Overview

Legacy apps are still running the show in most K–12 districts, but they’re slowing you down, draining resources and creating real security risks. Until now, modernizing them has felt out of reach: too expensive, too risky and too disruptive to daily operations.

That’s starting to change. By rewriting applications with modern architectures and using agentic AI to accelerate the process, districts can make systems AI-ready while aligning upgrades to the cyclical nature of K–12 — moving faster, with less risk and without interfering with the work of teachers, staff or students.

In this timely webinar, we’ll explore how K–12 districts can modernize applications in the cloud with minimal to no downtime and far less of an IT lift than you might expect.

You’ll learn:

Why legacy applications create growing risks in K–12, from security gaps to rising costs
Why modernization in the cloud, powered by agentic AI, is the best, least disruptive choice for K-12 systems
How agentic AI reasons, plans, and executes tasks on behalf of IT teams
How to prepare for the future of human-AI collaboration and understand the people side of agentic AI

Speakers

Annmarie Lehner

K12 Education Strategy Leader, Amazon Web Services

As the U.S. K-12 Education Leader at Amazon Web Services, Annmarie Lehner spearheads a team of Business Development Managers dedicated to shaping influential policies and engaging primary educational institutions in embracing cloud platforms. These efforts aim to drive cost reduction and foster innovation within school districts. Drawing from over three decades of experience in technology and leadership roles within K-12 public education, Annmarie previously served as the Chief Information Officer at the Rochester City School District for over a decade before joining AWS. Throughout her career, Annmarie has garnered national and regional accolades, including the 2018 NYS Leader in Education award and the 2019 Council of Great City Schools CIO of the Year recognition.

Richard Charlesworth

Global Leader for Data Engineering, Caylent

Richard Charlesworth is the Global Lead for Data Engineering at Caylent, where he helps public- and private-sector organizations modernize their data ecosystems and adopt next-generation AI capabilities on AWS. Prior to consulting, Richard spent over 15 years leading technology strategy and operations within the public sector, from local municipalities to statewide digital transformation programs. His passion lies in bridging technology and mission—helping organizations unlock the full potential of their data to deliver better outcomes for the people they serve.

John Flaherty

Co-founder and COO, Sembix

John Flaherty is a seasoned professional services executive with over 25 years of experience driving business process improvement and delivering measurable value through technology. As co-founder of Sembix, he is committed to advancing the democratization of AI across education and government sectors. In his role, John oversees Sembix’s daily operations, ensuring organizational efficiency and strategic alignment. He specializes in designing and implementing streamlined processes that enhance productivity and operational performance for both Sembix and its clients. John also manages the company’s AWS partnership and actively monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics to ensure Sembix is tracking toward its strategic and performance goals.

Ron Bergmann — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education

Ronald M. Bergmann most recently served as Vice President for Information Technology and CIO at Lehman College/CUNY. At Lehman, Ron and his team pioneered the use of analytics, automated major business processes, enhanced classroom technology, and opened the first virtual reality lab in the region. Lehman was cited as an exemplar in the 2018 Horizon Report for its innovative Lehman 360 digital platform. Ron is a fellow of the EDUCAUSE/CLIR Frye (now Leading Change) Institute and was named in 2017 as one of the nation’s top technologists, transformers, and trailblazers by the Center for Digital Education. Ron previously served as first deputy commissioner of New York City's information technology agency where he was selected by Government Technology Magazine as one of the nation's leading individuals redefining and advancing technology's role in government. 

Webinar

Modernizing Smarter: Tackling Legacy Apps in K-12 Without Disruption