In this segment, Dr. Edmund Clark explains why critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and adaptability remain essential as technology advances and the workplace changes. He discusses how educators can help students question, evaluate, and apply information—including AI-generated content—to prepare for the future of work.

To listen to the full interview, visit:

https://www.reflectiveteachinginadigitalage.com/workforce-readiness

What does responsible, system‑wide AI adoption look like in higher education? In this episode, we explore how a large public university system is integrating AI thoughtfully and equitably. Dr. Edmund Clark, Chief Information Officer for the California State University system, explains why CSU implemented system‑wide access to ChatGPT, how they’re balancing equity, privacy, and academic integrity, and why industry partners say critical thinking and other durable skills matter more than ever in an AI‑driven workforce.

Bio:

Dr. Edmund Clark is Chief Information Officer for the California State University Office of the Chancellor, where he leads technology strategy for the nation’s largest four-year public university system. In this role, he has helped shape CSU’s first comprehensive systemwide IT Strategic Plan, co-developed the CSU AI Strategy, advanced the AI Commons Hub and AI Workforce Acceleration Board, strengthened cybersecurity through the creation of the Cyber Fusion Center, and oversaw the largest PeopleSoft cloud migration in U.S. higher education. His leadership has also helped launch shared services that are saving more than $20 million annually for reinvestment in strategic priorities. Across a career spanning multiple universities, Dr. Clark has led digital transformation efforts that support student success, research, and institutional effectiveness. He serves on the boards of 1EdTech, CENIC, and the National Center for Teacher Residencies, teaches information systems at Cal State Fullerton, and previously was recognized as Minnesota’s nonprofit CIO of the year.

In this episode, we talk with high school English teacher and teacher-educator Casey Cuny about what it really means to teach in the age of AI. Rather than treating tools like ChatGPT and Gemini as shortcuts, Casey uses them as thought partners—to design lessons, differentiate for diverse learners, and deepen classroom dialogue. We explore why today’s students are “digital natives but not AI natives,” how intentional guardrails and AI literacy can prevent an emerging “AI divide,” and concrete ways AI can actually make learning more human, relational, and equitable, from English learners to students who have struggled for years in traditional classrooms.

Bio:

Casey Cuny is the 2024 California Teacher of the Year and the CEO and Founder of Whitai.app. Cuny teaches 10th grade honors English and Senior mythology and folklore at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, California. He serves as English Department Chair and the school’s Instructional Coach. He also teaches at National University in the Masters of Education program working with teachers from all over the country, and he was recently awarded the 2025 National University Academic Excellence Delphi Award. He is also currently working with ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton School of Education as a consultant and developer for their new California Teacher Credential program. Casey’s education software—WHIT, was recently selected as a 2026 Semifinalist for the Milken-UPenn Business Competition and was also selected as a 2026 Transcend Fellow.

In 2025, he spoke at the Open AI Forum as well as the Open AI Academy about the power of AI in the classroom and more broadly in education. In 2026, he delivered a keynote at Boston College about how AI can amplify UDL in STEAM. His passion lies in transforming classrooms through relationship-driven rigor, purposeful use of AI, and equity-focused instructional design.

References:

https://www.caseycuny.com/

https://www.whitai.app/

https://genai.calstate.edu/about/workforce-acceleration-board/casey-cuny