Michael Whitaker, who goes by Whit, is a sustainability and innovation leader with a strong academic background in civil and environmental engineering, capped by a PhD in sustainable urban infrastructure. He founded a company dedicated to measuring urban sustainability, which was acquired by ICF International in 2012. Currently, Whit leads organizational innovation and AI strategy at ICF, a $2 billion professional services and technology firm. Beyond his corporate role, he authors a Substack newsletter, Navigating AI Transitions with Whit, where he explores how AI affects...
Michael Whitaker, who goes by Whit, is a sustainability and innovation leader with a strong academic background in civil and environmental engineering, capped by a PhD in sustainable urban infrastructure. He founded a company dedicated to measuring urban sustainability, which was acquired by ICF International in 2012. Currently, Whit leads organizational innovation and AI strategy at ICF, a $2 billion professional services and technology firm. Beyond his corporate role, he authors a Substack newsletter, Navigating AI Transitions with Whit, where he explores how AI affects work, parenting, and education. Based in Boulder, Colorado, he’s also an engaged parent and advocate for integrating AI responsibly in schools. Whit will be doing a workshop on Navigating AI: Build Your Parent Playbook. Turn uncertainty into clarity, confidence, and empowerment On Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Register Here: https://parentengagementnetwork.org/navigating-ai/
In this podcast, we talk about:
- How society is adapting to AI.
- Leaning into a rapidly changing and unknown area.
- Conversations to have with your children.
- Timeless lessons you are already teaching your children that can be applied to AI.
- Three important conversations you need to have with your children.
- Maintaining creativity, mastery and grit in learning.
- Staying grounded in family values.
- The real risks to children and how to navigate them.
- Understanding what you are gaining and giving up when you use AI.
- Waypoints that can serve as boundaries for engaging with AI.
- Applying what you already know works to talk to your children about hard things.
Resources:
- Substack Newsletter: Navigating AI Transitions with Whit
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwhitakericf/
- Email: mbwhit10@gmail.com
Direct links to some of Whit’s most relevant Substack posts:
Back to School with AI: The Clarity Crisis: school AI policies are buried - if you can't explain it in 30 seconds, you've already lost parents and students.
The AI Values Gap, Reflected: AI policies should be grounded in the broader values of the district / school and their educational philosophy - not isolated to a technology issue.
The AI Policy I Shared with My School Board: here's the language I shared with BVSD's board for an overall policy that would balance preparing our students to engage with AI with teacher autonomy in the classroom.
Beyond AI Literacy: A Future-Ready and Protective Framework for Schools - starter ideas including model language for how to integrate AI into cross-disciplinary academic standards to prepare students for the AI-infused world they are entering while protecting their developing minds by building AI-oriented lessons into social emotional learning domains.
How to Start Changing the AI Dynamics in School this Fall - a couple ideas for in classroom ways to start integrating AI.
Wake Up with Whit: Preparing Kids for AI While Protecting Their Developing Minds: a ten minute coffee-talk style video post discussing the imperative for schools to both Prepare kids for the AI future and Protect their developing brains with examples of how some teachers are doing this well now.
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