Telesummit - MARGARET BYRD RAWSON INSTITUTE

Transforming Education Telesummit

Listen to the 22 diverse educational interviews below, featuring innovative experts and leaders from around the country.

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TELESUMMIT HOST & CO-HOST

ABOUT TERESA MAY, Ph.D.

Teresa May, Ph.D., is a passionate advocate for children with dyslexia, having dedicated her career to this cause. She is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the Margaret Byrd Rawson Institute. Mentored by Margaret Byrd Rawson, she brings over 30 years of experience as a parent, educator, and educational reform leader. Her journey began when she was a former Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hood College, where she met Margaret Rawson, who had previously taught in the same department decades earlier. She is the author of ‘A Parent’s Journey,’ appearing in Why Kids Can’t Read: Challenging the Status Quo in Education (Eds. Phyllis Blaunstein & Reid Lyon ). In 2002, she received the Maryland Woman of Achievement award for founding the ‘Parents Advocacy Group for Educational Rights’ and her passionate support for children who learn differently. She has served on numerous Maryland State Department of Education committees, including “Maryland’s Reading First Leadership Team,” “Reading Literacy Team,” and the “Task Force for Identifying Educational Best Practices for Students at Risk for, or Identified with Reading and Writing Disabilities.” She is also a founding member of the first Charter School in Frederick County, Maryland.

As a mother of two sons with dyslexia—and dyslexic herself—Teresa’s personal journey with dyslexia began when her children started their education in the Frederick County, Maryland, public school system. Her sons’ struggles with reading prompted her to fight for equity in education from their local school system to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. She left her teaching position in higher education to lead a small private school for children with dyslexia for over ten years.

Today, her work focuses on dismantling systemic barriers to evidence-based reading instruction and empowering parents, teachers, and policymakers to recognize dyslexia not as a deficit, but as a different way of learning that demands a different way of teaching.

As a mother of two dyslexic sons—and dyslexic herself—Teresa’s personal journey with dyslexia began when her children started their education in the Frederick County, Maryland, public school system. Her sons’ struggles with reading prompted her to fight for equity in education from their local school system to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. She left her teaching position in higher education to lead a small private school for children with dyslexia for over ten years.

About Renee Denny

Renee Denny is the mother of five children and has homeschooled for over 15 years. Currently, she is a homeschool cooperative administrative assistant who brings a unique and valuable parent perspective to our learning community. She is a dedicated advocate for children with language-based learning differences. Renee is trained in the Orton-Gillingham teaching techniques and is a certified Geriatric Nursing Assistant.

Renee’s three oldest children attended public school. However, by third grade, it was evident that her twin daughters with dyslexia were not thriving, as they scored well below the national average in reading and writing. In response, Renee decided to homeschool her children.

Today, one has completed her Master’s degree in Information Technology with a certificate in Cyber Security, while the other has completed her Ph.D. in Neurobiology. Her third daughter has recently completed her residency as a Physician Assistant. Her two youngest children recently graduated high school after years of learning at the kitchen table!

Renee Denny, married for 26 years, is the mother of 5 children who have been homeschooling for over 15 years. She is a dedicated advocate for children with language-based learning differences. Renee is trained in the Orton-Gillingham teaching techniques and is a certified Geriatric Nursing Assistant. A homeschool cooperative administrative assistant, Renee brings a unique and valuable parent perspective to our learning community.

Renee’s three oldest children attended public school. However, by third grade, it was evident that her dyslexic twin daughters were not thriving, as they scored well below the national average in both reading and writing. In response, Renee decided to homeschool her children.

Today, one has recently completed her Master’s degree in Information Technology with a certificate in Cyber Security, while the other has completed her Ph.D. in Neurobiology. Her third daughter has recently completed her residency as a Physician Assistant. Her youngest two children are still at home learning at the kitchen table.

TRANSFORMING EDUCATION TELESUMMIT SPEAKERS

1. PETER GRAY, Ph.D.

Peter Gray, Ph.D., is a TED Talks speaker and research professor at Boston College, is the author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life and Psychology, a college textbook now in its 7th edition. He has conducted and published research in comparative, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology. He did his undergraduate study at Columbia University and earned a Ph.D. in biological sciences at Rockefeller University. His current research and writing focus primarily on children’s natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play. His own play includes his research and writing, long-distance bicycling, kayaking, back-woods skiing, and vegetable gardening.

2. PETER HILL

Peter Hill is a TED Talks speaker who has lived and worked on the Pine Ridge Reservation for over 15 years. In 2012, he started the Lakota Immersion Childcare program, which began as simple in-home daycare with five children and only one staff member. Over time, Peter became part of the movement to preserve and revitalize the language, having become fluent as an adult. He continues to work for the program – now the Lakota Language Initiative of Thunder Valley Community Development Corp. – as its Language Coordinator and spends most of his working hours doing translations, recording audio material, creating curriculum, and working with the adult second-language learners on staff.

