The 2013 AACC Convention program includes the speakers below. Check this page often for updates and details.
Captain Mark Kelly
Commander of Space Shuttle Endeavour's Final Mission
Sunday, April 21, 2013, 12:00 p.m.
Moscone Convention Center
Twitter: @ShuttleCDRKelly
Mark Kelly is an American astronaut, retired US Navy Captain, best-selling author, prostate cancer survivor, and an experienced naval aviator who flew combat missions during the Gulf War. The winner of many awards, including the Legion of Merit, two Defense Superior Service Medals, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Kelly was selected as an astronaut in 1996. He flew his first of four missions in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle that he commanded on its final flight in May 2011. He has also commanded Space Shuttle Discovery and is one of only two individuals who have visited the International Space Station on four different occasions.
Already a celebrated American, Kelly became the center of international attention after the January 2011 assassination attempt on his wife, former US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. In their best-selling memoir, Gabby, the couple shares their story of hope and resilience with the world. The inspirational memoir has topped multiple best-seller lists, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon.com. Kelly and Giffords have captivated the nation with their story, appearing in an exclusive Diane Sawyer interview, and on Nightline and The Daily Show, among others, and have appeared on the covers of People and USA Today. Named on of the Esquire’s 2011 "Americans of the Year,” Kelly was also featured on the cover of and profiled in the magazine. He published his first children’s book in October 2012, titled Mousetronaut: A Partially True Story. In 2013, on the second anniversary of the Tucson shooting, Kelly and Giffords launched a political action committee aimed at curbing gun violence.
Kelly’s identical twin brother, Scott, is also an astronaut who served as commander of both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. They share the distinction of being the only siblings who have traveled in space.
With 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft, 375 aircraft carrier landings, 39 combat missions, and more than 50 days in space, Astronaut Mark Kelly is one of our country’s most experienced pilots.
A sought-after keynote speaker, Mark Kelly is an American hero who inspires others to be their best while remaining true to their core values. He exemplifies leadership, the importance of teamwork, and courage under pressure.
Sal Khan
"Reinventing Our Education Future"
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 5:00 p.m.
Moscone Convention Center
Twitter: @KhanAcademy
Sal Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and not-forprofit organization. He has produced over 2,600 popular videos elucidating a wide spectrum of concepts, mainly focusing on mathematics and the sciences, in his home. His official channel, Khan Academy has attracted more than 80 million views.
Khan was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to immigrant parents from Barisal, Bangladesh, and Calcutta, India. Khan was valedictorian of his high school class and attained a perfect score in the math portion of his SATs. Khan holds three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: a B.S. in mathematics, a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In late 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin, Nadia, in mathematics over the Internet using Yahoo!’s Doodle notepad. When other relatives and friends sought his tutelage, he decided it would be more practical and beneficial to distribute the tutorials on YouTube where he created an account on November 16, 2006. Their popularity on the video-sharing website and the testimonials of appreciative students prompted Khan to quit his job as a hedge fund manager in late 2009 to focus on developing his YouTube channel, Khan Academy, full time.
His videos proved popular, attracting on average more than 20,000 hits each. Students from around the world have been attracted to Khan’s concise, practical and relaxed teaching method.
Khan outlined his mission as to “accelerate learning for students of all ages. With this in mind, we want to share our content with whoever may find it useful.” Khan also plans to extend his free school to cover topics such as English and history. Programs are being undertaken to use Khan’s videos to teach those in isolated areas of Africa and Asia. He delineated his motives: “With so little effort on my own part, I can empower an unlimited amount of people for all time. I can’t imagine a better use of my time.”
Khan has been featured on the PBS NewsHour, CNN, NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio. In 2009, the Khan Academy received the Microsoft Tech Award for education. In 2010, Google provided $2 million to support the creation of more courses and to enable the Khan Academy to translate its core library into the world’s most widely spoken languages. In October 2010, Khan was tied for #34 in FORTUNE’s annual “40 Under 40,” a list recognizing business’s hottest rising stars and recently listed at number 7 on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. In March 2011, Khan was invited to speak at TED by Bill Gates who claims to use the Khan Academy Exercise Software to teach his own children.