Authors & Presenters

Dennis King, EdD, has focused on school improvement throughout his career, first as a practicing school administrator and now as an educational presenter. His 28 years in education include teaching in an alternative school, an urban high school, and two suburban school districts where he also served as a district administrator.

Jasmine K. Kullar, EdD, is a chief school leadership officer overseeing over 100 schools in a large metropolitan school district in Georgia. She is also a faculty member in the College of Professional Studies Educational Leadership Department at a postsecondary institution outside of Atlanta, where she has been involved with the national University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) in redesigning university educational leadership programs.

Greg Kushnir is a full-time educational consultant working with schools and districts to develop Professional Learning Communities. An educator for more than 30 years, he is a former high school and middle school teacher, middle school assistant principal, and K–6 principal.

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.

Brig Leane, a consultant, has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in a variety of settings.

Cheyana Leiva is a transformational leader who understands the challenges schools are facing and the strategies necessary to improve. As a principal, she led her high-poverty school to an A rating in three years.

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.

Michael J. Maffoni, an educator since 1987, has a diverse background that includes experience as a teacher, principal, and central administrator in a variety of districts in Colorado. He also teaches courses in educational leadership as an affiliate faculty member at Regis University.

Michelle Marrillia has 17 years of experience as an educator and is currently an assistant principal of Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Kentucky. As an instructional coach, staff developer, and PLC coordinator at Fern Creek, Michelle helped move the school from a persistently low-achieving school in 2010 to a proficient school in 2015.

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.