Dr. Joan McGettigan currently holds the position of Director of Educational Technology at The Windward School in New York, an institution dedicated to serving students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. In her previous role as the Director of Instructional Technology for Darien Public Schools in Connecticut from 2019 to 2023, she demonstrated leadership as the Director of Educational and Information Technology at North Broward Preparator, an Apple Distinguished School.

With a foundation in classroom teaching, Dr. McGettigan holds master's degrees in Elementary Education and Educational Technology, along with a doctorate in Instructional Leadership. She is recognized as an ISTE Certified Educator, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Educator, and Apple Learning Coach.

During her tenure at Darien School District, Dr. McGettigan was entrusted with overseeing Technology Education and Libraries, managing a team of 14 individuals. Her responsibilities encompassed budgetary oversight, curriculum development, alignment, professional development leadership, and provision of curricular support. Noteworthy achievements under her leadership include guiding the district-wide council in formulating a Future Ready Technology Plan and establishing a successful K-12 robotics program.

Darien schools, serving approximately 4,500 students, consistently rank among the top 5% of school districts in the state. Dr. McGettigan acknowledges the complex task of meeting the diverse needs of both teachers and students, particularly emphasizing the challenges posed by the confluence of the pandemic and advancements in artificial intelligence. Her passion lies in fostering collaborative partnerships to create effective, engaging, and outcome-driven learning environments.

Reflecting on her role, Dr. McGettigan identifies the most rewarding aspect as facilitating innovative and creative teaching methods through partnership with  stakeholders including students, teachers, parents, administrators, foundations and the board of education. Recognizing the evolving landscape of education, she emphasizes the importance of advocating for academic driven goals, especially in the face of emerging challenges.

For those aspiring to similar positions, Dr. McGettigan advises a careful and empathetic approach, advocating strongly for the needs of students and teachers while being adaptable to steer necessary changes. Her expertise has been shared at national conferences, including ISTE, FETC, and NSU Teachers of Tomorrow, and her work can be followed on Twitter at @drmcgettigan.

Sarah has spent over twenty-five years leading education innovation in curriculum and pedagogy in independent schools. During that time, she was a classroom teacher and advisor, department chair, technology director, and an academic dean at three North Carolina Independent schools. In just three schools, Sarah still worked in environments that included boarding and day, K-12 and just high school, single gender and co-ed, faith-based and secular philosophies. She currently serves as the Senior Director for the Association for Academic Leaders, a professional association dedicated to supporting those in academic leadership roles in growing in the competencies that empower them to further their schools’ growth in meeting their missions.

Sarah has a BA from Duke University and an M.Ed. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Sarah resides in Raleigh, NC with her spouse and two children.