OPEN TO ALL EDUCATORS!
The 2023
NASA SPRING CONFERENCE
"Lead from the Seat you are In"
Live at Harvey's Hotel in Lake Tahoe

OPENING PARTNER'S RECEPTION AND REGISTRATION
Sunday June 11, 2023: 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
(Not mandatory for credit)
Participants can also register the morning of June 12!)
Monday June 12, 2023: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday June 13, 2023: 8:00 AM - 5:15 PM
These times do not include complimentary continental breakfasts or the after hours complimentary receptions! See full itinerary below.
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and cocktail receptions with appetizers included both days!!!

Discount Room Rates for Harvey's Hotel and Casino below!

FEATURING:
  • Sean Covey, President FranklinCovey Education & New York Times Best Selling Author
  • Dr. Susan Enfield, Washoe County Superintendent
  • Adam Welcome,Educator, Author, Speaker, Podcaster
  • Andrew Marotta, Principal and Motivational Speaker
  • Stan Pearson II, political consultant, speaker, mindset mentor, celebrity media and mindset coach, consultant to professional athletes, students and professionals on building themselves from the inside out while building powerful community.
  • Wanda Washington, Recruiting Projects Coordinator, Washoe County School District
  • Yvette Williams, President of the Clark County Black Caucus
  • Tiffany Young, Program Director for the DoD High Sierra
  • And, many more outstanding breakout sessions delivered by great educators! See full lineup below!

Attendees earn 1 license renewal credit (that's 15 hours) AND ALSO in CCSD 5 CUs for non-administrators or 2 salary advancement hours for CCSD administrators, & salary advancement in most NV school districts!

EARLY BIRD PRICING THROUGH APRIL 10, 2023!
$225 for NASA Members
$275 for Non-NASA Members
(VIP rate is reserved for those that were/are in attendance at other NASA events that were invited to register at the VIP Rate)

Click "View Entire Email" and scroll to bottom of ad to register!
Sunday June 11, 2023
Open Bar Reception with Appetizers and Early Registration
Exhibit Hall
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Monday June 12, 2023
7:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Registration, Continental Breakfast,
& Learn from NASA Partners
Exhibit Hall
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
CONFERENCE CONVENES

Welcome, Introduction of NASA
VIP & Diamond Sponsors & State of NASA Address

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Emerald Bay
Lou Markouzis
NASA President
Dr. Jeffrey Geihs
NASA Executive Director
Anthony Nuñez
President of the
NASA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Team
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
EXHIBIT HALL
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
KEYNOTE #1

SEAN COVEY
President FranklinCovey Education & New York Times Best Selling Author

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
EMERALD BAY
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
EXHIBIT HALL
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
KEYNOTE #2

Leading with Authenticity:
Using Your Personal Story to Shape Your Professional Strategy


10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Emerald Bay
Dr. Susan Enfield
Washoe County School District Superintendent
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
EXHIBIT HALL
12:15 PM - 12:30 PM
Thank you Savvas Learning Company for your lunch sponsorship!
Lunch & Keynote #3

Learn the beneifits of, and how to begin, Black Student Unions on your School Campuses

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Emerald Bay
Wanda Washington
Central Office Administrator/Recruiting Projects Coordinator with the Human Resources - Talent Acquisition Division
Washoe County School District
Yvette Williams
President of the Clark County Black Caucus
Tiffany Young
Former Director of Equity and Diversity, Washoe County School District
Program Director, Department of Defense High Sierra STARBASE Program 
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
EXHIBIT HALL
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
CHOSE 1 OF 7
1 of 8

Panel Discussion with Black Student Union Advisors
TBD

Conference Foyer
2 of 8
Interactive Flat Panel Technology in the Classroom

Garden Room 1
Ray Crisologo
Regional Sales Manager at Newline Interactive
Lilia Gharibian
West coast Training Specialist for Newline
Session Description:

Newline Interactive is an award-winning manufacturer of interactive displays, intuitive software, and other interactive innovations that are easy to use and increase student engagement in the classroom.

We are a leading provider of software and hardware that helps schools find more ways to engage their students, train their teachers, and inspire more active learning. It is your passion to teach. Newline Interactive gets students excited to learn.
3 of 8

The Future of Assessment for Instruction: A Comprehensive and Coherent System Personalized and Meaningful for Teachers and Families

Garden Room 2
Lisa M. Hathaway, Ed.S.
Vice President, School Assessment
Session Description:  

What does assessment for instruction look like?  Current trends suggest a dynamic shift from current practices with a focus on a more personalized experience for students.  From the type of assessments (summativ​e, formative, interim) to the use of technology to provide timely and meaningful data for administrators, teachers, students, and families.  The future of assessment is NOW.  This session will highlight current trends in the field of assessment and how these trends will impact educators and better engage parents and families with an emphasis on formative assessment practices.
4 of 8

Specialist, Math Advance Team

Tahoe Boardroom
(seats 12)
Fawn Nguyễn
Specialist, Math Advance Team
Session Description:

From visual patterns to number talks to word problems, we’ll try to solve all these problems using diagrams and sketches. By engaging in visual mathematics ourselves, we can help students add this powerful and creative strategy to their toolbox so mathematics becomes more than just symbols and formulas.
5 of 8

Growing Reading Comprehension with BrainPOP

Comstock Room
Bobbi Bear
Vice President, Professional Learning
Session Description:

Join the BrainPOP professional learning team for a learning event guaranteed to provide all participants with easy but impactful tools for their literacy instruction toolkits. 

Throughout the session, participants will learn how to cultivate vocabulary and background knowledge across the content areas with BrainPOP to fuel comprehension. We’ll explore how to enhance students’ academic vocabulary through informational text and also dive into actionable strategies for building background knowledge via media, discussion, and writing opportunities that deepen comprehension. All strategies discussed will provoke opportunities for transfer across the content areas, differentiation to support students’ needs, and flexible modalities for how students can reveal their thinking and learning.
6 of 8

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
&
Advocating for School Sponsored PD

Executive Board Room
Dr. Shelly Cruz-Crawford
CC Ronnow ES Principal
NASA Secretary
University Regent
Session Description:

During this session we will walk through the steps and resources for PSLF. Supporting staff and colleagues through the PSLF is a successful educator retention strategy. In addition, we will discuss how administrators can fund professional development for their staff and how educators can advocate for school sponsored PD.
7 of 8

Secrets from the Speech Office
Tap into the Far-Reaching Literacy Power of the Speech-Language Pathologist

Zephyr
Mindy Johnson
M.S. CCC-SLP, M.Ed
Bonnie Lamping
M.A., CCC-SLP, M.Ed
Session Description / Learner Objectives:
  • Participants will summarize the science of reading for effective instruction as prescribed by national reading research. 
  • Participants will describe the rationale for utilizing a researched-based orthographic/orthophonemic approach.
  • Participants will learn of phoneme classifications.
  • Participants will define the manner, voice and placement for the production of sample phonemes. 
  • Participants will gain an understanding of how multimodal cues (e.g. mnemonic, tactile, auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.) can facilitate the learning of speech and literacy skills.  
  • Participants will learn how the use of orthographic cues can be integrated into a speech therapy session to address student goals and support literacy.
8 of 8

From Surviving to Thriving with Mindfulness and Self-Reflection 

Emerald Bay
Ms. Jennifer Black
Principal at Lincoln Elementary School in North Las Vegas, Nevada
Mindful SEAD Champion
Dr. Colón-Díaz
2022-2023 Teach Plus Nevada Policy Fellow
Mindful SEAD Leader
Southern Nevada Writing Project Teacher Consultant
4th grade lead teacher at Lincoln Elementary School
Ms. Eugeena Horner
Literacy specialist Intermediate mathematics lead
5th grade writing and science block at Lincoln Elementary School
Session Description:

