Barbara R. Blackburn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Richard W. Riley College of Education
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC

Barbara R. Blackburn has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. Now an Associate Professor at Winthrop University, she coordinates a graduate program for teachers, teaches graduate classes, supervises student teachers, and collaborates with area schools on special projects.  Blackburn has authored seven books, including books in the A to Z series. Her newest book, Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word shows teachers how they can raise the level of rigor in their classrooms and provide challenging learning experiences for their students.

Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.
Instructional Support Services, Inc
Albuquerque, NM

Jane Bluestein is a dynamic and entertaining speaker. Dr. Bluestein has worked with thousands of educators, counselors, healthcare professionals, parents, childcare workers and other community members world-wide. She has appeared internationally as a speaker and talk-show guest, including several appearances as a guest expert on CNN, National Public Radio and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Dr. Bluestein specializes in programs and resources geared to provide practical and meaningful information, training and hope in areas related to relationship building, effective instruction and guidance, and personal development. Much of her work focuses on interactions between adults and children, especially children at risk. Her down-to-earth speaking style, practicality, sense of humor, and numerous stories and examples make her ideas clear and accessible to her audiences.

Keith L. Brown
“Motivator of the Millennium,”
Professional Speaker and Trainer
Fayetteville, GA

Keith L. Brown, known as the “Motivator of the Millennium,” is a professional speaker and trainer whose workshops are guaranteed to foster team building, morale, effective communication, professionalism, and success.  Keith also serves as a legislative liaison, professional speechwriter, consultant, philanthropist, and an energetic, enthusiastic professional MC for a variety of events.  He is the author of CHITLINS (Creative Helpful, Intuitive, Thoughts, Lifting Individuals, Naturally Seeking) and co-author of Conversations on Success.  He is also a co-author of the “303 Solutions Series.”  Once labeled “special-ed,” “at risk,” and “a potential menace to society,” Keith has dedicated his life to overcoming these obstacles and inspiring others to do the same.

Steven W. Edwards, Ph.D.
Edwards Educational Services, Inc.,
Alexandria, VA

Dr. Steven W. Edwards is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, facilitator, and educational trainer.  He is regularly featured on television and radio as a content-expert on school safety, school climate, school reform, and strategic planning. As a planner, he has assisted educators in identifying and achieving individual and organizational goals.  He has successfully implemented numerous programs to improve student performance during his sixteen-year tenure as a school administrator. Currently, Dr. Edwards is a Professor in the Graduate School of Educational Leadership at The George Washington University teaching courses in planning and organizational change. He co-authored the book, Masters of Success, which focuses on essential leadership qualities.

Ron Glodoski
Turn Around Publishing
Milwaukee, WI

Ron Glodoski is a motivational speaker and national expert on bullying, substance abuse and resiliency.  A featured expert on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show, he offers a fresh new perspective on how to effectively connect with kids.  His personal triumph over abuse issues, learning disabilities, and a life of crime provides practical solutions to the challenges confronting our youth today.  His book, How To Be A Successful Criminal: The Real Deal on Crime, Drugs, and Easy Money has received national acclaim by parents, educators, administrators, judges, police officers, counselors, and social workers. 

Elizabeth Koller
Perspectives on Growth and Development, Inc.
Hickory, NC

Elizabeth Koller is the founder and Executive Director of Perspectives On Growth And Development, Inc. (PGD), a nonprofit organization providing education about the science of brain chemistry and behaviors of youth. She studied under a leading neuroscientist whose research indicates that brain chemistry plays a major role in an individual's moods, behavior and performance. PGD's primary social change initiative is to provide a deep scientific comprehension of why youth behave the way they do, presented in layman's terms. For the past eight years, she has taught the basics regarding brain chemistry and its link to various youth behaviors, drugs, violence, and addictions social workers, psychologists, counselors, and teachers as well as school resource officers, law enforcement officers and parents and community leaders.

Frank Kros, M.S.W., J.D.
President, The Upside Down Organization
Baltimore, MD

Frank Kros, M.S.W., J.D. is a recognized speaker on stress and the brain, brain-based learning, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and neuroscience of the teenage brain. He is a career child advocate, who has served as a childcare worker, child abuse investigator, children’s home administrator, consultant, college professor, attorney, writer and speaker.  Mr. Kros is president of The Upside Down Organization and executive vice president of The Children’s Guild, the largest private provider of special education services in Maryland. He co-authored the books Creating the Upside Down Organization and Transforming Staff to Save Troubled Children.

Richard Marshall, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Psychological and Social Foundations
University of South Florida Polytechnic
Lakeland, Fl

Richard Marshall, Ed.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Social Foundations at the University of South Florida, where he teaches courses in educational psychology, counseling psychology, and reading assessment.  He is also an adjunct associate professor of Child Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the USF College of Medicine.  He is a licensed school psychologist with specialty training in pediatric neuropsychology, a clinical therapist, and a developmental specialist.

