Featured Speaker

Jean Darnell is a Texas librarian who advocates for students via her blog, AwakenLibrarian.com, where she shares lessons, anecdotal stories, professional development & curriculum aimed at improving the role of librarians and the communities they serve. She has an in-depth knowledge of technology spanning more than two decades, including a recent focus on Generative AI. Jean is a 2024 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow in the field of Artificial Intelligence. She is also the past-chair of the Texas Library Association (TLA) Intellectual Freedom Committee and has served on a variety of national and local committees. You may see her serving as a keynote speaker, panelist or subject matter expert on everything related to education, librarianship or technology. Jean’s a graduate of Baylor University & the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She’s worked in conjunction with the Library Journal, TCEA, TLA, ALA, NCAAL (National Council of African-American Librarians), JCLC (Joint Council of Librarians of Color) and NAMLE (National Association of Media Literacy for Educators). In her leisure time, Jean enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling, anything related to Interview With a Vampire (both the book and the show), and spending time with her sons.