Authors & Presenters

Greg Kushnir is an educational leader and presenter with over three decades of dedicated service in public education, specializing in oral language, reading, and writing disabilities. He is committed to enhancing educational outcomes for all students.

David LaRose is an education coach and presenter specializing in PLCs, RTI, leadership, and organizational culture. He is former superintendent for Culver City Unified School District in California.

Laura Lipton, EdD, is an international consultant whose writing, research, and seminars focus on effective and innovative instructional practices and on building professional and organizational capacities for enhanced learning.

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.

Janet Malone is former director of professional development for the Poway Unified School District in California. She has experience as a teacher, principal, and central office administrator.

Thomas W. Many, EdD, works with teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and other education stakeholders on organizational leadership, implementation and change, and Professional Learning Communities at Work™ strategies and concepts.

François Massé is a superintendent of education for several schools and has been working in collaboration with educators to transform the culture of these institutions into professional learning communities.

Mike Mattos is a globally recognized author and presenter who transforms schools through Response to Intervention (RTI) and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). In 2024, Global Gurus named him one of the top 30 educational thought leaders worldwide.

Katherine McCluskey is the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Accountability at Glen Ellyn School District 41 in Illinois. A former K–12 teacher, she has worked with students and staff with a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

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.