Presenters
Ayesha Akhtar
VP Health Equity, Education & Advocacy
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
Chicago, IL
(312) 366-2201
About
ELN Courses
Lynda Andre
About
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Aida Awad
Educational Consultant
To the Cloud Edu
Ormond Beach, FL
(847) 331-0526
About
Aida is a Google Certified Trainer, and Educational Consultant. She is currently developing administrator academies and courses for the IL Principals Association and Ed Leaders Network, consulting with school districts across the country, teaching Geoscience courses online, and working with the DOE on the National Science Bowl. She was a 2016-17 Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the U.S. Dept. of Energy, and is a retired high school science department chair. Aida spent 26 years teaching high school and dual credit Geology, Earth Science, and the Physical Sciences. She has been leading workshops on technology integration and NGSS implementation in science classrooms. Aida is the Past President of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), and Spotlight Speaker providing professional development at several Google for Education Summits nationwide.
ELN Courses
Heather Baker
Principal
Dorothy Simon Elementary School
About
Dr. Heather Baker is currently the Principal of Dorothy Simon Elementary School in Winnebago Communication Unit School District #323. Aside from her work in the field of education as a Principal and Adjunct Professor, Heather is a sudden cardiac arrest survivor and mom to a son with a rare congenital heart defect. Through her dissertation work, she has studied cardiac emergency preparedness in schools and is a strong advocate for CPR/AED training. Heather is a program council member of Project ADAM out of Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago and volunteers with other organizations such as the American Heart Association and Citizen CPR Foundation to increase sudden cardiac arrest awareness.
ELN Courses
How to Save a Life: Preparing for a Heart Emergency at Your School
Laura Beltchenko
Educational Consultant
North Cook Intermediate Service Center and ISBE
Libertyville, IL
847-815-8639
About
Laura’s career in public education includes classroom teacher, reading specialist, teacher and coordinator of gifted programs as well as associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction for a K-12-unit school district. She is committed to the professional development of teachers to support the implementation of best practice literacy instruction. Laura believes in the use of high-quality children’s literature as a vehicle to support both the cognitive and affective development of all ages of students. Her personal children’s literature collection is vast and reflects an appreciation of quality authors and illustrators. She has received numerous awards including Lake County Illinois Innovative Educator of the Year by the Illinois Principals Association and Administrator of the Year by the National Association for Gifted Children. Laura past leadership positions include, President of the Suburban Council of the International Literacy Association , Chairman of the Gifted Education Advisory Committee to the Illinois State Board of Education and Professional Development chair for the Illinois Association of Title I Directors. She served 24 years on the Libertyville District #70 Board of Education and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois.
ELN Courses
Jill Brown
About
Jill is an ELA Content Area Specialist for the Illinois Center for School Improvement and Illinois State Board of Education. She has 17 years of classroom experience as a K-6 instructor in gifted and a Literacy Specialist and Leader. She has a M.A. in Literacy and Administration and worked with school improvement committees and administrators over the past 3 years in the state to implement Common Core State Standards. She has presented at national, state and regional level conferences.
ELN Courses
Judy Brunner
Chief Education Officer, Instructional Solutions
Group Clinical Faculty, Missouri State University
Springfield, MO
(417) 300-2482
About
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PJ Caposey
Superintendent of Schools
Meridian CUSD 223
Oregon, IL
(815) 980-0310
About
ELN Courses
Michele Carmichael
Principal Consultant
Illinois State Board of Education
Springfield, IL
217-782-5589
About
Michele Carmichael currently holds the position of Principal Consultant for the Illinois State Board of Education with her primary focus being that of Schools and Behavioral Health Support programming. Michele has more than 29 years of corporate and educational experience with the last 12 years primarily working with adult learners in the area of social, emotional, behavioral, and academic professional development. Her passion is systems’ development with effective development and integration of initiatives to reduce barriers to learning and teaching for ALL students and teachers.
