Meredith White is a Gwinnett County (GA) high school Spanish teacher, conference presenter, and Foreign Language Association of Georgia Board Member. She was the Peachtree Ridge High School Teacher of the Year in 2019 and the 2020 Georgia Foreign Language Teacher of the Year. (Website: http://bit.ly/MeredithWhite)

Believing strongly in the power of community to organize efforts that support social justice reform, Laura recently launched Lovingkindness, LLC to support her current volunteer roles as a connector, community builder, nonprofit business consultant, facilitator, and coach.

Laura served as Executive Director of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation from 2018 to 2022, retiring after achieving her goal of obtaining infrastructure funding for the foundation named after the late teen poet and peace activist Mattie Stepanek. In March of 2018, Laura retired from a 20-year career at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW). There she co-authored the RCI’s signature training program, Caring for You, Caring For Me – Education and Support for Family and Professional Caregivers, 2 nd Editionand was instrumental in the development and launch of Operation Family Caregiver, an evidence-based program for military caregivers now available nationwide. From2011-2021, Laura was also an instructor for the Long-Term Care Management bachelor’s degree program at GSW.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of PublicAdministration from Columbus State University. She holds a Certificate in Gerontology from GSW, a Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida, and a Certificate in Community Organizing for Social Justice from the University of Michigan. Laura is a certified youth facilitator for the Youth Leadership in Action Curriculum developed by the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Georgia.

Mandy Butler currently serves as a Literacy Specialist at Chattahoochee-Flint RESA in Ellaville, Georgia. She has a Masters Degree in Early Reading and Literacy, and has been in education for 23 years. Mandy’s past experience includes employment as a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher with Sumter County Schools for 15 years and employment as a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher with Furlow Charter School for 7 years. During that time, she discovered her love for teaching children to read. While at Furlow Charter School, Mandy was named Teacher of the Year, Georgia Southwestern State University’s Teacher of the Week, and Americus Times Recorder’s Best Teacher.

Mandy is currently working with Rural School Districts in South Georgia to promote the Science of Reading. She states, “Teaching Reading has always been my passion. I think it is imperative for educators to have the knowledge and skills needed to deliver effective reading instruction. I believe truly in the work and am excited to help others gain a deeper understanding of how the reading brain works.”

Mandy lives in Americus, Georgia with her husband and two children.

Deirdre Daughtry currently serves as a Literacy Specialist at Southwest RESA, located in Camilla, Georgia. She has a Masters Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Reading from Florida State University, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Nova University. She has recently retired from Decatur County Schools after 33 years where she spent 6 years teaching 3rd grade, 6 years teaching 2nd grade, and 21 years as a district Literacy Coach.

Deirdre is a member of GACIS and has been trained as a consultant for McGraw Hill’s Direct Instruction programs.

Deirdre grew up in South Georgia, attending Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia. After attending Florida State University, she continued to live in Tallahassee, but chose to spend her career educating Georgia’s students and teachers.

She and her husband, Joel, have a daughter in Jacksonville, FL and a son in Tallahassee, FL. Deirdre is so excited to have the opportunity to continue to focus on the Science of Reading through this work with the Office of REI, serving teachers and leaders!

Zachery Ward is an educator that is on fire for improving student learning through teaching the teacher. He has a heart for instructional technology, children's literacy development, and positive behavior supports. He currently serves as a Lecturer of Education within the College of Education at Georgia Southwestern State University. He also has accomplished teaching experience as a third-grade teacher, special education co-teacher, RTI/MTSS Coordinator, and has held many school-level leadership roles.

Zachery's educational practices are rooted in love, and he believes that educators must address the heart before the brain. He values building relationships with his students and uses their interests and needs when making decisions. Zachery Ward is a three-time alumnus of Georgia Southwestern State University, having earned a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, a master's degree in Elementary Education, and a specialist degree in Elementary Education. He also earned his Tier-1 Educational Leadership certification from the University of West Georgia.

Zachery is a South Georgia native and has one son named, Cannon. Zachery defines himself as a life-long learner and unconventionalist who seeks opportunities to serve and lead in the educational community.

