Professional Learning Communities

Cristi Parsons has 28 years of education experience as a teacher, counselor, principal, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent. She was named National Distinguished Principal in 2013 and has led two campuses in PLC practices to become Model PLC schools.

Janna Cochrane is principal of North Greenville Elementary School in Wisconsin. She has over 20 years’ experience as an elementary principal in three different districts. Prior to that, she taught fourth grade for 9 years.

Kathryn Morem, EdD, has served as a dedicated leader in education for over 30 years. As a leading expert for Solution Tree, Dr. Morem partners with school and district leaders across the country to achieve top-tier rankings.

Ted Goergen, EdD, is the director of student activities at the award-winning Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. A practitioner for 20 years, he also served as a middle and high school science teacher and curriculum team leader.

Dan Swatek is the elementary principal at Cardinal Elementary School in Nebraska, which he helped lead to Model PLC status in 2018. Throughout his nearly twenty-year career as an educator, he has also served as an assistant principal, middle school teacher, and head coach.

Dave Ludy is a former principal of a Model PLC at WorkⓇ in Wisconsin. His work is focused on implementing the PLC process and he has extensive experience with rural school districts.

Dr. Aisha Thomas has been an educator for over 20 years, serving in all levels of school leadership at the middle school and elementary levels. She has helped lead two schools to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award.

Jane Pedersen, EdD, is the assistant director of educational services at Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois. She has previously served District 96 as an elementary school assistant principal and a school psychologist.

Hillary Woest is a presenter, staff developer, and practitioner with over 24 years of experience in public education. She specializes in supporting Professional Learning Communities at Work® and Response to Intervention at Work™ in schools by helping them assess, refine, and optimize current systems of support for special populations and challenging demographics.

Sarah Hays, a seasoned educator with 30 years of experience, currently serves as the PLC Administrative Coach for the Bozeman School District. Sarah served as the principal of Emily Dickinson Elementary School in Bozeman, MT. She has also held various educational roles, including high school assistant principal, district curriculum director, and high school English and math teacher.