Speakers
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference

Dr. Christopher Emdin
Professor of Science Education, Author of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood

Dr. Marquita Blades
Award-Winning STEM Educator & Teacher Support Specialist
Dr. Marquita S. Blades is an award-winning educator, international speaker and author. As a high school science teacher, she led nationally recognized STEM programs for high-achieving students. Through her consulting practice, she now offers professional development programs, curriculum & assessment writing, conference planning and teacher coaching in the areas of STEM instruction and teacher burnout. Dr. Blades created The Mediocre Teacher Project to help teachers avoid burnout by helping them incorporate their unique talents into their daily practice. She is also the host of The Dr. Marquita Blades Show: Candid Conversations that Create Change, an internet-based broadcast dedicated to discussing current trends and issues in education. Dr. Blades is the author of POWARRful Teaching Strategies for Increasing Engagement & Collaboration While Maintaining Rigor in Science Courses.

Steph Jensen
International Speaker, Award-Winning Author & Consultant
Steph Jensen, MS, LPC is an award-winning author and international speaker recognized for her insight and understanding of relational aggression. She combines 15 years of practice in the fields of education and counseling with research, practical strategies and humor to address challenging behaviors and build positive relationships with kids. She has held positions as classroom teacher, education consultant and international speaker. She holds a master’s degree in clinical counseling, focusing her efforts on adolescent and family issues. In recent years, Stephanie has applied her passion for adolescents to focus on the dynamics of relational aggression, social-emotional learning, and positive behavior interventions. She is the author of Thrive in the Hive: Surviving the Girl’s World of Good and Bad Relationship Bee-haviors, Mom’s Choice Award-winning Princess Priscilla and the Bully-Bee Day, Princess Priscilla and the Mood Ring Rainbow and her latest Princess Priscilla and the Great Beezilla!

Tommie Mabry
Author of A Dark Journey to a Light Future, Ph.D. Candidate Expelled from 10 Schools
Tommie Mabry grew up in poverty in Jackson, Mississippi. With no one to serve as a model for mainstream success, Tommie turned to life in the streets. He was expelled from numerous schools and by age 11, he was serving time for burglary. Things started to change for Tommie when he joined an AAU basketball team that traveled around world. Although he was shot in the foot during his senior year, he received a full basketball scholarship to Missouri State University. After completing his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College, he taught school in the same district where he had been expelled numerous times. Subsequently he has served as Director of Enrollment at Tougaloo College before founding the company that bears his name. He is currently a Ph.D candidate at Jackson State University and has published two books, A Dark Journey to a Light Future and If Tommie Can Do It, We Can Do It.

Mike Paget
Award-Winning STEM Educator & Teacher Support SpecialistInternational Speaker, Consultant, Author of Defying the Defiance
Mike Paget currently works as a consultant to schools throughout North America to help them better teach challenging students. As a state consultant for students with severe emotional and behavioral problems, he worked with ODD, CD and other special needs students for more than 25 years. Mike is an innovator of effective approaches for working with extremely challenging students and has conducted seminars across the U.S. and Canada on creative techniques for managing classroom behavior, student aggression and crisis intervention. He is co-author of Aggressive and Violent Students and Defying the Defiance. His newest book is High on the Spectrum: Asperger’s, High-Functioning Autism & Related Personalities.
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Orlando
March 26-29, 2020
School Climate & Culture Forum
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Counseling Strategies & Resources Conference
Las Vegas
July 6-10, 2020
School Climate & Culture Forum
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Wired Differently Conference
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
NextGen School Safety Conference