In Conversation with Shannon Penrose | Senior Vice President at American College of Education, Edu Unlocked Podcast

Shannon Penrose

Guest

Shannon Penrose serves as Senior Vice President of Education Solutions at the American College of Education (ACE), where she leads the institution’s initiatives to address the nation’s ongoing K–12 teacher recruitment and retention challenges. She is shaping ACE’s strategic direction to develop tailored workforce solutions that empower educators, strengthen school districts, and support the future of teaching.
Penrose brings extensive experience as both an educator and education innovator. Before joining ACE, she served as Managing Partner at Learning Ally, where she partnered with Los Angeles Unified School District—one of the largest in the U.S.—to design and implement a multi-year professional learning series focused on effective reading instruction. She also collaborated with MIT to conduct an efficacy study on Learning Ally’s Audiobook Solution, demonstrating measurable improvements in student reading engagement and performance. Penrose’s research and passion lie in equity and inclusion, multilingual education, and building educator capacity, all of which align closely with ACE’s mission to elevate teaching and learning nationwide.
Under her direction, ACE is expanding its efforts to design market-driven, customized academic and professional development solutions that directly support K–12 educators and district leaders. Her expertise in education innovation, teacher training, and workforce development positions ACE as a key player in advancing sustainable solutions for the nation’s teacher pipeline.
Key Highlights:
1. Senior Vice President of Education Solutions at American College of Education (ACE).
2. Leads ACE’s national initiatives to address K–12 teacher recruitment, retention, and workforce development.
3. Former Managing Partner, Learning Ally; Partnered with LAUSD and MIT on major literacy initiatives.
4. Passionate advocate for educational equity, teacher development, and student achievement.
5. Driving ACE’s mission to design innovative, scalable solutions that support K–12 educators and districts nationwide.

Ashish Fernando

Host

Founder & CEO, EDMO
Ashish Fernando is the visionary founder and CEO of EDMO, a revolutionary educational technology platform that's transforming how people learn and grow. With over 15 years of experience in education and technology, Ashish has dedicated his career to making quality education accessible to learners worldwide. Before founding EDMO, Ashish held leadership positions at several prominent EdTech companies and worked as an educational consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Master's in Computer Science from MIT. Ashish is a frequent speaker at educational conferences and has been featured in publications such as EdTech Magazine, Learning & Development Today, and TechCrunch. He's passionate about the intersection of technology and human potential, believing that the right tools can unlock extraordinary learning outcomes for everyone. Under his leadership, EDMO has grown to serve over 100,000 learners globally and has partnerships with leading educational institutions and corporations. Ashish continues to drive innovation in personalized learning, adaptive assessment, and educational analytics.
Key Achievements:
1. Founded EDMO in 2019, now serving 100,000+ learners globally
2. Named 'EdTech Innovator of the Year' by Learning Technology Awards 2023
3. Featured speaker at Global Education Summit 2024
4. Published researcher in educational technology and learning analytics
5. Advisor to multiple EdTech startups and educational initiatives