We will share a combination of experiential activities, guided meditations and engage in group discussions to cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, and well-being through the practices of mindfulness and self-reflection for both students and staff. Lincoln Elementary School staff have developed a regular mindfulness practice to better understand and manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, which reduces stress. We are retaining 100% of our staff for the 2023-24 school year by placing a focus on staff well-being. Our students have benefited from setting daily intentions and using mindfulness techniques. We have increased the percentage of students regulating their emotions based on our Panorama survey data. Staff voluntarily participate in after school wellness sessions and students have been invited to participate in a Mindfulness Club which incorporates art and writing. Participants will leave the workshop with practical tools and resources to continue their mindfulness and self-reflection practices beyond the workshop.
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
&
TREATS
EXHIBIT HALL
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
CHOSE 1 OF 7
1 of 7

Juggling Act: Meeting Student Needs in Real Time 

Garden Room 1
Rachael Gurian
Director of Professional Development Services for Catapult Learning
Today's teachers often face the daunting challenge of meeting the diverse needs of their students, both in terms of academic performance and behavior. Classroom and administrative leaders must develop effective strategies for teacher coverage and hiring, while also ensuring that on-boarding and professional development opportunities are available to help teachers support students with different learning styles and backgrounds.  

In this session, we’ll provide quick hits for general education teachers and leaders to better support diverse learners in their classrooms. We will highlight two key tools that can be used to address
immediate behavior and academic needs in a school community with new and revolving teacher staff.  

Participants will: 
  • Learn and internalize quick hit free screeners to identify precise academic and math skills gaps in minutes.
  • Identify and practice in teams root cause analysis with real head scratcher cases. 
  • Discover sustainable data processes to monitor and track growth.
  • Explore Catapult Learning's PDNow platform and coaching services for tiered interventions, special education, and student/teacher wellness. Learn how these supports can help teachers support diverse learners and promote student success.
2 of 7

How to Build a Wall that Breaks Down Barriers

Garden Room 2
Suzy Takeda
Educational Consultant
Session Description:

Choosing to shift to a Structured Literacy approach is one thing. Leading a successful implementation of this approach is another entirely. In addition to learning new pedagogical practices, teachers must also learn to leverage data in a way that drives instructional decisions, student progress, and shared accountability. And that can't happen without creating a culture of collaboration across a campus.

During this interactive session, Suzy Takeda will share how she accomplished this in LAUSD through the use of campus-wide data walls. Suzy will share real examples and the steps they followed to build and use data walls across 55 campuses. In addition, she’ll share tips for using data walls to drive collaboration and professional discourse between teachers, as well as increase differentiated instruction for all students, especially ELs. Lastly, she will share how her work transformed the culture at every school—shifting the ownership from YOUR students to OUR students.
3 of 7

Empowering Minds, Building Resilience: Integrating Academics with Social and Emotional Learning

Comstock Room
Dr. Colón-Díaz
2022-2023 Teach Plus Nevada Policy Fellow
Mindful SEAD Leader
Southern Nevada Writing Project Teacher Consultant
4th grade lead teacher at Lincoln Elementary School
Session Description:

We are encouraged to teach SEL lessons in our daily lessons with our students. For some teachers this represents a dilemma. On one side, our commitment with our students, their well-being and success. On the other hand, it's our workload and the demands that it represents on our own well-being. Some teachers struggle with the time to complete all their tasks and the fatigue that is causing them. So how can we build resilience, empower our students' minds and teach SEL skills? I will share SEL implementation strategies and techniques that worked with my students and did not represent an additional workload for me as a teacher. My class has shown improvements in their academic and social skills, since the integration of SEL in our classroom. Come ready to share your own ideas and participate in the implementation of some of them. 
4 of 7

Safety, Security, and School Crisis Management: What they dont teach you

Zephyr
Christopher Batterman
Coordinator IV
Office of Emergency Management
Clark County School District Police Department
Session Description:

This presentation explains the little things they don't teach you during administration training. How to check for generator fuel, understanding Single Point of Entry, what is CENTEGIX, how to implement CPTED and much more are explained. Learn what you can do for FREE to help create a safer atmosphere at your site and improve student/staff culture today. Session members will walk away with a guide on the little things that can help avoid the big things in a crisis. 
5 of 7

Tips and Tricks you were not taught in your Admin training program!

Emerald Bay
Mr. John Shoup
Assistant Principal at Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada
Session Description:  

You will learn how to successfully conduct student conflict mediations to find an agreeable story and a solid plan to lead you to a restorative outcome. This process can be used to help settle little or big conflicts between students from K-12. We will learn about the process and participate in role playing to instill the skills.  
 
Time permitting, we will then discuss investigation strategies for getting to the “truth” of student issues and/or hiring and interview practices that work!  
6 of 7

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
&
Advocating for School Sponsored PD

Executive Board Room
Dr. Shelly Cruz-Crawford
CC Ronnow ES Principal
NASA Secretary
University Regent
Session Description:

During this session we will walk through the steps and resources for PSLF. Supporting staff and colleagues through the PSLF is a successful educator retention strategy. In addition, we will discuss how administrators can fund professional development for their staff and how educators can advocate for school sponsored PD.
7 of 7

Specialist, Math Advance Team

Tahoe Boardroom
(seats 12)
Fawn Nguyễn
Specialist, Math Advance Team
Session Description:

From visual patterns to number talks to word problems, we’ll try to solve all these problems using diagrams and sketches. By engaging in visual mathematics ourselves, we can help students add this powerful and creative strategy to their toolbox so mathematics becomes more than just symbols and formulas.
NASA President
Lou Markouzis
invites you to the
PRESIDENT'S RECEPTION
SPONSORED BY AMPLIFY!
Open Bar & Appetizers Included
Tallac & Zephyr – 12th Floor at Harveys
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
7:30 AM - 5:15 PM
WELCOME BACK!
Continental Breakfast
Visit Exhibit Hall & Learn from NASA Partners
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
KEYNOTE #3
"Kids Deserve It"


8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Emerald Bay
Adam Welcome
Educator, Author, Speaker, Podcaster
@mradamwelcome
Keynote Description:

It's a simple yet profound message and it’s time that we all join the conversation! Connect with kids, integrate innovative new technology practices into your curriculum that students will love! No more excuses, it’s time to start making it happen for your students, staff, parents and entire community - I know you can do it and I can’t wait to help you make it happen!
Visit and learn from NASA Partners
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Breakout Sessions
Choose 1 of 7
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM
1 of 7

The Time Is Now

Zephyr
Adam Welcome
Educator, Author, Speaker, Podcaster
@mradamwelcome
Session Description:

Stop talking about what you want to do and start doing what you want to do, the time is now. We’re going to dive deep, we’re going to get personal, we’re going to make some changes. You’re going to walk away with strategies that will help you focus on what’s most important, and a plan to implement those strategies with your team for bigger results! You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to be challenged, you’re going to realize that you have what it takes, who’s ready!
2 of 7

Escape the Mundane Math Class with enVision Mathematics

Comstock Room
Jaime Hill                                                                   
K12 Math Specialist                                            
jaime.hill@savvas.com
Nikki Erdelyi, NBCT
K12 Math Specialist
nikki.erdelyi@savvas.com
Session Description:

Embark on an adventure brimming with problem-solving and teamwork tasks to unlock clues and solve the mystery to escape. In this lively and challenging Escape Room environment, you and your mathematical partners-in-crime will experience engaging problem-based learning and mathematical modeling activities that, bonus, you can take back and use in your classroom!  
3 of 7

Utilize 3D Printing to Develop an Engineering Mindset in the Classroom

Garden Room 2
Braydon Moreno
Director of STEM at Boxlight
Session Description: 

In this session, Braydon Moreno, director of STEM at Boxlight, will discuss how to redefine STEM education using 3D printing technology to develop that engineering mindset and encourage students to think differently about how they perceive the world.

