Our Team

Richard A. Coleman

Richard A. Coleman, MS Director (Finance) Richard Coleman is responsible for all finance operations for Urban Learning and Leadership Center. Prior to entering the field of education, Richard earned his received his B.S. in Economics from the City University of New York in 1975. He followed up his undergraduate work by earning an M.A. in educational administration from George Washington University in 1996. Richard Coleman began his career in education as elementary school teacher in Newport News Public Schools. He later spent the rest of his career in education serving in various capacities at An Achievable Dream Academy including Assistant Principal, Principal and Executive Director of the Program which served over 1,200 students. Mr. Coleman entered education with an extremely varied background. A native of New York, he is a Vietnam veteran, served for six years as a New York State Narcotics Correction Officer in Staten Island, New York and in 1991, accepted early retirement from IBM (International Business Machines) where he served as an Account Manager. One of those unique individuals who wanted to give back to his community, after retirement he entered the world of teaching hoping to impact the lives of many young people in need. The accomplishments of his former students indicate that Richard certainly made the right choice. Email

John W. Hodge, Ed.D.

John W. Hodge Director, Marketing and Outreach Dr. Hodge has over 28 years of experience in education, and is a nationally recognized consultant. During his career, Dr. Hodge has provided training and support to educators in over 300 rural, urban, and suburban school districts that serve over a million students in the United States, Canada, and South America. His work and expertise are particularly focused on the areas of leadership, student achievement, equity, student resilience, poverty, and high academic achievement despite the presence of risk-factors. Prior to starting his career in education, Dr. Hodge distinguished himself in the service of our country with the 7th Infantry Division of the United States Army. Prior to launching Urban Learning and Leadership Center, Dr. Hodge served as a reading teacher, English teacher, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher, and Assistant Principal of a large urban middle school that received recognition by the United States Department of Education as a National Blue-Ribbon School. Following his success in this position, Dr. Hodge was named Associate Director of AVID Center Eastern Division where he provided training and support to all AVID schools and district support teams in the eastern United States. This important work included all AVID schools in the state of Illinois. Dr. Hodge’s passion and enthusiasm for working with underserved student populations resulted in him being named Director of An Achievable Dream Academy, a high-poverty inner city school in the commonwealth of Virginia. An Achievable Dream served over 1,000 K-12 students, over 95% of whom lived in poverty. It was here that many of the interventions used by ULLC were piloted. Under the leadership of Dr. Hodge, An Achievable Dream Academy was named a National School of Character and won the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award (MACPA), a national award that annually recognizes organizations that make significant societal impact. Dr. Hodge’s leadership, expertise and collaborative spirit resulted in the academy becoming a fully accredited, high-performing school. Email

Harvey W. Perkins, Ed.D.

Harvey W. Perkins, Director (Personnel, School Improvement Interventions) Dr. Perkins has spent 50 years in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent for instruction. He has led school-based and districtwide reform in rural, suburban, and urban school districts. For over 15 years he has taught educational administration courses at The George Washington University, specializing in the areas of curriculum development and leadership training. Dr. Perkins has been consulting and training in the area of school improvement both in the state of Virginia and nationally for 30 years. He is a certified curriculum auditor through Phi Delta Kappa’s Curriculum Audit Center, a certified trainer in the Southern Region Education Board’s (SREB) Leadership Initiative modules on “Creating a High-Performance Learning Culture” and “Using Data to Lead Change”, and a trainer in the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Challenge. In 1995 he was selected as the NAEOP Virginia State Administrator of the Year and in 1996 he was selected as the NAEOP National Administrator of the Year. In 1997 he received a Commendation for Excellence in Education in a joint resolution from the House and Senate of the Virginia General Assembly. His primary focus for training centers on increasing the capacity of school leaders to build distributed leadership networks in their buildings and in their districts to increase student achievement in the era of high stakes testing and ESSA. As Chief Executive Officer of ULLC, Dr. Perkins now manages and oversees all elements of S.A.M.E implementation in school districts around the country, including onsite teacher and leadership team training, resource development, success metrics and tools, contract negotiations and operation support for ULLC’s team of trainers. Email