3. SHELLY LEFKOE

Shelly Lefkoe is co-founder and President of the Lefkoe Institute and the founder of Parenting the Lefkoeway. Shelly is a speaker, workshop leader, and author of Parenting the Lefkoe Way. Using The Lefkoe Method, she has helped people eliminate issues as serious as eating disorders, phobias, and depression, as well as everyday problems like procrastination, shyness, fear of public speaking, and the inability to form healthy relationships. She has personally worked with thousands of individuals from around the world.

4. JOHN HUNTER

John Hunter is an award-winning and gifted public school teacher and educational consultant. His book World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements is a must-read and has even been made into a documentary film. He is a TED Talks speaker who has spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Pentagon, and the United Nations to share the lessons of the World Peace Game. Mr. Hunter explains, “The World Peace Game is about learning to live and work comfortably in the unknown.”

5. ALIZAH BROZGOLD, Ph.D.

Dr. Alizah Brozgold has a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology from City College and over 30 years of experience working diagnostically and therapeutically with children and adults with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. She was Chair of Professional Training at the N.Y. Branch of the Orton Dyslexia Association (now the IDA). She speaks about the assessment of dyslexia at numerous conferences and schools. Dr. Brozgold is currently in private practice in New York City

6. REID LYON, Ph.D.

Dr. Reid Lyon, over the past 30 years, has had a wide range of professional responsibilities, including his contributions as a research scientist, professor, classroom teacher, special education teacher, neuropsychologist, school psychologist, and leader in developing evidence-based education policy at federal and state levels. From 1992 until 2005, Dr. Lyon served as a research psychologist and the Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he was responsible for the direction, development, and management of research programs in developmental and cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, behavioral pediatrics, reading development and disabilities, learning disabilities, early childhood development, and school readiness.

7. DANA BLACKHURST

Dana Blackhurst is a nationally recognized educator and authority on students with dyslexia. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the field of special education.

Since becoming a teacher in 1983, Dana has received numerous educational honors, including the Educator Award, Carolina Branch of the IDA (2002), South Carolina Middle School Teacher of the Year (1990-91), P. Buckley Moss Teacher Award for National Outstanding Educator in Learning Disabilities (runner-up), and Congressional proclamation as “Outstanding Educator” in South Carolina.

8. JANE ELLIOT

Jane Elliott is a gifted educator and author of A Collar in My Pocket, whose lesson in discrimination is featured in the documentary film, The Eye of the Storm. In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Jane Elliott devised the controversial and startling ‘Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes’ Exercise in Discrimination. This now famous exercise labels a participant as inferior or superior based solely upon the color of their eyes and exposes them to the experience of being a minority. Everyone exposed to Jane Elliott’s work, be it through a lecture, workshop, or video, is dramatically impacted and learns a valuable lesson in discrimination.

9. JAN JONES BLACKHURST

Jan Jones Blackhurst first woman mayor in Las Vegas history, and now working for Caesars Entertainment and developing the industry’s first responsible gaming practices, advancing environmental stewardship, increasing employee diversity in management positions by 41%, and developing an employee volunteer program resulting in 160,000 donated hours to company and local causes. Jan is used to setting the bar high for improving the standards in politics and business. Jan passionately advocates for many social issues focusing on women, gender equality, and education.

10. LAURENT VALOSEK

Laurent Valosek is the Managing Director of Peak Leadership LLC, a leadership and strategy development firm. The Peak model, derived from decades of research, integrates neuro-psychological, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, and systems drivers of optimal performance.

Mr. Valosek is also the Executive Director and co-founder of the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE). This San Francisco-based non-profit develops and implements high-impact stress management and performance improvement programs like the ‘Quiet Time’ program for schools and public health agencies.

11. DIANE LYON

Diane Lyon is an effective advocate for children, adolescents, and adults who struggle to learn to read. In 1995 Diane founded the Parent Coalition for Literacy in Indiana, where she designed and implemented a statewide advocacy initiative that brought together parents and leaders from the education, legislative, business, and the medical community.

Diane’s passion for education compelled her to take her advocacy and management expertise to the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., where she directed programs for a national network of Federal Parent Training Information Centers.

12. THOMAS WEST

Thomas G. West is the author of In the Mind’s Eye (1991 and 1997) and Thinking Like Einstein (2004). A second edition of In the Mind’s Eye was published in September 2009 with a new Foreword from Oliver Sacks, MD — who says that “In the Mind’s Eye . . . stands alongside Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind as a testament to the range of human talent and possibility.” The book has had 18 printings, has been selected as one of the “best of the best” for the year by the American Library Association, and has been translated into Japanese (1994) and Chinese (2004). A Korean translation became available in late 2011.

13. ANI KALAYJIAN, Ph.D.

Dr. Kalayjian Founder & President of the Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention, Meaningful World, and a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, with Master’s and Doctoral Degrees, including an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Long Island University. She has been consulting at the U.N. since 1988, representing ATOP Meaningful World.

