Professional Learning Communities

Paula Maeker is an educator, consultant, and advocate for learner-centered education. She has more than twenty-three years’ experience as an elementary teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, Title 1 program coordinator, campus administrator, director of elementary literacy, and director of instructional design.

Nathaniel Provencio is associate superintendent in Prince William County, Virginia. Under his leadership, Minnieville Elementary School was recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community and was the 2019 winner of the prestigious DuFour Award.

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.

Jon-Eric Ziaer is the principal of Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas. Previously, he served as associate principal at Liberty High School in Frisco ISD, which he helped lead to Model PLC status. He was previously a curriculum director and a high school social studies teacher.

Brian Greeney, EdD, serves as the chief of school in a public school district in Texas. His focus is on helping secondary schools use the PLC process to grow their student and teacher efficacy.

Mary Shay, EdD, is a Colorado-based educational leader, practitioner, and researcher with almost 30 years of experience in public education. She specializes in effective leadership to maximize the collaborative capacity of teams, thereby enhancing student achievement and learning.

Whitney K. Freije is an elementary school principal at A.F. Palmer Elementary, a Model PLC at Work® school in the Windsor Central School District, located in upstate New York. She specializes in empowering teachers with effective instructional practices to promote high levels of literacy and mathematics.

Allana Hemenway, EdD, is the director of federal programs and grants at Randolph Field ISD. She has over 20 years of experience in education in both the U.S. and in Canada, and she has worked in large and small districts as well as at campuses with high student/school mobility.

Toby Arritola is the principal at Mountain Vista Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado. With more than 20 years of experience as an educator, Toby specializes in and advocates for developing PLCs and a healthy school culture.

Barbara Phillips is an educational presenter and researcher from upstate New York with over 20 years of experience in public education. She specializes in effective instruction and leveraging teacher strengths to maximize student achievement and learning.