Authors & Presenters

Marie Alcock is an educational speaker 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.

Dr. Cicely Alexander has served almost 30 years in public schools. One accomplishment that stands out for Dr. Alexander and her team is turning around a four-year, F-rated elementary campus and earning a B-rating in just two years.

Lisa Almeida is a recognized educator with over 20 years of experience delivering professional development and implementation support to educators. Most notably, she is known for effective leadership and teacher coaching in the areas of standards, assessment, data-driven decision-making, and professional learning communities.

Jane Ardell is a full-time Solution Tree associate with over 30 years of experience in education. She was most recently a director at Cartwright School District in Phoenix, Arizona, where she worked with teachers and administrators on instructional planning, assessment and intervention.

Jordan Ashley has guided schools to a culture of collective efficacy for student learning through the establishment of necessary foundational structures. As the director of instruction, equity, and instructional personnel for the Cortland Enlarged City School District, he supports district- and building-level practices for a guaranteed and viable curriculum related to both academic and social-emotional learning.

Kim Bailey is former director of professional development and instructional support for the Capistrano Unified School District in California. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University in California.

Dr. Anisa Baker-Busby was appointed principal of Shirley Hills Elementary in July 2022. She has over 20 years of educational experience serving as a teacher and administrator, and her passion is to help schools build systems of support that ensure high levels of learning for all students.

Taylor Barton, EdD, is a K–12 school leader in Atlanta, Georgia. He led his high-poverty school to achieve Model PLC at Work® status, and he currently leads a digital school, grades 3–12.

Kelli Bateman is an educator with 25 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, speaker, and team leader. She creates inspiring learning programs and is passionate about standards-based grading and collaborative assessment—the kind that leads to successful implementations despite resistance.

Dr. Nathan Boyd is a leadership coach specializing in creating healthy culture and bolstering strong leadership within schools. With over 20 years of experience, his award-winning work led a school to receive the Blue Ribbon Award for sustained excellence.