Braydon will share strategies for weaving 3D printing into core instruction, information on curriculum at mystemkits.com, and resources to nurture the engineering mindset.
4 of 7

School Climate and Culture
Connecting School Performance Plan Objectives with School Community Engagement “How to Implement No Place for Hate Programming into your School Site

Garden Room 1
Karmen La'Shaun H. Miller
Assistant Principal
Desert Oasis High School
Clark County School District
Session Description:

Providing interested parties with an interactive planning session with strategies to implement action plans into School Performance Plans using collected data effectively addressing cultural trends of student and staff populations while engaging the surrounding school community. Parties will bring available data and where possible work with feeder schools or neighboring like campuses using: comparative CISA survey data (community, staff,student, and district), directive cultural walks, MTSS and internal disciplinary and restorative practices data and work in conjunction with ADL No PLace for Hate Programming to implement safe and respectful learning environments and encourage academic and social emotional learning as a mode of community empowerment and strength.

Can be repeated in professional development;culturally responsive lesson planning; character and SEL support; department/content areas PLCs- Behavior contracts, etc.
5 of 7

The Transformational Leader – Managing and Sustaining Positive Changes

Executive Boardroom
Kevin McPartlin
Principal, Arbor View High School
Clark County School District
Session Description:

Participants of this session will learn and reflect on the multiple roles educational leaders must navigate in order to manage and sustain positive changes to support all students in today’s world. Through one school’s story of crisis, collaboration and sustained progress, participants will learn about best practices, available resources, and potential pitfalls when implementing a change process in a school environment.  While exploring patterns of inequity and transformational leadership, this session leads participants through equity-based decision-making processes to implement solutions and affect change on a school-wide and classroom level. 

Participants will assess their own practices related to transformational leadership, as well as reflect on opportunities at their own school/location to implement equity-based solutions in academic and social situations. 
6 of 7

Building Student and Teacher Self-Efficacy on Campus Through Comprehensive Tiered Behavior and Social and Emotional Support

Emerald Bay
Jami Austin
Principal at Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada
Dr. Brighid Fronapfel
Director of Student Life at Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada
Kirsten Nichols
Director of Student Behavior Services, Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada
Session Description:
Guide your school to implementing strong evidence-based Tier 1, 2 and 3 behavior and social and emotional support for students and staff alike. We will share our Tier 1 practices and strategies to engage teachers and students in meaningful discourse, dialog and increased self-efficacy. The session will include an overview of Tier 2 and Tier 3 identification and support for students as well as exit criteria. We will talk about identifying individuals in your campus staff who would be ideal to assist with this work. We will discuss tips in creating meaningful roles and responsibilities for school-based staff. We will share strategies to support strong family partnerships. The discussion will conclude with sharing of student success stories. Participants will receive access to shared resources and templates to support campus implementation. 
7 of 7

Specialist, Math Advance Team

Tahoe Boardroom
(seats 12)
Fawn Nguyễn
Specialist, Math Advance Team
Session Description:

From visual patterns to number talks to word problems, we’ll try to solve all these problems using diagrams and sketches. By engaging in visual mathematics ourselves, we can help students add this powerful and creative strategy to their toolbox so mathematics becomes more than just symbols and formulas.
Visit and learn from NASA Partners
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Breakout Sessions
Choose 1 of 7
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1 of 7

The Time Is Now

Zephyr
Adam Welcome
Educator, Author, Speaker, Podcaster
@mradamwelcome
Session Description:

Stop talking about what you want to do and start doing what you want to do, the time is now. We’re going to dive deep, we’re going to get personal, we’re going to make some changes. You’re going to walk away with strategies that will help you focus on what’s most important, and a plan to implement those strategies with your team for bigger results! You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to be challenged, you’re going to realize that you have what it takes, who’s ready!
2 of 7

Creating Schools That Kids are Excited to Attend

Garden Room 1
Andrew Marotta
Principal
Session Description:

Looking to break through at your school? Want to have that amazing school setting that so many hear about yet few can reach? Have a desire to have a lasting, deep impact at your school community?

Collaborate, share, and grow with Andrew Marotta as he leads this powerful conversation about creating an amazing school setting. Topics include:

  • Bringing amazing energy each day.
  • Creating student voice & choice.
  • Using technology & social media to tell your story.
  • Inspect what you expect, being present, being intentional.
  • Build a beautiful school setting and keep it that way!
  • Smile, humor, and finding the joy in it all.

You can’t do it alone either. Andrew will brainstorm, converse, and share about not only strategies you can do as the leader, and how to build collective commitments from stakeholders.
3 of 7

Structures for WrapAround Teams in Schools

Emerald Bay
Deborah Friedrich
Title I Services Coordinator
Former Principal of Mary & Zel Lowman ES
Amy Miller
Principal of Ann T Lynch ES
Session Description:

The need for student support, that is more than just academic, has significantly increased as schools are facing situations where teachers are not fully trained to address. “WrapAround” teams and services have become a critical piece on our campuses. As game changing as they can be, it can also be overwhelming for school leaders who are juggling a number of other challenges at the same time. Our schools have been able to develop successful systems and structures for our wrap around teams that support students, families and teachers with academic as well as social- emotional well being guidance at the elementary as well as secondary levels.
4 of 7

The Transformational Leader – Managing and Sustaining Positive Changes

Executive Boardroom
Kevin McPartlin
Principal, Arbor View High School
Clark County School District
Session Description:

Participants of this session will learn and reflect on the multiple roles educational leaders must navigate in order to manage and sustain positive changes to support all students in today’s world. Through one school’s story of crisis, collaboration and sustained progress, participants will learn about best practices, available resources, and potential pitfalls when implementing a change process in a school environment.  While exploring patterns of inequity and transformational leadership, this session leads participants through equity-based decision-making processes to implement solutions and affect change on a school-wide and classroom level. 

Participants will assess their own practices related to transformational leadership, as well as reflect on opportunities at their own school/location to implement equity-based solutions in academic and social situations.
5 of 7

Structured Literacy and the Science of Implementation


Comstock Room
Kristin Miller
Account Executive NV and HI, Lexia Learning
Session Description:

Structured Literacy is an approach to teaching oral and written language based on the science of how children learn to read. In a Structured Literacy program, reading skills are taught in a logical order that is beneficial for all students, especially those who are struggling. It’s important to understand the difference between the science of reading and Structured Literacy: the science of reading refers to the accumulated evidence from gold-standard research on reading acquisition and instruction (Reyna,  2004; Seidenberg, 2017), whereas Structured Literacy is reading instruction that applies the science of reading to classroom practice. This session will help educators think about vetting curricular resources through the lens of structured literacy as explore best practices for following implementation science once curricular resources have been selected.
6 of 7

The SALSA Life
How to Communicate the Impossible Step by Step

Garden Room 2
Stan Pearson II
Speaker & mindset mentor
Worked for a Governor & a United States Senator before the age of 21
Celebrity media and mindset coach
Consultant to professional athletes, students and professionals on how to build themselves from the inside out while building powerful community
Session Description:

Imagine a session that has more than just another speaker talking. Would you like a session that allows you to move around a bit? What if you could move around with and receive a message at the same time? Look no further than "The SALSA Life" interactive breakout session! In this unique and engaging experience, participants will learn how to communicate the impossible step by step - all while secretly learning how to salsa dance!

