Voices for Excellence

Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil is an experienced educational leader with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. She is skilled in Youth-centered programming, college and career planning, developing strategic partnerships with nonprofit organizations, and leadership coaching. Monique is a strong administrative professional with a Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) focused in O...

Dr. Ron Cabrera has been a public educator for 41 years. He has consulted and worked with multiple school districts doing turnaround work, advising central office leaders, community groups, and the Colorado Department of Education. Ron is a leader in diversity, equity professional learning, programming, and policy development. He led the development of policies and services to support transgender...

Dr. Norman L. Webb serves as program advisor for WebbAlign. Dr. Webb developed the Webb alignment methodology and original Depth-of-Knowledge (DOK) definitions in 1997. At the time he was a Senior Research Scientist for the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) and was funded in part by the National Science Foundation. The DOK definitions describe levels or categories of cognitive complex...

Dr. Kristi Wilson served as superintendent of the Buckeye Elementary School District in Buckeye, Arizona for eleven years facilitating the delivery of an outstanding education for approximately 6,000 students and nine campuses. Dr. Wilson is a well known advocate for building relationships, leveraging talents and empowering communities to take risks ensuring all stakeholders are committed to lead...

Inspired by his youth development and nonprofit work as a student at Morehouse College, Jason Green has dedicated his career to creating positive change in education. As co-founder of LINC (Learning Innovation Catalyst), Jason helps schools and districts reimagine and implement 21st century teaching and learning. Jason is driven by the belief that all children have a right to a high-quality educat...

Dr. Tamara Allen-Thomas is currently the Superintendent of Clairton City School District. Dr. Allen-Thomas served as Principal/Chief Academic Officer at Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship for nine years. Additionally, she has served in a variety of leadership roles in the Pittsburgh Public School District for thirteen years. Her commitment to excellence, coupled with her extensive exper...

Max Brooks is an highly motivated, adaptable, and enthusiastic professional with 20+ years of experience in the field of education. Brooks has experience building consensus and informing administrators and district-level officials of best practices and initiatives to improve performance outcomes.

Matt Monjan is the Founder of Infusedu, a sales and marketing strategy consultancy that specializes in working directly with K-12 school districts and corporate education partnerships. att acts as a partner to help school systems develop innovative learning initiatives powered by dynamic digital content and professional development.

Rachael Mann is the CEO and Executive Director of EDFuture. Rachael believes in the importance of shaping the educational philosophies and spaces of today by looking toward the innovations of tomorrow. From professional growth to motivational talks to workshops, Rachael loves to inspire audiences to think bigger and dream beyond. 

Dr. Neil Gupta began serving Oakwood City Schools as Superintendent in August 2023. Dr. Gupta holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Ashland University, a Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Ashland University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education Degree from Miami University.

Michael B. Horn is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank, and teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He strives to create a world in which all individuals can build their passions, fulfill their potential, and live a life of purpose through his writing, speaking, and work with a portfolio o...

Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez is the superintendent of Forest Park School District 91. As a leader, she encourages staff, community and students to achieve greatness in all they do and take pride in their school climate and culture. More importantly, she aims to instill a sense of belonging with a developed understanding of social emotional learning driven to make schools safe learning environments so tha...

Tom Burton, superintendent of Princeton City Schools, is a proven and dynamic school educator, well known and praised for his leadership. Serving as an educator since 1987 and at Princeton City Schools since 2015, Tom lives out the Princeton mission to empower each student for college, career, and life success. By being flexible, collaborative, and open to new learning, Tom feels we can truly insp...

Over a 30-year span, Dr. Gladys I. Cruz has established a distinguished career in education as a teacher and leader at the local, regional and state levels. As District Superintendent for Questar III, Cruz is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the Castleton-based BOCES, reporting directly to the Board of Education. Along, with her leadership team, Cruz provides direction to 23 loc...

Brett Roer, the Co-Founder of EdLit, advocates passionately for the equitable and safe integration of AI in schools to transform education. Jacob Kantor, the Co-Founder of EdLit, collaborates with education companies to pioneer innovative solutions that empower student success. His passion lies in leveraging the right connections to impact more students and districts, driving positive change in th...

Alex Kotran is the CEO and co-founder of The AI Education Project (aiEDU). Alex has worked in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector for nearly a decade and has spent much of his career in community organizing and campaigns. Alex founded aiEDU in 2019 after he learned that the Akron Public Schools and many other districts did not offer students any kind of instruction designed to help them unders...

As Vice Provost of Teacher Preparation and Founding Dean of Relay Connecticut, Dr. Good believes that empowering teachers with a rigorous curriculum of practical application, theory, and educational pedagogy grounded in culturally responsive teaching, can have a dynamic impact on PK-12 students. An award-winning educator, Dr. Good started her career as a secondary language arts teacher in the Miam...

Ash Kaluarachchi is the CEO of StartEd and a producer at EdTech Week. Ash advises and connects organizations solving problems in education. His EdTech programs have accelerated multiple global unicorns, including at Techstars. To date, Ash's EdTech programs have enabled 2,000+ companies around the globe in partnership with organizations such as Google, Kaplan, Intel, University of Pennsylvania, Un...

Welcome to another enriching episode of the Voices For Excellence podcast, hosted by Dr. Michael Connor, CEO and founder of the Agile Evolutionary Group. In this inspiring episode, we are honored to have Dr. Kimberly Harrington Marcus, a trailblazing leader in education with over 30 years of experience. About the Episode In this engaging conversation, Dr. Harrington Marcus shares her journey from...

Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. specializes in antiracism in education, educational leadership, strategic planning, strategic thinking, professional learning, school board and superintendent relations, and executive coaching. Dr. Hutchings’ research focuses on the African American superintendent and their challenges faced by advocating for antiracism in school systems across America.

Jed Stefanowicz leads strategic transformation of teaching and learning through the use of digital tools and innovative practices. As Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for the Nashoba Regional School District in Massachusetts, Jed aims to engage and build staff/student digital learning capacity, keeping the focus on practice over product. Jed shares his passion for effective tech integra...

Amy Dujon is the Vice President of Education at ETC Media and Events. Amy's leadership focus is helping schools and districts throughout the United States to implement research-based systems to foster school improvement and increase student achievement. She speaks nationally on the topics of leading instructional transformation, standards based planning and pedagogy, feedback to change practice, a...

Eric Sheninger is the founder and CEO of Aspire Change EDU, a collaborative consultancy designed to provide personalized support to all educational systems. His work focuses on innovative and practical ways educators can transform teaching, learning, and leadership. Through his work with thousands of schools, Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker....

Lori Gonzalez is the Superintendent of Lamont Elementary School District. Lori's leadership style prioritizes breaking barriers, valuing diversity, addressing inequities, fostering collaboration, and creating an inclusive educational environment. She is committed to ensuring all learners have access to a diverse range of educational opportunities and experiences, with a focus on equity, student ac...

Raymond J. McNulty is the President of the Successful Practices Network (SPN). Ray is a presenter at the state, national, and international levels on the need for school systems to accept the challenges that lie ahead. He is committed to raising performance standards for teachers and students and building solid connections between schools and their communities. Ray believes strongly that education...