CoffeED

Superintendent at Amboy Community School District #272. A rural district of 705 students located in central Lee County approximately 55 miles south of Rockford, Illinois. It is one of the largest geographic districts in the state, which encompasses 205 square miles. The District includes the towns of Amboy, Harmon, Eldena, Sublette, Maytown, and Walton. The populations of these towns range between 10 and 2400.

Dr. Kellis has worked for 27 years in public education. He was previously a high school teacher, middle school principal, director of research, and assistant supt. He is currently the Superintendent of Madison School District in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Kellis is a second generation native of Arizona. He earned degrees from Brigham Young University (B.A.), Chapman University (M.A.), and Arizona State University (Ed.D.)

Dr. Aaron Spence assumed the leadership of Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) June 23, 2014. As superintendent, he oversees the operation of 86 schools (serving almost 69,000 students) as well as all administrative support functions for the school division. Dr. Spence is a proud graduate of Green Run High School in Virginia Beach. He returned to Virginia from having served most recently as superintendent of Moore County Public Schools in North Carolina. During his tenure there he launched a divisionwide digital learning initiative designed to put a digital device, such as a laptop or tablet, in the hands of every student and teacher. He and his staff worked strategically to improve the school district’s End of Grade Proficiency Scores. They were successful on that front, moving up Moore County Public Schools 20 places in state rankings. Before his service in Moore County, Dr. Spence was chief high school officer of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the eighth largest school district in the country. He helped decrease HISD’s drop-out rate and increase the graduation rate to an historical high. The district’s science and math scores and the number of students participating in advanced courses also increased dramatically during his tenure. Dr. Spence began his career in Virginia as a French teacher and photojournalism teacher. Prior to leaving Virginia, he served as an assistant principal and later as a principal in Henrico County Public Schools. He also served as chief academic officer and director of curriculum and instruction for Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Sir Ken Robinson - the New York Times best selling author of "The Element", TED speaker, education and creativity expert.

Keith Nuthall is the Principal at Del Lago Academy - Campus of Applied Science in Escondido, CA.

During its meeting on June 3, 2015, the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Carol Kelley as its new superintendent of schools. Prior to joining District 97, Kelley spent three years as the superintendent of schools for the Branchburg Township School District in New Jersey. Before that, she served as the director for curriculum and instruction for Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey for three years. She was also a middle school teacher and principal in New Jersey for a number of years.

 Kelley received her bachelor’s degree and doctorate in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Shawn Higgins is a computer science teacher, now in his sixth year at The SEI Academy, a small Title 1 charter school in Portland, Oregon, that focuses on project based, culturally specific programming for high-need students. He has 10 years experience teaching youth in creative technology with a special focus on digital art, audio, games and social media graphics as an alternative pathway into computer science and technology for under-exposed students.