Dr. Lori Fanello

Dr. Lori Fanello has been an educator at elementary, middle school and university levels. She has been a teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, literacy coach trainer and trainer of trainers, assistant superintendent working in curriculum and instruction and then as a Regional Superintendent working with 12 school districts. Dr. Fanello has taught university level courses in the areas of Administration and Literacy through The Ohio State University, Purdue University and National Louis University. She has worked with many districts with their school improvement initiatives and has trained the Literacy Coaches in their districts. She is a trained Reading Recovery teacher and a Literacy Collaborative Trainer of Trainers through The Ohio State University. Dr. Fanello was instrumental in developing the State of Illinois Reading First Coaches Toolbox and trained Reading First coaches across the state. She has developed the programming and trained Literacy Coaches in several districts in Illinois and Indiana. She works with the principals in schools to build distributed leadership to strengthen their leadership teams, develop Social Emotional Learning opportunities and to raise student achievement for ALL students. Dr. Fanello continues to work with the instructional coaches in the schools training them, observing, and coaching them to be the best coach for the teachers in their schools

Kathryn L. Kubic, Ph.D.

Dr. Kubic’s focus on student success has been a relentless drive and passion during her 35 years in education. Dr. Kubic received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, a master’s Degree from Loyola College, and a doctorate from the University of Maryland. She has served as a mathematics teacher- from special education to calculus, Assistant Principal, Principal, Mathematics Coordinator, Director of Instructional Data, Assistant Superintendent, and Associate Superintendent. Her professional presentations include: Oxford University Summer Leadership Conference in Oxford, England; Virginia Tech Education Leadership Conference in Beijing, China; Florida Department of Education “What’s Working in Mathematics;” University of Maryland College of Education, Policy, and Leadership; and the Maryland Principal’s Institute. Her professional accomplishments include: winning the National School Boards Association Magna Award for increasing a district’s high school 9th grade promotion rate to 95.88%; receiving an appointment to the Washington Post Leadership Institute, winning the Crystal Apple Volunteer Award for Creating A High School Parent University, winning the Rotary Service to Community Paul Harris Award, and also winning three Governor’s Citations: NAACCC Excellence in Education Award, Facilitating Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Principals’ Academy, & Focus on Student Achievement. She previously consulted with the College Board in the national EXCELerator program. Dr. Kubic now concentrates on school improvement efforts in her current position as consultant for the Urban Learning and Leadership Center (ULLC). In this position she leads school teams to increase student success in mathematics, early literacy, 9th grade promotion, and graduation rate.

Patricia W. Leary, PhD.

Patricia W. Leary, PhD. has over 40 years of experience as an educator, leader, and executive coach. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from East Stroudsburg University, a master’s degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Virginia Tech in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Leary has a proven record of success as a classroom teacher, a resource teacher, a principal, an Executive Director of School Leadership in a high poverty, high performing urban school district, and an adjunct professor for Old Dominion University. As an adjunct, her expertise is in courses on Educational Leadership and Professional Learning and Adult Learning Theory. Dr. Leary has successfully managed and implemented multiple projects including digital transformation, elementary and secondary school reform, year-round schools, and school turnaround for low performing schools. Dr. Leary is trained in School Quality Review, Adaptive Schools, the Art of Metacognition, Strategic Planning, Assessment Literacy, and Design Thinking. Developing leaders in schools and building leadership capacity at all levels of the school organization so that students can learn at high levels within a positive learning environment is the focus of Dr. Leary’s work as an executive coach for over 8 years. She is a current member of NAESP, ASCD, and Learning Forward and has presented at state and national conferences on building teacher leadership capacity, creating and sustaining positive learning environments, implementing the continuous improvement model to build successful schools, professional learning within a professional learning community and leading successful schools. She received the Robert Lyn Canady Lifetime of Service Award and the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals Professional Development Award. Under her leadership as principal, the school was designated as a Title I National Distinguished School.

Kim Richardson, Ed.D.

Kim Richardson, Ed.D., has spent 25 years in public education as a teacher, technology instructional specialist, assistant principal, principal, and coordinator of instructional supervision, instructional coaching, teacher development, and organizational development and induction programs. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and serves as president-elect for a Learning Forward state affiliate board and VASCD Conference Committee. Since 2014, she has supported individuals and organizations in the education industry in meeting their goals focusing on leadership development, school improvement, induction and mentoring, and teacher and coach development. Dr. Richardson is a highly-skilled learning designer who has extensive experience in the design, implementation facilitation and evaluation of professional development content and large-scale conferences, workshops and learning sessions.

