2010 Distinguished Lecturers
& Keynote Speakers
Disney: Inspiring Creativity
Built from a cornerstone of creativity, Disney continues to search for new ideas that will lead to even greater success. Where is creativity found? It’s all around us. Companies can tap into the diversity and depth of their workforce to unleash a constant source of new and creative solutions to everyday business challenges. At Disney, engaging and organizing the creative power of our employees gives us a competitive advantage in maximizing our potential.
Program Objectives:
- Analyze the working definition of “organizational creativity” as it applies to the success of any organization.
- Discover the four key components of the organizational creativity model: collaborative culture, organizational identity, structural systems, and the leader.
- Examine the best practices of Disney in each of the four components.
Ako Kambon, president of Visionary Leaders Institute, is a dynamic, versatile motivational speaker and trainer. Mr. Kambon is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of educational consulting and designing and conducting leadership seminars for public and private educational institutions.
Appointed by an Ohio gubernatorial commission, Mr. Kambon served as executive administrator of The Ohio Commission on African American Males. Mr. Kambon created a school for African American males who were at-risk of entering the Ohio penal system. The school received tremendous recognition for its creative approach to reaching and teaching young men who were at-risk of falling through the crack.
Philosophically, Mr. Kambon is a great believer in the efficacy of public-private partnerships. “I am a profound believer in self-help,” he says. When it comes to community issues, “government should be a catalyst and supporter of local initiatives, but must not attempt to apply generic solutions to specific problems and situations.”
Similarly, Mr. Kambon is a strong advocate for the establishment of policies, programs, and procedures that engage parents in the education of their children. “Parents must be hands-on participants in the educational process – active partners with teachers and administrators,” he says. “Getting parents involved often requires special effort and carefully devised programmatic approaches. This is especially true in multi-cultural environments where there may be race, class, and communications issues to overcome.”
Mr. Kambon and his wife, Hanifah – a recently retired teacher in the Columbus Public Schools – are the parents of three daughters.
Dr. Douglas Reeves is the founder of The Leadership and Learning Center. Dr. Douglas Reeves has worked with education, business, nonprofit, and government organizations throughout the world. The author of more than 20 books and many articles on leadership and organizational effectiveness, Dr. Douglas Reeves has twice been named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series. His monthly column on change leadership appears in Educational Leadership. Dr. Reeves was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education. Dr. Douglas Reeves also received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Parents Choice Award for his writing for children and parents.
Dr. Ivannia Soto-Hinman
Dr. Soto-Hinman is Associate Professor of Education at Whittier College where she specializes in language acquisition, systemic reform for English language learners (ELLs), secondary literacy and urban education. She has presented on literacy and language topics at various conferences, including the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Soto-Hinman has also served as a consultant to WestEd, and a variety of districts in California, providing technical assistance for systemic reform for ELLs and Title III. She is an educational consultant at Stanford University working with the School Redesign Network (SRN) on systemic high school and district redesign. Soto-Hinman is the co-author of The Literacy Gaps: Building Bridges for ELLs and SELs, released by Corwin Press in August 2009. She is also contributing author on Houghton Mifflin’s reading intervention program Portals for ELLs.
Chip Wood M.S.W. (Robert A. Wood) has been an activist in the fields of education and child development for over thirty-five years. He is currently Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development for the Gill-Montague Regional School District in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. He has many years of experience as a classroom teacher and as a principal in both public and private schools. He was also a national trainer and consultant for Gesell Institute of Child Development. He is a co-founder and co-developer of The Responsive Classroom® approach to teaching and learning and author of Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom, Ages 4-14 and Time to Teach, Time to Learn: Changing the Pace of School, as well as numerous book chapters and articles. His blog www.yardsticks4-14.com is popular with parents and teachers. He is also a facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal Northeast in Wellesley, MA, helping teachers and school leaders strengthen their reflective practices in their classrooms and schools and nurture and sustain their vocational commitment to the field of education through approaches developed by Parker J. Palmer in The Courage To Teach and other works.
Jim Grant is an internationally renowned educator and popular author. Fellow educators regard him as one of America’s most passionate advocates for children. He is the founder and executive director of Staff Development for Educators, the nation’s leading provider of professional development training for educators. Jim’s mission began more than three decades ago when he served as both a principal and a classroom teacher in New Hampshire. It was then that his life goal became STOP SCHOOL FAILURE. His unique style and energy have made Jim Grant one of the country’s most sought-after education speakers. A former New Hampshire governor has referred to Jim as “a cross between Buffalo Bill and Mother Teresa.”
Stephen G. Peters - Over his 28 years in education, Stephen has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and director of secondary education. Most of his experiences have been in schools that made significant growth in short periods of time thus, resulting in both National and State Blue-Ribbon distinction. Stephen is founder of the nationally recognized Gentlemen’s & Ladies Club programs which provide options for thousands of at-risk and honor students throughout the United States. Stephen is currently CEO & President of The Peters Group, a national education consulting company, and partner with CASENEX, LLC-University of Virginia (on-line professional development company). The Peters Group has a track record of creating and sustaining success in schools and districts by supporting educators through a 3-step process of teaching and learning.
Stephen is author of the best-selling book Do You Know Enough About Me To Teach Me, which is being used throughout the U.S. as an effective tool for reaching disadvantaged and at-risk youth. His newly released book is also a best-seller Teaching to Capture and Inspire all Learners (Corwin Press) and will serve as a catalyst for changing and sustaining school culture. Stephen is a contributing author for the Educational Leadership series Engaging Every Learner (Corwin Press). In his book Inspired To Learn: Why We Must Give Children Hope, Stephen not only outlines his vision for the children in our schools he goes on to share how he and his staff turned their vision into operational strategies. His story of how divine inspiration guided him to create the Gentlemen’s Club will save the lives of countless children who will then have a profound impact on the world and those around them.
Peters has served on panels as an education expert with former U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Rod Paige in Washington, D.C. He also serves on university business advisory boards and Investment Group advisory boards where he is president.
His mentoring and self-empowering program, The Gentlemen’s Club, has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as “America, America,” which broadcasts to two million viewers in Portugal and Brazil.
Stephen is one of the most sought after speakers in the United States.
Dr. Robert J. Sternberg is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Psychology, and Adjunct Professor of Education at Tufts University. He was previously IBM Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Psychology, Professor of Management in the School of Management, and Director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise at Yale. Sternberg was the 2003 President of the American Psychological Association, is President-Elect of the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology, and Chair of the Publications Committee of the American Educational Research Association. He is the author of about 1200 journal articles, book chapters, and books, and has received over $20 million in government and other grants and contracts for his research, conducted in five different continents. The central focus of his research is on intelligence, creativity, and wisdom, and he also has studied love and close relationships as well as hate. Sternberg has been listed in the APA Monitor on Psychology as one of the top 100 psychologists of the 20th century, and is listed by the ISI as one of its most highly cited authors in psychology and psychiatry.
Dr. Tresa D. Dunbar currently serves as Principal of Henry H. Nash Elementary School. Located on the Westside of Chicago, Illinois, Nash Elementary School educates over 1000 students (98.7% African-American) in grades PreK-8th. All students qualify for free and reduced. Within her first four years at Nash Elementary School, test scores rose over 18% in Reading and 13.3% in Mathematics. Nash School is now at 59.7% in Mathematics and 56.9% in Reading. For two consecutive years, beginning in 2007, Nash made the highest gains in the entire area (22 schools). For the first time, in two decades, Nash School’s attendance is consistently over 95% and climbing.
As Principal of Nash School, Tresa believes in educating the whole child, and focusing direct attention on the emotional and social needs of her children. Families are included in decision making and frequently are called upon to meet to discuss ideas and help make decisions which will affect their children. Nash has a GED program and has thus far, graduated nine parents (2008-2009), a parent room has been implemented and a strong, active, and vibrant PTA and Local School Council are present. Community partners are engaged and provide resources to help with school-wide and individual needs. Tresa considers these “non-negotiables” in her work as a principal.
Tresa began her career as a teacher at Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School (located in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center), a school for incarcerated youth. While at Nancy B. Jefferson, she served as Lead Teacher for her division and Chairman of the Social Studies Department. Tresa has also been employed as a Principal Consultant in the Office of Human Resources in Chicago Public Schools, where she worked specifically to help alleviate the barriers Principals faced regarding the management of their individual schools.
Tresa received her B.S. degree in Education and Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. She matriculated to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned an Ed.M and Ph.D in Education. While at the University of Illlinois, Tresa was an Evaluation Specialist and a Teaching Assistant in the College of Education. She received the rating of “Excellent” by her students for four years.
Tresa has authored three articles in refereed Education Journals and is sought frequently as a guest lecturer at Colleges and Universities. In 2007, Tresa was selected to be a featured principal in the Documentary film, “A Principal Story”, which premiered across the country on PBS in September of 2009. Tresa has also been an invited panelist for the National Staff Development Council (2009), The National Association of Elementary School Principals (2009), The University of Illinois at Chicago (2007) and Chicago State University (2007).
Tresa is married to Keith R. Garrett and they reside in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Steve Perry - Best selling author, founder and director of a profoundly successful college preparation program for low income minority students, founder and principal of one of Connecticut’s most successful middle and high schools, sought after speaker, candidate for state representative, founder of a publishing house, community college adjunct professor, educational consultant, columnist, nationally recognized television and radio commentator, honored as a community activist, father, husband, and he’s just getting warmed up!
Dr. Steve Perry is action. His words do more than inspire, they provide stark insight and compelling commentary on the states of Black America, education and the plight of the poor. He can talk about it because he is about it. Born to a teen mother, Perry spent his first 20 years living in public housing projects.
A rare mix of scholar and community activist, practitioner and prognosticator, speaker and doer, Steve Perry’s intricate understanding of the problems and solutions make him an essential voice. He knows what the community is grappling with because he fights these fights everyday as an urban high school principal. Whether serving as the director of a homeless shelter or receiving his masters from the University of Pennsylvania, Perry brings a singular focus on improving the lives of others. Whether appearing in Essence Magazine or a local newspaper, Dr. Perry’s biting commentary is fearless. No matter where Dr. Steve Perry is, his ability to see an issue and devise the necessary solutions has become his hallmark.
Todd Ziebarth is the Vice President for Policy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Previously, he worked as a Policy Analyst both at the Education Commission of the States from 1997 to 2003 and at Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates from 2003 to 2005. He has a Bachelors of Business Administration from Western Michigan University, a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Master's of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Dr. Shane Templeton is a former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, Dr. Templeton’s research has focused on developmental word knowledge in elementary, middle, and high school students. He is a consultant with school districts across the country and several states, and is frequently requested as a professional development speaker. He is widely published in a number of research and practitioner journals, and is co-author of Words Their Way; Vocabulary Their Way: Word Study for Middle and Secondary Students; and Words Their Way with English Learners.His other books include Teaching the Integrated Language Arts and Children's Literacy: Contexts for Meaningful Learning. Since 1987, Dr. Templeton has been a member of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. He is educational consultant on The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary and wrote the foreword to the recently-published Curious George’s Dictionary.
Paul L. Kimmelman, Ed.D., is senior advisor in the office of the chief executive officer at Learning Point Associates. He works on federal and state policy, gives legislative updates to constituents, and makes presentations on building organizational capacity. Dr. Kimmelman also worked at Argosy University as program coordinator for organizational leadership. In 30 years in K–12 education, he has been a teacher, a principal, a superintendent, an adjunct professor at colleges/universities, an educational consultant, and an author of numerous publications. As superintendent, Dr. Kimmelman helped the Lima, Ohio, district comply with a federal desegregation order. As a superintendent in Illinois, he was president of the First in the World Consortium, recognized by President Clinton and Secretary of Education Richard Riley when they visited Illinois to announce their world-class successful work. Dr. Kimmelman was appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley to the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century and served on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study Technical Review Panel. He was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige to serve on the Teacher Assistance Corps. He has published three books on education, the most recent, The School Leadership Triangle: From Compliance to Leadership. Dr. Kimmelman earned a doctoral degree in education from the University of Toledo with an emphasis on educational and public administration.