Keynote Speakers

April 23-26, 2014 Empowering Learners through Education to Change the World Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza Kansas City, MO

Beatrice McGarvey

http://beamcgarvey.com

Presentation: Empowering Learners through education to Change the World

As a private educational consultant for the past six years, Beatrice "Bea" McGarvey has a reputation for successfully consulting with educators throughout the United States and Canada in the areas of standards implementation, teaching and learning, leadership, and organizational development. Her knowledge and experience is vast, a result of the thirty-year career she enjoyed in Maine schools – as a classroom teacher, as a middle school counselor and administrator, and as a district and state leader, including serving as Executive Director of Education for the Portland Public Schools in Portland, Maine and as President of Maine ASCD. Her clients have included numerous state and national educational organizations and agencies and more than 100 schools or districts in the U.S and Canada.

Bea's affiliation with Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Debra Pickering spans more than 10 years and includes implementing their research and practices in the classroom and at the school and district levels.

Currently, as a consultant for Marzano Research Laboratory, she leads school communities to become more student centered, focusing vital resources on strategies and processes with the potential to make a difference in student learning. Specifically, she teaches educators the concepts and strategies in: Dimensions of Learning, Classroom Instruction That Works, What Works in Schools, Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, and Supervising Learning.

Bea received her B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Gorham State Teachers College and her M.Ed. degree in Counseling from the University of Southern Maine. Additionally, she is a faculty trainer for International ASCD and is co-author of the annual publication, The Future Is Now: Shifts and Trends That are Redefining Organizations, Careers, and Life and Total Leaders: a Leadership Curriculum, used by the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Consortium.

Aaron North

Aaron North is the vice president of Education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, North served as the founding executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA). Before leading the startup effort at MCPSA, North worked in Minnesota as a charter school sponsor, school resource center director, and in the Minnesota Department of Education's Office of Choice and Innovation. He also served as secretary for an urban elementary charter school board in Minneapolis.

North taught high school English in rural North Carolina as a Teach for America corps member and worked for Andersen Consulting and Sprint PCS prior to his teaching experience. North earned a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Kansas.

Kate Allen

Kate Allen is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Government Affairs at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. In this role, Kate oversees external affairs for the college which includes government relations, the JCCC Foundation, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Carlsen Center for the Performing Arts.

Robin Smith

Robin Smith is the Manager of Cerner Corporation's Talent Development team and oversees Cerner Careers global marketing and branding strategies.

Having worked a variety of roles during her 9.5 years at Cerner, Smith now oversees the team who manages Cerner's student learner programs—internships, apprenticeships and Cerner Scholars—as well as the company's support of profession-based education programs related to computing and technology, such as the CAPS program. Smith also manages global marketing for Cerner Careers, articulating Cerner's employer value proposition to career candidates through a variety of media and thought leadership initiatives. She previously worked in US Consulting and Federal Government and Industry Relations during her time at Cerner. Prior to Cerner, Smith served as the Finance Director for Congressman's Sam Graves' 2004 re-election campaign. She is a graduate of William Jewell College.

Donna Deeds

Donna Deeds has a rich background in educational leadership and vast experience in the corporate world. She has served as Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) in the Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kansas since 2008. CAPS is revolutionizing high school education through a nationally recognized, profession-based educational model. Prior to her work in Blue Valley, Donna served as assistant superintendent in the Durango School District in Durango Colorado, as an elementary school principal, and was the owner of Fast Schools, an education consulting organization. Deeds also served as a senior organizational consultant at Lore International, and in a variety of senior management roles at Sprint.

Clint Robinson

Mr. Clint Robinson is an Associate Vice President and serves as the Director of State & Local Government Affairs for Black & Veatch Corporation. He has worked for Black & Veatch Corporation since 1984 and is a Professional Engineer registered in Kansas and Missouri. He is also fluent in Spanish.

Clint works proactively on State and Local Government issues that impact engineering, business, and the community. In order to stay out in front of these issues he actively engages with the US Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and the chambers of commerce. In addition Clint has always been an active member in his professional communities with ACEC, NSPE, ASCE, WEF, and AWWA. He is a resource to those organizations on matters related to water, energy, telecommunications, infrastructure sustainability, and the value of the engineering profession. In addition Clint has been very active in civic activities that focus on education, health, and welfare. He was elected to be on the Blue Valley School District Board of Education where he served as President. He is currently a member of the Saint Luke's South Hospital Board of Directors as the Secretary/Treasurer. He received the Distinguished Leadership Award from Leadership Kansas in recognition of his interest and dedication to the improvement of the State of Kansas. Clint remains proactive working with students, educators, health professionals, and elected officials on the value of critical human infrastructure.

