Speakers
Keynote Speakers

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Her work has won numerous honors including a duPont-Columbia University Award and the Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association. Emily is a member of the Education Writers Association’s Journalist Advisory Board and was a longtime mentor for EWA’s “new to the beat” program. For the past several years, Emily has been reporting on early reading instruction. Her 2018 podcast episode “Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?” won the inaugural public service award from EWA. You can find all of her reporting on reading at apmreports.org/reading, including her new podcast, Sold a Story: How teaching kids to read went so wrong (soldastory.org). Emily is based in the Washington, D.C. area.

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Session Speakers


Gina Biancarosa
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In her free time, she enjoys reading autobiographies/biographies and historical fiction; watching true crime documentaries; spending time with her daughter. Ms. Coonsis loves sending and receiving snail mail postcards and collecting pens.


Hollins Emili

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Kristi Graber
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Danielle Hass
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Under the Raven Writes program, Danielle works with teams of educators and cultural specialists to develop culturally relevant writing curricula. The curriculum embodies Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, centering Tlingit core cultural values. These values are embedded within the units, as they are reflected in mentor texts, lesson activities, and culturally responsive teaching practices.
Along with curriculum development, Danielle strives to provide high quality professional development for educators in the Juneau School District.

Marci Houseman MSA
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Marci’s study of Abraham Lincoln has had a significant impact on her core beliefs for leadership. She seeks to emulate five of his leadership traits: courage, integrity, empathy, creativity and equity. She integrates these core beliefs within her professional specialties. These specialties include developing and delivering effective professional learning, providing targeted and impactful coaching, engaging in personalized leadership development and collaborating with teams to foster high-functioning professional learning communities.
As a connected educator, Marci regularly engages in essential conversations on literacy and educational leadership with a variety of thought leaders via Twitter. She believes leaders are readers and readers are leaders and is perpetually on the lookout for the next book to add to her professional library. She invites Alaskan educators to find her on Twitter and share their book recommendations!

Jerusha Ignacio
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Joel Isaak MFA
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Susan Lambert M.Ed.
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Allison Layland PhD
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After 30 years in the K-5 classroom at Auke Bay and Riverbend Elementary Schools in the Juneau School District, Amy Jo shifted to support statewide projects to improve student achievement. As the 2016 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Amy Jo contributed to a significant reform effort, Alaska’s Education Challenge: increase student success, cultivate safety and well-being, and support responsible and reflective learners. Current projects support all students to read at grade level by the end of third grade and retain effective education professionals. Amy Jo holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Whitworth University, and an M.S. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University.

Lucy Hart Paulson Ed. D
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Dr. Patti Permenter
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Tolson has a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Akron and is a member of Academic Therapy Association at the level of Qualified Instructor and Certified Academic Language Therapist and a Certified Dyslexia Therapist through the International Dyslexia Association.
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Tolson is an instructor in the Masters of Dyslexia Therapy program at Walsh University.