Annalies Corbin, PhD
Founder & CEO - The PAST Foundation
A National Leader in Innovation and Real-World Learning
Dr. Annalies Corbin is an anthropologist, researcher, speaker, and educational innovator known for challenging the boundaries between education, industry, and community.
As the Founder and CEO of the PAST Foundation, Dr. Corbin has spent over two decades leading one of the nation's most recognized organizations for connecting transdisciplinary research to the future of learning. She is widely known for her dynamic leadership style and her commitment to designing bold, real-world solutions that empower students and educators alike.
Annalies Corbin
Leadership at PAST Foundation
Under Dr. Corbin’s leadership, the PAST Foundation has become a national model for connecting research with practical innovation in education. As CEO, Annalies continues to lead PAST’s vision to link learning to life by creating meaningful, measurable, and future-forward experiences in education.
3.2 Million+
Students Served
24,000+
Educators Served
600+
Programs Launched
500+
Business & Industry Partners
120+
Programs Locations Nationwide
A Voice for Positive Disruption
Dr. Corbin is the creator and host of the widely popular Learning Unboxed podcast, which explores positive disruption in teaching, learning, and the future of work. Through insightful conversations with educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, she amplifies the ideas shaping the next generation of learning.
She is also the author of Hacking School: Five Strategies to Link Learning to Life, a practical guide to educational transformation. The book outlines five actionable strategies—student agency, culturally relevant education, mastery learning, transdisciplinary teaching, and problem-based learning—that help educators reconnect classrooms with real-world purpose.
Together, Learning Unboxed and Hacking School offer a clear, accessible path toward a more relevant, equitable, and empowered future of learning.
A Voice for Positive Disruption
Dr. Corbin is the creator and host of the widely popular Learning Unboxed podcast, which explores positive disruption in teaching, learning, and the future of work. Through insightful conversations with educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, she amplifies the ideas shaping the next generation of learning.
She is also the author of Hacking School: Five Strategies to Link Learning to Life, a practical guide to educational transformation. The book outlines five actionable strategies—student agency, culturally relevant education, mastery learning, transdisciplinary teaching, and problem-based learning—that help educators reconnect classrooms with real-world purpose.
Together, Learning Unboxed and Hacking School offer a clear, accessible path toward a more relevant, equitable, and empowered future of learning.
At the Intersection of Education, Research, and Industry
Annalies brings a unique lens to her work, grounded in the social sciences but always focused on applied impact. She is a sought-after speaker and advisor on transformative education, STEM integration, and workforce development.
Her contributions have been recognized nationally, including:
Daniel G. Roberts Award for Excellence in Public Historical Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology
Women in Design Awardee, Columbus College of Art and Design.
Columbus Business First BizTech Outstanding Technology Team Award, to PAST Foundation and JadeTrack for their work in creating the Energy4Learning Program
Columbus Business First BizTech Outstanding Non-Profit Service Award, in recognition of contributions made to a culture of technology leadership and innovation.
Clinton Global Initiative