Presenters, Panelists
& Interviews
(alphabetical by first name)
Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge
Adeyemi Stembridge, PhD is an educational consultant specializing in equity-focused technical assistance. He is a coach and thought-partner to teachers and administrators with a particular interest in the design of culturally responsive systems and learning experiences for students. Dr. Stembridge has been a technical assistance provider in applied research centers at New York University, Teachers College (Columbia University) and American University in Washington, DC where he has worked directly with school districts across the country to develop strategies for closing achievement gaps and improving systems for equitable outcomes.
Dr. Stembridge has taught in K-12 schools and also at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is the author of the book, Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy (Routledge, 2020). He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from the School of Education, Teaching, and Health at American University, a Master of Arts degree from Old Dominion University in Literature, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Norfolk State University in English. His hometown is the Bronx, New York.
Sessions:
- The False Dichotomy of Social-Emotional and Academic Needs: Culturally Responsive Teaching Captures the Head and Heart
- Models in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Teaching Students Theme Through Family Narratives
Amy Mezni
Amy Mezni is a teacher-author specializing in ELA and Social Studies resources for grades 3 – 8. She taught in schools around the world for 20 years and homeschooled her son for middle school. Throughout her teaching career, she developed and taught using hands-on, integrated units. Amy earned her National Board Teacher Certification and won many awards for her engaging lessons, including Florida’s Economics Teacher of the Year.
Sessions:
- How to Create Engaging Integrated Units
- Struggling Students? Tips to Help Students with Undiagnosed Vision Processing Disorders
- Teaching Social Studies Without a Textbook
- How to Design Assessments to be Accessible to All Students
Ashlyn Ellsworth
Ashlyn Ellsworth is a creative and energetic 3rd grade teacher from Phoenix, Arizona. Ashlyn has been teaching for 14 years with experience in grades K-4. In addition to teaching full time, Ashlyn is also the creator behind The Creative Classroom. She enjoys sharing her creative classroom ideas with thousands of teachers around the world. Ashlyn’s teaching passions include classroom management, student engagement and social emotional learning. Ashlyn believes creative potential is inside every teacher and there are opportunities to help students be creative, engaged and happy every single day. You can connect with Ashlyn on her website The Creative Classroom or follow her on Instagram @thecreativeclassroom
Session:
Give Your Students What’s Best of You, Instead of What’s Left of You
Blake Brandes
With a Ph.D. in hip-hop and global youth cultures, Blake has spoken to over 300,000 students, parents, and educators around the world and presents Growth Mindset and Grit assemblies to help students Remix Their Reality.
He is also an award-winning beatboxer, rapper, and music producer who produced Number 1 radio songs in Europe and performed over 200 shows around the world, including with the composer of the movie Moana and the hip-hop musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel
Blake was the recipient of the Marshall Scholarship, one of the most competitive postgraduate awards in the world, and he regularly coaches young people on how to create lives filled with passion, resilience, and success.
- State of the Growth Mindset in 2020
- Three Powerful Strategies to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset
Brian Wiltgen
Brittany Washburn
Hi, I'm Brittany. I'm an educator obsessed with technology and passionate about teaching students 21st century skills. I do this by making and sharing teaching resources for elementary technology teachers, media specialists, tech coaches, and classroom grade level teachers. For this virtual conference, I'm sharing all of my best tech tips for upper elementary teachers. Join my Facebook Group to connect with other educators who love integrating technology.
Sessions:
- Digital Interactive Notebooks
- Tech Skills for Teachers
- Keyboarding Instruction That Works
Carol Davis
Carol Davis is a STEM Specialist for grades 3-5. Her teaching experience includes 30 years as a classroom teacher in grades 3 and 5. Carol is the teacher-author for her Teachers Pay Teachers store and her STEM blog, both called Teachers are Terrific.
Cassi Noack
Cassi Noack is an educator who is passionate about teaching and technology. She has years of experience as an upper elementary math teacher and instructional specialist. Her passion for the math workshop model and differentiated instruction led her to discover practical ways of transforming a traditional classroom into a place where students learn math alongside 21st century skills. She has helped thousands of teachers transition into distance learning over the last few months and is excited to show you how you can use some of these same strategies in your face-to-face classroom. You can find Cassi’s blog posts at Minds in Bloom.
Chanel Johnson
Chanel Johnson, also known as DcSTEMtastic, is the founder of BeSTEMtastic LLC. She is a K-12 Math and Science Program Specialist with Fulton County Schools in Atlanta Georgia. Additionally, she serves as a leader on the Fulton County Schools' Vanguard Team as an Instructional Tech Coach.