Led by semi-pro salsa dancer and communication expert, Stan Pearson II, this breakout session will teach participants the art of communication through the lens of salsa dancing. Regardless of their skillset, rhythm, or ability, participants will learn how to communicate clearly and effectively, both on and off the dance floor.

Through fun and interactive activities, participants will be introduced to the basic steps of salsa dancing, as well as the importance of nonverbal communication, trust, and collaboration. You'll learn how to read body language, how to lead and follow, and the power of staying in sync with community.

But that's not all - participants will also gain valuable insights into how these same communication skills can be applied to their personal and professional lives. Whether it's building stronger relationships, improving teamwork, or enhancing their overall communication skills, "The SALSA Life" has something for everyone.

Get ready to communicate the impossible in style! Whether you're a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, this interactive breakout session will leave you feeling energized, empowered, and ready to take on any communication challenge that comes your way.
7 of 7

Specialist, Math Advance Team

Tahoe Boardroom
(seats 12)
Fawn Nguyễn
Specialist, Math Advance Team
Session Description:

From visual patterns to number talks to word problems, we’ll try to solve all these problems using diagrams and sketches. By engaging in visual mathematics ourselves, we can help students add this powerful and creative strategy to their toolbox so mathematics becomes more than just symbols and formulas.

LUNCH SPONSORED BY THE PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP
KEYNOTE #4

The Power of Currency
(Relationships, Rest and Staying True to You)

Stan Pearson II
  • Speaker & mindset mentor
  • Worked for a Governor & a United States Senator before the age of 21
  • Celebrity media and mindset coach
  • Consultant to professional athletes, students and professionals on how to build themselves from the inside out while building powerful community

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Emerald Bay
Keynote Description:

The Power of Currency is an interactive keynote presentation by Stan Pearson II that explores the Laws of Human Currency, self-care and community building. The program is designed to educate and inspire individuals to recognize the value of their relationships, prioritize their well-being, and create a strong sense of community.

Through engaging storytelling and interactive activities, Stan Pearson II will share practical strategies and tips for building and maintaining positive relationships, improving personal well-being, and fostering a sense of community. Participants will learn how to recognize and leverage the power of their own human currency, and how to build and maintain authentic relationships that are built on trust, respect, and mutual benefit.

This program is ideal for individuals who want to improve their relationships, enhance their personal well-being, and create a more positive and supportive community. Whether you're a leader, a team member, or simply looking to improve your own life, The Power of Currency will help you unlock the power of human connection and achieve greater success, happiness, and fulfillment.
Visit and learn from NASA Partners
1:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Breakout Sessions
Choose 1 of 7
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
1 of 7

The Time Is Now

Zephyr
Adam Welcome
Educator, Author, Speaker, Podcaster
@mradamwelcome
Session Description:

Stop talking about what you want to do and start doing what you want to do, the time is now. We’re going to dive deep, we’re going to get personal, we’re going to make some changes. You’re going to walk away with strategies that will help you focus on what’s most important, and a plan to implement those strategies with your team for bigger results! You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to be challenged, you’re going to realize that you have what it takes, who’s ready!
2 of 7
How can math teachers avoid or recover from burnout and truly complete their students' unfinished learning?

Comstock Room
Dr. Michael Liu
Co-founder and director of Algebra Zero Team
Session Description:

Teachers who want to help students catch up with their unfinished math or algebra learning are faced with an overwhelming quantity of materials and strategies to work with—much of which they have to spend even more time adapting for the specific needs of their students. Teachers are burning out. It’s time for a change.

The past few years have shown that practice alone cannot deliver meaningful learning outcomes; we have to work smart before working hard. This presentation will demonstrate how using a statewide free math and algebra resource, Algebra Zero for Grades 3 – 11, can double students’ progress in half the time/effort. Please join our discussion on how to achieve sustainable, long-lasting, meaningful results for our students.
3 of 7

Tales from the Hardwood:  
Leadership & Points of Success from a former College Basketball Official

Garden Room 1
Andrew Moratta
Principal
Session Description:

Andrew Marotta is a Principal & former Mens Division 1 college basketball referee. He officiated in several major Division 1 conferences including the ACC, Atlantic 10, CAA, IVY & Patriot Leagues, and more. He learned from the best working at the highest levels. Come hear stories, be inspired, and fill your leadership bucket learning from his time as an official and how they can relate to your own leadership with your job, family, and personal life. 

Take-a-way points include:
Mentorship: helping those around you while being at your best.
How to be at your best when it matters the most.
The pressure cooker: balancing your time, wellness, and family through it all.
The power of your presence.
How to make "the right call" at the most difficult times.
Supporting your colleagues like a champion, and more. 
You will laugh, cry, reflect, and be moved to action during this powerful, story-filled, inspirational session. 
4 of 7

An Equitable, Content-based Approach to Literacy Instruction

Garden Room 2
Bonnie Long
Core Curriculum Advisor
Session Description:

We offer an NVDOE approved, comprehensive, digital-first, core language arts program for grades K–8, in which students focus on mastery of knowledge, using real-world connected texts to demonstrate high-quality work, while also building habits of character. Our research-informed program earned all green scores from independent reviewer EdReports, meeting standards for text quality, usability, and building knowledge.
5 of 7
TBD
Emerald Bay
6 of 7

GIVE ME AN HOUR...I'LL GIVE YOU POWER:
Taking back your CLASSROOM

Executive Boardroom
Dr. Christine
Kathanga-Clayman
Assistant Principal, Selma F. Bartlett ES
Clark County School District
Session Description:

Practical, Positive, and Powerful Classroom Management Strategies to Increase Student Achievement
Disruptive classroom behaviors require teacher time that should be spent on teaching. The end result is typically conflict and power struggles. Teachers spend countless hours on warnings, confrontations, documentation, office referrals, write-ups, phone calls, meetings, and conferences, and the results are frequently “more of the same”. Participants in these sessions will acquire Time to Teach! Classroom Management strategies that can be taught to students of all ages. Concrete and practical teaching techniques that minimize time spent dealing with problems, and maximize time spent teaching are highlighted. Learn to assist students in managing their own behavior, and developing positive alternatives to disruption, through REFOCUS. Stop spending class time on reacting to disruptive behavior. This technique stops problems before they escalate, and is used by successful teachers while they keep on teaching! Time To Teach! Strategies are practical, positive, and powerful. The result is a classroom focused on teaching and learning, and that combination equates to increased student achievement.
7 of 7

Specialist, Math Advance Team

Tahoe Boardroom
(seats 12)
Fawn Nguyễn
Specialist, Math Advance Team
Session Description:

From visual patterns to number talks to word problems, we’ll try to solve all these problems using diagrams and sketches. By engaging in visual mathematics ourselves, we can help students add this powerful and creative strategy to their toolbox so mathematics becomes more than just symbols and formulas.
LEARN FROM NASA PARTNERS
&
TREATS

EXHIBIT HALL
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
KEYNOTE #5

Today’s Significant Educator: 
Surviving & Thriving

3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Emerald Bay
Andrew Marotta
Principal
Session Description:

Want to make a significant impact on the lives of the students and community you serve? Want your reach to extend beyond your classroom? Looking to do more than expected, and create enriching, amazing experiences for students and families? Today’s Significant Educator keynote is for you.  

