Natalie Lao

Natalie Lao is a distinguished leader with extensive experience in technology and education. Currently serving as the CEO and Executive Director of the App Inventor Foundation since February 2022, Natalie Lao fosters global empowerment through app development. Additionally, as an Individual Specialist for UNESCO's AI & the Futures of Learning project since May 2023, Natalie Lao contributes expertise in education technology. Prior experience includes co-founding ReadySet Technology, Inc. as COO, where innovations in dataflow were developed, and an engineering program manager internship at Apple, where Natalie Lao led a cross-functional team for iPhone production verification. Previous roles also include an associate product manager internship at Google and a project management internship at GE Power & Water, where achievements included significant productivity gains. Natalie Lao holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence as well as master's and bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.