John Hinds is a former master “Principal on Special Assignment” in a 6A school district and a trained Life Coach. John serves on the Board of a charitable foundation aimed at improving opportunities for disadvantaged students and collaborates with Fortune 500 companies to promote innovation in public education.

Andrew Marotta is an energetic and enthusiastic leader who has put his positive imprint on his beloved Port Jervis HS, in Port Jervis, NY. With the release of his first book, The School Leader: Surviving and Thriving, Andrew is expanding his impact on the educational leadership community.  Andrew is the author of four books, most recently completing Dads, Leaders, & Father Figures.

In his personal life, Andrew is a loving husband to his wife, Jennifer, and a supportive father to their three young children. In his professional life, Andrew has been leading at Port Jervis HS since 2005, serving as Assistant Principal for seven years and Principal for the past nine. He has led the transformation of PJHS, helping to raise the graduation rate from a low 60s% to almost 90%.  He accepted the Port Jervis Middle School Principal position in the summer of ‘21.  Andrew is a former men’s division 1 college basketball official, taking many leadership lessons from that time in his life to his leadership in schools and with school leaders. He lives the words on his logo: Energy, Enthusiasm, Extra, Effort, & Excellence!

Learn more at www.andrewmarotta.com & through his #ELBlog & #ELB podcast:  Education Leadership & Beyond found on facebook, linkedin, twitter @andrewmarotta21, and instagram.  #ELB #ELBlog, #survivethrive #keeprolling

Dr. Frederick Buskey helps assistant principals to lead effectively by teaching them how to escape the black hole of urgency. With over 32 years of experience in K-12 and higher education leadership, Frederick provides simple frameworks and tools to improve both life and leadership skills. His upcoming book takes school leaders through a journey from spending time putting out fires to investing time in growing teachers. Frederick hosts The Assistant Principal Podcast and is the author of “The Strategic Leader Daily Email”, sharing powerful leadership tools, tips, and topics with subscribers every day. You can read more about Dr. Buskey on his website and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Jeff Arnott, Ed.D., has extensive experience in K-12, career, and adult education, with 16 years in administration in adult education. He is currently the CEO of Lot 12 Education, a full-service consulting firm that focuses on connecting employers with career and adult education students. In addition, Jeff spent four years in the auto parts manufacturing business. He had been a CTE and adult education director in small, medium, and larger districts.  

Jeff has advocated for and succeeded in changing policy regarding adults with disability in adult education programs. He was the first in Florida in adult education to start a pre-apprenticeship program. Jeff brought up the importance of social media as a recruitment tool, and soon established himself as the “go to” resource for guidance on how to build out dynamic social media campaigns. In Florida he built the largest social media presence for adult education in the United States. 

Jeff won the 2017 Partner of the Year for Career Source Florida, underscoring his knowledge of businesses and ability to bring partners to the table, including Fortune 500 companies and local small businesses such as CareerSource, the Chambers, and the Urban League. He was instrumental in expanding the CAPE Funding Act to allow teachers to receive bonuses with the industry certification they earned. He has advocated for more funds at the national level in Washington DC as well as advocated for state funding in Tallahassee and has secured funding for numerous projects around Career and Technical Education.

Jeff’s 12-year career in adult education includes the honor of being the 2015 Adult Education Administrator of the Year in Florida and CareerSource Florida Partner of the Year in 2017. He is currently the ACE of Florida Past-President and has served on the COABE Board as a regional representative. Jeff holds a doctorate with an emphasis on adult learning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Martin Silverman is a father, grandfather, husband, and long-time educator in  San Antonio, Texas. He has been committed to providing the best educational experience for the students and families at Salinas Elementary School where he recently retired as principal. Martin has worked as a teacher and administrator in urban, suburban, and rural districts. His interests are creating and nurturing school culture, providing enriching experiences for students and families, and developing future teachers and administrators. As a former bilingual teacher and administrator, Martin is committed to providing ELL students with quality programs to develop their unique skills. He hosts a podcast called The Second Question, which highlights educators and provides them a forum to discuss ideas and honor the teachers who have influenced their lives.

Dr. Frederick Buskey helps assistant principals to lead effectively by teaching them how to escape the black hole of urgency. With over 32 years of experience in K-12 and higher education leadership, Frederick provides simple frameworks and tools to improve both life and leadership skills. His upcoming book takes school leaders through a journey from spending time putting out fires to investing time in growing teachers. Frederick hosts The Assistant Principal Podcast and is the author of “The Strategic Leader Daily Email”, sharing powerful leadership tools, tips, and topics with subscribers every day. You can read more about Dr. Buskey on his website and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Cynthia Bishop served as Deputy Executive Director for two Regional Education Service Centers in Texas and as the Associate Director for the Texas Association of Rural Schools. She has spent her career ensuring access to quality curriculum and learning resources for staff and students that are steeped in leadership and academic growth opportunities.

Cynthia is currently the CEO of Leadership Speaks, a consulting firm that provides professional training, facilitation, and coaching for education, non-profit, and the business community. Her mission is to teach the “untaught skills” to all ages and improve leadership capacity by improving how we get along with each other. One of her proudest achievements is the MyChoice2Lead program that is designed to impact self-awareness, strengthen relationship management, and reshape how we view and resolve conflict. Ultimately, her goal is to develop confident, caring leaders that cultivate cohesive teams with superior performance. 