Anita Owens, Ed. D

Anita Owens, Ed. D., has devoted over 33 years to the field of education serving families, students, teachers, and school leaders in the Hampton City Schools District. Her career began as a teacher, working with students spanning grades 2-5 for 15 years. She served as an assistant principal for 3 years, and as principal of an elementary and a PreK-8 school for 9 years. Dr. Owens retired as Chief of Elementary School Leadership after dedicating 6 years to supporting, coaching, and developing school administrators, in the areas of instructional leadership, school culture/climate, and school improvement aligned with the division’s mission and vision and state expectations. She currently serves as an adjunct professor in educational leadership at Old Dominion University. Dr. Owens earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Virginia State University, her Master of Science in Education and school leadership certification from Old Dominion University, and a Doctor of Education from Virginia Polytechnic and State University. As a leadership coach with ULLC, her work is grounded in, coaching, inspiring and empowering leaders, and leadership teams within an organization, building on strengths, and focusing on relationships, respect, and results.

Cathy Herbert, M. Ed.

Cathy Herbert, M. Ed., has spent 48 years in public education as a teacher, math specialist, assistant principal, principal, director, regional assistant superintendent, and acting associate superintendent. Her studies included a bachelor’s degree from Towson University, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola University, and continuing education from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and the University of Maryland. Currently, she is serving in several positions as a leadership coach/mentor, coaching school improvement and professional growth for administrators. She provides professional development to staff in school improvement, data analysis, math instruction, mission and vision statements, classroom management, curriculum, the PSEL standards, and much more. She coached assistant principals as they transitioned to the principal position in 16 districts in the state of Maryland. She coaches new assistant principals and principals in Anne Arundel County. She has taught the Leadership course for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. As a ULLC Coach, she has supported schools in Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois.

Helen Mateosky

Helen Mateosky is a visionary leader with 36 years of experience in education. Her time as a classroom teacher, school-based administrator, and district-level executive in one of the 50 largest school districts in the United States gives Helen a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing educational leaders today. An award-winning teacher, Helen was selected to be a change agent in multiple reorganizations of district departments. Helen is a certified trainer and coach for various programs, including Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog, Clifton Strengths, and the Power of Positive Leadership. With an eye for details and the big picture, Helen offers ideas for immediate structural improvements, next steps for leadership impact, and long-term transformation to encourage both student and teacher growth. Originally from Upstate New York, Helen received her education at SUNY-Oneonta and the University of Maryland at College Park.

Heather Peterson, M.A.Ed.

Heather Peterson, M.A.Ed., is a passionate educator with 20 years of experience working with students, staff, and communities to build positive teaching and learning environments. She has experience supporting division-wide initiatives working with grade levels PreK-12 and has more than 17 years of experience supporting Title I schools. She currently serves as Director of Climate and Culture in an urban school division that serves 20,000 students. Ms. Peterson has worked with ULLC since 2019 to provide support in the areas of creating a positive climate and culture with an emphasis on social emotional learning. She focuses on assessing the climate in schools and the impact of communication and relationships. Ms. Peterson also develops and facilitates professional development in the areas of social emotional learning, working with students in poverty, cultural competence, trauma informed care, communication, leadership development, conflict management, project-based learning, teacher leadership and team dynamics. She is a certified facilitator for Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), StrengthsFinder and EQ-i emotional intelligence assessment. Ms. Peterson holds a Master of Arts degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from George Mason University.

Deran Whitney, Ed.D.

