Jody Sailor, Sr. Director, Academic Strategy & Innovation

Jody Sailor serves as the Senior Director of Academic Strategy and Innovation at Instructure, where she focuses on developing and implementing strategic initiatives to transform teaching and learning. With over two decades of experience in education, her previous roles as Senior Director of Product Management for the Canvas portfolio, adjunct instructor, classroom teacher, special educator, coach, and district leader have shaped her passion for creating inclusive, technology-driven learning environments. Jody holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction from Southern Utah University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with dual endorsements in general and special education from Westminster University.

 

Michal Yakubov Ed.D. | Sr. Account Manager,  Instructure

Michael Yakubov is currently a Senior Account Manager at Instructure working with over 100 institutions in the New England, New York, Delaware, Washington D.C., and New Jersey regions to establish best ed-tech practices and resources planning for academic success. Prior to joining Instructure, Michael spent 12+ years in higher education as an Assistant Director of Admissions, Executive Director of a Business School, and Dean of Enrollment Management and Strategy. Spanning experience at small liberal institutions, mid-sized state universities, and community college settings has helped Michael align the values coveted by institutions when evaluating digital tools for student and faculty success.

Moreover, Michael possesses a Doctorate of Education from Wilmington University, focusing his dissertation on institutional closures and fiscal resource planning, outside of higher education. Lastly, Michael owns a small consulting company called The Resumaniacs, where he provides services in career empowerment and self motivation.


 

Sam Yaghoubi, Sr. Vice President of Partnerships K16

Sam Yaghoubi is the SVP of Partnerships at K16 Solutions, where he helps colleges and universities modernize data management, migration, archiving, and system integrations through the company’s Scaffold platform. He works closely with institutional leaders to align student-information systems, learning-management systems, and enterprise applications with long-term compliance, accreditation, and data-governance needs. Drawing on extensive experience in higher education, contract negotiation, and enterprise technology transitions, Sam has supported large public systems and private institutions in implementing scalable solutions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen data culture.