Dr. Joseph South is a national educational technology leader focused on evidence-based learning transformation. Joseph formerly served as the director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. As a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration, he was an adviser to the Secretary of Education. During his tenure, he developed national educational technology policy, formed public-private partnerships to assist state and local education leaders in transitioning to digital learning, expanded the use of openly licensed educational resources (OER), and worked directly with EdTech entrepreneurs, funders, and innovators.
Joseph was previously a design resident at IDEO where he helped shape The Purpose Project—designed to help young people understand their strengths while developing expertise in something they care deeply about to prototype their purpose. He is a strong proponent of the active use of technology by learners and nurturing purpose-driven expertise. Joseph currently serves as the Chief Learning Officer for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and leads his own consulting firm, Learning Accelerant.
He has led learning product development teams at startups, museums, nonprofits, corporations and higher education institutions.
He holds a doctorate in instructional psychology and technology from Brigham Young University.