2024 Keynote Speaker Bios
Bill Carbone, Executive Director - TeachRock, Rock and Soul Forever Foundation
Bill Carbone is a seasoned leader and collaborator who believes that a culture of empathy and empowerment is the best route to create energetic, high-performing teams — like the group of quirky, brilliant minds he leads at TeachRock.Launched by E-Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, along with the Founders Board of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, TeachRock provides free, standards-aligned resources to help teachers, students, and families succeed.
The diverse TeachRock team operates at the intersection of educational equity and innovation – and Bill guides their mixed skill sets toward the goal of transformative change in school culture and student outcomes. They’ve begun to achieve this objective through open-source, high-quality instructional materials that fill classrooms with the stories, science and sounds of music.
Bill brings decades as a researcher, teacher, journalist and musician to his role. He created the PBS Soundbreaking and Beatles curriculum collections almost single-handedly during his first year and has since spearheaded exponential growth, reaching 10,000 teachers face-to-face on Van Zandt’s “Teacher Solidarity Tour,” leaning into distance learning and a 400% increase in usership during the pandemic, and establishing a school partnership team that brings TeachRock’s open educational resources to life in classrooms nationwide.
Bill has degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Jazz Performance and Wesleyan University in Ethnomusicology, in addition to his ongoing career as a rock, jazz, and reggae drummer and percussionist. He has also taught classes in music history, ethnomusicology and percussion at Central Connecticut State and Wesleyan Universities.
Today’s TeachRock Artist Council includes Erykah Badu, Common, Sheryl Crow, Peter Gabriel, Norah Jones, DJ Khaled, Skip Marley, Darryl McDaniels, Melle Mel, Margo Price, Rapsody, Gina Schock, Marty Stuart, and Black Eyed Peas' Taboo. More than 60,000 educators representing over 30,000 schools in all 50 U.S. states, England, Spain, Norway and elsewhere are registered with TeachRock.
John B. King, Jr., Ed.D., J.D., Chancellor - State University of New York
John B. King, Jr. is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States. As Chancellor, King and the SUNY Board of Trustees have established four pillars to guide SUNY's progress: student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility. Under Chancellor King’s leadership, SUNY has seen its largest operating aid increase in five decades, including double-digit percentage increases for every state-operated campus, the first operating aid increase for community colleges in nearly a decade, and dedicated recurring annual funding for expanding mental health services, services for students with disabilities, paid internships, and research, as well as addressing food insecurity. To advance SUNY's goal of an internship experience for every undergraduate and civic mission, Chancellor King has overseen the launch of the Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Internship Fund, the NYS FAFSA Completion Corps, the Climate Corps Internship Program, the Veterans' Enrollment and Support Internship Program, and the Empire State Service Corps (providing 500 SUNY undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in paid public service work for 300 hours over the course of a year). In fall of 2023, the System saw its first overall enrollment increase in a decade and hired approximately 700 faculty members across all disciplines at SUNY’s State-operated campuses.Before being appointed SUNY Chancellor, King served as president of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit, and Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to this, Chancellor King served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Upon tapping him to lead the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama called Chancellor King "an exceptionally talented educator," citing his commitment to "preparing every child for success," and his lifelong dedication to public education as a teacher, principal, and leader of schools and school systems.
His service in Washington, D.C. followed Chancellor King's tenure as New York State's first African American and first Puerto Rican Education Commissioner, a role in which he oversaw all elementary and secondary schools, as well as public, independent, and proprietary colleges and universities, professional licensure, libraries, museums, and numerous other educational institutions.
Chancellor King holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, as well as both a Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Peggy Riley, Vice President of Employee Communications & Engagement - Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a regional supermarket chain with 111 stores located along the east coast. The family company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 27 consecutive years, ranking #6 in 2024, and earned the #1 spot on the list in 2005.In 1990, Peggy Riley started as a cashier at Wegmans. Throughout her career, Peggy has held a variety of roles across employee relations, recruitment & talent programs, as well as project management for major change initiatives and community outreach programs. Since 2013, Peggy has been leading Wegmans’ employee communications and engagement strategies. She and her team provide strategic communications to deep-root and integrate Wegmans’ mission, values, and employee first philosophy to enrich the employee experience and deepen Wegmans’ values-based culture across 100+ locations in eight states. Her team also facilitates various listening programs and surveys to incorporate feedback from 54,000+ employees to drive innovation, continuous improvement, and high customer engagement.
Peggy holds a B.S. in Communications from the State University of New York at Fredonia and earned her M.B.A. from St. John Fisher University in Rochester.
Christopher White, Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Upward Mobility - State University of New York
In 2024, Chris White was named SUNY's first Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Upward Mobility, a key position established to advance one of SUNY's four priority pillars (student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility). He is responsible for providing strategic vision and leadership in creating and implementing workforce development initiatives, solidifying external partnerships, and ensuring seamless coordination across the SUNY System. He is also primarily responsible for implementing SUNY's goal of ensuring that all undergraduate students complete an internship or other high-quality experiential learning opportunity before earning their degree.White has extensive experience in workforce development, communications, and public policy, serving most recently as Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development at the New York State Department of Labor. There he led many significant initiatives, including modernizing workforce development systems and launching a statewide Virtual Career Center solution. He oversaw 95 career centers and a team of 1,000 employees. His career has included several other statewide outreach and education campaigns, including New York State's $15 minimum wage, closing the gender wage gap, subminimum wage, and workplace sexual harassment prevention. His work has focused on creating accessible pathways to career development, especially for individuals facing barriers to employment such as the long-term unemployed, veterans, and those with disabilities.
In addition to his Department of Labor service, White has a diverse background in marketing and media, having worked in strategic marketing and communications. He has developed extensive networks across industry, education and government. White holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Ithaca College.