Authors & Presenters

Rebecca Knighton is a senior consultant with the Colorado Department of Education. She supports schools and districts in system-wide change, humanistic leadership, and social-emotional wellness for both students and staff.

Jessica R. May, M.Ed., is a passionate educator and 2024 Colorado Teacher of the Year with over 25 years of experience. She specializes in building strong student relationships, classroom management, and making reading relevant across all content areas.

JR Entsminger, EdD, is an esteemed elementary school principal in Burbank, Illinois. He is also known as a prominent speaker, having presented throughout the United States on topics ranging from responsive circles and conflict management to integrated project-based learning.

Marlene Moyer is a teacher at South Lake Tahoe Middle School in South Lake Tahoe, California. She was an integral part of a leadership team that designed student-friendly critical concepts for student scoring using the High Reliability Schools framework.

Claudia Bertolone-Smith, PhD, has been an educator since 1990, with a wide range of educational experiences, including teaching first grade through seventh grade. In her current position, Dr. Bertolone-Smith teaches credential program courses in mathematics education.

Daniel L. Vollrath, EdD, has served in various teaching roles extending over 20 years and is currently a special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey.

Erica Battle, an education expert with Life Changes in Progress Educational Consulting, has supported thousands of educators nationwide. She has held various roles in education, such as classroom teacher, instructional specialist, teacher mentor, and director of response to intervention, specializing in literacy.

Kjell Fenn has been an educator since 1995 as a teacher, coach, and curriculum coordinator. He is currently an assistant professor with the Center for Teaching Excellence at Liberty University and an educational specialist with KFenn Education.

Jennifer A. Lenhardt, MEd, is a senior manager for professional services with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where she integrates her experience as a teacher and her research interest into equity and culturally responsive teaching with the professional learning she creates.

Jon Potter, PhD, is a senior technical assistance specialist with American Institutes for Research. Dr. Potter has worked in education for more than 16 years, supporting school districts in developing and sustaining MTSS/RTI.

Kristen Nelson is an elementary school principal for the Capistrano Unified School District in California. She also serves as a college professor, leadership teacher, educational consultant, author, and leader of her district’s Spanish dual-language immersion programs.

Steve Gruenert, PhD, has been at Indiana State University since 2002 teaching educational leadership courses and doing research in the field of school culture and climate.

Glen Pearsall is a former teacher leader at Eltham High School in Victoria, Australia, and board member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. His work specializes in engaging instructional practice, positive classrooms, and workload reduction for teachers.

Barbara Boroson, LMSW, has been an autism educator for more than 25 years. As a clinical social worker, she specialized in working with students on the autism spectrum and went on to become a school administrator.

Calli Lewis Chiu, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). Before joining CSUF in 2018, she was an assistant professor at California State University, Bakersfield, and Shippensburg University.

Mandy E. Lusk, PhD, is a lifelong special education practitioner who serves as an associate professor of special education at Clayton State University and has taught students of all ages with emotional and behavioral disorders across the United States.

Staci M. Zolkoski, PhD, is an associate professor of special education at the University of Texas at Tyler. She currently teaches classroom management, as well as courses in special education, behavior disorders, and educational strategies.

Dr. Ripley is currently teaching in the departments of elementary and secondary education at the University of Alberta and has over 35 years of experience at the elementary, junior high/middle school, high school, college, and university levels.

Karla McCarty, EdD, has over 25 years of experience in K-12 education as a chief academic officer, director of district wide programs, school counselor, and teacher.

Ann-Bailey Lipsett is a special education specialist and DIR/Floortime practitioner with twenty years of experience working with children, families, and schools.

Brandie M. Oliver, PhD, is an associate professor at Butler University teaching in the Masters in School Counseling program and a frequent presenter for local, state and national education conferences. Her specific areas of interest include social-emotional learning, trauma-responsive education, suicide prevention and intervention, comprehensive school counseling, restorative practices, and ensuring work is done through a lens of equity and cultural responsiveness.