Teachers and school staff face a complex and challenging task in today’s educational world, now more than ever. Andrew will empower and enthuse teachers and school personnel to further develop significant relationships with students and stakeholders through the power of storytelling, creating enriching, authentic experiences, and applying strategies to better connect with these vital groups. You will laugh, cry, and be moved in your emotions in this powerful, energetic presentation. #SurviveThrive
Component Group Meetings
Summation of Conference Learning, &
Final Reflections
4:45 PM - 5:15 PM
 DISCOUNTED RATES FOR NASA Members AND TEACHERS TOO! 
To become a NASA Member CLICK HERE!
Tickets are non-refundable!
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This conference counts for salary advancement in Clark, Washoe and most Nevada School Districts!
&
In CCSD, those in non-administrative licensed positions may count this workshop for license renewal AND ALSO CU accrual - THOSE IN NON-ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS EARN BOTH! 
(unlimited CUs in this category for those in non-administrative positions)

In CCSD, administrators and professional-technical administrators may count this workshop for license renewal OR hour accrual toward step-advancement - not both for administrators. 
(maximum of 30 hours per year for administrators in this category)!
BIOGRAPHIES OF KEYNOTE PRESENTERS

Adam Welcome
Adam has been a Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal and Director of Innovation for a district with 35,000 students. He's written four books, has three podcasts and loves connecting with educators all over the country to help them do what's best for kids.
Dr. Susan Enfield
Dr. Susan Enfield is superintendent for the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada. Serving over 62,000 students across more than 100 schools, Washoe County is the second largest district in the state. Prior to Washoe, Dr. Enfield spent a decade serving as superintendent for Highline Public Schools outside Seattle, Washington. Under her leadership, Highline worked to deliver on its promise to know every student by name, strength and need so they graduate prepared for the future they choose.

Dr. Enfield began her career in education as a high school English, ELL and journalism teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She later served as chief academic officer and interim superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. Her experience also includes leadership roles in Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington, Portland Public Schools in Oregon and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She was named the 2022 Washington State Superintendent of the Year by the Washington Association of School Administrators, and the 2018 Superintendent of the Year by the National School Foundation Association.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Enfield has earned masters degrees from Stanford and Harvard University. She also holds a doctoral degree in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard’s Urban Superintendents Program.

Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad 
Dr. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture . She studies Black historical excellence within educational communities with goals of reframing curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books, including Research in the Teaching of English, Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Language Arts, and Written Communication. Some of her recognitions include the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2016 NCTE Janet Emig Award, the 2017 GSU Urban Education Research Award, the 2018 UIC College of Education Researcher of the Year, the 2020 American Educational Research Association (AERA), Division K Early Career Award and the 2021 NCTE Outstanding Elementary Educator in the English Language Arts. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms.
 
Dr. Muhammad brings expertise, having served as a middle school teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, and school board president. She is the author of the best-selling book Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. She also co-authored the book, Black girls’ literacies: An Edited Volume, published by Routledge. She works with teachers, leaders, parents, and youth across the United States and South Africa in best practices in culturally and historically responsive and equitable instruction. Her Historically Responsive Literacy/Culturally & Historically Responsive Education Model has been adopted across U.S. school districts. In 2022 and 2023 she was named with the top 1% Edu-Scholar Public Influencers which recognizes the 200 university-based scholars who had the biggest influence on educational practice and policy.

Andrew Marotta
Andrew is an energetic and enthusiastic leader who has put his positive imprint on his beloved Port Jervis HS, in Port Jervis, NY. With the release of his first book, The School Leader: Surviving and Thriving, Andrew is expanding his impact on the educational leadership community. Andrew is the author of four books, most recently completing Dads, Leaders, & Father Figures.

In his personal life, Andrew is a loving husband to his wife, Jennifer, and a supportive father to their three young children. In his professional life, Andrew has been leading at Port Jervis HS since 2005, serving as Assistant Principal for seven years and Principal for the past nine. He has led the transformation of PJHS, helping to raise the graduation rate from a low 60s% to almost 90%. He accepted the Port Jervis Middle School Principal position in the summer of ‘21. Andrew is a former men’s division 1 college basketball official, taking many leadership lessons from that time in his life to his leadership in schools and with school leaders. He lives the words on his logo: Energy, Enthusiasm, Extra, Effort, & Excellence!

Learn more at www.andrewmarotta.com & through his #ELBlog & #ELB podcast: Education Leadership & Beyond found on facebook, linkedin, twitter @andrewmarotta21, and instagram. #ELB #ELBlog, #survivethrive #keeprolling

Stan Pearson II
Stan worked for a Governor & for a United States Senator on Capitol Hill all before the age of 21. He has been a speaker & mindset mentor for 20 years. As a celebrity media and mindset coach, Stan consults professional athletes, students and professionals on how to build themselves from the inside out while building powerful community. He’s spent time with Billionaire Mogul Martha Stewart, Ice-T, NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson & Ben & Jerry’s Co-founder Jerry Greenfield to name a few.

Stan has traveled the globe speaking to audiences on how to build their mindset and tap into the Best part of themselves! While some of his professional accomplishments include Alumni of the Decade, Speaker of the Year, Performer of the Year, and Legacy Award Winner, his greatest awards are being ranked in the Top 10 for Best Husbands on the Planet and being ranked in the Top 25 for Dads in the world by The National Association of Dads & Family Involvement. p.s. Stan made that last part up. That Association does not exist.

From meditation to understanding and reducing stress, there are many things we don't discuss regularly that we could to help us thrive in difficult situations. He’s a professional movie watcher, semi-pro salsa dancer & a family man. Lock in right now, because Effort on Fire Beats Knowledge on Ice. By the end of this, some of you will feel like he’s family, so call him brother, friend or the best speaker in the world, but the one thing you won’t be able to call him is boring. If you wanted to be bored, you should have stayed home and watched Love is Blind.

Wanda V. Washington
Ms. Wanda V. Washington holds a M.Ed. with an emphasis in Administration and Supervision and possesses an endorsement in gifted and talented education.   Previously served as the Program Coordinator for the Gifted and Talented Education Programs with the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, Ms. Washington currently serves as a Central Office Administrator/Recruiting Projects Coordinator with the Human Resources – Talent Acquisition Division.  Ms. Washington’s leadership includes serving as a District Curriculum Specialist in Kentucky, Assistant Principal/Principal in Tennessee, High School Principal, and Principal on Special Assignment serving with the directors of CTE, SPED, GT, and Behavior.  Ms. Washington has served as the lead for the WCSD Gifted and Talented Advisory Panel (GTAP) sub-committees for curriculum development and policy and regulation development for gifted education, a member of the WCSD Equity and Diversity Task Force providing a voice for gifted education with the intention of increasing the identification of gifted students from diverse cultural linguistic backgrounds, WCSD Jump Start Advisory Executive Committee for Early College, and co-chair of NAGC Leadership Development Committee.  Ms. Washington has been a guest speaker and co-presenter at local, state, and national conferences.  Ms. Washington actively advocates, partners and collaborates with the legislature, national organization leaders, the school board, universities, community leaders, donors, fellow administrators, teachers and students to providing funding and implementing the changes necessary for the success of gifted programming.

Yvette Williams
Named one of Las Vegas Magazine’s Top 100 Women of the Year in 2019, Yvette Williams, is Chair and Founder of the Clark County Black Caucus, a community organizer, social justice activist/strategist, and a seasoned entrepreneur having started her first business at the young age of 8 and growing her Beverly Hills travel agency into a multi-million-dollar business and the largest minority owned agency in Southern California at the age of 26. She is the principal owner of YB Consulting, LLC engaged in public policy work and various other business interests. She is a member of the Nevada Department of Education Academic Standards Council and serves on the Multicultural Education State Advisory Taskforce and serves as a Board member of the Nevada African American Administrators and Superintendents Association. She served as Chair of the Spring Valley Township Advisory Board and recently honored by the Board of Clark County Commissioners during the 2021 Women’s History Month for her many contributions to the Clark County community. 

