Convention Program
Schedule Updates Will Be Made Below As Needed
A printable PDF will be posted Monday, November 4.
Sunday, November 24
1:45-2:20 p.m.
Welcome & Gathering
Room 153 A/B
Sunday, November 24
2:20-3:20 p.m.
Keynote: Carol Jago
Room 153 A/B
Sunday, November 24
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Joy Matters: Developing a Literacy Leadership Toolkit That Celebrates Joy and Playfulness in Challenging Times
Presenters: Jill Davidson, Anglophone West School District
Rhonda Lancaster, Frederick County Public Schools
Megan Langman, Cherry Hill Public Schools
Tammy McBride, Lexington Public Schools
Room 150
Collective Innovation: Empowering Leaders with Design Thinking
Presenters: Oona Marie Abrams, Pequannock Township School District,
Kate Baker, TCNJ, SRSH
Room 151 B
Inclusion Matters: Lessons from the Field on Detracking 9th- and 10th-Grade English
Presenters: Julianna Cucci, Maine South High School, District 207
Sawsan Jaber, Maine West High School
Matthew Parrilli, Maine South High School
Liz Perez, Maine East High School
Room 152
Essentials That Matter: Coaching, Collaborating, and Curating Literacy Landscapes That Connect the Joy and Science of Reading
Presenters: Joellen McCarthy, The Educator Collaborative
Cathline Tanis, North Plainfield School District
Room 153 C
Sunday, November 24
4:40-5:40 p.m.
Trauma-Informed Leadership: The Heart of the Matter of Leadership
Presenter: Kate Hertz, Sycamore High School, District 427
Room 150
AI for Good: Strengthening Literacy through Leveraging AI
Presenter: Rhonda Lancaster, Frederick County Public Schools/Project Write, Inc.
Room 151 B
Making Joy Matter: Practical Steps for Literacy Leaders in Cultivating a Culture of Joy
Presenters: Kelli Dunston, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools
Matthew Helmers, Ransom Everglades School
Petrina Plunkett, New Jersey Department of Education
Kristen Schaefer, Glen Cove City School District
Room 152
Sustaining Leadership Matters
Presenters: Tiana Silvas, East Side Community, NYC
Keisha Smith-Carrington, Princeton School District
Room 153 C
Sunday, November 24
6:30 p.m.
Facilitated Dinners
(offsite)
Monday, November 25
8:00-8:20 a.m.
Coffee & Opening Remarks
Room 153 A/B
Monday, November 25
8:20-9:20 a.m.
Keynote: Sonja Cherry-Paul
Room 153 A/B
Monday, November 25
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Leading Learning in an AI-Integrated World
Presenter: Tom Lietz, Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals
Room 150
In Alignment: How Collaborative and Coaching Practices Supported the Vision, Alignment, and Implementation of ELA Curriculum K-5
Presenters: Rebecca Carfora, Glen Cove City School District
Diane DePietro, Glen Cove City School District
Jennifer Russo, Glen Cove City School District
Kristen Schaefer, Glen Cove City School District
Kristin Wolf, Glen Cove City School District
Room 151 B
(Re)Imagining Leadership—For Them, For Us
Presenters: Rhyannon Jovan, Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts
Ariel Maloney, Newfound Regional High School
Matthew Parrilli, Maine West High School
Shawn Towner, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools
Room 152
Designing Engaging Spaces for an Evolving Professional Learning Landscape
Presenter: Jill Davidson, Anglophone West School District
Room 153 A/B
Leading for Change: One English Department’s Journey through a Seven-Year Equity Plan
Presenter: Edward Zwirner, New Trier Township High School
Room 153 C
Monday, November 25
10:45-11:45 a.m.
The Neuroscience of Leadership in the Digital Age
Presenter: Ana Smith, Brightflare Performance Solutions (BPS)
Room 150
Not Another Essay: Applying Universal Design for Learning to Elevate Literary Analysis and Center Career Exploration
Presenter: Petrina Plunkett, New Jersey Department of Education
Room 151 B
Building and Implementing Inclusive Literacy Curriculum: Strategies for Diverse Representation and Support
Presenters: Aimee Gilbert, New Caney ISD
Ashley Lang, New Caney ISD
Room 152
Teacher of Literature AND Teacher of Literacy: Leading Meaningful Change in Secondary ELA Classrooms
Presenters: Liz Lietz, Macomb ISD
Jenelle Williams, Oakland Intermediate School District
Room 153 C
Monday, November 25
12:00-12:30 p.m.
