About the Event

Join host Zac Chase for a compelling conversation with Jaycee Holmes and Blanca Burch from the Spelman Innovation Lab (SIL) as they unpack the evolving intersection of technology, higher education, and workforce readiness.

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries overnight, how do we ensure students are not just technical builders, but critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers? Anchored by an arts and humanities perspective, the team at SIL is redefining tech education—moving beyond rigid code syntax toward human-centered design, product management, and creative thinking.

What We’ll Explore:

• Innovation vs. Disruption: How hands-on makerspaces, bootcamps, and co-curricular programs are transforming traditional higher education.

• The AI Balance: Integrating emerging AI tools into the classroom while sharpening students' critical thinking and analytical literacy.

• Career Preparedness: Preparing students for modern tech and tech-adjacent roles through cross-disciplinary learning and project-based experience.

• Empowering Faculty: Creating supportive opportunities where educators across all disciplines can tinker, experiment, and adapt to the rapid pace of change.

About the Participants

Jaycee Holmes (Guest)

Jaycee Holmes, C'2016, serves as director of Spelman Innovation and the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab, and as assistant professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Spelman College. She is also a co-founder of CodeHouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that prepares students of color for the technology industry.

Through her leadership at both CodeHouse and Spelman College, she develops initiatives and curricula focused on broadening participation in emerging technologies, game development, and computer science using makerspace pedagogy and project-based curriculum. Her work has been recognized by the inaugural Obama Foundation Leadership Program, the Afrotech Future 50 in the Changemakers category, and Forbes 30 Under 30. Holmes remains passionate about ensuring all voices are represented at the product development table.

Blanca Burch (Guest) 

Blanca Burch is a creative technologist, educator, and AI Innovation Strategist at Spelman College, where she helps faculty, staff, and students thoughtfully navigate the evolving role of artificial intelligence in higher education. A former Technical Lab Manager at the Microsoft Garage, she brings experience in emerging technology, instructional design, and hands-on learning to her work developing AI courses, workshops, research initiatives, and campus strategy. Her research and creative practice explore human-centered AI, cultural representation, and equity, including In the Context of Curls, a community-centered study examining how generative AI depicts Black women’s hair. A Spelman alumna and graduate student in Instructional Design and Technology at Georgia State University, Blanca is committed to helping communities move beyond simply adopting AI toward actively shaping how it is understood, taught, and used.

Zac Chase (Host) 

Zac Chase, M.A., M.Ed., is the Global Lead of Scaled Programming for Google for Education. He served as a digital equity advisor for the U.S. Department of Education, where he led the development of the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan. He has also worked as a classroom teacher, adjunct instructor, and a school & district administrator.

Chase’s publications include the 2024 and 2016 National Educational Technology Plans, “Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education," and “School 2.0: Building the Schools We Need.” He holds a master’s degree in education policy and management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Nova Southeastern University, and a bachelor of arts degree in English and secondary education from Illinois State University.