Her passion is showing stakeholders how they can integrate technology with current researched based instructional strategies and often leads professional development around implementation of content. She has conducted several professional developments in training coaches, educators, and instructional leaders. She has presented at ISTE 2018-2019, NSTA 2018-2019 and at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference just to name a few. She is also selected as ASCD’s Emerging Leader cohort 2019.
- Upgrade Yourself Using Screencast
Dr. Christian J. Anderson, Sr.
- Associate Professor
Morgan State University - School of Education -
Founder & Director, STEM Lab for Outstanding Professional development Experiences (S.L.O.P.E)
-
President, Association of Maryland Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMMTE)
- MSU Teacher STEM Initiative
Cindy Wong
Christopher James Reagan
Chris earned his B.A. in Drama at UC San Diego and his M.A. in Education from Nova Southeastern University. He spent twenty years appearing as “Mr. Reagan” in public schools in Pasadena, California, where he taught 2nd - 7th grade and wrote and directed plays for a K-8 arts school. Chris retired in 2018 and writes for television as well as his blog.
Claudio Enriquez
- single dad of 2 boys (12 & 15).
- a public educator for more than 30 years in California teaching grades 1, 2, and 3.
- taught graduate courses at the university level
- lead staff development in bilingual education, literacy and math
- past mentor teacher
- served as a Bilingual Resource Teacher, and K - 5 Literacy Coach.
- currently serving as a Math Coach (TK through 8th grade).
- Teacher-Author on Teachers Pay Teachers
- Blogger
- life-long Trekkie or Trekker! Live long and prosper!
Sessions:
- How to Teach an Online Math Lesson Using Virtual Manipulatives
- Setting Up Google Classroom for a New School Year - The Dos and Don'ts
Courtney Prugh
Courtney is an elementary art teacher and certified Arts Integration Specialist in Texas. Before her years teaching art she was a self-contained elementary classroom teacher, and worked with teachers in museum education. As an art major who has been in the classroom and the art room, she strives to bring art integration and STEAM to a wider audience.
Daniel Lopez
Daniel Lopez is tasked with leading the selective college advising and coaching efforts for high school seniors across 46 high schools as a senior manager for the EMERGE program within Houston ISD. EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing youth from underserved communities to attend and graduate from the nation’s top colleges and universities.
Daniel’s journey into the education space began with his service as a Teach For America corps member where he served as an 8th grade English teacher in Spring Branch ISD. His professional growth and perspective on school district functions also grew with his election and service as the at-large representative for the Spring Branch District Improvement Team.
Daniel graduated from Boston University in 2013 with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science. He originally hails from San Bernardino, California. Daniel is passionate about creating access and breaking down barriers which hinder first-generation, low income students from matriculating to selective colleges.
Dieuwertje Kast
Dieuwertje Kast is the STEM Programs Manager for the University of Southern California’s (USC) Joint Educational Project. Through her efforts, she has provided STEM instruction to over 26,000 underrepresented minority students, 600 educators, 20 school principals, and countless community members. She coordinates supplemental science programs for K-5 across a gamut of schools through the Wonderkids,Young Scientists Program, and the Medical STEM Program.
Jacqueline Ortiz
Jeanine Schneider
Jeanine is the creator behind Think Grow Giggle and has been teaching upper elementary students for over 16 years. When it comes to teaching, Jeanine includes her love of reading and writing into every lesson. She loves teaching writing and having the opportunity to bring out the reader and author in each of her students. Jeanine holds a BA from Western Connecticut State University in American Studies and Elementary Education and an MA from Fairfield University in Educational Technology.
In addition to being a certified elementary teacher, she is also a certified Reading Specialist for grades K-12. Living on the north shore of Long Island means that her free time is spent at the beach where she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and spending time with her husband and three children. You can find her shop, Think Grow Giggle, on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Jesse Kraft
Jessica Ivey-Smith
Jessica Ivey-Smith, creator of Ideas By Jivey, is passionate about making literacy accessible for all students using research-based strategies. Students learn best through content integration and in-context skills, and her goal is to help teachers deliver instruction with these best practices. With 10 years of classroom teaching experience in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, a Master of Education degree with a Reading Endorsement, a Specialist degree in Teacher Leadership, and 8 years of professional development delivery experience in ELA and Social Studies, she helps teachers worldwide lighten their load with quality lessons and experiences! She is currently creating curriculum, sharing ideas, and mentoring other teachers, as well as continuing to deliver professional development sessions on utilizing mentor texts and mentor sentences in the classroom.