Ms. Williams has been instrumental in systemic public policy change locally, statewide, and nationally over the last 15 years. She serves or has served on several public policy boards and committees. She is most proud of her work on Nevada’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan recognized by the U.S. Dept of Education, and Nevada’s school star rating system that values equity and promotes all students achieving in school; the historical AB178 state legislation providing equitable funding/resources to students least proficient; work in development of multi-cultural school standards; and most recently instrumental in establishing equitable access to telehealth care through Hazel Health for all students in CCSD with no out of pocket expense to families; and many other equity & diversity initiatives that provide greater access to education justice and inclusion. 

She currently serves on the Clark County School District Bond Oversight Committee, School Justice Partnership Committee, Superintendent’s Antiracism Policy Taskforce, and on various other workgroups within the Clark County Black Caucus and its advocacy partners to advance equity, equality, and racial justice.  She is most fulfilled by her volunteer time organizing and managing the Black Student Union Network, sponsored by the Clark County Black Caucus in partnership with Clark County School District, building the network to 28 high school sites and 3 middle schools since 2015. The mission is to help empower youth for academic success through student leadership opportunities, development of life skills, and access to higher learning experiences, while creating a more inclusive and welcoming school climate for African American and other racially isolated students on their campus while building positive relationships with school administrators, staff, and peers.

She regularly appears in news media, and as a conference guest speaker providing her perspectives on public policy advocacy and political strategy, racial justice and criminal justice reforms, education equity and access, and social justice issues locally and nationally. Outlets include networks such as NPR, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, U.S. News & World Report, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg Reports, The Hill, The Real News, and many local media organizations. 

Along with other recognitions, Ms. Williams is a 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama; The National Black Justice Coalition - We Care Award 2009; the 2013 Human Rights Campaign – Equality in the Community Award; the NAACP—2018 Legacy Builder Award & the 2021 Education Award for her advocacy in education equity and justice; the 2022 ACLU Civil Rights Award for the CCBC’s work with the Nevada Legislature in decriminalizing traffic violations and ending suspension of driver’s license due to an inability to pay a traffic fine and fee. Through Ms. Williams leadership, Governor Sandoval declared in the state of Nevada, “Equity in Education Day” on 9/29/18 in recognition of CCBC’s advocacy for education equity, and Governor Sisolak presented a state proclamation declaring 2/22/22 “Racial Equality Advocacy Day” in the State of Nevada on behalf of their advocacy work on their 15thanniversary.            

Tiffany Young
Ms. Young is a mother of two beautiful children, KaPreace (25) and Anthony (20).  She is an advocate for families, community, young women, and education.  As a resident of the Reno/Sparks community for over 25 years, she has been a spokesperson for the community, diversity and equitable practices, student achievement, and community and economic development.  She is a public speaker, trainer, business owner, workshop facilitator and community collaborator at heart.  

Ms. Young is the former Director of Equity and Diversity for the Washoe County School District (WCSD) and has recently been appointed the Program Director for the Department of Defense High Sierra STARBASE program.  Her work has been within systems to support and clarify the role of Equity and cultural competency interwoven into all schools, departments, and systems. Ms. Young lead work around programs and policies that must addressed through an equitable and culturally responsive lens, as well as creating and facilitating professional learning around Equity and Cultural Competency and owns her own consulting business, Tiffany Young Consulting LLC. Ms. Young is a Fulbright Specialist with U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Ms. Young holds a M. Ed. and B.A. from the University of Nevada Reno where she is also an Adjunct Professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Department. Ms. Young has served the WCSD Parent Involvement Committee as a member chair. Ms. Young has been a Commissioner for the Nevada Equal Rights (NERC) Commission since January 2006, and has participated as a Peer Mentor for the Department of Justice Community Capacity Development Office (formerly the Executive Office for Weed and Seed).  She has served as the M.C. for the Northern Nev. Human Resources Assoc. Conference in addition to facilitating workshops on Diversity, and Community Involvement.  She is the current past President of the N. Nv. Black Cultural Awareness Society (NNBCAS). She previously served as a Board Member for Join Together Northern Nevada (a drug prevention coalition), the Impartial Policing Advisory Committee, and the Human Services Network.  She was awarded the Education Service Award by the African American Clergy Council of Northern Nevada (AACCONN), and was appointed to the Commission on Minority Affairs from 2013 to 2014. Awarded a Community Service Award by the local chapter of the Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club, and served as the Keynote speaker for the National Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club conference held in Reno in 2012.

In 2019, Tiffany traveled to Zambia to co-facilitate a Training of Trainers model for girls under the age of 25 from peri-urban areas including Garden, Kamwala, Matero, Mutendere and Chawama. The Training of Trainers will guide volunteers of She Entrepreneur to integrate into trainings, lessons that address the social needs of young mothers, mostly adolescents who are part of She Entrepreneur program. Secondly, to incorporate lessons on diversity, inclusion and equity into the She Entrepreneur’s program.


BREAKOUT PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES

Jami Austin
Jami Austin the Principal of Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada in Spanish Springs. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada Reno (2002) with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and French. Jami spent 12 years in education in North Texas including earning a Masters Degree in Education from the University of North Texas. She has worked in primary and secondary education for 19 years in public, private and charter schools. Upon returning to Reno, Jami worked at Damonte Ranch High School teaching French and coordinating the campus implementation of Social and Emotional Learning. Jami is currently finishing her doctorate in Organizational Leadership with Abilene Christian University and is passionate about building campus supports to increase self-efficacy.

Christopher Batterman
Chris is an Emergency Management Coordinator for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before Emergency Management, Christopher created the national award-winning Bonanza High School Fire Science Academy, which educates and trains high school students in the field of firefighting. He is a two-time Nevada Teacher Educator of the Year recipient, recipient of the national ACTE Business Partnership of the Year award, and national conference speaker.

Bobbi Bear, VP of Professional Learning
With over 17 years experience providing educational thought leadership to best serve students, educators, and the educational technology marketplace, Bobbi currently serves
as BrainPOP’s Vice President of Professional Learning, innovating how teachers and
administrators across the world use BrainPOP to impact teachers’ instruction and deepen
students’ learning.

Prior to joining BrainPOP, Bobbi has served as a Director of Instructional Advocacy with
McGraw-Hill/Achieve3000 and built IXL Learning’s suite of professional learning for
teachers. Before moving into the educational technology marketplace, Bobbi was a
literacy educator, launching the first hybrid learning ELA classroom in her county.

Jennifer Black    
Ms. Jennifer Black currently serves as the principal at Lincoln Elementary School in North Las Vegas, Nevada and a Mindful SEAD Champion.  She has been in public education since 1994 and has a passion for advocating for kids and school staff.  She knows that when you take care of the adults they are able to do their best work with kids.  She serves as the President-Elect of the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees as well as President of the Nevada Elementary School Principals Association.  In her spare time you can find her enjoying a weekend trip camping or at a Vegas Golden Knights Hockey game.  

Ray Crisologo
Ray is one of our Regional Sales Manager at Newline Interactive. He works primarily in the K12 vertical with consulting and guidance on product placement, utilization, and best practices with integration of other classroom technology.

Dr. Christine Kathanga-Clayman
Dr. Kathanga-Clayman is an elementary school Assistant Principal with over 21 years in education. She is an education advocate who knows firsthand that teachers, parents and schools must create the right atmosphere for students to learn and thrive. Dr. Clayman uses Time To Teach Classroom Behavior Management strategies to provide professional development for teachers, teacher leaders, and school administrators, as well as parenting coach for parents. As a behavior management educational expert, Dr. Clayman believes that student-centered instruction is needed to foster respectful, well rounded, happy and successful students.