ELN Courses
Dalton Dieckow
About
ELN Courses
Tim Dohrer
Director, Masters of Science in Education Program
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
847-467-4831
About
Dr. Timothy Dohrer has worked in a variety of roles in education for over 20 years. For many of those years, he was an English and journalism teacher at New Trier High School. During his years at New Trier, Dr. Dohrer served as a student advisor, coach, club sponsor, and chair of many school-based committees and initiatives. In 2000, he was named English Department Coordinator and went on to serve as Curriculum & Instruction Coordinator and Director of Academic Services for the district. In 2008, Dr. Dohrer was named Principal of the Winnetka Campus, which serves over 3000 sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dr. Dohrer has also taught at several universities, including Penn State, Northeastern Illinois, and Northwestern. In 2013, Dr. Dohrer was named Director of the Masters of Science in Education program in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. His major areas of research include literacy, school climate, curriculum theory, educational history, teacher education, and leadership. He has B.A. in English and Journalism from Indiana University, an M.A. in English from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University. He and his wife Stephanie have two daughters and reside in Northfield, Illinois.
ELN Courses
Creating Mentally Healthy Schools
Mick Duffy
President/CEO
New Legacy Foundation
Bloomington, IL
309-481-9104
About
Mick serves as the president and CEO of the New Legacy Foundation and helps lead the organization’s RewritingFutures.com initiative to provide SEL tools and resources to educators and youth workers around the country. His background is pastoral and his experience includes years of counseling, coaching, and other work related to mental health and addiction. He is passionate about people and the opportunity to help them live lives that are fulfilling and fruitful through the nurture of strong and meaningful relationships. Mick is a husband, father, and grandfather and enjoys his time in the outdoors with family and friends.
ELN Courses
Kay Dugan
Retired Assistant Superintendent
Bensenville District 2
Tinley Park, IL
708-250-0003
About
Dr. Kay Dugan taught children at the elementary and middle school level for twenty years prior to becoming an administrator. She has taught a variety of graduate courses for over fifteen years focusing on the topics of standards-aligned classrooms, assessment literacy, literacy best practices, gifted education, creativity, higher-order thinking skills, and differentiation. Dr. Dugan has been honored with state awards in the fields of teaching and leadership and has been a keynote speaker and session presenter at National Conferences, such as The National Association of Gifted Children, The National Staff Development Council, and at the Illinois Technology and Middle School Conferences. She also presented at the Inter-National Literacy Summit in Oxford, England. Dr. Dugan has conducted numerous workshops and has served as educational consultant for hundreds of Illinois schools and districts in multiple areas of school improvement initiatives. She has served on a large number of state and national committees throughout her years in the field of literacy, differentiation, and gifted education. Dr. Dugan lives with her husband in Tinley Park, Illinois. Dr. Dugan retired in 2021 but continues working as an educational consultant.
Chad Dumas
About
ELN Courses
Kait Feriante
Founder and CEO
Redwood Literacy
Chicago, IL
(773) 309-4524
About
Kait Feriante is the Founder and CEO of Redwood Literacy as well as the Board President & Co-Founder of Redwood Schools. She built and taught as the lead instructor for the Redwood at Lawndale Program which launched in September 2020. Kait graduated from Illinois State University with her Learning Behavior Specialist Bachelor's degree. Between 2012 and 2018 she worked as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools and Noble Charter School on the south and west sides of Chicago. In 2018, Kait created Redwood Literacy with a deep desire to see the evidence-based reading intervention she had watched change the course of many of her students’ lives and become more widely available to any student who needed it. She and her partner have three children. As educators and parents, they know how transformative a positive, inspiring, and effective educational experience can be for kids and also how frustrating it is to watch your child or student consistently be misunderstood and denied the right support that they need to be successful. They wanted to create a place specifically for folks with dyslexia, where they felt like they belonged, were understood, and were given the tools to be successful. Kait is on the Everyone Reading Illinois Board of Directors and a member of the International Dyslexia Association. She also has appeared in several publications including Chalkbeat and Britannica.
