The Speakers

DR. KARLA CARRENDER

MARIE CAUFFIELD

CARMEN CROSSE

JINA EKSAENGSRI

DR. KARLA CARRENDER

Raised in the Mexico-US border cities of Juarez, MX and El Paso, TX, Dr. Karla Carrender comes from a humble family background of immigrants. Her father only finished 6* grade and her mother up to 8™ grade. Both of her parents had to work at an early age but stressed on their children the importance of education as a vehicle to provide stability and prosperity in life. Karla attended and graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at El Paso with an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Sciences with a minor in Physics. She began her career in education in 2002 as a mathematics tutor at a local high school. She quickly fell in love with the profession and started her teaching career in 2004. In the following years, she

continued by taking on various leadership roles, including being a teacher leader, an instructional coach, a Curriculum and Instruction facilitator, and a Director of Core Content and Academics. During her career, she has also partaken in diverse educational projects, including international networking with educators from around the world, and has traveled to various countries to visit classrooms, talk to students

and teachers, and build on her repertoire to strenqthen her knowledge of best practices in the field. Additionally, Karla has taught in higher education both at the bachelor's and master's levels to support the alignment of preservice teaching and reinforce connections of theory and practice in a classroom setting. Karla values people, diversity, and hard work. She advocates for a growth mindset and believes in lifelong learning. She is inspired by her family, educators, and the idea of building a positive future for ALL students.

MARIE CAUFFIELD

Currently serves as the Campus Teaching Coach at CCTA for the El Paso Independent School District.

CARMEN CROSSE

Carmen Crosse has over 30 years of experience as an educator. She is currently the School Improvement Officer in the Socorro Independent School District. Ms. Crosse has served as an Assistant Superintendent, high school principal, middle school principal, assistant principal and teacher in the Socorro and Ysleta area community. In the different roles, she has supported principals, assistant principals and teachers across elementary, middle, and high schools resulting in continuous improvement and learning. Ms. Crosse’s work is rooted in the belief that education is the great equalizer.

Ms. Crosse is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and minor in Education. She later earned her Master Degree in Education Leadership from UTEP.

JINA EKSAENGSRI

Jina Eksaengsri has over 18 years of experience as an educator. She currently serves as the School Improvement Officer for Academic Services in the Socorro Independent School District. Prior to her district level experience, Ms. Eksaengsri has served campuses as a principal, assistant principal, and teacher in the El Paso area, north Texas area, and overseas in Abu Dhabi. Her experiences within Texas and internationally, contribute to her deep understanding of school improvement processes which include the meaningful use of data, creating a positive school culture, and utilizing systems for accountability.

Ms. Eksaengsri is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Applied Learning and Development. She earned her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Texas State University and holds a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University.

CARLOS GOMEZ

Carlos A. Gomez, is currently a Secondary School Facilitator for the El Paso Independent School District where he provides support and guidance for middle school administrators and campuses.

Before becoming a Secondary Schools Facilitator, over the last 29 years, Carlos Gomez has worked at 7 different middle and high schools as a teacher, sponsor, coach, assistant principal, and principal. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, and obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in Educational Leadership.

As Principal of Canyon Hills Middle School, he worked to bring Data Driven Instruction to fruition on the campus. He worked intensely with his administration and staff to implement the DDI process with the end goal for student success. Region 19 recognized his work, which lead to the opportunity of providing the introductory video on the TEA Essential Skill Framework 5.3 Module of Data Driven Instruction.

Session Description: DDI: Theory--->Implementation

This workshop assists administrators/leaders in preparing for and implementing the Data Driven Instruction process. This workshop will include calendaring, preparation and the follow-up required for each step of the process.

MARINA LOPEZ

Marina Lopez is the proud Principal at La Fe Preparatory in El Paso's Segundo Barrio, where she began her teaching career. Marina went on to hold campus administrator positions in Austin ISD and at IDEA. In 2019, she felt called to return to El Paso to serve the students and families at La Fe Preparatory. In 2022, La Fe Preparatory earned an overall A in state accountability with two Distinctions.

MARK LIVENGOOD

Mark Livengood is an assistant principal at Guillen Middle School in El Paso, Texas. His previous experience includes working for 7 years as a high school math teacher and 4 years as an instructional coach. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in theology from Moody Bible Institute, a Master’s in instructional technology and online learning from Liberty University, and a Master’s in educational leadership from Sul Ross University.

LISA LYONS

Lisa Lyons, Instructional Coordinator - School Leadership, El Paso ISD, experienced educator in primary and secondary schools with specialized experience in instructional coaching, curriculum and instruction, and school improvement.

Jessica Macias

Jessica Macias is the Associate Superintendent of School Improvement for the Ysleta Independent School District. Mrs. Macias currently supervises all identified Targeted Improvement, Additional Targeted and Comprehensive Schools as determined by Domain III Accountability Data.

The Ysleta School District utilizes the Effective Schools Framework to create a common language among our administrators and as a guide to anchor all our Leadership practices to.

MALLORY PREJEAN

Mallory has spent over a decade supporting K-12 educators, parents, and students around areas such as strategic planning, enrollment, school climate and culture as well as data and analytics. She has partnered with hundreds of organizations ranging in size from single-site schools to some of the largest school districts in the country including Houston ISD, Austin ISD and Dallas ISD. Mallory served on the board of directors for Magnet Schools of America as a specialized director and also utilizes her background as a parent user in the SchoolMint tools with her own school aged children to help contribute to better parent usability and experience development at SchoolMint.

Title: 3 Components of Creating a School Culture Where Teachers and Students Thrive

Session Description:

Our mission is to help schools & districts create bright, sustainable futures. We do so by offering high-impact tools to implement and monitor initiatives tied to Levers 2, 3 and 5 on the Effective Schools Framework. Come learn how other schools in Texas are retaining well-supported teachers, creating positive school culture and building teacher capacity!

MARIBEL RUIZ

Principal at Guillen Middle School, El Paso ISD, with 10 years’ experience in educational leadership serving communities in northeast and southside El Paso and 5 years for teaching experience in middle school math and science. Her repertoire includes a diverse list of leadership roles which contribute to her success. Mrs. Ruiz has a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in mathematics/science and a master’s degree in education administration from UTEP.

GUY ROSALES

Guy Rosales, School Leadership Director, El Paso ISD, experienced educator in primary and secondary schools with specialized experience in curriculum, instruction, and school improvement.

HANNAH SHUELE

Hannah is an Account Executive at SchoolMint, having spent her first 4 years with the organization as a Customer Success Manager for their instructional coaching platform. In this role, she supported the onboarding, training and ongoing success of the platform at many charter networks and districts, including: Corpus Christi ISD, Beaumont ISD, Spring ISD, International Leadership of Texas, Denver Public Schools and DC Public Schools.

Title: 3 Components of Creating a School Culture Where Teachers and Students Thrive

Session Description:

ANNA TORRES

Anna Torres, Assistant Superintendent, School Leadership, El Paso Independent School District, educator for the last 27 years. 8 years in teaching at all levels to include High School, Middle School and Elementary School. 19 years in administration to include 3 years as an Assistant Principal, 4 and a half years as a Principal, and 12 years in administration at the central office level focused on specialized experience in instructional coaching, curriculum and instruction, and school improvement.

JESSICA YILDIRIM

Jessica Yildirim is an assistant principal at Guillen Middle School in El Paso, Texas. She is a national STEM certified educator that has taught science for grade six through twelfth grade and was also a campus instructional coach for four years. She has her bachelor’s in biology and chemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso and her Master’s in education from Sul Ross State University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in teaching, learning and culture at UTEP with a focus in STEM education.

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