Dr. Clayman earned her Bachelors and Master's degree in Business administration (MBA) from Kenyatta University, Masters at Teaching (MAT) degree in from Sierra Nevada College in Las Vegas, Nevada, and earned a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Conflict Resolution from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Clayman has taught in the secondary and elementary education classrooms both in the US and abroad.

Dr. Michelee “Shelly” Cruz-Crawford
Dr. Cruz-Crawford is a University Regent, serves as an officer in the Air Force National Guard, and is a school principal. Over the past twenty years, she has taught kindergarten through college. All of what she does is grounded in her “Why.” She strives to create opportunities through education advocacy because she believes education is the pathway to societal upward mobility. She has written Senate Bill SB352 which created $10 million dollars in state educator recruitment funding. She also assisted with the $65 billion 2021 Federal Recovery Broadband Act that ensures that all of our students have access to the internet. She truly believes we all have common goals and strives to work with everyone in the community to identify these goals and work collectively because we are better together!

Regent Cruz-Crawford serves on the Nevada Department of Education’s Principal Advisory Committee, Nevada National Guard’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force, she is the Nevada Association of School Administrators’ board secretary, she also serves on a local School Organizational Team, and is a member of the Nevada Association of Latino Administrators. She was named the Public Education Foundation’s 24th Annual Education Hero for her education advocacy work. Lastly, she is the first Latino elected Board of Regents with a goal to connect high school students to Nevada colleges and trade careers.

Dr. Colón-Díaz
Dr. Colón-Díaz is a 2022-2023 Teach Plus Nevada Policy Fellow, Mindful SEAD Leader and Southern Nevada Writing Project Teacher Consultant, who works as a 4th grade lead teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in North Las Vegas. She is a member of the campus PBL Leadership Team and works as an instructor at Nevada State College and the PLE Department in CCSD. She was recognized by the ACE Foundation as Elementary Teacher of the Year 2018. She has held teaching posts at the higher education level as a faculty member of the University of Puerto Rico, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, and National University as part of their teacher preparation programs. She recently completed a graduate certificate in English Language Acquisition and Development. She earned her BS and MS from the University of Puerto Rico and a PhD from New Mexico State University, as well as a postgraduate certificate in Online Teaching and Learning.

Nikki Erdelyi
K12 Math Specialists with Savvas Learning
Jaime is a former elementary teacher with a passion for working with teachers and students across the nation to find the joy, wonder, and beauty of mathematics.  She has experience teaching and training enVision Mathematics for the last 15 years.  

Deb Friedrich
With over 25 years in the field of education, including 9 successful years as a building leader, Deb Friedrich now works diligently supporting 86 schools with their planning, execution and monitoring of Title I federal funding. During the past few years, she has effectively “pivoted” as an education specialist who used progressive adapted structures that reach the “whole” student by effectively braiding multiple funding sources, which has now been deemed critical to the success of local schools.
Her experience in CCSD Human Resources, teacher preparation programs, CCSD English Language Learners department, School Improvement Grants and the Turnaround Zone has enabled her to draw upon a broad range of experiences. She has been recognized and supported by industry leaders such as the International Center for Leadership Educationfor her work advocating for underserved communities and students. Ms. Friedrich’s expertise and passion for leveling the playing field to ensure success for all students continues to guide her work.

Dr. Brighid Fronapfel
Dr. Fronapfel serves as the Director of Student Life at Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Nevada. Dr. Fronapfel has worked in education since 2003, since her undergraduate years at UNR. Dr. Fronapfel holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology, a Master’s of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy and Behavior Analysis, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Behavior Analysis. Her career started in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention with young children and expanded to parent and educator training and support, the training and supervision of graduate students, clinical interventions (psychological assessment and treatment), university instruction for graduate students, and most recently, public policy and legislation related to the practice of behavior analysis in the state of Nevada. Dr. Fronapfel has held behavioral and educational consultative and coaching roles in California, Michigan, and with Nevada rural school districts and with Washoe County School District. In addition to consultation, she has provided educator and professional training in a variety of areas. 

Lilia Gharibian
Lilia is our west coast Training Specialist. Lilia manages the day-to-day execution, priorities, and scheduling of the team conducting in-person and virtual training sessions.

Rachael Gurian
Rachael has 24 years of experience in non-profit and public-school educational landscape, including district and school-based roles. She has worked as a provider, school site leader, and systems leader working with teams across the country in K-12 public and charter school environments. Her work the last 15 years has focused on supporting school and district ecosystems strengthen team capacity to support and design structures, systems, operations, and targeted instructional support for students with disabilities, diverse learners, and students with severe trauma needs.  And recently supporting leaders and teachers re-orient and heal from the trenches and experiences during 2020-2022.

Rachael has led and designed district and school site professional development in the areas of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, School Culture, English Language Learners, Special Education, Compliance, Affective Needs and Autism Special Education Programming, Dyslexia and Literacy, Teacher Efficacy and Wellness, and Literacy with one goal in mind to champion, ignite joy, and equip teachers to support our students today.

Rachael herself attended Title 1 public schools her entire education lived experience and chose to spend the majority of her career working in Title 1 schools. Her passion runs deep for school improvement and student access. She is a single mother of a spirited 7-year-old, active board member of Denver Kids, and lover of reading, music, dancing, hiking in the woods, sailing, cooking, and art. 

Lisa Hathaway is the Vice President for School Assessment at Pearson.  As a former public -school teacher and administrator, Lisa has spent 25 years partnering with schools, districts, and state education agencies to design educational solutions to meet the needs of diverse learners.  She has extensive experience collaborating with educational leaders by providing thought leadership, strategic direction, and support to lead complex, outcome-based instructional change and foster a culture of learning.   Lisa received her BS and MS degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and her Ed.S. degree from The George Washington University.

Jaime Hill
K12 Math Specialists with Savvas Learning
Nikki is a former high school math teacher and secondary curriculum coordinator with over 25 years experience.  As a National Board Certified Teacher, she is extremely dedicated in her pursuit to help educators create great teaching and learning moments - everyday and in every classroom. Together, they strive to get high quality resources into the hands of every teacher!

Eugeena Horner                     
Ms. Eugeena Horner is a literacy specialist for Clark County School District (CCSD) and intermediate mathematics lead. In addition, Ms. Horner is teaching a 5th grade writing and science block during the 2022-2023 school year at Lincoln Elementary School in North Las Vegas. She was previously a MTSS project facilitator who developed and implemented professional learning opportunities to help all students be successful. During the 2021-2022 school year, she presented at the Read by Grade 3 Nevada Conference. She earned her BS in Elementary Education and MS in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Las Vegas (UNLV); as well as a MS in Educational Leadership at Walden University.

Mindy Johnson, M.S. CCC-SLP, M.Ed
Ms. Johnson completed her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at University of California, San Diego, and her master degree in Communication Disorders at Northern Arizona University. She has been employed with Clark County School District since 2003. Ms. Johnson has speech pathology experience working with Nevada Early Intervention, Child Find Project, and at the elementary and secondary levels.  Ms. Johnson completed her masters in Educational Program Administration in 2019, at Sierra Nevada University. Ms. Johnson has been involved in the planning, development and implementation of the district Literacy Project. She has provided leadership as a speech department administrator since 2022.  She currently serves as the Vice President of the Nevada Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Ms. Johnson lives in Northwest Las Vegas with her husband Jason, who works as a financial planner, and her two daughters, Kate, who currently attend Las Vegas Performing Arts Academy and Samantha, who attends Cadwallader Middle School.     

