Stephen Laster

Stephen Laster is the Chief Executive Officer of Panopto, an AI-powered video learning platform, where he leads the company at the intersection of video, knowledge management, and education. An advocate for technology's role in human progress, he brings more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of education and enterprise transformation, combining deep expertise with pragmatic innovation to shape the future of formal and informal learning. Prior to joining Panopto, Laster served as President of D2L, and his career spans senior roles at McGraw-Hill Education, Ellucian, Harvard Business School, and Babson College where he led large-scale teams, developed category-defining products, and built platforms that have redefined how millions of learners and professionals experience education. His ed tech career began in the early 2000s, when he helped Babson College build one of the first blended MBA programs in the country. Stephen is committed to creating equitable learning opportunities and empowering educators and organizations to deliver scalable, learner-centered experiences. His work is shaped by the idea that technology succeeds when it helps people achieve meaningful goals, whether in the classroom, the workplace, or beyond. Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.