Authors & Presenters

Maria Nielsen, educational speaker and author, specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in the areas of PLCs, RTI, school culture, curriculum design, the highly engaged classroom, and assessment systems. Her life’s work is to help schools build successful systems to ensure high levels of student learning.

Mark Onuscheck is director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois. He is a former English teacher and director of communication arts.

Karen Power is an educational presenter and a former teacher, principal, superintendent, and senior advisor for professional learning and leadership. Karen has implemented the PLC process both as a principal and as a superintendent, and for several years, she has supported collaborative work in schools to meet the needs of students.

Anthony Reibel hails from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois and is the current assistant principal for teaching and learning. Anthony is also coauthor of several books: Proficiency-Based Assessment, Proficiency-Based Instruction, Proficiency-Based Grading in the Content Areas, and Pathways to Proficiency which explore the relationship between proficiency, pedagogy, and evidence-based grading.

Sarah Schuhl specializes in professional learning communities, mathematics, assessment, school improvement, and RTI. She has been a secondary mathematics teacher, high school instructional coach, and K–12 mathematics specialist.

With over 30 years of experience in K–12 education, author and education expert Jeanne Spiller is an associate with Solution Tree, supporting schools and districts through workshops, coaching, and collaborative initiatives to enhance instruction, foster innovation, and promote equity.

Eric Twadell, PhD, is superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He has been a social studies teacher, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent for leadership and organizational development.

Jonathan G. Vander Els specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in schools and districts across the country in developing, sustaining, and enhancing structures to support all learners.

Katie White is an author and presenter with more than 30 years of experience in education. She has been a system leader, an administrator, a learning coach, and a K–12 classroom and online teacher.