Lauren Acree is a Research Associate at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation where she serves as the Policy Analysis and Professional Learning Lead. Currently, Lauren is the project manager for the Learning Differences MOOC-Ed and has developed content for the Leadership in Blended Learning program, contributed to the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan, and the State Leaders in Digital Learning Course. In the coming months, Lauren will work with the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Department of Education to facilitate the Future Ready initiative to district teams across the nation. Prior to working at the Friday Institute, she worked as a special education teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia and her Master of Public Policy from Duke University.