First Friday: Promoting Students' Success in Computer Science

	Miriam Pike, PhD, is Wolcott Founding Head of School. She previously held the position of Special Education Department Chair at Deerfield High School in Deerfield, IL, where she worked with staff members, students, and their families for over 30 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University, a master's degree in Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University, and a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University. Her dissertation was entitled 'Achievement Goals and Academic Success for Secondary Students With and Without Learning Disabilities'.
	Erica Roberts, MA, has over 13 years of teaching experience at both the Middle School and High School levels. Prior to coming to Wolcott, she was responsible for developing and implementing the technology curriculum for the Young Women's Leadership Charter School in Chicago and taught for the Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development. Prior to becoming an educator, she had over 20 years experience as a project manager, systems consultant, syste ms auditor and mainframe applications programmer for several different Fortune 500 companies. She is Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) certification from the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), received a Bachelors Degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at New York University, a Masters Degree in Secondary Education from National-Louis University and a Masters Degree in School Leadership from Concordia University-Chicago.
	Daphne Sajous-Brady, PhD , is the Director of Student Services and Lead Teacher of the Learning Strategies Department at Wolcott. Marshalling her experience as learning resource teacher, clinic supervisor, diagnostician, researcher , and school administrator, she has presented nationally on topics relating to reading, language, and learning. Her educational and professional experiences have focused on supporting individuals with learning differences across the lifespan. She earned her PhD from the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Northwestern University.
	Steve Svetlik, MS, is the Team Leader of the AP Computer Science Principles team at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL, and a member of the AP Computer Science A team. Previously, he was the Department Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science at Deerfield High School. He has been teaching computer science courses for 15 years. He has a BS degree in Secondary Math Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a MS degree in Computer Science from DePaul University, and a MA in Educational Leadership from Olivet-Nazarene University.
	Sarah Wille, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist and the Director of Computer Science Education Research at Outlier Research & Evaluation at UChicago STEM Education \| University of Chicago. She leads federally-funded research studies and evaluation projects that aim to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all students, including the researcher-practitioner partnership CSP and Students with Learning Differences Study with Wolcott School. She received her PhD and MA in Anthropology from Indiana University, and has conducted anthropological research & community outreach in Belize, Egypt, and in the U.S.