Authors & Presenters

Deborah Ricker is principal of Glenwood Ridge Elementary School in Basehor, Kansas. Prior to going into administration, she spent 19 years as a school psychologist in the Kansas City area.

Brad Rogers is currently the principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Merrillan, Wisconsin. He has been an educator for 25 years and specializes in helping rural schools implement collaborative processes.

Madeleine Rogin is a change leader for Ashoka’s Start Empathy Initiative and Changemaker Schools Network. An educator for more than 20 years, she is a kindergarten and dance teacher at Prospect Sierra School in California.

Daniel Russell Jr., EdD, is the coordinator of research and development and lead cultural and linguistic responsiveness (CLR) coach for the Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. There, he leads training and professional development and provides one-on-one coaching.

Liza A. Talusan, PhD, is a strategic partner in areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. She is currently a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she teaches courses on anti-racist leadership and identity-conscious leadership skills.

Jorge Valenzuela is a highly regarded performance and education coach, author, and speaker at Lifelong Learning Defined. He specializes in core instruction and is known for delivering quality professional training in team building, project-based learning, STEM pathways, and SEL integration throughout the curriculum.

Kathy Vergara is the director of multilingual services for Klein Independent School District. She has dedicated her professional career to serving English learners as a bilingual teacher, language instructional specialist, instructional officer, and now director.

Stephanie Walter is the director of teaching and learning for Mizzou Academy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. For over 25 years, she has been devoted to creating strong relationships with students as they grow to take ownership of their learning.

Barbara K. Watterston, EdD, has held a number of school and executive leadership positions across Australia. Her national and international research, design of school and system leadership programs, coaching and speaking engagements emphasize the impact of high-quality leadership on student learning.

Laura Weaver teaches courses and workshops, offers presentations, consults with schools, develops resources for educators and parents, and facilitates rites of passage programs for young people.