ELN Courses
Gina Fulton
About
Gina has been an educator for the past 30 years. Her experiences range from being in a high school English classroom as a teacher to managing a two billion dollar budget at the Illinois State Board of Education. She has been part of local, state and university systems. Throughout her career, she has been given great opportunities, from being a Fulbright Memorial Scholar to Japan or a Governor’s Award of Excellence recipient by changing how a local school district delivered physical education, health and wellness to students, families and the community as a whole to leading the efforts of change in school districts to improve the outcomes for all students. Gina has a undergraduate degree in English from Southern Illinois University with a secondary teaching endorsement, a Masters Degree from the University of Illinois in Educational Leadership with a principal’s endorsement, a Specialist Degree from Eastern Illinois University in Education Leadership aligned to Curriculum and Instruction with a superintendent’s endorsement, and has been working on her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from both Illinois State University and Boise State University. Gina’s experiences range from being in the literacy classroom to administration at local and state levels, to designing impactful curriculum, instruction and assessment systems and professional development that have increased student outcomes. School improvement and systems designs have been her passion and her professional strength for the past twenty years. Gina feels that best part of her work comes from being in schools with students, teachers and administrators--seeing where there is a true impact for all stakeholders’ successes. In her spare time, she loves to travel, bike, hike with her husband, Jim and their French Bulldog, Bodhi, and find any place with a beach to be as close to the water as possible.
ELN Courses
Adam Geisen
Digital Platforms Director
Illinois Principals Association
Springfield, IL
(618) 667-8851
About
Adam Geisen has been in education since 2000 as a high school English Teacher, Technology Coach, and as a Technology Director. During that time, he became a Google Certified Trainer and was a member of the LAX18 Google Innovator Academy in 2018. He is experienced in web app development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as Google Apps Script, and his Google Innovator Project is to create an app to help teachers incorporate game elements in the classroom. He also co-created an innovative individualized PD program in his district and a Google Certification game to help teachers in his district and districts around him get more Googly. His role recently changed as he used his coding skills to become the Digital Platform Director for the Illinois Principals Association in 2022. Adam has presented at numerous conferences in the Midwest including METC, IETC, and ICE/IDEA each year since 2018.
ELN Courses
Thomas Golebiewski
About
I am a Clinical Social Worker who has worked in schools for over 40 years. I have been the Social Work Department Chair at New Trier High School between 1987-2013, Instructor at Loyola University, University of Chicago, and Northwestern. Currently, I am a consultant at an Independent School in Chicago, Family Service Agency in Glencoe, and a Private Practice in Wilmette.
ELN Courses
Creating Mentally Healthy Schools
Danielle Gordon
About
ELN Courses
Herschel Hannah
About
ELN Courses
Gail Huizinga
About
Gail Huizinga has over 30 years of experience in public education. Currently, she provides professional learning opportunities around the state of Illinois through Illinois Reading Council and the Illinois Principal Association. She is also a certified National Trainer for Project CRISS® and a featured conference speaker. She uses her broad instructional experience to work with educators in the areas of literacy and instructional best practice aligned with the 21st-century teaching and learning standards as well as the teacher evaluation tool.
ELN Courses
Leading Teaching and Learning: Highly Effective InstructionLeading Teaching and Learning: Student EngagementLeading Teaching and Learning: High-Quality QuestioningLeading Teaching and Learning: Facilitating Outcome-Based ConversationsLeading Teaching and Learning: Effective Classroom Discussion
Wendy Ivy
Associate Executive Director
Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center
Gurnee, IL
847-244-1187
About
Wendy Ivy is the Associate Executive Director for the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center in Gurnee Illinois. Wendy has been at the center for 14 years and has worked in social service for 30 years. Prior to her work with the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, she worked alongside people with disabilities in all aspects of their lives for 16 years. Currently, she sits on the core committee of the Lake County Sexual Assault Coordinating Council, Chairs the Lake County Illinois Imagines committee, Chairs the Lake County SANE/SART Task Force, and Chairs the Erin’s Law training committee and their newly developed networking group. Wendy has developed a number of strong partnerships with both area school leaders and agencies serving survivors of sexual assault. She has brought these resources together, leading them in the first and only Erin’s Law conference in Illinois. Wendy has also used her training and leadership to equip volunteers, interns, and staff in the area of prevention, to maximize our efforts in schools and the community regarding education and awareness. Currently, Wendy has further addressed the Erin’s Law mandate by creating a networking group and resources website for school personnel. Chairing this collaborative, she hopes to broaden the scope of the work for youth, parents, and each other.