Chavez Phelps, PhD, is an assistant professor of school psychology at Indiana State University. There he directs the Hoosier Whole Child Resilience Initiative, which offers professional development and technical support to schools and other community agencies that support youth with trauma-related behavior and emotional needs.

Alan J. Cohen was a tenured teacher with the New York City Department of Education. He taught children from many different socioeconomic backgrounds and with a wide range of behavioral needs.

Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan, EdD, works with US schools and districts to design and implement effective social-emotional and behavioral systems. Her expertise includes RTI, PLCs, MTSS, PBIS, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and more.

Yvette Jackson, EdD, is a former teacher who served New York City Public Schools as director of gifted programs and executive director of instructional and professional development.

Dr. Don Parker is a transformational speaker and professional development provider. He specializes in social-emotional learning (SEL), restorative and trauma-informed practices, supporting teachers to build trusting relationships with students, and improving the culture and climate of schools to enhance feelings of belonging for students and teachers.

Kristyn Klei Borrero, EdD, is an accomplished educational leader and coach who strives to make a profound difference in the professional lives of educators. She is the cofounder of No-Nonsense Nurturer® and has served as a classroom teacher, principal, and superintendent.

Alex Kajitani holds the title of California Teacher of the Year and has been a top-four finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is a highly sought-after speaker and a top authority on engagement, building relationships, and teacher leadership.

Christine Mason, PhD, is the founder and executive director of the Center for Educational Improvement, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Yale University, and the co-principal investigator of the Compassionate School Leadership Academy.

Jonathan Weinstein, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with the Northport VA Medical Center in New York. He has served in various mental health and education roles and has adapted elements of contextual behavioral science to help teachers empower students.

John Hannigan, EdD, is an author and speaker who has served in education for over 20 years as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and county office leadership coach. His expertise includes RTI at Work™, PLC at Work®, MTSS, PBIS, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and more.

Vic Schneidman has more than forty years of teaching experience, which has allowed him to write and direct grants for peer mediation and conflict resolution, serve as a department chair, and adopt science textbooks for the state of California.

Tom Schimmer is an author and a speaker with expertise in assessment, grading, leadership, and behavioral support. He is a former district-level leader, school administrator, and teacher.

Tom Hierck has been an educator since 1983, and his career has spanned all grade levels and many roles in public education. He has presented to schools and districts across North America with a message of celebration for educators seeking to make a difference in the lives of students.

Tom Castellano has 50 years of experience in education. He shares his knowledge with educators as a consultant who offers presentations and workshops on Lee Canter’s relationship-based classroom management.

Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is cofounder and chief academic officer of Marzano Resources in Denver, Colorado. A leading researcher in education, he is a speaker, trainer, and author of more than 50 books and 200 articles.

MaryAnn Brittingham helps educators working with students at risk. She is an instructor and supervisor of student teachers at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Lee Canter is a world-renowned expert on classroom management. His acclaimed Assertive Discipline® program has been the gold standard in the field since it was first introduced in 1976.

Janet Robinson has worked in education for more than 40 years, serving as teacher, counselor, school psychologist, assistant superintendent, a senior consultant for Lee Canter and Associates, and a superintendent.

Chris Weber is the principal of Oak Creek Elementary School in Irvine Unified School District, California. He earned his EdD from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has written books on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Response to Intervention (RTI), behavior, and mathematics that have supported well over half a million educators.

Charlie Coleman has been a principal at the high school, middle, and elementary school levels in ethnically and socioeconomically diverse communities, where he effectively decreased behavior problems and increased academic success. Creating positive learning environments for ALL continues to be a priority for Charlie, and he has experience improving school culture in many schools, K–12.

Carolyn Reedom, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a visiting professor at universities across the country.

Brian M. Pete comes from a family of educators—college professors, school superintendents, teachers, and teachers of teachers. He has a rich background in professional development and has worked with adult learners.

Dr. Alexander McNeece is an award-winning former principal, teacher, author, and consultant. He helps educators boost student engagement, develop healthy school cultures, and integrate AI tools for enhanced learning.