Lunch (included)
Room 153 A/B
Monday, November 25
12:30-2:00 p.m.
Spark Sessions in Room 153 A/B:
Leading Teachers and Students in World-Building and Assessment Advocacy
Presenter: Daniel P. Moore, Stanford University
Racial Justice Academy: Centering Secondary English Departments in Activating Schoolwide Equity Reform
Presenter: Kris Nystrom, Critical Pedagogy Consulting
The Power of Yes
Presenter: Matthew Helmers, Ransom Everglades School
Monday, November 25
12:30-2:00 p.m.
ELF Panel (20 minutes)
ELQ (20 minutes)
Room 153 A/B
Monday, November 25
2:15-3:15 p.m.
Keys to Becoming an Evidence-Based ELA Leader
Presenters: Lauren Spenceley, Arizona Department of Education
Jason Stephenson, Oklahoma State Department of Education
Kristen Tinch, Kentucky Department of Education
Naomi Watkins, Utah State Board of Education
Room 150
Nurturing the Nurturers: A Guide for Literacy Leaders to Reclaim Joy
Presenter: Amy Marshall, Anglophone School District South
Room 151 B
Leadership, Curriculum, and Multiple Perspectives: Challenging Canonicity in Secondary English Education
Presenters: Elsie Lindy Olan, University of Central Florida
Kia Jane Richmond, Northern Michigan University
Room 152
Dear Humanity: Critical Conversations and the Literature of Palestine
Presenter: Sawsan Jaber, Maine West High School
Room 153 C
Monday, November 25
3:30-4:30 p.m.
On Textbooks, Timelines, and Teacher‘s Tears: Lessons Learned from a High School District Curriculum Alignment
Presenter: David Lange, Hinsdale Central High School
Room 150
The Language of Leadership: Empowering Leaders to Effectively Communicate What MATTERS Most
Presenters: Lindsay Barna, Somerset Hills School District
Jane Bean-Folkes, South Orange Maplewood School District
Jordan Gribbin, Dunellen School District
Heather Rocco, School District of the Chathams
Room 152
Igniting Joy through Community and Connections with Math and Literacy Leadership
Presenter: Tammy McBride, Lexington Public Schools
Molly Rawding, Lexington Public Schools
Room 151 B
Leading with Heart: SEL, Mindfulness, and EdTech for Empowered Learning and Community Building
Presenter: Kate Baker, TCNJ, SRHS
Room 153 C
Monday, November 25
5:30 p.m.
Social Hour
(Offsite Bar)
Tuesday, November 26
8:00-8:30 a.m.
Coffee & Opening Remarks
Room 153 A/B
Tuesday, November 26
8:30-9:40 a.m.
Spark Sessions in Room 153 A/B:
All I Need to Know about What Matters in Literacy Leadership I Learned from The Sound of Music
Presenter: Oona Marie Abrams, Pequannock Township School District
Tools for K-12 Educators and Librarians to Defend Themselves Against False Accusations of Antisemitism for Teaching about Palestinians
Presenter: Nora Lester Murad, Author
Leading in Times of “Initiative Overload”: How Do School Leaders Decide What Truly Matters?
Presenter: Anna Schultes, Glenbrook North High School
Validating Podcast Production in Academia with the Map of Meaningful Work Framework
Presenter: Amy Vujaklija, Governors State University
Tuesday, November 26
9:40-10:20 a.m.
Collaborative Workshop: LEADERSHIP matters
Room 153 A/B
Tuesday, November 26
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Spark Sessions in Room 153 A/B:
Encouraging Mental Toughness in Adolescents
Presenter: Lori Favela, Lexington Richland School District Five
How Do You Know What They Know? Using Formative Assessment in Professional Facilitation MATTERS
Presenter: Liz Lietz, Macomb ISD
Teaching Key Literary Elements Using Short Stories
Presenter: Rachel Donaldson, North Tama CSD
Tuesday, November 26
11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Collaborative Workshop: Leadership MATTERS
Room 153 A/B
Tuesday, November 26
12:20-12:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Room 153 A/B