Authors & Presenters

G. Williamson McDiarmid is the dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Distinguished Chair of Education at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China.

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.

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.

Michael L. McWilliams is a fierce advocate for classroom teachers, school leaders and staff members who work daily to ensure all students learn at high levels. Michael has spent the last 28 years as an educator, with 20 of those years serving as an elementary school principal. Equipping and empowering others to be the best version of themselves is his life’s mission. He specializes in developing the foundation needed for effective implementation of the Professional Learning Communities at Work® process.