Chris Chism is a nationally recognized educational leader, speaker, and innovator with 30 years of experience in public education. As Superintendent of Pearl Public School District, he has become known for his forward-thinking leadership, strong command of data-driven decision making, and pioneering work in artificial intelligence within K-12 education. A former baseball player at the University of Florida and a graduate of Mississippi State University, Chism has built a reputation for blending practical school leadership with emerging technology in ways that directly benefit students, teachers, and school systems. Under his leadership, Pearl Public School District has earned an “A” district rating in each of his three years as superintendent. His work has also contributed to major gains in student outcomes, including significant improvements in graduation rates and one of the highest graduation rates in the state for students with special needs. His leadership has been recognized repeatedly, including being named Administrator of the Year twice by Pearl Public School District, being honored as the Outstanding Administrator and Practitioner of Distinction by the University of Mississippi School of Education, and he was selected as a member of the 2019 East Mississippi Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. In October of 2025, Chism was selected as the 2025–2026 Mississippi Association of School Administrators State Superintendent of the Year. Chism is widely regarded as a leading voice in the use of artificial intelligence in education. Over the last 26 months, he has delivered more than 270 presentations in 17 states on AI across education, business, and industry, and he has trained administrators and teachers in 71 school districts across Mississippi during the last 20 months. He has served as a keynote speaker across the country and has provided AI training for the Mississippi House and Senate, the Mississippi Governor’s Office, and companies in Washington D.C. and New York. He has also spoken at the Mississippi Capitol to a joint task force on AI, served on a panel in Washington, D.C., appeared on radio and television to discuss practical uses of AI, and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Education Committee in April 2025 on the use of AI in K-12 education.  More recently, Chism was invited to present multiple times for Dell Computers at Dell World in Las Vegas in May of 2026. Chism has not only spoken about innovation but also implemented it at the district level. Pearl Public School District has been operating its own AI server for the past 18 months and develops across 10 different language models with both administrators and teachers. The district was one of the first, if not the first, school districts in the nation to employ an on-premises AI server. In recent months, Chism has worked extensively with OpenClaw, building a personal network of AI agents to create websites, applications, and design solutions for finance, business, and education. In addition to his leadership in public education, Chism is also a founder of Ascended Intelligence, a new Florida-based AI company designed as an all-in-one solutions platform for school districts. His work continues to center on helping organizations use artificial intelligence in practical, responsible, and highly effective ways. At the core of all his work is a deep passion for students, teachers, and the future of education. Chism believes AI should be used to expand opportunity, improve efficiency, and equip people with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Christa Alexander is a passionate advocate for rural telecommunications with a strong focus on government relations and public policy. A fourth-generation leader in her family’s business—Arriva, a Fail Family Company—Christa is continuing a legacy that began in 1923. She currently serves as President and CEO, working alongside her sister, Ali, to deliver high-quality broadband services to rural communities.

An attorney by training and a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, Christa rejoined the family business in 2012 as In-House Counsel. Since then, she has combined her legal expertise with her deep commitment to rural development, working to ensure small-town America has access to the connectivity it needs to thrive.

Christa’s industry leadership is well recognized. She was selected as a Director of NTCA- the Rural Broadband Association representing the southeast district in 2025. In 2024, Christa joined the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology as a Board Director. She is a past President of the Broadband Association of Alabama and Mississippi (formerly the Telecommunications Association of the Southeast). Prior to joining the NTCA Board of Directors, she served on the NTCA Government Affairs Committee, and as a Director of the NTCA Political Action Committee. She has also served on the Mississippi Public Service Commission’s Connect Mississippi Committee and is a Past President of the Georgia Telephone and Broadband Association.

Her efforts have earned her national and regional recognition, including NTCA’s Grassroots Advocate of the Year in 2020. In 2021, she was appointed by Governor Tate Reeves to the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Board of Directors. The Mississippi Business Journal named her one of its Top 50 Distinguished Business Women in 2023, and she is also a recipient of the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s Top 40 Under 40 award.

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Outside of her professional work, Christa is dedicated to animal welfare, serving on the board of the Mississippi Spay and Neuter Initiative. She enjoys spending time at the beach with her dogs and she attends Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Laurel.

Dr. Julie Jordan serves as Senior Advisor for AI and Data Governance at Mississippi State University, leading campus-wide strategy for responsible, high-impact adoption of artificial intelligence across teaching, research, and enterprise operations. She focuses on building internal capability, establishing clear data governance and stewardship frameworks, and advancing practical AI use cases that improve student success, research productivity, and operational effectiveness. Previously, she served as Vice President for Research and Economic Development overseeing MSU’s research enterprise as it grew to more than $340 million and strengthening the university’s role in innovation-driven economic development. Dr. Jordan also serves on the Mississippi AI Regulation Legislative Taskforce and the Mississippi AI Workforce Council. She holds degrees from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Brian W. Hopkins currently serves as Deputy Chief Information Officer for Academic Technology at the University of Mississippi, where he is responsible for the UM Office of Information Technology's efforts in Artificial Intelligence.  A two-time Ole Miss graduate, Brian's academic specialty is in computer simulation of chemical phenomena, especially intermolecular forces. From computational science, he transitioned into high-performance computing and then into his current role.  In addition to AI, he bears primary responsibility for data warehousing, HPC, and all technology in direct support of the teaching, learning, and discovery missions of the University.

Clay Pounds is the Associate Director of Technical Services & Information Security Officer at the University of Mississippi. Over more than two decades at Ole Miss, his career has evolved from frontline IT support into information security leadership, helping shape the university's cybersecurity program. Clay has led initiatives including institution-wide multi-factor authentication, AI-driven email security, and 24x7 managed threat detection. In his role as Information Security Officer, he partners with technology leaders and stakeholders to develop practical, risk-based security solutions that support organizational goals while enabling innovation and collaboration.

Jim Martin is the Associate Vice President for Corporate Engagement and Economic Development for the Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University.  In this capacity, he leads efforts to develop relationships with corporations that foster and enhance joint research and development partnerships with industry and Mississippi State University.  In close cooperation with the Vice President, he helps to develop the Thad Cochran Research, Technology, and Economic Development Park and works closely with Research Centers and other university units to maximize their involvement in economic development. 

Jim graduated from Mississippi State in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program.  He also holds master’s degrees in management from Webster University and Strategic Studies from Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.  Jim served in the Air Force for nearly 32 years in a wide range of financial management leadership positions, where he developed in-depth experience linking strategy, requirements, and resources across the full spectrum of operations.

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 At the time of his retirement from active duty in October 2017, Major General Martin was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Leading a professional staff of 130 personnel, he was the chief financial advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff and senior leadership. He and his team formulated and executed annual budgets of more than $132 billion that supported readiness, contingency operations, research, development, testing, procurement, and personnel requirements.  He was also the lead advocate for annual budget requests to the U.S. Department of Defense and Congressional Committees, and chaired budget review boards of Air Force operational, personnel and support programs.