Authors & Presenters

Carissa R. McCray, PhD, is an English instructor in K–12 education who has worked in Duval County and rural Sumter County, Florida. She has refined her craft to focus on redefining the educational trajectory for students of color.

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.

Amanda Meadows, EdD, is a middle school resource specialist for Madison County School System in Huntsville, Alabama. She has supported the work of professional learning communities as a middle school instructional coach, assistant principal, and K–12 assessment specialist.

Jeanetta Jones Miller has been an educator since 1986. Throughout her award-winning career, she has taught American studies, senior projects, and a variety of English courses, and served as department chair.

Jadi Miller, EdD, is director of assessment for Elkhorn Public Schools in Elkhorn, Nebraska. She has experience as a teacher and an administrator at the elementary, secondary, and district levels.

Brad Moore currently serves as the chief academic officer in Anderson School District One, located in upstate South Carolina. In this role, he oversees preK–12 curriculum and instruction while also supporting professional learning communities throughout the district.

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.

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.

Susannah O’Bara is area superintendent for the Denton Independent School District in Texas. She has been an elementary school administrator for more than 15 years.

Ken O’Connor is an independent consultant specializing in grading and reporting. He has been a staff-development presenter and facilitator in 47 US states, nine provinces and one territory in Canada, and in 25 countries outside North America.