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Janice Melichar-Utter has worked with students at all levels from preschool to college during her thirty-four years in education. She was an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Mary College teaching Foundations of Literacy. Presently, Jan tutors women recovering from substance abuse.

Dr. Lew Smith received his BA, MA and School Administration/Supervision Certificate from Brooklyn College and his EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University. He began his career as a social studies teacher in New York City high schools, where his interdisciplinary course in American History, titled The American Dream, became a textbook published by Scott Foresman and adopted nation-wide.

Jie-Qi Chen, Ph.D., holds the Barbara T. Bowman Professorship in Early Education at Erikson Institute. Beginning as a teacher in various classroom settings, from toddlers to middle school, she has devoted three decades to teacher professional development. Dr. Chen founded the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson, a groundbreaking initiative that revitalized early mathematics education and empowered teachers to emphasize foundational math concepts.

Gillian Dowley McNamee, Ph.D, is professor emeritus of child development and early childhood teacher education at Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL. She has worked with early childhood teacher candidates during their preparation for public school teaching as well as long term with teachers working with children growing up in challenging social and economic situations.

Leah M. Melber, Ph.D. has nearly 20 years experience within informal and formal science education. She holds a BA in Zoology, an MA in education together with a multiple subject teaching credential for the state of California, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. She has presented widely on inquiry-based instruction and effective methods of connecting with cultural institutions such as museums.

Kaia Tollefson’s career in education began in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1983. She was a middle school teacher there for nine years and worked in administration for the next five—first as a curriculum and staff development coordinator and then as an elementary school principal. She discovered a passion for teacher education while pursuing her doctoral degree in language, literacy, and sociocultural studies, awarded by the University of New Mexico in 2004.

Monica Osborn has been teaching at Puesta del Sol Elementary School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, since 1994. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of New Mexico in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and an education specialist degree in educational leadership in 2007. She is a certified Reading Recovery teacher, currently teaching grades K–2 in a multiage inclusion classroom.

Holly Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Division of Teacher Education at the University of Cincinnati. where she teaches adolescent literacy courses for students interested in becoming middle school teachers. Her research focuses on adolescent literacy and literature, and issues of social justice. She taught middle school language arts and social studies in Kentucky and Arizona, and was an industrial arts teacher in Botswana, Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Lauren Freedman is a Professor of Literacy Studies at Western Michigan University. Her primary areas of expertise include the role of self efficacy in literacy development, the use of multiple materials within and across the curriculum, inquiry as a framework for instruction and literacy strategy development, and the role of student-led, small group discussion within learning-centered classroom communities.

Karen F. Thomas has been a classroom instructor and administrator in both elementary and middle/high school for 15 years teaching reading and English in urban, public, private and overseas settings before her current teaching at the college level for the 15 plus years. Currently, Thomas is a Professor of Literacy Education at Western Michigan University teaching undergraduate and graduate classes where she also serves as Director of the Dorothy J.

Vicki Brooks-McNamara received her Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Wyoming. She taught all K-12 levels before becoming a school counselor and counselor educator. Under Vicki’s leadership, the school counseling program at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon transformed into a premier program preparing school counselors to be leaders and advocates who are guided by data to facilitate systemic change.