14. DEBRA PONEMAN

Debra Poneman is the founder and President of Yes to Success, Inc, an international seminar company dedicated to giving people the tools they need to live lives of profound happiness, unlimited success, prosperity, and deep and lasting fulfillment.

Since founding her company in the early 80s, Debra has been the catalyst for hundreds of thousands of people to wake up and recognize who they really are and why they were put here on earth – and how to fearlessly turn their dreams and visions into exciting and lasting realities.

15. KAY HOWELL

Kay Howell graduated from Pennsylvania State University and completed a Master’s Degree in Sociology and Political Science at Duke University. She has experience in social work and has taught in the public schools. She developed the Michigan Dyslexia Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides diagnostic testing and instruction for children and adults with dyslexia, trains teachers, offers free information to the public, and conducts projects with schools and other organizations. Today the Institute maintains five centers in Michigan. It has served as a model for developing similar Institutes in other states. Kay volunteers time to teach students, train teachers, and assist the Institute with special projects.

16. MARCIA MANN

Marcia Mann received a B.S. degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from New York University. She spent a year at Hood College in an intensive program of study with Margaret Rawson in the field of Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia). Then she went to Stanford University School of Medicine, where she was awarded an M.A. in Speech Pathology.

17. EVELYN REISS

Evelyn Reiss is a writer, teacher, lecturer, and editor. She has held several leadership positions, including founding executive member of the IDA (Ontario), lead teacher in a public elementary school, teacher-trainer, and principal of The Claremont School. Evelyn founded Claremont for students with dyslexia. The school began with six students and now, seven years later, has 60 students and a Reading Clinic. Claremont has an assessment center that carries out psycho-educational testing and dyslexia screening.

18. ELENN STEINBERG

Elenn Steinberg is the founder and educational director for Every Child Reading. Her long-held commitment is to serve students, parents, and educators with education, information, and support.

Elenn began her journey into the world of education and literacy sixteen years ago when the school informed her that her son was at risk for reading failure. At that point, she had no idea that that journey would result in her becoming a passionate voice for students, a highly skilled reading interventionist, an advocate for families, a consultant, and a nationally known speaker in the areas of dyslexia, literacy, student self-advocacy, and literacy legislation.

19. LORI LEYDEN, Ph.D.

Lori Leyden, Ph.D., MBA: an internationally known stress and trauma healing expert and
uniquely qualified psychotherapist, author, workshop leader, inspirational speaker, and
humanitarian. After a near-death experience, Lori developed The Grace Process, a transformative
spiritual practice for heart-centered living. She is the author of “The Grace Process Guidebook:
A Practical Guide for Transcending Your Ego and Engaging the Wisdom of Your
Heart” and “The Stress Management Handbook: Strategies for Health and Inner
Peace,” available in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean. Lori holds a doctorate in Health and
Human Services with a concentration in Psychoneuroimmunology and a Master’s degree in
Business Administration with a concentration in management.

20. SUSAN PEIRCE THOMPSON, Ph.D.

Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester and an expert in the psychology of eating. She is the President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss and CEO of Bright Line Eating Solutions, a company dedicated to helping people achieve long-term, sustainable weight loss. Her program utilizes cutting-edge research to explain how the brain blocks weight loss, and every day she teaches people how to undo the damage so they can live Happy, Thin, and Free.

21. TITANYA DAHLIN

Titanya Dahlin, the daughter of holistic health pioneer Donna Eden, has been immersed in Energy Medicine all her life. Since 1996, Titanya has taught and assisted in Donna’s worldwide workshops and is a teacher on the Eden Energy Medicine Certification Program faculty. She is the creator of Energy Medicine Dance! Energy Medicine Dance is a creative healing movement set to world music based upon her mother’s acclaimed alternative medicine work. It is a fun and easy movement that balances your energy field for better health and joy. She has a worldwide following with this popular program and has sold thousands of professional DVDs on the subject. As an accomplished professional Middle Eastern dancer, storyteller, award-winning national speaker, stage actress, and certified Waldorf education teacher, Titanya has been sharing her natural connection and love of children while incorporating programs with kids since 1983. Her experience and interaction with children include over seven years of teaching and leading kids in world dance and theater with her acclaimed performing arts company in Boulder, Colorado.

22. EDWARD HALLOWELL, M.D.

Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D., is a child and adult psychiatrist, an N.Y. Times bestselling author, a world-renowned speaker, and a leading authority in the field of ADHD. He is a Harvard College and Tulane Medical School graduate and founded The Hallowell Centers in Boston Metro West, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle. He was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 years and now devotes his full professional attention to his clinical practice, lectures, and the writing of books. He has authored 20 books on various psychological topics, including attention deficit disorder, the power of human connection, the childhood roots of Happiness, how to help people SHINE, forgiveness, worry management, and excessive busyness.