Deran Whitney, Ed.D., Dr. Deran Whitney is a native of Hampton, Virginia, and attended Hampton City Schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Christopher Newport University, a Master of Science in Education Degree from Old Dominion University, and a doctorate from Virginia Tech with a major in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Whitney has worked as a public-school teacher, assistant principal, and principal in the cities of Hampton and Suffolk, VA. He became the Coordinator of Elementary Education in Suffolk; transitioned to the position of Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Instructional Services and served as Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Suffolk Public Schools. Dr. Whitney completed his public-school career as Superintendent of Schools for Suffolk Public Schools, where he served in that role for nine years. During his tenure as Superintendent, he was responsible for all schools becoming fully accredited by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the construction of two new elementary schools and one middle school. Dr. Whitney has been awarded Teacher of the Year recognition, Outstanding Young Men of America Award, and Principal School Bell Award. Currently, Dr. Whitney serves as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Program Coordinator for the Administration and Supervision Program at Shenandoah University. Dr. Whitney’s research interests include School Leadership, School Improvement, Strategic Planning, and Cultural Diversity.

Dr. Diana Strohecker

Dr. Diana Strohecker has spent 45 years in public education as a teacher, reading specialist, assistant principal, principal, and director of school performance. She has taught graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University, specializing in Human Communication Disorders. Currently, Dr. Strohecker has been consulting and providing literacy coaching for the Urban Learning Leadership Center. Her current work is centered in Illinois in the Cahokia, Centralia, and East St. Louis school districts. The primary goal with these schools is to provide research-based, instructional literacy strategies so that all students will be successful with reading and writing. Professional development (both in-person and virtually), demonstration lessons, classroom visitations with feedback, and coaching for all teachers, school administrators, and central office administrators are provided to participating schools with fidelity.

Ms. Krystal L. Thompkins, M.Ed.

Ms. Krystal L. Thompkins, M.Ed., is a distinguished educator with almost 30 years of experience at the school, district, and state levels. Ms. Thompkins received her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science in Education and Education Specialist degree in administration and leadership from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She received additional training through the BB&T (now Truist) Leadership Institute for Education Leaders. Throughout her career she served in a variety of roles. These roles include: classroom teacher, elementary reading facilitator, K-12 social studies curriculum coordinator, curriculum specialist, education consultant team lead and K-12 English and reading education coordinator. Currently, Ms. Thompkins is the executive director of teaching and learning with Petersburg City Public Schools. In this role, she oversees all core content areas, develops strategic plans for content creation, testing and assessment analysis, and manages instructional delivery and professional development. Prior to her work in Petersburg, Ms. Thompkins most recently worked as the K-12 English and reading coordinator for Portsmouth Public Schools. She created a clear vision for literacy education in the division and took the reading department through a massive reorganization, resulting in an increase in the number of schools achieving full accreditation to 73% from 43% within three years. Ms. Thompkins also worked with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for almost a decade. She served as an education consultant and later promoted to supervisor in the district and school transformation office. In this role, she led a team assigned to work with over 400 teachers, impacting approximately 10,000 students. Ms. Thompkins also served as an advocate and state liaison for low-achieving schools in the North Central and Northeast regions of the state. As a well-respected and accomplished educator, Ms. Thompkins wrote an article entitled, “Creating Inclusive Classrooms with Diverse Literature”, featured in Accessibility, Compliance & Equity Magazine. As an expert in the field of education, Ms. Thompkins was invited to speak on the importance of literacy and literary equity on Education Talk Radio. She was also the featured speaker on ED FAQS podcast and webinar to discuss strategies for turning around low-achieving schools. Ms. Thompkins serves as an education consultant and university instructor and is sought after by districts and schools for her knowledge of literacy, school improvement, curriculum and instruction and data-driven decision making. She is also the founder and owner of KLT Education Consulting Group, LLC.

David Hundley

David Hundley has been a ULLC Senior Mathematics Consultant for 6 years. He retired in 2011 with 34 years of dedicated service. Of those years, 27 were spent as an elementary classroom teacher. Seven years were as an Instructional Math Coach. In his years as an instructional math coach and as a ULLC Senior Mathematics Consultant, he has supported teachers with effective instructional strategies, assisted principals in developing school improvement plans for math instruction, and designed professional development activities at the building and district level. He has also supported schools with unpacking standards and aligning standards to a curriculum. David has a strong desire to support teachers with effective instructional strategies that are implemented with the CRA (Concrete-Representational-Abstract) Method of Instruction ideas in mind building a conceptual understanding of mathematics.

Kelly Kent Johnson, M.Ed.

