Dr. Christina Gardner-McCune is a trailblazer in K-12 AI Education and an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. She is a co-founder and co-chair of the AI for K-12 Initiative (AI4K12.org) where she led the development of the Five Big Ideas in AI and national AI guidelines that empower students to understand, evaluate, and create artificial intelligence technologies. These resources are shaping AI curricula, standards, and learning pathways across the globe.

Christina is dedicated to building AI Teacher and Student Capacity through her AI for Georgia (AI4GA) and AI for Middle School Scale-up projects. To date, she and her team have worked alongside educators to co-develop an AI middle school curriculum and equip over 100 teachers and 2800 students with the skills needed to become AI-enabled professionals.

Dr. Gardner-McCune was recognized as a 2023 CSTA Hero and 2022 AAAI/EAAI Outstanding Educator —honors that celebrate her relentless commitment to inspiring the next generation of AI and computing professionals. Christina isn’t just preparing students and teachers for the future—she’s helping them shape it.