About Us

Ryan has been a magazine and newspaper editor for 22 years, with the last 16 covering a variety of bases for CDW’s family of tech magazines. As Editor in Chief, he works on developing editorial strategy and is always on the lookout for new writing talent and sharing great stories with the IT world. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, biking and obsessively following Iowa Hawkeye sports and Cubs baseball.

Ricky has been a content creator for more than 10 years with a strong background and emphasis in digital content and interactive storytelling. For more than 10 years, Ricky has helped shape the evolving integrated content strategy for EdTech, shepherding the program through different redesigns and the emergence of several new content types. When not immersed in all things education and IT, Ricky indulges his deep love of comic books, super heroes and video games.

Nicole Scilingo is the executive editor of EdTech magazine. With an extensive background in content strategy and content creation, she loves nothing more than seeing a good story come to life. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys dabbling in creative writing, painting and DIY projects.

Kelly is a long time reporter, writer and editor, with extensive experience in features, corporate communications, trade publications and content marketing. As a mom to three teenagers, Kelly is especially excited about her role as associate executive editor, as higher education is never far from her thoughts. Outside of work, you can find her either carpooling her kids, watching the Chicago Cubs with her husband or with her nose in a book.

Rich Bird is a senior editor for EdTech magazine. He was most recently editor in chief of Crain National at Crain Communications. Before that, he spent more than 20 years reporting and editing local news with stops at the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. When he’s not chasing after his kids or following the White Sox, he curates a collection of hundreds of signed baseballs.

Akeya Dickson has worked as a content strategist, reporter and editor for more than a decade. She’s written feature and news stories spanning local, business, style and cultural topics for The Washington Post, Reuters, The Chattanooga Times Free Press and other publications. In addition to content creation, her career includes serving as a communications director for various government agencies and in the nonprofit space. Akeya vacillates between hopping on and off planes, attending festivals and all manner of outdoor activities and burrowing in her hobbit hole for the three R’s: reading, recharging and reality tv.

Taashi Rowe is the managing editor for EdTech: Focus on K-12. Before joining EdTech, she spent 18 years writing stories for and about the residents of Montgomery County, Md., patients of Johns Hopkins Medicine and members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She got her first official writing gig at the Takoma Voice while studying journalism at the University of Maryland College Park. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area where she enjoys walking nature trails, gardening and trying out vegan recipes from YouTube.

Rebecca is an editor for EdTech: Focus on K–12. Driven by curiosity and a passion for learning, she has written for many industries, with work appearing in WeddingWire, Modern Luxury DC and Pro Construction Guide. She has also helped bring numerous podcasts to life. When she’s not working, this Pittsburgh native, now Maryland resident, enjoys hiking, D&D and planning her next getaway.