Authors & Presenters

Kristen Bordonaro is the director of programs and services for the Exceptional Learners Collaborative in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Her work focuses on supporting special education teams of member districts.

Linda Bowgren has 25 years of experience in education. She has been a high school physical education teacher and coach, an elementary teacher, a literacy specialist, and a professional developer.

Tim Brown, a consultant, has 30 years of experience in education. As principal of elementary, middle, and high schools in Missouri, he led each to become a successful professional learning community.

Paul Buckley, a consultant, has more than 30 years of experience in education. He has led learning in remote schools in Central Australia and in international schools in Shanghai, Beijing, Colombo, and Jakarta.

Austin Buffum, EdD, has more than 45 years of experience in public schools. His many roles include serving as former senior deputy superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District in California.

Eric Burns is the principal at Lynn Lucas Middle School for Willis ISD in Willis, Texas. His focus is coaching collaborative teams through the PLC process and designing effective RTI systems to monitor student performance. He has received accolades including being named Hardy Elementary’s Teacher of the Year in 2012 and Willis Independent School District's Principal of the Year in 2020.

Brian K. Butler is an educational presenter with over 30 years of experience who has worked with thousands of schools throughout the U.S.A., Australia, and Canada, presenting on the Professional Learning Communities at Work^® and Response to Intervention at Work^™ models. Brian is a retired principal who last served at Mason Crest Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia in 2017. Under Brian’s leadership, Mason Crest received Solution Tree’s first annual DuFour Award in 2016.

With over 20 years of experience in elementary education, Jeff Byrnes specializes in the implementation of professional learning communities and multitiered systems of supports at the elementary level.

David (Cal) Callaway, EdD, is the deputy head of school at the International Community School of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. He has worked in international education since 1998 and has served as both a teacher and an administrator.

Kimberly Rodriguez Cano, a consultant with over 30 years’ experience, is a former transition specialist, special education coordinator, professional development director, and school improvement specialist for the Florida Department of Education, supporting educators in that state and across the United States.