Kelly Kent Johnson, M.Ed., has spent 42 years in public education as a teacher, instructional coach, mathematics specialist, and curriculum supervisor. She has led school-based and districtwide initiatives in both rural and urban schools and has worked on reform programs for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). For more than 10 years, she has taught graduate courses at Old Dominion University specializing in science and mathematics content and methods, as well as supervising and mentoring teacher candidates. Kelly has been consulting, training, and coaching in the area of school improvement both in the state of Virginia for 15 years and nationally for 2 years. Her primary focus for training centers on equity and opportunity for all students through high quality instruction that both challenges and differentiates. Kelly has presented at various state and national conferences including National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM), ASCD, Virginia Council for Mathematics Supervision (VCMS), Association for Constructivist Teaching (ACT), Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education (VAECE), and VDOE Vision to Practice Conference for Leaders. Kelly holds a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from James Madison University and a M.S.Ed. degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Urban Studies from Old Dominion University. She has been awarded Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Service to Young Children recognitions. Her work has been honored through nominations for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and highlighted in NCTM’s Teaching Children’s Mathematics.

Stacia Barreau, Ed.D.

Stacia Barreau, Ed.D., has 25 years of experience in public education. She has served in the role of special education teacher, assistant principal, instructional specialist for student services, principal, and director of special education. She currently serves as the Chief of Elementary Schools and Compensatory Programs for Hampton City Schools. In this role, she leads efforts to improve student learning through the direct supervision of school administrators while also supporting, guiding, problem solving, and coaching them in instructional leadership, building a positive and effective school culture, and management of personnel. Additionally, she is directly responsible for assisting schools’ re-focusing efforts to improve their leadership, culture, systems, structures, instructional practices, and philosophies as well as developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the federally funded grant programs for Title I and Title II. Since 2014, she has been an adjunct professor in the educational leadership program at Old Dominion University, specializing in strategic leadership for school improvement and instructional leadership and supervision. She has been a leadership coach with ULLC since 2017 and is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Virginia Council for Administrators of Special Education, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Dr. Barreau earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hampton University, her Master of Science in education from Old Dominion University, and a Doctor of Education from the College of William & Mary.

Carlton Ashby, M.S.

Carlton Ashby, M.S. is a retired kindergarten teacher from a Title I school in Hampton, VA. He frequently shares his 30 years of teaching experience at workshops focused on developing classroom instruction, discipline strategies, and mentorship programs. He has presented workshops — including How to Build Internal Motivation In K-12 Students and Effective Strategies for Helping African American Males to Succeed — in numerous school districts, at many state conferences, and at the national conventions of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). Carlton served as a Human Resource trainer for the Radisson Hotel Hampton (which won the President’s Award for Vision and Accountability for six consecutive years). Carlton holds degrees in Early Childhood Education (B.S., Hampton University) and Counseling (M.S., College of William & Mary). He has received numerous awards for classroom teaching, including the Newport News Public Schools and the Daily Press Teacher of the Year. Outside the classroom, Ashby serves on the board of education of the Newport News (Virginia) Public Schools and as an ordained deacon at the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple in Hampton, Virginia. He is a valued educational consultant for the Urban Learning and Leadership Center.

Bobby Kipper

Bobby Kipper is a school safety expert. He is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author with over four decades of experience in both the public and private sector. Bobby’s journey began with a successful twenty-six-year career with the Newport News Virginia Police Department. Following his local law enforcement service, he served as the Director of the Gang Reduction Program for the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. He went on to start a successful national consulting company focusing on training and technical assistance for both public and private industry. In 2009 Bobby founded the National Center for Prevention of Community Violence which currently serves communities and schools across America in an effort to interrupt the process of violence through proven solutions. Bobby’s efforts have been recognized by local, state, and national leaders for his consistent approach to positive community change at the public and private levels.

Kevin Wajek

 

Kevin Wajek has spent 20 years in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, coordinator, and director of instruction. He has led school-based and district initiatives focusing on instructional and curricular design, particularly in the field of mathematics education. As part of the Maryland Mathematics Task Force, he advocates for mathematics education that serves students as citizens. This work focuses on expanding the pathway offerings of mathematics and the access these pathways create for students as they enter higher education. Teaching educational administration course work has allowed Mr. Wajek to shape prospective administrators in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. As a member of the of ULLC team, Mr. Wajek serves as a coach, supporting onsite teacher and leadership team training, and resource development.

