Keynote Speaking, Coaching & Workshops
DR. JORGE VALENZUELA.
Jorge Valenzuela, PhD, is a respected education and performance coach, author, and speaker at Lifelong Learning Defined. He began his career in both information technology and education and is known for his rare ability to blend science with soul—drawing from his backgrounds in computer science, classroom teaching, family life, and instructional leadership.
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At Richmond City Public Schools in Virginia, Dr. Valenzuela helped advance districtwide instructional innovation that led all 50 schools to achieve full state accreditation by 2010—a systems-level success that continues to shape his approach today. A PhD graduate of Old Dominion University, his research focused on integrating computational thinking into K–12 instruction.
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These experiences directly inform the frameworks he’s best known for: the Instructional Innovation+ model for district and school leaders, PBL+ with AI Literacy for teachers, and the Blueprint for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for educators and executives.
As a faculty member with Old Dominion University, Corwin, Solution Tree, and ASCD, he supports students and schools in implementing high-impact teaching strategies that strengthen instruction and build leadership capacity.
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He is also a published researcher and host of the Lifelong Learning Defined podcast, where he shares actionable insights to help educators teach effectively and lead with purpose.
Awards, Accomplishments.
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In 2025, Jorge earned his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University.
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From 2007-2013, Jorge played a pivotal role within Richmond Public Schools' (RPS) curriculum and instruction team, actively driving instructional innovation through action research. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the dynamic team working closely with 50 schools, RPS achieved significant results, attaining full accreditation by the state of Virginia in 2010.
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Jorge is the 2021 awardee of ISTE's Making it Happen Award for his visionary leadership and empowering others to solve tough problems in education.
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In 2020 he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to the Virginia STEM Education Commission.
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In the 2019-2020 school year, Jorge has joined the Empowered Learner Magazine advisory panel for ISTE.
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In 2019 he was awarded ISTE's STEM Excellence Award.
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In 2018 he was awarded ISTE’s Computer Science Excellence Award.
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In 2018, he was the recipient of the 2018 Lynn Barrier Engineering Leadership Award for his contributions to STEM education in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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In 2018 Jorge and other education leaders from around the country attended Washington, D.C. to educate policymakers about the critical role of technology in transforming education at the EdTech Advocacy and Policy Summit. There Jorge and his colleagues led specific discussions on E-Rate, Title II and IV block grant funding, and net neutrality with policymakers.
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In 2016 he was awarded the Presidential Citation by the Virginia Technology and Engineering Educators Association for his leadership and commitment to providing professional development experiences that contributed to teachers' implementation of the engineering design process in Technology and Engineering Education classrooms across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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In 2017 he was the Emerging Leader honoree for the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
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In January 2017, Jorge participated as an expert panel member in the U.S. Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus briefing to discuss how federal policy can support the intersection of infrastructure and Career and Technical Education (CTE). Also, his statement is in the bipartisan CTE Excellence and Equity Act press release proposed to support the redesign of American high schools with more of a CTE focus.
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In 2007-2017, Jorge supervised the Technology and Engineering Education program at Richmond Public Schools for nine years. There he served school division priorities with STEM leadership projects that integrate and connect both academic and CTE K-12 classrooms to higher education and the workforce.
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In 2021-2022, Jorge hosted the SEL in Action podcast.
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