Authors & Presenters

Michael McDowell, EdD, has been a public school educator for the past 18 years serving in the roles of classroom teacher, academic and athletic coach, school principal, assistant superintendent of personnel and instruction, and superintendent.

JoAnna McIlroy has worked in education for over 25 years in her home country of New Zealand and internationally. A passionate educator, JoAnna has taught across elementary grade levels and has been a guidance counselor and a school leader.

Carolyn McKanders is director emeritus for Thinking Collaborative, the home of the Adaptive Schools Seminars® and Cognitive Coaching Seminars®. Her passion is supporting quality human relationships through the promotion of self-love, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills development.

Jason McKenna is an established author, seasoned educator, and pioneering strategist in STEM education. Jason’s commitment to innovative learning has created lasting impacts in education over his expansive twenty-year journey.

Janelle McLaughlin is a former curriculum director for Manchester Community Schools in Indiana. Her experiences range from job-embedded coaching to leading reflective collaborations and facilitating action-plan development.

Scott McLeod, PhD, is an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Colorado Denver. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on P–12 school technology leadership issues.

Josh McMahon, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of education programs for Morton District 201 in Illinois. Previously, he served as principal of Morton West High School.

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.

Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments.