Her Story
About Dani
Dani McAvoy is a professional with 11 years of experience in EdTech, following two years as a teacher. She earned her degree in Computer Science and Math Education from Bowdoin College in 2013, which launched her career in the field. After recently transitioning to a new company, she dedicates her time to strategic planning, gathering data to inform product development, writing proposals, and coordinating between engineering, design, and outward-facing teams. Her work supports K-5 schools, with increased teacher interaction during the school year. McAvoy identifies key challenges in EdTech as bridging fast-evolving technology, including AI, with the more deliberate pace of education shaped by governmental and political factors. She values leadership approaches modeled by effective teammates and leaders, drawing inspiration from discussions on acknowledging the whole person and helping teams understand the rationale behind decisions, as highlighted in a podcast featuring Brene Brown and Adam Grant.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dani
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I appreciate the modeling of great teammates or leaders that other people demonstrate. Through that I've learned what I want to do and not do as a leader. Recently I was listening to a podcast with Brene Brown and Adam Grant called The Curiosity Shop where they talked about leadership and how as a parent you don't want to be the one that says I told you so, and that applies to leadership too. You want people to understand the why. Approaches to leadership based in acknowledging a whole human, where people do their best work if they feel appreciated and supported.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In ed tech, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to blend a world where technology is fast-paced and changes rapidly with education which is not known for being fast-changing due to government involvement and politicalness. How to make something that can grow and change with new technologies like AI while supporting schools that may not be ready to move as quickly.
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