Kurt Knutson

Kurt Knutson is a commercial banker with 31 years of banking experience. In 2006, he led a group of local business people to form Freedom Bank, which serves privately held companies, throughout the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, and the southern Johnson County residential community. The bank is located on 143rd just east of Metcalf. Freedom Bank completed is in its 8th year of operation and currently is approximately $160 million in assets.

In addition to the responsibilities with Freedom Bank, Knutson was appointed by Governor Brownback to the Kansas State Banking Board in 2011, and re-appointed in 2013, where he currently serves as Chairman. In 2013 Knutson was elected by his peers to serve on the board of the Kansas Bankers Association where he is also is the Vice-Chairman of the State Affairs Committee. Knutson serves on the board of Clements International based in Washington DC. Clements is the leading provider of insurance solutions for expatriates and international organizations.

Knutson is actively involved in the Southern Johnson County community and is a regular instructor for the Global Business Strand of the Blue Valley School District's Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS).

Julia Alsobrook

Julia Alsobrook is the Advanced Education Programs Coordinator (SAGE) for the North Kansas City School district. She supervises over 1700 gifted students and 26 gifted teachers in 17 different sites Julia has a direct Gold Medallion, North Kansas City Schools' honors diploma option and Advanced Placement testing and is a former faculty member and Coordinator of Residential Life for the Missouri Scholars Academy on the campus of the University of Missouri, Gifted Coordinator for Liberty Schools, and established the gifted program in Washington, MO.

Dr. Gillian Chapman

Associate Superintendent
Shawnee Mission School District

Kevin J. Bennett

Kevin J. Bennett is an award-winning educator, leader, speaker, blogger, consultant and a constant advocate for children. In 2013, he started KB4Kids, an organization that unites his focus on academic success with valued opportunities for children and families. His leadership role in education is varied and active. He is the current principal of The FAIR School, an award winning magnet school with campuses in downtown Minneapolis and suburban Crystal, Minnesota. Bennett was honored as MetLife/NASSP's Minnesota Middle School Principal of the Year in January of 2012. He provides innovative leadership through his creative program development, visionary strategic planning and enthusiastic commitment to equity and excellence in education. Bennett also serves on many boards within the community, including non-profits, businesses and higher education. He has been a guest speaker and panelist at universities and educational conferences, sharing his understanding of issues related to increasing student engagement and success, arts education, equity in schools, parent involvement and community partnerships. Bennett writes a monthly blog through the Teaching Channel, a national non-profit that showcases inspired and effective teaching practices and provides a forum for educators to connect.

Scott A. Kreshel

Scott A. Kreshel, entrepreneur in education and school leader for the Blue Valley School District located in Overland Park, KS. Currently managing the recently launched business accelerator for the district featuring student startups. The accelerator is located in the heart of the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS), which is a profession-based learning program dedicated to immersive experiences in the areas of Bioscience, Business, Engineering, and Human Services. Extensive background in the built environment and advocate of experiential learning. Understands the value of working with your hands and the growing necessity to pass this skill onto others. Best known for his support of cross-disciplined activities promoting innovation skills, design thinking, and the entrepreneurial mindset. Most recently has supported the work of both designers and educators in the development of "new school" startups with places and practices that work.

Glenn Meeks

Glenn Meeks, author of Creating a Culture of Learning published by AASA; has recently added facilitation of internal strategic plans to his professional services practice. The book and planning process focus on enabling K-12 school districts to move toward student-centered learning culture. He is also known nationally for his demonstrated technical and practical expertise in educational technology systems through his work for various schools district clients plus presentations and workshops for ASBO, CEFPI, and NSBA. Mr. Meeks spent seventeen years as a systems engineer gaining hands-on field experience related to Audio systems, Data Networks, Video Networks and Systems, Voice Systems, Wide Area Networks and Security Systems. The past twenty years have been spent providing professional services in those areas of expertise to educational organizations. Those services include Technology Master Plans, Technology Standards and Guidelines, developing Technology Program requirements, generating, managing RFPs and contract administration. Mr. Meeks has serviced approximately 120 educational organizations and assisted with the implementation in excess of $1 billion of technology on more than 850 campuses.

David M. Hill, AICP, REFP

Dave is the Executive Director of Facilities and Operations for the Blue Valley School District (22,000 students) located in Overland Park, Kansas. He has published articles in professional journals and presented at several local and national conferences and symposiums on school facility planning and design, site planning, enrollment forecasting and demographics, LEED and environmental design, and indoor air quality.

Dave received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture and Community Planning from Iowa State University. In addition to his other duties, he is responsible for coordinating design and construction management, facility operations and maintenance, facility planning, land acquisition, site selection, demographics and enrollment forecasting for a school district which has grown by an average of approximately 600 students per year over the past 21 years. During that time, Dave's team has managed five major capital improvement programs totaling more than $1 billion and overseen the construction of fourteen elementary schools, seven middle schools, three high schools and dozens of additions/renovations to existing facilities.