Session:
Mastering Mentor Sentences
Kathie Yonemura
- Tried & True Bookmaking Strategies to Engage Student Writing
- Interactive Notetaking Task Stations
Kelsey Sorenson
Kelsey is the owner and founder of WifeTeacherMommy.com. She decided to stay home with her children while substitute teaching on the side after having her first child. It was then that she realized the need for teachers to have quality emergency sub plans. Having been on the teacher and the substitute side, she was in the unique position to create sub plans that met the needs of both teachers AND substitutes. Since then, she has put over 5 years into becoming an expert on this topic. She also has a passion for helping students guide their own learning through research, which she will also be teaching about during the conference.
- Sub Planning Made Simple
- The 5 Step Process for Science & Social Studies Research Units
Kerry Tracy
Kerry taught 2nd - 7th grades in public schools for 10 years and holds a master's degree in Design-Based Learning. She creates teaching resources and delivers professional development to teachers and parents around the world to help them uncover more feel-good teaching moments in their lives, with brain-busting work disguised as fun (AKA: STEM Challenges). You can learn more about Kerry on her websites: STEM Challenge and Feel-Good Teaching.
Knikole Taylor
- Sound Pedagogical Practices for Technology Integration
- Constructing the Culturally Responsive Citizen: Moving to More Inclusive Learning Communities
Kristin Muse
Kristin has been an upper elementary school teacher for the past 15 years. She is certified to teach Elementary Education K-6, Special Education K-12, and has a master’s degree in Literacy K-6. In addition, she has earned 90 credits above her master’s degree in the areas of science and technology to allow her to keep up with the current trends in education to better assist students reading below grade level master the content areas. Kristin’s true passion is in the field of science. She loves bringing engaging hands-on inquiry-driven activities into her classroom to allow her students to develop a love of the sciences. Learn tips and ideas to use in your classroom on her blog, Samson's Shoppe.
Sessions:
- Easy (and FREE) Tech Tools
- CER: Strengthen Analysis and Writing Skills in Science
- Hands-On Science on a Budget
Lili Reyna
Lili Reyna is an accomplished and innovative classroom teacher. As a certified Bilingual/ELS Teacher with 23 years experience as both a teacher and a math specialist at the elementary level, she regularly implements technology in the classroom to challenge and inspire her students. Lili utilizes a variety of tech tools to personalize instruction, allow for collaborative learning adventures, and enable students to track their own success.
She has served on her district’s Schools of Innovation Writing Team, Create and Curate Science Curriculum Team, Task Force for English Learners, and regularly creates content for her district’s math and science departments. She is currently teaching at Mahaffey Elementary for KleinISD where she was named Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018.
Lili has provided a great deal of professional development at the district level on a variety of topics including technology, writing school blogs, personalized learning, standards based grading and tracking, digital assessments, and technology infusion from K-12.
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Session:
Connecting Communication with Non- English Speaking Parents
Linda Johnson
Linda Johnson is an Arts Integration Specialist and Music Educator who has worked with elementary and secondary age students in general music, choir, and ELAR. After 23 years of teaching in public schools, she left the classroom to explore a second career as the founder of MATCH Studio and Consulting, where she teaches piano lessons out of her private music studio and offers educational consulting with a focus on Arts Integration and STEAM.
She received Level I and II Arts Integration Certification from the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM and is currently a Certification Coach for the Level I program.​
Linda believes that combining the creative nature of the arts with academics gives students another access point to acquire knowledge that is meaningful, relevant, and culturally responsive. She is equally passionate about showing teachers how to change routine education through artistic thinking and expression. You can connect with Linda on her website.
Session:
We're All in This Together: Making Connections with Songwriting and ELAR
Lisa Taylor
Lisa Taylor is a full time fifth grade teacher and a mother of two very active teenage daughters. She is National Board Certified Teacher, has her Masters in Educational Leadership, and is currently working on her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. Lisa loves creating engaging lessons that make even the most disengaged student have fun learning. You can connect with her on her blog Lisa Taylor Teaching the Stars, Facebook page, or her store on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Session:
Integrating Economics Into Your Classroom
Dr. Mary Payton
Dr. Mary Payton is a science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education professional who has taught throughout the United States and internationally in the United Arab Emirates. She also served as the principal of an international school in South Korea. Dr. Payton entered into secondary education after a successful 29 year military career as a U. S. Army Chemical Officer. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and began her teaching career in Alabama at Jacksonville State University. She is a native Texan who has taught for Fort Worth and Dallas Independent School Districts, Texas A&M International in Laredo and Texas Wesleyan University. While at Texas Wesleyan University Dr. Payton was honored for her performance as a STEM educator in the areas of Robotics and Engineering.