Bonnie Lamping, M.A., CCC-SLP, M.Ed
Ms. Lamping obtained a bachelor and master degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Memphis. She was employed as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in the public school systems in rural Tennessee before moving to Las Vegas to take employment with Nevada Early Intervention Services. In 2000, she began her employment with Clark County School District and pursued extensive continuing education in the field of literacy and ELL. She has offered professional learning opportunities in literacy and speech therapy over the past ten years. In 2018, she obtained a second master degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She accepted a promotion in 2019 and supervises speech-language therapists in Southern Nevada. Bonnie lives in Henderson, Nevada with her husband, a captain with the Clark County Fire Department and her two lively boys, all of whom are successful products of Nevada’s public education system.

Dr. Michael Liu
Dr. Liu is a co-founder and director of Algebra Zero Team. Michael Liu has worked for over 27 years in the education technology field in various roles.

Michael Liu started his dissertation research work in 1988, applying artificial intelligence to design self-learning controllers for engineering processes. This led naturally to his interest in human cognition. In 1995, Michael Liu joined Edu2000, a minority and women-owned education technology company, focusing on developing K-12 mathematics supplemental material. His strength lies in the ability to coordinate between educators and programmers, turning the best practices into digital resources that can be shared by millions.

Michael Liu has three decades’ experience developing and implementing K-12 STEM programs. He led a team that implemented several statewide, multimillion-dollar K-12 math and science programs in Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada, as well as many districtwide projects from small, rural districts to the top five most populous in the nation. Years of experience have impressed on him the urgent need to innovate new, effective ways to teach algebra, which has been the impetus for developing Algebra Zero. In fact, after he led the team and won the biggest K-12 RFP in the year 2000 ($27.9 M) together with another dozen companies, he stopped selling all algebra-related products for the next 20 years and focused on research and development of next-generation supplemental algebra materials.

Michael Liu’s passion is to use the story-based approach to present the inner workings of algebra. This is one sure way to engage students and ultimately boost their achievement. He’s willing to help one student at a time. One by one, he believes we can transform algebra from STEM gatekeeper to gateway.

Bonnie Long
With over thirty years of experience, Bonnie has been at the forefront of integrating content and delivery to support effective instruction and changing instructional strategies. Her experience in curriculum and learning environments provides expertise for the transition from traditional instruction to digital learning.  Prior to her publishing career, Bonnie taught in Dallas and Austin Texas. Her passion has always been equipping teachers and students with the very best resources and practices to ensure their success. 

Kevin McPartlin
Kevin moved from Michigan to Nevada in 1997 to begin his career as a math teacher.  Twenty-six years later, he is in his seventeenth year as a principal and is the longest serving high school principal in the fifth largest school district in the country.
 
In 2006, McPartlin became the principal of Chaparral High School.  Needing to reverse a decade of negative trends in achievement and climate, McPartlin restructured the school into four autonomous and thematic learning academies to engage students in their learning.  In 2011, McPartlin moved to Arbor View High School and turned his focus to promoting an inclusive, equity-based environment for all students by implementing an advisory program, restorative practices, and removed obstacles to accessing higher level courseswork.  

McPartlin has been named Nevada Administrator of the Year on three occasions by three different organizations and has presented at educational symposiums in Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Vancouver (WA), and Washington D.C. 

Ms. Amy Miller
Amy aims to leverage challenges and triumphs as opportunities for reflection and growth. As a leader, she is mindful of her daily potential to make a positive impact. Growing up impoverished in a challenging home environment, she relates, on a visceral level, to the circumstances she sees in her school, Ann T. Lynch Elementary, located in Las Vegas’ richly diverse east side. She has been the principal for the last 5 years. Ms. Miller takes pride in her versatile experiences that include magnet programs, International Baccalaureate program authorization and coordination, and Turnaround schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Expanding her service, she is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Nevada Elementary School Principals Association and the Clark County Association of Elementary School Principals' President. Being a catalyst for others to share their gifts and talents is her mission. Ms. Miller has been an educator for 22 years.

Karmen Miller
  • 34+ years of Instructional Experience Pre- K-Post Secondary
  • 33+ years of Diversity/Equity Education in Community, Corporate and Educational Settings
  • National Facilitator with ADL World of Difference
  • Board Member Southern PovertyLaw Center
  • National Certification in Intercultural Communication and Research Institute
  • 38+ years of Media Experience

Ms. Miller currently serves as the Administrator in Charge of the 12th House of Desert Oasis High School located in the Clark County School District in Nevada. Over the past 34 years, she has served as a classroom teacher, adjunct professor, program coordinator, Dean of Students, and Assistant Principal. In addition, to a career in Education, Ms. MIller is a Social Justice and City of Las Vegas Community Advocate and a licensed National Facilitator with the Anti-Defamation League, The Southern Poverty Law Center and Citizen Liaison with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on issues of Diversity/Equity Education and Hate Crime. She also has 40 plus years experience in the Media and Sports Entertainment.
 
A proud HBCU graduate of Tennessee State University with an undergraduate in Speech Communication/Theatre Secondary Education Dance and Political Science; graduate degrees from Illinois State University in Educational Administration; Georgetown University in Educational Leadership and Management, University of the South-Sewanee in Education for Ministry, and this summer finishing at Harvard University in Governmental Affairs and Policy.

She is passionate about helping anyone grow to achieve their purpose and present their authentic selves while developing a foundation of effective execution while assisting others and developing pathways for generations after themselves through equity in all life levels.

Braydon Moreno
Braydon is the co-founder of Robo 3D, a desktop 3D printer designer and manufacturer from San Diego, CA. Robo 3D was bootstrapped in 2013 on a dining room table in San Diego, CA. Since then, Robo has raised over $1,000,000 on crowdfunding three 3D printers as well as sold their products to over 4505 cities across 105 countries around the world. Braydon was honored in the 2017 Forbes 30 under 30 class. Robo and MyStemKits were acquired by Boxlight in April 2020 and Braydon is now the Director of STEM at Boxlight. 

Kirsten Nichols
Kirsten Nichols serves as the Director of Student Behavior Services at Pinecrest Academy in Northern Nevada. Kirsten is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Nevada. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor in education with an emphasis in special education and English language acquisition and development (2019), as well as a Masters in special education with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis (2021). Kirsten worked as a special education teacher for three years before moving into her new role. 

Fawn Nguyen
Fawn Nguyen was a classroom teacher for 30 years. She then worked as a math coach for a K-8 school district for three years. This year, she begins her work as a Math Advanced Team Specialist with Amplify. She was the 2014 Ventura County Teacher of the Year. In 2009, she was awarded the Math Teacher Hero from Raytheon. In 2005, she was awarded the Sarah D. Barder Fellowship from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Fawn blogs about her lessons and classroom teaching and authors three websites for teachers: visualpatterns.org, between2numbers.com, and chewablemath.com. In addition to this work, she is also one of the editors for mathblogging.org. In 2012, she co-founded the Math Teachers’ Circle in Thousand Oaks, California. 

John Shoup
Mr. Shoup has over 26 years of experience as a school administrator and 34 years in public education. He is currently the Assistant Principal of Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada (PANN). Previously he was an assistant principal at a middle school in Washington and then a principal at Woodland High School for 22 years in Washington before retiring and moving to Nevada. After a year away from schools, he decided to return to doing what he loves and was hired at PANN in the summer of 2021.

Suzy Takeda
To say that Suzy Takeda has done it all is an understatement. Her 35 years in education is rich with a variety of roles: classroom teacher, campus literacy coach, campus data coordinator, and district-level response to instruction coordinator, intervention coordinator, English Language Arts coordinator, and educational consultant. Across all of her roles, Suzy has held tightly to her passion for working with teachers—always seeking to find effective ways to guide and encourage them to continuously grow and increase their own professional skill set. She loves nothing more than watching the teachers she has service as they help students from diverse backgrounds reach their highest potential.