Authors & Presenters
- Edward P. Darrah
Edward P. Darrah is a licensed and certified professional counselor and is triple board-certified in counseling, school counseling, and telemental health. He serves as a mental health and performance counselor for Temple University athletics.
- Gayle Gregory
Gayle Gregory, a former teacher, has extensive experience as a staff developer and administrator. She has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as well as in university settings.
- Nathaniel Hansford
Nathaniel Hansford has taught every grade from preK to 12 in many interesting and diverse locations—from South Korea to the subarctic of Quebec. He specializes in using meta-analysis research to help teachers implement proven methodologies.
- Michele A. Herold
Michele A. Herold has been an integrated preschool teacher in the Metuchen School District in New Jersey since 2018. Her educational philosophy is to create an uplifting, compassionate, and nurturing classroom that encourages confidence, kindness, and love for learning.
- Martha Kaufeldt
Martha Kaufeldt is a professional development specialist and author. She travels internationally doing workshops and trainings on curriculum development, differentiated instruction, assessment, mindfulness, and brain-friendly strategies for teachers.
- Kathleen Kryza
Kathleen Kryza is a master teacher, consultant, and coach who has presented highly practical, brain-based, and inspirational workshops internationally for more than 25 years.
- Christine Mason
Christine Mason, PhD, is the founder and executive director of the Center for Educational Improvement, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Yale University, and the co-principal investigator of the Compassionate School Leadership Academy.
- Michele M. Rivers Murphy
Dr. Rivers Murphy, EdD, is a seasoned presenter and educational leader. A change agent for over two decades, she has helped transform some of the highest-needs neighborhoods and districts by improving student active engagement, teacher self-care, school culture, and academic success.
- LeAnn Nickelsen
LeAnn Nickelsen, an author and a former teacher, is an expert on brain research strategies, best practices in literacy, and other high-impact tools that close and prevent gaps in high-poverty schools.
- Emily R. Peluso
Emily R. Peluso is a school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP) at Mildred B. Moss Elementary School of Metuchen School District. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and maintains the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence.