Rick Wormeli, one of the first National Board–certified teachers in America, brings innovation, energy, validity, and high standards to both his presentations and his instructional practice, which includes 38 years of teaching math, science, English, physical education, health, and history and of coaching teachers and principals.

Wormeli's work has been reported in numerous media, including ABC's Good Morning America, MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, National Geographic and Good Housekeeping magazines, What Matters Most: Teaching for the 21st Century, and The Washington Post. He is a columnist for AMLE Magazine and a frequent contributor to ASCD's Educational Leadership magazine. His classroom practice is one of the showcases for ASCD's best-selling series, "At Work in the Differentiated Classroom."

Dedra Stafford is an educational consultant, speaker, trainer, and author. Her work has led her to speak in three international schools and more than 40 states. Much of Stafford's time is spent supporting high-risk schools in an embedded capacity. A passionate educator with a belief in the power of positive purposeful teaching, her goal is to play a small part in helping educators find and maintain their joy for education while gaining new strategies and skills to reach today's learners.

With more than 20 years in education as a former middle school teacher and district professional development specialist working with preschool through 12th grade teachers and administrators, Stafford understands the need for practical research-based strategies that can be implemented immediately in the classroom. Dedra is the author of Podcasting: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Podcasts and Using Them in the Classroom and coauthor of the best-selling book Teaching Kids to Thrive: The Other Essential Skills for Success.