Featured Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Jennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant for public and independent schools, universities and non-profits. Jennifer trains and coaches teachers, administrators and others on new teacher/employee support, having hard conversations, collaboration skills and being your best adult self at work.

Jennifer presents at annual North American-based conferences such as Learning Forward, ASCD, NASSP, NAESP, AMLE, ISACS and the New Teacher Center Annual Symposium among others. Internationally, she facilitated with the Teachers’ and Principals’ Centers for International School Leadership (TTC and PTC) and presents with EARCOS, NESA, ECIS, AISA, AASSA, CEESA and Tri-Association, and consults with schools across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Canada. Jennifer’s publications include Having Hard Conversations, The Multigenerational Workplace: Communicating, Collaborating & Creating Community and Hard Conversations Unpacked – the Whos, the Whens and the What Ifs, Swimming in the Deep End: Four Foundational Skills for Leading Successful School Initiatives, and her newest book, Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work. 

Jennifer has also written a featured column for Learning Forward's journal, The Learning Professional, on growth and change and  has been a contributor to The International Educator blog focusing on adult development and collaboration. Jennifer has been recognized as one of “21 Women All K-12 Educators Need to Know” by Education Week’s ‘Finding Common Ground’ blog. She considers herself a “voice coach,” helping others learn how to best use their voices – be it collaborating on a team, presenting in front of a group, coaching a colleague, supervising an employee. Jennifer can be reached at [web] www.jenniferabrams.com; [email] jennifer@jenniferabrams.com , and on the artist formerly known as Twitter @jenniferabrams.

Patrick Green

Patrick Green is first and foremost a dad to a teenager. He is also an education technology leader spending the last 20 years designing programs for students and coaching teachers in harnessing technology for learning.  A former Middle School teacher, Patrick now supports families as they navigate the questions and challenges that come with digital technologies in the home. Patrick helps families design structures and processes that allow children to thrive in the digital world. His hands-on workshops empower teachers and caregivers to mentor children towards healthy relationships with technology.

Patrick is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, and YouTube consultant. An author of two books at the intersection of technology and learning, Patrick is launching an action oriented book on winning screen-time strategies for caregivers in early 2024. You can learn more at WinningScreentime.com. 

Estelle Baroung Hughes

Estelle Baroung Hughes is the secondary Principal at the International School of Dakar and the director of the NGO Africa Learning International focused on SDG 4 (Quality Education for All). As a Principal, Estelle leads  centers for holistic learning and intercultural education. In her NGO work, Estelle collaborates with African teachers, promotes education for peace and decolonizing the curriculum. Estelle is also a blogger and a musician. As a Cameroonian citizen, she is passionate about the cultural and creative wealth of her 250 languages country. Estelle's motto is "changing education one student and one teacher at a time." You can connect with Estelle on the artist formerly known as Twitter at @EstelleHughes20.

Richard Cash

Dr. Richard M. Cash is an award-winning educator and author best known for his work in differentiation and advanced learners. Over his 3-plus decades in education, his experiences include teaching, curriculum coordination, and program administration. Prior to his education career, Richard was an actor and children’s theater director. Currently, he is a widely respected education consultant with nRich Educational Consulting, Inc. His consulting work has taken him throughout the United States, and internationally.

His areas of expertise are educational programming, rigorous and challenging curriculum design, differentiated instruction, 21st century skills, brain-compatible classrooms, gifted & talented education, and self-regulated learning. Dr. Cash has authored books on differentiation, gifted learners, and self-regulation for learning.

Dr. Cash may be reached at: [web] www.nrichconsulting.com; [email] richard@nrichconsulting.com, or on the artist formerly known as Twitter @RichardCash. 

Sara Ahmed and Pernille Ripp

Sara Ahmed currently serves as the Director of Curriculum Integration and Innovation at Catherine Cook School in Chicago. She has taught and coached in public and private, local, and international schools, where her classrooms were designed to help students examine their own identities and see the humanity in others. When she is not in the classroom or meeting with teachers, you can find her coaching the soccer/football teams at school. 

Sara is the author of Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension and coauthor with Harvey "Smokey" Daniels of Upstanders: How to Engage Middle School Hearts and Minds with Inquiry. She is an international speaker and staff developer in schools around the world-- bridging literacy, inquiry, and social identity work through curriculum development, professional growth meetings, and lab classrooms. Sara has also served on the Teacher Leadership Team for Facing History and Ourselves, an international organization devoted to examining and confronting the choices we’ve made in history-- individual and society. 

Sara has just returned to the States from Bangkok, Thailand where she served as a literacy coach and consultant-in-residence at NIST international school. These days you can find her running, playing tennis, reading, or writing her way through a rediscovery of her hometown, Chicago. You can find her on social media at @SaraKAhmed.

Since Pernille Ripp was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She has loved being a 4th, 5th, and then 7th-grade teacher in the American public school system, as well as a literacy coach for adults.  In her co-created teaching spaces, students’ identities are at the center of the explorations that they do, as well as considering how to fight for change.  Recently, Pernille moved home to Denmark where she is expanding her knowledge about children’s development and needs through her work in early childhood education.  

She is an international speaker and educator developer, working with educators in need to better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane.   She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than standing alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world.  You can find her across social media platforms easily, including the artist formerly known as Twitter at @pernilleripp.

Jennifer Rose and Stephanie Simpson of AMLE

Jennifer Rose is the Director of Professional Development for the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)  During nearly three decades in middle level education, Rose’s work in both public and private school settings has included roles of teacher, grade level team leader, dean, and head of middle school.  A dedicated educator, speaker, and leader, she is focused on middle grades education, supporting middle grades educators, and the development of emerging adolescents.  In addition to her expertise in implementing the middle school model, she has a passion for supporting schools’ effective use of instructional technology.  Growing up as the daughter of an Army officer, living both across the United States and as an expat living abroad in both Okinawa, Japan, and at the NATO base near Mons, Belgium, gave Jennifer first-hand experience living and learning among a variety of diverse cultural perspectives and shaped her personal values and professional goals.

Stephanie Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), the premier membership organization helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents. Stephanie is a seasoned professional association leader. She began her associations career as a policy analyst at the American Medical Association after earning a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and B.A. in International Studies and Information Technology from DePaul University. You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter @steph_auditore. 

Diana Souza - American School in London

Diana Souza is married and has two children, Luka and Isabela. She is originally from California but has lived in various countries since 2002.  She has taught at International Schools in Mexico, Brazil, and the UK.  She currently teaches a Grade 7 elective class at The American School in London that focuses on getting students out of the classroom and learning from the city that they live in. 

Sara McAllister - American School in London

Sara McAllister Sara is an Erikson & Lanning Certified Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBI) Trainer and is passionate about embedding CBI instruction in school, particularly in non-IB schools. She teaches Social Studies to middle school students at The American School in London where she also serves as the Department Head for MS Social Studies. Over the last 14 years, Sara has taught English, Humanities, Social Studies, MYP, EAL, and Technology in four countries. Sara loves exploring ways to make schools more engaging and relevant for students, helping them develop resilience, and equipping them to succeed in the future world they will inherit full of both challenges and endless possibilities. Join her on a deeper dive into Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction.