Authors & Presenters

Marie Alcock is a consultant specializing in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment design. She has spent the last 20 years working in public and private education as a teacher, administrator, and public advocate.

John Arthur teaches sixth grade at Meadowlark Elementary, a Title I school in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since 2013, his students have gained national recognition as advocates for children and immigrants by creating music videos and other digital content and sharing their work across media platforms.

Brady Barr, PhD, is National Geographic’s reptile expert. Dr. Barr started his teaching career at North Central High School in Indiana, teaching subjects like zoology, biology, and earth and life sciences.

Kate Bellanca has 20 years of experience working directly and digitally with districts, schools, families, and other helping professionals to improve learning outcomes through professional development.

Larry Brendtro, PhD, is director of The Resilience Academy and professor emeritus at Augustana University. He has rich, practical experience as a teacher, principal, and psychologist—including 14 years as president of Starr Commonwealth.

Teresa Cariglia-Bull is a former vice principal for York Region District school board, having served as an elementary school teacher and a psychometrist at both the York Region Separate School Board and with the Learning Disabilities Research Program.

Calli Lewis Chiu, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). Before joining CSUF in 2018, she was an assistant professor at California State University, Bakersfield, and Shippensburg University.

Jill Colyer has worked in educational leadership positions for over 20 years. Throughout her career, Jill has committed to improving student outcomes and supporting teacher growth as a classroom teacher, coordinator, and principal in both public and private school systems.

Liz Davis is currently the superintendent in York Region District School Board in Ontario. She is passionate about school improvement with a particular interest in resilience and working to improve outcomes for students in underperforming/underserved schools.

Nicole Dimich works with elementary and secondary educators in presentations, trainings, and consultations that address today’s most critical issues, all in the spirit of facilitating improved support of student learning.