Shelley Thompson is the Emerging Technology Manager at the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, where she leads statewide emerging technology innovation initiatives. She was a project manager with the Center for Cyber Education, supporting the development and implementation of Mississippi’s K–12 computer science initiative (CS4MS). Shelley also was PI for a USAID project creating computer science curriculum for Uzbekistan and taught mathematics, STEM, and Exploring Computer Science. Shelley earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics education and is pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction focused on artificial intelligence in K–12 education.