Kenny Bae

Christian, Educator/Teacher, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Event planner, Inventor, Parent, Scientist, Startup, Technologist

Kenny Bae is an educational leader, innovator, and advocate for purpose-driven learning, dedicated to empowering students to become creators, problem-solvers, and leaders of the future. As Director of Innovation & Sustainability at The Avery Coonley School, Kenny leads initiatives at the intersection of STEAM education, sustainability, robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, computer science, makerspaces, and emerging technologies. Over the past three years, Kenny has helped lead students to two Green Ribbon recognitions and seven national awards, highlighting their innovation, environmental leadership, technological creativity, and commitment to solving real-world problems. These accomplishments reflect a philosophy that students should not simply learn about the future they should have opportunities to actively create it. Through robotics, sustainability research, engineering, coding, and emerging-technology initiatives, Kenny creates experiences in which students tackle authentic challenges and share their work beyond the classroom. His students have presented their innovations at national and international venues, including the FIRST World Championship, demonstrating that young people can make meaningful contributions to important conversations about technology, sustainability, and the future. Kenny's sustainability work has helped position The Avery Coonley School as a leader in environmental education and student-driven innovation. His work has included Green Ribbon initiatives, renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects, environmental research, climate and air-quality studies, and the integration of sustainability throughout the school's STEAM programs. He is particularly passionate about helping students use emerging technologies responsibly and creatively. His work with robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, computer science, 3D printing, laser cutting, and makerspaces gives students opportunities to move from consumers of technology to creators and innovators. He has presented innovative approaches to STEAM education, robotics, computer science, makerspaces, sustainability, and student learning at national events. Beyond technology and sustainability, Kenny believes strongly in giving students a voice. Through TEDx and other student-centered initiatives, he has created platforms where young people can communicate their ideas, share their discoveries, and inspire audiences beyond their school community. His work has been recognized by national organizations through numerous student and educational awards, including seven national recognitions earned with students during the past three years, as well as two Green Ribbon recognitions connected to sustainability and environmental leadership. Kenny believes that innovation has no age limit. When students are given the opportunity to imagine, build, experiment, collaborate, and lead, they can accomplish extraordinary things and help create a more innovative, sustainable, and hopeful future. Students should not simply prepare for the future; they should help create it.

I’m passionate about empowering students to discover their potential through the lens of their gifted abilities and learning differences. I had the privilege of founding and coaching a robotics team for students with learning differences, and for the past nine years, our team has been invited to present at the FIRST World Championship Robotics Conference. There, we have shared our students’ success stories and advocated for more inclusive STEAM education in robotics, technology, and innovation. Watching students transform what were once perceived as weaknesses into some of their greatest strengths continues to inspire me every day. Over the past three years, my work with students and our school community has contributed to two U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School recognitions and seven national awards, celebrating student-led innovation in sustainability, STEAM, robotics, environmental science, and emerging technologies. My work with students has also been recognized by Forbes Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, WGN, CBS, FIRST, Star Wars including Daisy Ridley TEDx, Amazon Future Engineer, the U.S. Department of Education, the Illinois State Board of Education, the National Science Foundation, and others. I believe students should not simply prepare for the future they should have the opportunity to create it, lead it, and make it better.

An idea worth sharing at a TEDx event could be an innovative concept or perspective that has the potential to inspire and positively impact individuals and communities. It should be a thought-provoking idea or solution that addresses a relevant issue or challenge in a unique and compelling way, offering insights, knowledge, or a call to action that can spark change, foster understanding, or promote personal growth. The key is that it should have the power to engage and resonate with a diverse audience, leaving them with a deeper understanding or a newfound motivation to make a difference in their lives or the world around them.

Educational Innovation & Future of Learning

I have been selected as a TED women scholar by the Skoll Foundation in 2021. TEDWomen is a conference about the power of women to be creators and change-makers. We all know that when it comes to global gender equity, there's still so much work to be done. After all, the playing field is far from level — and the past few years have seen so many women forced to step back or out altogether. It's time to reset, to rethink, to collectively imagine different ways forward. As such, this year's TEDWomen conference will joyfully celebrate those taking bold strides into the future, those working unapologetically to make big dreams become reality. Whether working directly on new models of equity and inclusion or blazing trails as pioneers within their own professions, this year's speakers demonstrate luminous new thinking and ideas designed to enchant, uplift and inspire us all.

Rapping numbers at a hot dog restaurant.