Authors & Presenters

Margaret Coughlan, EdD, is a classroom teacher, district leader, researcher, and adjunct faculty member at Saint Mary’s College of California. Her professional work includes teaching elementary students, teachers, and graduate school master’s candidates.

Kimberly Cullen is an education professional who has held a variety of teaching and leadership positions in an international school based in Madrid, Spain. She has also served international and independent K–12 schools as a coach.

Dr. Jim Cummins supports school leaders wanting to build student-centered cultures. During his 30 years of positively impacting students, he served as coach, teacher, principal, superintendent, and junior college vice president.

Greg Curtis is an author and presenter. He has spent more than 30 years working with schools around the world as a teacher, curriculum and professional learning director, leadership trainer, strategic planner, and IT director.

Dr. Dawn Brooks DeCosta, EdD, is a distinguished educator and leader, currently serving as the deputy superintendent for Harlem Community School District 5. She is a renowned advocate for culturally responsive teaching and social-emotional learning.

Ann Delehant is an experienced facilitator, learning leader, and agent of systemwide change. Her work focuses on developing, supporting, and coaching leaders at all levels, building collaborative cultures, and facilitating systems change.

Melissa Dickson, EdM, is an outstanding presenter and educator. She is passionate about providing teachers with research-based ideas and strategies that they implement immediately. In her decades as an educator, Melissa has been a literacy coach, staff developer, site-based team leader, mentor teacher, inclusion teacher, classroom teacher, and early childhood teacher.

Stephanie Discher serves as the director of elementary education for Wasatch County School District in Utah. With a sincere passion for empowering educators, she is dedicated to fostering a deep understanding of and appreciation for the professional learning community process.

Ryan Donlan, EdD, is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Bayh College of Education at Indiana State University and served for 20 years in traditional and charter schools in K–12 education.

Robert Eaker, EdD, is a professor emeritus at Middle Tennessee State University, where he also served as dean of the College of Education and interim vice president and provost.