Currently Dr. Payton hosts the All About STEM Radio Show, an international award winning internet broadcast and authors STEM children’s books.
Session:
Interview with Dr. Mary Payton
Marypat Mahoney
Marypat loves all things reading and writing. Her teaching experience includes over 20 years in grades ranging from fourth through college with a focus on teaching writing. She creates ELA resources designed to give teachers the tools they need to be successful – without getting overwhelmed! You can learn more on her blog: Just Add Students or at her Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Session:
6 Steps to a No-Stress Writing Workshop
Matthew Rice
Meg Anderson
Meg has been an elementary teacher of grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 and an education blogger for 8 years. Her passion is supporting teachers as they use best practices to create meaningful, engaging, and effective learning opportunities for their students. With nearly 30 years of classroom experience and a degree in curriculum and instruction, she is ready to share her experiences and best-practice strategies with you. Whether you are looking to push yourself toward new learning or looking to find that special “spark” you need to reach all students, Meg's love of teaching students while providing fun, rigorous instruction can help you do the same. You can connect with her on her blog at The Teacher Studio, on social media as "The Teacher Studio", or at her Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Session:
Creating a Climate for Problem Solving in Math: Research-Based Strategies and Teaching Tips
Meredith Anderson
Meredith Anderson is a STEM educator, curriculum developer, and a former homeschooling parent. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering, and previously researched and developed implantable neurostimulators. Meredith supports STEM educators, makerspace facilitators, librarians, and parents in The STEM Teachers Group on Facebook.
Session:
Mindfulness Practice with Kids
Nicole Kang
Nicole Kang is the co-founder of Elementari, a K-12 online platform to write and code interactive stories. She is a first generation college student and MIT alum with a passion for promoting both literacy and computational thinking (coding). Previously, she was both an educational researcher and teacher who taught and managed STEM summer/winter camps with a focus on project based learning and serving over 100 students in South Korea. It was from her research on language acquisition and background in STEM where the idea for Elementari was born.
Sessions:
- SEL with Coded Stories
- Creating Virtual Escape Rooms to Demonstrate Understanding
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
Enhancing Pedagogical Practices Through Integrated Approaches in Mathematical Modeling and Computational Thinking
Rachel Lynette
Rachel is a former GAT teacher, author, and curriculum developer. She has written over 100 nonfiction books for children for a variety of publishers as well as several teacher resource books for Evan-Moor and Kagan Publishing. She is most known for innovative and engaging task cards and for her author-written close reading resources. She is also the founder of the teaching blog Minds in Bloom and an advisor for Boom Learning.
Sessions:
- Brain Breaks in and out of the Classroom
- Get the Most out of Your Task Cards
Reem Fakhry
Reem Fakhry, Readorium’s Science Director, graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences in 1990 and began her professional career as a pharmaceutical microbiologist. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching at William Paterson University in 2003 and taught science on the elementary, middle and high school levels. Reem was Science Department Coordinator at Noble Leadership Academy for five years before field testing Readorium. She was so excited about the results of the program that she decided to join the Readorium team to help spread the word and help kids all over the country benefit from the program.
Session:
Integrating Literacy and Science Text for Student Success
Renee Heinrich
- How to Fit Science Into Your Day
- Setting Up and Utilizing Flipgrid to Empower All Students
Shundra Morris
Shundra T Morris is currently the 2nd/3rd grade AMSTI-UAH Science Specialist. In the fall, it will be her third year in this capacity. She taught 3rd grade for 23 years in Decatur City Schools. She is a governing board member for the AAMU/UAH Regional Inservice Center. She is a member of the Alabama Science Teacher Association and of the National Science Teacher Association. She is a Common Sense Certified Educator.
Session:
Cross Curricular: Integration is the Key... that Unlocks Time
Dr. Stacey L. Coffman-Rosen
Dr. Stacey L. Coffman-Rosen holds a doctorate in Human Development. She is an expert in the field of identity development processes in people with disabilities. She is interested in disability studies, gender and sexuality, cultural studies, and disability in the media. Her interdisciplinary scholarship has been published by Columbia University Press, Praeger, and SAGE. She has been a reoccurring adjunct instructor at Rollins College since 2014 in the Critical Media and Cultural Studies Department and the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Studies program. Her most recent book chapter, co-authored with Joan Ostrove is entitled, “Engaging a collaborative practice: Reflections on feminist/critical disability studies by two psychologists.” She is excited to return to her roots with a BA in Elementary Education to talk about her personal and professional experiences of physical disability in the general classroom.
