Authors & Presenters

With more than 30 years of experience in education, Tracy Nelson specializes in supporting districts, buildings, and teams in developing and implementing practices that bring clarity and focus to professional learning communities

Brad Neuendorf, principal of Lander Valley High School, led its recognition as a Model PLC at Work® school in 2019 and a 2020 DuFour Award Finalist, reflecting his commitment to student achievement and continuous school improvement.

Kim Nichols, EdD, is former assistant superintendent in Ringgold, Georgia. Under her leadership, Catoosa County Schools was named the first Model PLC District in Georgia and twelve schools have become Model PLCs.

Rebecca Nicolas, EdD, is the principal of Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Her work is focused on the implementation of the PLC process and the integration of collaborative teams.

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.

Jamie Nino is an area superintendent of Sanger Unified School District in California and oversees TK–12 school sites. She specializes in developing leaders at all levels, fostering strong learning cultures, and building fortified PLCs.

Robin Noble is an educator, author, consultant, and presenter with more than 30 years of experience in education. She is currently the director of school improvement for Santa Fe Public Schools and has served as an elementary school principal, district instructional coach, middle school English teacher, and special education teacher.

Cheryl O’Leary is principal of Thomas Edison Primary School, a Title I school located in Kankakee, Illinois. Cheryl implemented professional learning community concepts and results-driven professional development that brought about substantial, schoolwide change.

Leanne Olinger is a current practitioner and instructional coach for the Fort Mill School District in South Carolina. She has served as a public educator for over 20 years and is dedicated to providing individualized learning experiences to educators and students alike.

Tico Oms is an international educator, recently working at International School Basel. He initially served as middle school principal, successfully leading several transformations including a new schedule, a new activity/club structure, moving grade 6 to another location, and absorbing grade 8 into their current campus.