Clark Aldrich is changing the trajectory of education. As a leading analyst he founded Gartner’s e-learning coverage and jump-started the adoption of distributed learning by the world’s largest corporations. His research and projects on game-based and simulation-based learning launched education's gamification segment. He is the author of six books, including Unschooling Rules that empowered the trend of student-centric micro-schools. Now his work on Short Sims – short form experiential learning – is making educational media relevant for preparing students and employees to take leadership roles in a skills-based economy.​Aldrich’s visionary and change-agent status has been acknowledged through awards including numerous “Best of the Years”, a U.S. Patent, being highlighted in “top-of-the-profession” lists and cover stories by the industry's leading publications, his role as columnist for several magazines, keynoting, and being featured in hundreds of news stories including by New York Times, NPR, CBS, and ABC. He has been called a 'guru' by Fortune Magazine and a 'maverick' by CNN. Aldrich recently held Top Secret clearance for his work on the board of the National Security Agency (NSA), and he has guest lectured at the Army War College, the Naval War College, and FBI's Quantico. ​Aldrich has a degree in Cognitive Science from Brown University and rigorously splits his work between strategic and hands-on projects.​