David C. Miller, M.Ed.
Chief Visionary Officer & Co-Founder
Urban Leadership Institute
Baltimore, MD

David C. Miller is co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer for the Urban Leadership Institute, LLC, He is a nationally recognized speaker and program developer working with minority youth.  He has worked with thousands in detention centers, aftercare programs, disadvantaged schools, and communities throughout the United States and abroad.  David is considered among the leading professionals addressing the issue of adolescent violence.  He has completed several publications including, Dare to be King: What If the Prince Lives, A Survival Workbook for African American Males, and Lessons I Learned From My Father: A Collection of Quotes From Men of African Descent.

Christian Moore, M. S. W.
Founder, WhyTry Organization
Orem, UT

Christian Moore is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and advocate for at-risk youth.  At an early age, Christian was diagnosed with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, conduct disorder, and severe learning disabilities.  Despite overwhelming obstacles, Christian rose from special education to receive a master’s degree in social work.  His WhyTry Program—using visual analogies and music—has proven to be one of the most effective ways to teach the critical social and emotional skills that determine the success and happiness of individuals and youth facing life’s challenges.

Dr. Chang'aa Mweti, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN

Dr. Chang'aa Mweti is an inspired storyteller and assistant professor of Education and Curriculum at the University of Minnesota, specializing in cross-cultural communications and the power of narratives. His entertaining stories motivate both the learning of academic content and the building of positive character. Through the power of stories, students learn universal values such as honesty, kindness, fairness, and giving. Originally from Kenya, he started as a primary school teacher and worked his way up the educational ladder. Dr. Mweti’s dedication to achieving higher academic qualifications led him to defer his wedding plans for 18 years!

Wayne Sakamoto
Director of School Safety
Murrieta Valley Unified School District
Murrietta, CA

Wayne Sakamoto is an expert in gang prevention and intervention, youth violence prevention, school safety, and crisis/emergency response planning. He has over nineteen years of experience in the field of school and community safety and is currently the Director of School Safety for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Wayne has developed and implemented a number of successful gang and youth violence prevention and intervention approaches. He developed and implemented the F.O.R.C.E. (Focus On Resolving Conflict Everyday) Youth Leadership Project for the Safe Schools Unit. 

Franklin P. Schargel
The Schargel Consulting Group
Albuquerque, NM

Franklin P. Schargel is an educator, author, motivational speaker, trainer, and consultant.  His career includes classroom teaching, school counseling, school supervision and administration.  As president of The Schargel Consulting Group, Franklin has presented workshops for educational, community, and business groups.  His workshops are designed to show people how to transform their educational systems into World Class Educational Organizations.  Franklin’s success in dramatically enhancing the learning process in schools, expanding parental involvement, increasing post-secondary school attendance and significantly lowering the student dropout rate, has been documented in numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles, and internationally released videos.

LaMarr Darnell Shields
President & Co-Founder
Urban Leadership Institute
Baltimore, MD

LaMarr Darnell Shields is a co-founder and president of the Urban Leadership Institute and also founder of the Paul Robeson Academic International School of Excellence (PRAISE), an educational model for working with African American boys. Due to his poor academic performance and mischievous behavior in school, he was not expected to succeed. However, in spite of these personal obstacles, LaMarr successfully created the PRAISE model and developed innovative educational tools such as “Rhyme and Reason,” a hip-hop curriculum that educators and youth service-providers use to reach and teach youth.

Stephen R. Sroka, Ph.D
President, Health Education Consultants
Lakewood, OH

Stephen R. Sroka, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized inspirational speaker, trainer, author, teacher, and educational consultant on sex, drugs, and violence education. He has spoken in numerous schools (K-12), including five school systems featured in the national news for their high levels of school violence.  Other venues include hospitals, colleges, churches, Indian reservations, clinics, and various community settings. Dr. Sroka has received numerous awards for his teaching and service including the Walt Disney Health Teacher of the Year Award and the National Teacher Hall of Fame Award. He has authored a dozen books and over 30 articles.

Joseph B. Washington
President and CEO
The Joseph Washington Group
Stone Mountain, GA

Joseph B. Washington has over 20 years of experience in various leadership roles with several major corporations that have prepared him for the success he enjoys today. He is the author of the brand new book “Breaking the Spirit of Average” he is also featured in Walking with the Wise, a collection of motivational essays along with other well-known writers such as Mark Victor Hansen, Zig Ziglar, and Jim Rohn. Mr. Washington is the President and CEO of The Joseph Washington Group, Inc., an organization designed to help individuals and groups reach their fullest potential.