Authors & Presenters

Jon Yost is the recently retired associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Sanger Unified School District in California. He has worked in public education at the elementary, secondary, and district levels.

Kelsee G. Young has been a special education preschool teacher at Moss School in Metuchen, New Jersey since 2020. Her educational philosophy is to create a warm and nurturing environment for her students to play, grow, and thrive, upholding compassion over compliance.

Toby Youngs is principal of Windsor Central High School and director of physical education for the Windsor Central School District. With more than 17 years of educational experience, he focuses on building systems and programs to support learning for all students.

Amanda L. Yurick, PhD, is an associate professor in special education at Cleveland State University. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate students pursuing licensure in special education and/or applied behavior analysis.

Allison Zamarripa is an educator, consultant, and advocate for building capacity and collective efficacy with teachers. She has over 18 years of experience as a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and district literacy specialist in a recognized Model PLC at Work® district.

Yong Zhao, PhD, is a Foundation Distinguished Professor of education at the University of Kansas and a professor of educational leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. He is an internationally known scholar, author, and speaker.

Amanda Ziaer is the principal of Hunt Middle School in Frisco, Texas. Previously, she served as principal of Coppell Middle School-North, where she led the school in achieving Model PLC status.

Bill Zima is the director of implementation for Marzano Academies, working with schools to help realize their unique vision of high reliability organizations that build agency in all learners.

Gwendolyn Zimmermann, PhD, is director of assessment, research, and evaluation at Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125, a model professional learning community district in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Allison Zmuda is an education consultant specializing in curriculum, assessment, and instruction. She works with national and international educators to design learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful, challenging, and appropriate.