Jim Burgett

Jim Burgett is a veteran educator, nationally recognized education speaker, and consultant. He was named the “Illinois Superintendent of the Year” by the American Association of School Administrators and "Administrator of the Year" by the Illinois Association for Educational Office Professionals. Burgett has received numerous honors and recognition for his leadership and skills as a motivator. Jim has been a teacher of grades five through twelve and a principal of elementary, middle school, and high school. He has frequently published in professional journals, speaks across the country to a variety of organizations, and has keynoted most major educational conferences in Illinois. Jim’s book, Teachers Change Lives 24/7, was published in 2007. Burgett is a co-author with Jim Rosborg and Max McGee of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know and The Perfect School.

In 1992 at age 29, Nelson, then a parking lot line painter, set a goal... to overcome a lifetime of illiteracy caused by undiagnosed dyslexia. Intense struggle, burning desire, and a never give up attitude enabled him to achieve his goal, and change his life. Nelson learned to read and write - and that was just the start. Today, Nelson touches the lives of millions of listeners with his syndicated radio feature, The American Storyteller Radio Journal, a 4 minute slice of Americana broadcast daily across the United States. As a speaker and humorist for nearly 15 years, Nelson has been entertaining and inspiring audiences with his thoughts on goal setting, personal achievement and human potential. Nelson travels and speaks to many diverse groups, from colleges and universities to corporate and charitable organizations. His proudest moment came in 2003 when he was invited to share his "Rules for Beating the Odds" at the very school where teachers had given up on him. His strategies for finding a better life and building self-esteem are ingenious and refreshing. In addition to his work as a keynote speaker and journalist, Nelson continues to be an advocate for literacy and frequently addresses educators and literacy groups around the world. Website: www.theamericanstoryteller.com.

Dr. Steve Layne

Dr. Steven L. Layne serves as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Education at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, where he teaches courses in reading methods as well as in children’s and adolescent literature. He is a fifteen-year veteran of public education, serving as a classroom teacher and reading specialist for grades two through three and five through eight. His work has been recognized with awards for outstanding contributions to the fields of educational research, teaching, and writing from organizations such as USA Today, the Milken Family Foundation, the Illinois Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Illinois Reading Council, and the International Reading Association. Dr. Layne’s growing collection of Pelican books includes the multiple-award-winning young-adult thriller This Side of Paradise, picture-books The Teachers’ Night Before Christmas and Over Land and Sea: A Story of International Adoption, popular gift books Verses for Dad’s Heart and Verses for Mom’s Heart, and the young-adult novel Mergers. New books from Pelican are the heartwarming picture book Love the Baby and the hilarious Teachers’ Night Before Halloween! New from Sleeping Bear Press is the Number One Teacher: A School Counting Book. Website: www.stevelayne.com

Ambrose Panico

Ambrose Panico is an Assistant Director for the ECHO Joint Agreement. ECHO serves students with a wide variety of disabilities between the ages of birth and twenty-one. Some ECHO programs also serve students at risk of academic failure. Ambrose has provided meaningful professional development for over 26 years. He has conducted staff development nationwide, sharing how to build caring classroom communities and position students to reach their academic potential. Ambrose is the author of Discipline and the Classroom Community: Recapturing Control of Our Schools and Adventure Education for the Classroom Community. His new book, The Teachers Toolbox for Changing Behavior will be released by Solution Tree this summer.

Debbie Silver

Debbie Silver is an award-winning educator with 30 years experience as a classroom teacher, staff development instructor, and university professor. Her numerous recognitions include being named the Louisiana State Teacher of the Year and the 2007 Distinguished Alumnus from the College of Education at Louisianan Tech University. Along the way she has taught almost every grade level and most every kind of student. Audiences everywhere respond to Debbie's use of humor and sensitivity to remind them of how important teachers are in the lives of children. Through research-based theory, poignant stories, and hilarious characterizations she connects with the souls of all who are involved in education. Debbie is the author of the bestselling book, Drumming to the Beat of Different Marchers: Finding the Rhythm for Teaching Differentiated Learning. She is co-author of Because You Teach and Middle School Matters. Website: www.debbiesilver.com.

Marilee Sprenger

Marilee Sprenger is an international educational neuroscience consultant who has taught at all levels: from pre-kindergarten to graduate school. She is an adjunct professor at Aurora University where she teaches brain-compatible strategies and memory courses. For the past fifteen years she has been engaged in raising student achievement using brain-based teaching strategies, differentiation, and memory research. Marilee is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and the Learning and Brain Society, as well as many education organizations such as ASCD and Phi Delta Kappa. She is the author of Learning and Memory: The Brain in Action, Becoming a Wiz at Brain-based Teaching, Differentiation through Learning Styles and Memory, and How to Teach So Students Remember. She has written numerous articles and provides staff development internationally. Translating and applying current educational neuroscience and memory research, she assists schools and regions internationally. Website: www.brainlady.com

Jim Wright

Jim Wright, M.S., is a certified school psychologist and special education administrator in upstate New York. He is the creator of Intervention Central (www.interventioncentral.org), a popular website featuring free student intervention ideas. Jim trains throughout the state of New York and nationally on ‘Response to Intervention’ topics, including curriculum-base measurement, team-based problem-solving, and academic and behavioral interventions. Most recently, Jim has published The RTI Toolkit: A Practical Guide for Schools and The Power of RTI: Classroom Management Strategies K-6 through National Professional Resources, Inc.