Session:
Psychosocial and Cultural Foundations of Disability: What Teachers Need to Know
Stephanie DeLussey
Stephanie is a dual-certified special education teacher, children's book author, and teacher mentor, currently residing in North Georgia. She has a passion for creating engaging, adapted resources for teachers and students with special needs, and is self-proclaimed #datanerd. She also provides professional development for teachers at colleges, conferences, and in school districts. You can connect with her at Mrs. D's Corner and The Intentional IEP.
Stephanie is also a huge mental health advocate, sharing her experiences and struggles to let others know that you can survive the dark seasons and thrive in life and teaching with a mental illness.
Sessions:
- Building Rapport and Positive Collaboration Between Special Ed and General Ed Teachers
- Data Collection on IEP Goals in Any Classroom
Suzanne Edwards-Acton
Suzanne is responsible for directing a teacher residency program assisting graduating residents in job placement and providing field support. She designs & facilitates sessions around the theme of equity in support of residency teachers, while serving on the Equity Committee of her organization. Suzanne is a trained Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) facilitator, SRI facilitator for community of practice, and hosts virtual seminars supporting white people in building stamina in learning and talking about systems of whiteness, race, oppression and equity. (MyWorkToDo/TwoFriendsTalking)
Previously Suzanne served as field director for a year of service program and was a principal and teacher in both public and charter schools in Los Angeles. She earned her BA/Psychology from University of California San Diego, MAPM from Seminary of the Southwest, and MA/School Administration from Loyola Marymount University.
Session:
Reflection & Affinity Spaces
Tammy DeShaw
Tammy DeShaw is the author of The Owl Teacher blog and TpT store and has taught grades 3-6 for 12 years. She loves creating engaging, hands-on lessons in math and science and is dedicated to helping teachers have a work-life balance.
Sessions:
- Solutions for the Top 10 Classroom Management Challenges
- Avoiding Pitfalls in the Math Workshop Model
- Supercharge Your Engagement With These Active Learning Strategies
- 10 Must Do's to Take Your Weekends Back!
Tammy Roose
With 11 years of experience in 4th and 5th grades, Tammy Roose knows that socially and emotionally supportive environments are critical to our upper elementary students' personal well-being and academic success. As an advocate for morning meetings, Tammy believes that teachers and students can get more out of their community time by using morning meetings to enhance the literacy curriculum AND positively impact the rest of the day. Upper elementary teachers can find encouragement and support through Tammy's website, Tarheelstate Teacher.
Session:
A Framework for Theme-Based Morning Meetings
Tanya Yero
Tanya is a 10 year veteran Math teacher who began her teaching career in Southwest Florida in 2011 after graduating from the University of South Florida. Tanya is committed to conceptual learning and began creating classroom resources to facilitate this in her early teaching days. Tanya authored the Power Math curriculum for grades K-8 which is used by more than 20,000 Math teachers across the country. Tanya is avid T.P.T author/seller, PD workshop creator, blogger and speaker. She currently resides in Florida with her well trained husband and toy poodle and her newborn son Jackson who is already learning the foundations of building good number sense.
Session:
How to Promote Number Sense in the Classroom
Trina Deboree
Vivify STEM
Vivify is a STEM education resource company that is co-founded by Natasha Wilkerson and Claire Meschkat, two aerospace engineers turned educators who live in Texas. Natasha began her career working as an aerospace engineer launching satellites and testing Navy ship radars for the Department of Defense. Now she works as the STEM Project Director for Communities in Schools in San Antonio, Texas while also working on her masters in science education. Claire began working as an aerospace engineer in industry with commercial and agricultural aviation manufacturing as well as on the Space Shuttle program before becoming an informal educator. These former college classmates and roommates at Texas A&M University share a passion for providing access to quality STEM education. Through Vivify, including a website and shop at TpT, they provide resources and curriculum for teachers and parents to successfully implement STEM activities that inspire and prepare students for STEM pathways of the future. Vivify is currently developing STEM curriculum focused on space sciences in partnership with NASA while continuing to develop K-12 STEM content and professional development for teachers.
Sessions:
- Integrating Social Studies and STEM
- Back to School Activities to Build Classroom Culture
Dr. Yen Verhoeven
Distance Learning: Fail-Safe Plans for the First Weeks of Fall