ELN Courses
Sherri Jones
Equity Organizer
Illinois Education Association
Rockford, IL
815-398-0995
About
Ms. Jones has a commitment to equity and justice demonstrated in her advocacy work as union staff as UniServ Director, and currently, Equity Organizer. She has created and facilitated racial justice workshops and culturally responsive educational experiences and classes for union staff and educators for more than 20 years. Her passion and advocacy work has always centered on cultural competency, art, and healing. Having earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Alverno College, Ms. Jones credits her radical justice-infused perspective to the Franciscan nuns that mentored her.
ELN Courses
Jessica Kerr
About
Jessica L. Kerr, PharmD, CDCES is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean for the Office of Professional and Student Affairs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy. Her clinical practice site is at the St. Clair County Veterans Clinic in Shiloh, IL. Dr. Kerr received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Dr. Kerr has been a Certified Diabetes Educator since 2004. Dr. Kerr works with other health care professionals and local organizations to provide access to diabetes care to patients within her area. She is a consultant to many schools within the central and southern Illinois area to provide education to staff about diabetes and how to manage care within the school systems.
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Dennis Lewis
About
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Terry Lilley
About
Terry Glenn Lilley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Delaware and his research focuses on issues of inequality and justice including violence and violence prevention, victims’ rights and other social movements, poverty and public policy, and knowledge production.
ELN Courses
Michael Lubelfeld
About
Dr. Michael Lubelfeld has served as a public school superintendent in Illinois since 2010. He is the superintendent of North Shore School District 112 schools in Highland Park and Highwood, IL, north of Chicago. Lubelfeld is active in leadership development with state and national associations. Mike has spoken around the USA and the world on leadership, student voice, and global service. He co-authored the 2017 book The Unlearning Leader: Leading for Tomorrow’s Schools, the 2018 book Student Voice: From Invisible to Invaluable, and the 2021 book The Unfinished Leader: A School Leadership Framework for Growth & Development, and the 2024 book The Unfinished Teacher: Becoming the Next Version of Yourself. His latest book, Leading for Tomorrow’s Schools Today, is in publication. Mike was awarded the 2017 Lake County Superintendent of the Year Award and the 2021 Administration and Supervision Distinguished Alumni Award from the Loyola University of Chicago School of Education. Mike and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, and they live in suburban Chicago.
ELN Courses
Creating and Sustaining Innovation
Denise McCaffrey
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
Springfield, IL
About
ELN Courses
Bridget Meis
Early Childhood Resource Specialist
STAR NET
Urbana, IL
(217) 377-8695
About
ELN Courses
Martha Morris
Director of Counselor Community Engagement
College Board
Reston, VA
(571) 485-3156
About
Arlin Peebles
ELN Director
Illinois Principals Association
2940 Baker Dr, Springfield, IL
(217) 241-0598
About
Arlin Peebles is the Ed Leaders Network Director for the Illinois Principals Association. His primary duties include; facilitating online workshops, training presenter’s in online format, provide technical and developmental assistance for online workshops and webinars. He is also proud member of the content development team for the Ed Leaders Network, working closely with ELN presenters in the production of on-demand courses to ensure a rich professional learning experience for our ELN subscribers.
ELN Courses
Martha Peebles
Retired JALC Medical Assistant Instructor
John A. Logan College
Carterville, IL
(217) 708-2901
About
Martha was Program Coordinator and Instructor for John A. Logan College Medical Assistant Program from 2013-2023. She has 20 years of experience as a school nurse and provides staff training in many areas related to school health issues. Martha also owns and operates a yoga studio in Murphysboro, Illinois called Yoga on the Block. She earned her 200 HR TT Yoga Instructor license in 2019.