Dr. Kellie Katzenberger

 

Dr. Kellie Katzenberger has been supporting school leadership teams and principals in both Louisiana and Illinois as a specialized and lead coach for ULLC. She has more than 22 years of classroom teaching, school-based principal, and central office leadership experiences in one of the largest school districts in Maryland. Kellie’s passion for student-centered and data-driven improvement planning stems from the successes she has seen from implementing evidence-based initiatives, like Project Based Learning. She holds current educational credentials in Administration, Grades 1-8 Education, Special Education, as well as Project Management certification. She continuously strives to keep abreast of the latest educational technology trends and specialized in progress monitoring to document improvement efforts.

Tiffany Stewart Kline

 

Tiffany Stewart Kline is currently the Coordinator of Behavior Supports and Interventions for Anne Arundel County in Maryland. Tiffany graduated from Morgan State University and moved to Atlanta, Georgia for six years. While in Atlanta, Georgia she was a first-grade teacher for a short time and then moved into a middle school special education position in Fulton County, Georgia. While in Georgia, she also served as a high school basketball coach at Roswell High School. Tiffany returned to Maryland and served as Language Arts teacher and Department Chair in Prince Georges County, Maryland for several years. Tiffany came to Anne Arundel County 2007 as a Language teacher at Meade Middle School. While at Meade Middle, Tiffany also served as a social studies teacher and then later as an Alternative One teacher. While at Meade Middle School Tiffany helped to implement the Restorative Practices program. In addition to her role at Meade Middle School, Tiffany also was the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Howard Community College for eight years. Tiffany created a mentor program that required her players to serve as a mentor to select students at Meade Middle School. Tiffany embraced the concept that her players are student athletes that have a responsibility to also serve their community. The Little Dragons Mentor program became a staple at Meade Middle School for several years. Tiffany served as an Alternative One teacher at J. Albert Adams and MacArthur Middle School. At both schools, Tiffany revised the Behavior Support team and PBIS Tier 1 structures as well as led the Restorative Practice team. Tiffany was appointed to an Assistant Principal position at Mary Moss @ J. Albert Adams Academy. While at MM @ JAA, Tiffany joined the county-wide Restorative Practices team and lead the expansion of the use of community building circles and responsive circles. Following her time at MM @ JAA, Tiffany served as an Assistant Principal at Brooklyn Park Middle School. During her stay at Brooklyn Park Middle and MM @ JAA, Tiffany served as the Equity Leader where she led several book studies, social experiments, and professional developments to support each staff on the equity journey.

Bobbi Pedrick

 

Bobbi Pedrick has been a leader in special education for 40 years and has served as a teacher, Behavior Specialist, Principal, Coordinator and Director of Special Education within two large school systems. She has designed and facilitated systemic change in instructional practices for both general education students and for those with special needs. Her experience in guiding innovative and research-based services, leading creatively in serving students recovering from trauma, poverty and a variety of disabilities has contributed to the successful delivery of services to students and families. Ms. Pedrick’s design and implementation of a statistically based feedback loop that stimulates growth in instructional and compliance practices that deliver improved student and teacher performance has been presented at state and national conferences and has been adopted by schools and systems across the United States as it has increased teacher and student performance in the classrooms she serves. Her ability to build positive and productive relationships with administrators, teachers, students, parents, lawyers, advocates and community partners through transparency and an open mind have contributed greatly to the success of her team and those she serves. Ms. Pedrick has led the development of multiple large educational conferences: Differentiated Instruction for 3600 statewide participants; an annual Teacher to Teacher Showcase for over 2000 participants; Effective Co-Teaching Across the Curriculum for 700 participants and the Consultancy Model for Problem Solving for 200 leaders across the state. She originated and implemented a twelve-year plan for building the capacity for over 4000 instructional staff to increase the use of differentiated instruction practices in their classrooms and to specially design instruction for struggling learners. This plan includes job embedded professional development, coaching, and a feedback loop that is based on data reflecting classroom visits and peer-to-peer classroom visits and coaching. Ms. Pedrick has been recognized with the Visionary Leadership Award and the Paul Harris award for her work in education. She has served as a judge at the National Military Ethics Bowl and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.