Dr. Mary Huffman has twenty-one years of experience as an educator teaching at W.B Goodwin, Charles Pinckney, and Carolina Park Elementary School. She has completed her Doctorate in Education with a focus on College Teaching and Learning. Huffman is a member of NCSS, CUFA, SCCSS, Adopt-A-Beach, Adopt-A-Highway and the LowCountry Parrotheads executive board. Her professional leadership activities include: author of curriculum and assessments for the Art in History program, Gilder Lehrman Institute Master Teacher Fellow, presenter, and seminar coordinator, Korean War Legacy Foundation Senior Fellow, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes Fellow, Board of Director for Treats 4 Troops, and author of project-based lessons for SCETV. She has presented keynote addresses for the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Department of Education, along with international presentations in Athens, Greece and Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Huffman is a contributing author of two books and three social studies courses including Elementary Curriculum I: Colonial America to Reconstruction and Hands on History: Dressing Up, Eating, and Building the Cold War. Some of her top accomplishments include: 2020 Marquis Who’s Who in America Recognition, 2017 SCCSS Best Practices in Social Studies Award, 2016 WIU Alumni Achievement Award, 2016 CCSD Teacher of the Month, 2016 WIU College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award, 2015 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year, 2013 Pinckney Elementary TOY, and 2007 Pinckney Elementary Distinguished Reading TOY.

Irina T. Toteva is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Georgia Southwestern University. She earned her Ph.D. in Marketing at Florida Atlantic University and B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from University of Florida. Prior to earning her Ph.D., she had management experience in the retailing and banking sectors. Currently she teaches the following courses at Georgia Southwestern: principles of marketing, marketing research, social media marketing, personal selling, marketing channels, and sports marketing. Her research interests include consumer behavior, decision making, emotions, and brand loyalty. Her recent publications appeared in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, and she has consistently presented original research at various national marketing conferences such as the American Marketing Association, the Society for Marketing Advances, INFORMS Marketing Science, Association of Marketing Theory & Practice. In 2022, Toteva was the Curator for the inaugural TEDxGeorgiaSouthwesternU event.

Marle Carter Usry, is a Virtual Education Specialist for the Georgia Department of Education, and Site Education Specialist for the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. As a native and part-time resident of Plains, Georgia, the history of President Carter, as well as his current and future endeavors, are near and dear to her heart. The position of Virtual Education Program Specialist for the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park encompasses two of her greatest passions: teaching, and the community that made her who she is today. Marle states that her twenty-five years of teaching experience, along with her knowledge of project-based curriculum development, has allowed her to create innovative curricular and professional learning opportunities for Georgia educators and provide interactive learning opportunities to promote the rich history and vision of the official State School of Georgia. Most importantly, it allows her to teach students of all ages about the life and legacy of Georgia’s own, President Jimmy Carter.

Vanessa is an 8th-grade social studies teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School in Muscogee County School District in Georgia. History has always been Vanessa’s passion, and she knew from a young age that she was going to be a teacher. After graduating from Columbus State University, she was hired at Veterans, teaching alongside the same educators who once taught her. In 2017, Vanessa was named a Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year, and in 2018, she was selected as a Harvard Fellow to study research-based practices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2022, she was honored as Teacher of the Year for her school and for the Muscogee County School District. Ellis wears many hats at Veterans, including serving as department chair, personalized learning co-lead, teacher mentor lead, Columbus State University student-teaching liaison, and school leadership team member. She is always seeking ways to become a better teacher for her students and a leader at her school. You can get a glimpse inside her classroom on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. She currently resides in Midland, Georgia, with her husband and three children.

Heidi Goodin knows that engagement and collaboration in the classroom bring about more productive student teacher relationships that further yield for a brighter future within the community. This is her 30th year in education. Heidi currently serves as the RESA STEM / STEAM Coordinator and Instructional Technology Specialist. Mrs. Goodin loves to work with teachers and students alike in promoting STEM and STEAM practices within our schools and communities. She attended Georgia Southwestern State University and received her educational specialist degree. Mrs. Goodin is always excited about the opportunities that take place within the classrooms she has the privilege of working in and in making those educational opportunities ways to change the world for the better!

Jennifer Dickens is a Senior Lecturer at GSW’s College of Education serving Elementary Education students at the undergraduate level. Mrs. Dickens is also the Director of GSW PreK, which is home to two lottery funded, Georgia PreK classrooms. Mrs. Dickens received her Master’s in Elementary Education from Georgia Southern University. She has a husband and three children. Her interests include reading, walking and spending time with family.

Michael Crosby is an Assistant Professor at GSW’s College of Education serving students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Crosby received his Doctoral degree from Georgia Southern University with an emphasis on curricular studies. He has a wife, two children and five grandchildren. His interests include tennis, camping and spending time with family.

Becky Short is an Associate Professor at GSW’s College of Education serving students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Short received her Doctoral degree from Columbus State University with an emphasis in curriculum and leadership. Dr. Short has lived in Americus for 22 years and is married to Chan Short. They have two children, Kathlyn and Bo. Her interests include reading, cooking and traveling with family.