Life is a team sport.

Cynthia holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington, a M.Ed. from Texas A&M. She is currently pursuing her International Coaching Federation credentials. She resides in Heath, TX with husband, Tom, and their senior shih tzu, Buddy.

Before serving as the Virginia ASCD Executive Director and Owner of Next Level Consulting, Dr. Jones most recently served as the Principal of Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County Public Schools (2,500 students on two campuses) in Virginia, where he also served on division-level leadership committees. Dr. Jones was also the Programs Committee Chair for VASCD, the Chair for the Central District, and the Chair for Region 6A as part of the Virginia High School League. Prior to his service in Chesterfield, Dr. Jones was an Assistant Principal, Central Office Teacher Leader, and High School Math Teacher in Virginia Beach. He has also served as Assistant Principal of Sussex Central Elementary School. Dr. Jones found his passion for education following his service as a United States Army Airborne Ranger. He and his wife, Suzanne, have four incredible school-aged children.

Michael Torres is a 30-year K-12 educator currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer for MT Leadership Consulting. Ignited by his work with Houston ISD as a Senior Manager for Aspiring Campus Leaders and strengthened via his work as a Leadership Consultant with Education Service Center 20, MT Leadership Consulting is an independent consulting company which focuses on leadership development for emerging, novice, and veteran educators via training(s) and coaching to increase leadership capacity. 

Torres was the principal of Travis Middle School in Calhoun County ISD from 2014-2017, where he was able to increase student inclusiveness in all facets and gained Distinction in STAAR for Top 25% for Student Progress in Math in 2017. During his thirteen years as a classroom teacher, he also served as a sports coach, a district curriculum writer, and delivered district-wide professional development. He was selected by KERA as a Master Math Teacher to produce math lessons and videos. In 2005, Torres received the Tandy Scholar Award from Radio Shack for his work at Kirkpatrick Middle School (KMS) as well as Heart of a Champion Award from the students at KMS. His mantra of ENGAGE! EMPOWER! EXCEL! was formulated during his teaching career where he exhausted all avenues to enhance the educational experience for his students.

Michael’s passion for leadership development is fueled by his own journey, and the desire to influence others to maximize their tools and resources to exponentially impact their campus/district. His training(s) engages educators in a multitude of activities, an abundance of self-reflection, empowering participants to enrich their capacity to impact student achievement. Michael currently lives in San Antonio with his wife, Lori, a life-long educator herself, and enjoys working on various endeavors to augment his craft and amplify his influence, always looking for opportunities to enrich himself and others!

Affectionately known as “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Dr. Danny Brassell (www.DannyBrassell.com) has held a variety of titles and worked with leaders from many fields and disciplines, but he has always considered himself first and foremost a teacher. He is a best-selling author of 16 books, including Leadership Begins with Motivation and The Reading Makeover, based on his popular TEDx talk. For the past 25 years he has also been a lecturer and professor at a number of universities, including his current position as a faculty advisor for the CalStateTEACH program and distinguished visiting professor at the American University of Cairo. 

A gregarious, sought-after author, speaker, accountability coach, and business consultant, Danny is a recognized authority on leadership development, reading, motivation and communication skills and the co-creator of www.theREADINGhabit.com, the world’s top reading engagement program. His mission is to bring joy back into education and the workplace. Thousands, from school districts to businesses to association conferences, have enjoyed his energetic, interactive and informative presentations. He has spoken to over 3,500 different audiences worldwide. 

He helps entrepreneurs, executives, and small business owners boost their business and impact by improving their communication skills and building powerful presentations that get their audiences to take “the next step” – from purchasing their products to donating to their causes, to supporting their ideas.

Finally, as a former inner-city teacher and administrator who believes all children and educators deserve a safe, positive workplace, Danny is currently working as a consultant for CyberSmarties, a social media platform for kids ages 5-12 that teaches children how to use social media in a positive way. The program is in schools around the world and brings schools and police departments together to promote the well-being of students.

Affectionately known as “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Dr. Danny Brassell (www.DannyBrassell.com) has held a variety of titles and worked with leaders from many fields and disciplines, but he has always considered himself first and foremost a teacher. He is a best-selling author of 16 books, including Leadership Begins with Motivation and The Reading Makeover, based on his popular TEDx talk. For the past 25 years he has also been a lecturer and professor at a number of universities, including his current position as a faculty advisor for the CalStateTEACH program and distinguished visiting professor at the American University of Cairo. 

A gregarious, sought-after author, speaker, accountability coach, and business consultant, Danny is a recognized authority on leadership development, reading, motivation and communication skills and the co-creator of www.theREADINGhabit.com, the world’s top reading engagement program. His mission is to bring joy back into education and the workplace. Thousands, from school districts to businesses to association conferences, have enjoyed his energetic, interactive and informative presentations. He has spoken to over 3,500 different audiences worldwide. 

He helps entrepreneurs, executives, and small business owners boost their business and impact by improving their communication skills and building powerful presentations that get their audiences to take “the next step” – from purchasing their products to donating to their causes, to supporting their ideas.

Finally, as a former inner-city teacher and administrator who believes all children and educators deserve a safe, positive workplace, Danny is currently working as a consultant for CyberSmarties, a social media platform for kids ages 5-12 that teaches children how to use social media in a positive way. The program is in schools around the world and brings schools and police departments together to promote the well-being of students.