Yong Zhao, PhD, is an influential education scholar and a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He has received numerous awards and has published more than 100 articles and nearly 40 books, including Fix the Past or Invent the Future and Catching Up or Leading the Way.

Zhao previously served as the presidential chair, associate dean, and director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the International Academy of Education.