Rebecca Kent is a Lecturer in the College of Education at Georgia Southwestern State University. She graduated from Valdosta State University with her EdS in Teacher Leadership and is currently in the dissertation phase of pursuing her PhD in Education. The majority of her ten years in early childhood education have been spent teaching in second and third-grade inclusion classes. She is married to Mark Miller and they have two beautiful daughters, Harper and Emersyn.

Angelina Brunson is a Leadership, Instructional Specialist, and Math & Gifted Educator. Currently she works with Chattahoochee-Flint RESA and is a member of GCSM, GCTM, and NCTM. Throughout her twenty-seven years in education, Brunson has been awarded Teacher of the Year and is a four time Golden Apple Recipient.

Jaclyn Colona is the Director of Grant Strategies for the Georgia Foundation for Public Education. Jaclyn was born and raised in Miami, Florida. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and master’s degree from Florida International University, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia to join Teach for America. After serving for two years as a science teacher at Lovejoy High School, she transitioned into a grants specialist 2022-2023 FELLOW BIOGRAPHIES position at the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. In 2019, Jaclyn assumed the role of Executive Director of the Innovation Fund Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. In this role, her foundation partnered on several projects with the Georgia Foundation for Public Education, the Georgia Department of Education’s philanthropic arm. After several successful program launches and implementations, the Georgia legislature authorized a merger of the two foundations in January 2022. At that time, Jaclyn joined the Georgia Foundation for Public Education in the capacity of Director of Grant Strategy. In this role, Jaclyn develops the grant strategy and oversees all aspects of grant operations for the foundation. Jaclyn is married, and she and her husband, Armando, live in Lawrenceville with their Shih Tzu, Benji. She enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Ms. Gerlach received her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from Valdosta State University in 2000. As of 2005, she completed her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education with a Reading Endorsement. In 2008, Ms. Gerlach became Gifted Certified. She has also been Georgia Work Ready Certified through South Georgia Technical College. Her latest certificate upgrade is the Math Endorsement obtained from RESA.

With a start in 3rd grade at Sumter County Elementary School in January of 2001, Ms. Gerlach's dream of teaching took off. She remained with 3rd grade for 11 years before moving to 4th grade in 2011. In 2012 she went in a new direction and started leading students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades through investigative science in the SCES Science Labs! Her current classroom resides in Room 222 on the Yellow Hall of Furlow Charter School with 4th and 5th graders!

Ms. Gerlach was voted as runner up for Teacher of the Year several times at SCES before earning the title in 2009. Then, she served as Sumter County's District Teacher of the Year in 2010. She was also recognized by the Georgia State Department as a Master Teacher that same year. Ms. Gerlach was a Top Ten 2011 Georgia Teacher of the Year finalist. She served on the State Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council and has served on the leadership team of the Georgia Teachers of the Year Association. In 2012 she was chosen to serve on the Governor's Teacher Advisory Council. Ms. Gerlach was Furlow's first Teacher of the Year in 2016 and moved into the Top Ten of Georgia's State Teacher of the Year again in 2017. She has been inducted into Valdosta State University's Educator Hall of Fame, too. In 2020, Ms. Gerlach was selected as a Georgia Southwestern State University Teacher of the Week.

With a knack for cross-curricular instruction, Furlow's Project-Based Learning approach is a perfect fit for Ms. Gerlach's teaching style. She has a passion for hands-on learning, critical thinking, rigorous discussions that make you think, and honest reflection. Much of her teaching was shaped by her 9 years as a co-director of the Southwest Georgia branch of the National Writing Project where she worked with teachers of all grade levels and subjects as they journeyed through an adventure with writing and the teaching of writing.

Sewing, painting, and reading are her most time-consuming leisure activities. You will often see her pulling these hobbies into her teaching and sharing her love of learning with her scholars through these avenues. The most surprising part of her educational journey has been the travel opportunities tied to professional development. Ms. Gerlach has been to California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee to participate and present in various conferences.

Josefina Gembe has been a Spanish teacher in the West Georgia area for the past seven years. During her time as an educator she has enjoyed connecting with students and providing an opportunity for students to interact and connect with Spanish and the hispanic culture. She is passionate about introducing Spanish to students and finding new ways to engage with the language.

Josefina presentation is entitled: From classroom to our culture; building a bridge to student understanding. This presentation will explore how to expand cultural literacy in the world language classroom. We will be discussing how to create a positive classroom culture and how learners can use their own culture as a lens to appreciate the target culture. How to define classroom, personal, and target culture will be discussed.