ELN Courses
Angela Reeter
Area 5 Lead Area Homeless Liaison
Regional Office of Education #3
Vandalia, IL
618-283-5011
About
Angela Reeter has spent over 30 years in education. She began her career as an elementary teacher for 16 years and had the pleasure of being an elementary principal for 6 years in a high poverty district. After taking the position at the Regional Office of Education #3 as Lead Homeless Liaison, she continued her work in serving high poverty students in a different way. She has a true passion for serving our at-risk students so that they will have the best opportunity for success in their future.
Brian Schwartz
Deputy Director and General Counsel
Illinois Principals Association
Springfield, IL
(217) 494-1280
About
ELN Courses
Carolyn Strong
Educational Consultant
Strong Conversations
Calumet City, IL
(708) 713-5347
About
ELN Courses
Karen Wagnon
Founder and President
Teaching Our Youth, LLC
Ypsilanti, MI
734-547-8502
About
With Certification in Advanced Studies in Human Behavior with Dr. Robert A. Rohm and Personality Insights, Mark and Karen Wagnon have developed materials and workshops for leaders, educators, and parents to assist in reducing stress, increasing productivity and meeting RtI and PBS objectives. Since 1992, Karen has spoken to thousands of parents and educators sharing information and strategies for working with children and each other. Karen’s passion and drive are to empower and equip educators and parents with the tools to improve communication, increase productivity, and reduce stress and conflict with staff and students.
ELN Courses
Leadership@Work Part 1: Becoming a Dynamic and Effective LeaderLeadership@Work Part 2: Understanding Needs and Drives to Become a More Effective LeaderConflict Resolution @Work
Anne Weerda
Founder, President and Curriculum Specialist
Kids at the Core
Springfield, IL
(630) 272-2562
About
ELN Courses
Taylar Wenzel
Consultant
Center for the Collaborative Classroom
Alameda, CA
510-533-0213
About
Dr. Taylar Wenzel is a consultant and also coordinates special projects for the Center for the Collaborative Classroom. She is also an Associate Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Central Florida. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary and secondary education. She is the founder and co-director of the UCF Enrichment Programs in Literacy, which offer intervention and enrichment opportunities to serve K-8 students in the Central Florida area. Taylar is also the director of the UCF Downtown Reading Camp which serves students and families in high needs populations. Taylar regularly presents her work at regional, national, and international conferences, in addition to invited keynote addresses.
ELN Courses
Mike Wielgus
About
Mike Wielgus has been in education since 1999. He taught middle school science and technology classes for 18 years, was an Instructional Technology Coach for 5 years, and now serves as the Director of Technology Services for his school district. He has led technology in-service trainings in his district during his career and has had the opportunity to consult and train staff in neighboring school districts as well. He is a Google for Education Certified Trainer and co-created a personalized professional development program and gamified Google Certification game for his school district and has had the opportunity to present at many local and statewide educational technology conferences.
ELN Courses
Markenya Williams
Education Consultant
The Panacea Consulting Firm LLC
Chicago, IL
About
Susan Workman
About
Dr. Workman has 35 years of experience in education in the K-12 public schools. She has a bachelors and masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a masters and doctorate in Educational Leadership. With experience as an itinerant and classroom based speech-language pathologist, a diagnostician for a special education program, a program supervisor, a Director of Special Education, an elementary school principal and a superintendent for ten years in a K-12 school district, Dr. Workman can provide a comprehensive overview of educational topics and their application to various settings.
ELN Courses
PLC’s Part I – Laying the Foundation for Student AchievementPLC’s Part II – Building the Structure to Support Student Achievement
Diana Zaleski
Education Policy and Agency Relations Director
Illinois Education Association
Springfield, IL
(217) 787-7080
About
ELN Courses
Applying Learning Science in the Remote Classroom
Collaborating with Families During Remote Instruction
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences