, judgment, and storytelling may become even more important in an AI-powered world.

Rather than focusing on specific tools or platforms, the session will encourage participants to think more broadly about how education can evolve alongside AI and how we can prepare students not simply to use AI, but to thrive in a world shaped by it. Participants will walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of how AI is changing education and the future of work
• Insight into the skills that may become more valuable as AI capabilities grow
• A framework for thinking about AI as a complement to human intelligence rather than simply a replacement for human work
• Ideas for helping students use AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and effectively
• Questions educators and leaders should be considering now as they prepare students for an AI-powered future.

Guest Speaker:

Julia Dixon is the Founder and CEO of ESAI and the creator of Identity Intelligence™, pioneering new ways for people to understand their strengths, communicate their value, and create opportunity in the age of AI.

A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and Shark Tank entrepreneur backed by Mark Cuban, Julia has become a leading voice at the intersection of AI, education, Gen Z, and the future of work. Her insights have been featured by Forbes, WIRED, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, AdAge, and other major outlets, and she has spoken at events including ASU+GSV’s AIR Show and Betaworks’ AI Camp.

Before founding ESAI, Julia worked as a college advisor, where she saw firsthand how access to personalized guidance could dramatically shape a student's opportunities. That experience inspired her to build technology that makes high-quality, ethical AI guidance accessible to students regardless of background.

Today, ESAI has reached more than 20 million people and empowered over 750,000 students to discover and communicate what makes them stand out. Julia's work explores one of the most important questions facing education today: as AI changes how we learn and work, how do we ensure that technology helps people become more distinctly human, not less?

Personal Leadership & Development Host:

Gina Mahfood

Gina Mahfood is Chief of Staff and Revenue Operations at ESAI, an AI-powered platform helping people better understand, articulate, and communicate who they are across education, career, and life transitions.

Working across sales, operations, product, marketing, and customer experience, Gina spends much of her time in the spaces between teams, turning big ideas into executable plans and making sure the right people, processes, and information stay connected.

Her background spans operations, revenue strategy, higher education, study abroad, and student support, giving her a unique perspective on both building a growing startup and understanding the people it serves.

At ESAI, Gina helps drive go-to-market strategy, build scalable operational systems, support university and organizational partnerships, and translate company goals into measurable outcomes. She is especially interested in how AI can help people navigate major transitions without losing the human context, identity, and experiences that make them who they are.

Gina is based in Arizona and is known for bringing equal parts structure, curiosity, and practicality to messy problems, especially the ones that don't fit neatly into anyone's job description.

Co-Host: 

Amy Henry, Executive Director Office of Global Education, Georgia Tech 

Amy Henry leads Georgia Tech’s Office of International Education (OIE), which collaborates with faculty to lead student-centered internationalization. OIE serves the campus through education abroad, international student and scholar services, and on-campus internationalization. Amy is a Georgia Tech Culture Champion, Co-Chair of the Provost’s Diversity Council, and a certified Bold and Inclusive Conversation Facilitator. Amy serves international and higher education through volunteer leadership in professional organizations such as the Executive Committee of the Global Leadership League and the planning committee for the Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education. Amy is an alumna of the College of William and Mary (B.A. Sociology) and Georgia Tech (M.S. International Affairs).