Brenda Maurao has been a dedicated educator for over twenty years, eleven of which have been in school and district administration, primarily at the elementary level. Five years ago she left school administration to become the Assistant Director of Elementary Education in Framingham. She has supported all areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment across 9 elementary schools and in collaboration with the secondary team. After her first year in Framingham, Brenda was placed on special assignment at Stapleton Elementary School in Framingham as principal to improve systems and supports during some administration challenges.  She worked with school and district teams to rebuild this school by prioritizing culture, inclusivity, and health and safety. After returning briefly to district work in Framingham this past fall, Brenda was hired by the Belmont Public Schools to serve as the principal of the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School (K-4) which began in January 2022. Brenda also serves as a program supervisor for student teachers at Framingham State University, MASCD board member, Soul of Leadership Fellow through MASCD, and mentor to school leaders. She lives in Holliston, MA with her husband Michael, daughter Lucy and son Max.

With experience in the business, education, and nonprofit sectors, Kate Mayfield brings a deep knowledge of best practices in education, as well as strategies to effectively implement and manage projects and programs. Innovative and results-driven instructional designer with a robust background in project management, curriculum development, and educational technology. Skilled in designing engaging learning experiences and leading cross-functional teams to achieve their goals.

Kate approaches projects with a user-centered, solution oriented approach. She taught middle school English for seven years before moving into the nonprofit sector. She holds a BA in English from Louisiana State University, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching from Eastern Kentucky University and a Master of Education in School Administration from Murray State University.

Kate worked with a nonprofit for four years to bring innovative practices to teaching and curriculum in Kentucky’s schools. Additionally, Kate led the Kentucky Online Learning Experience Collaborative convening district online programs together to determine collective best practices, provide support and professional learning, as well as continuous improvement efforts.

Emma Lucille McCabe is an illustrator with experience in design, bookbinding, hand lettering, pattern design, murals, and animation. She graduated from the Maine College of Art with honors in 2015 and has exhibited her work across the U.S. and India. In 2017 Emma completed a two-month artist residency at Elsewhere Studios in Paonia, Colorado. From there she ventured on a six-month road trip through America's National Parks to create work dedicated to protecting public lands. Emma started 2019 with a residency hosted by the Goethe Institut in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Emma currently lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts, with her husband.

Passionate about education and driven to support the professional success of early career educators, Emily McCord serves as the Associate Director for Professional Community Programs in Career Connections at Indiana University – Bloomington’s School of Education.  In this role, she is an educator, career coach, and professional community curator. With energy, intentionality, and creativity, she envisions and coordinates professional development experiences that allow students to develop knowledge and skills needed to thrive in their early years as education professionals.  As an adjunct instructor for the School of Education, Emily teaches the courses Self-care for New Teachers and Mind-Body Skills Group.  She has also worked to develop a new Educator Wellbeing Distinction co-curricular program designed to help teacher education students develop knowledge and skills necessary to remain personally optimistic, hopeful, strong and resilient as they enter the field of K-12 teaching, including being able to effectively apply this expertise to help their professional communities and students thrive.  Emily has completed both the Professional Training Program and Advanced Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine offered through the nationally and globally recognized Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM.org).

Jen McDonald is a Licensed Master Social Worker, and mom to twin toddler girls. Jen’s passion for walking alongside people who are struggling was ignited almost 20 years ago when she was working/living residentially at a therapeutic boarding school in East Texas. She then went on to get her Masters in Social Work from the University of Texas Arlington. Jen has been working in the mental health field for over 13 years. Most of her tenure has been focused on managing, supervising and mentoring other mental health professionals along with presenting at the local and state level on mental health and wellness topics. Jen is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management {group and individual} along with TBRI and uses an eclectic approach of modalities when working with groups or individuals. Throughout the years Jen has worked closely with the local school districts to provide mental health education and support.

Stephanie McGary is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. She is a mental health clinician at a local preschool for children and families experiencing homelessness and is the owner of Tots-N-Teachers Counseling and Consultation Services, LLC, a private practice limited exclusively to children and educators. During her 10+ years in non-profit work, Stephanie has worked closely with children impacted by individual and collective trauma. She has also walked alongside educators in assisting them in the integration of SEL practices and academics while also helping to increase the awareness around specific mental health needs of children and adults. Stephanie received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA and a master's in counseling from Southern Methodist University in her hometown of Dallas, TX.

EDU Café Contributions

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Caitlin is an educational consultant that specializes in curriculum and instructional design, educational research, professional learning, and purposeful technology integration. Before consulting, she spent eight years in PK-12 independent schools as an academic technology specialist. Caitlin earned an Ed.D. in Technology Integration in K-16 Education from Johns Hopkins University and also has a B.A. in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Educational Technology, both from the University of Florida. Caitlin is a Google Certified Innovator and Trainer and an ISTE Certified Educator. In 2018, Caitlin was named the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator. You can learn more about Caitlin through her website and connect with her on Twitter.

Saro Mohammed holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in brain and cognitive sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is Founder and Principal of Ed Research Works where she works to ensure research equitably improves K-12 learning experiences.

Kelly Montes De Oca brings over 30 years of experience in educational and executive leadership, with a focus on creating lasting change in schools, universities, and state departments across the nation. Known for her ability to turn complex theories into practical, effective solutions, Kelly has a proven track record of guiding teams and individuals to achieve meaningful results.

Kelly’s expertise lies in her unique ability to empower teams and individuals through strategic guidance and personalized mentorship. She’s known for her keen insight in identifying strengths and areas for growth, and for crafting tailored solutions that lead to tangible, sustainable results. Her extensive experience includes working with over 25 school districts, state departments, and organizations nationwide, providing high-impact teacher and leadership coaching, mentorship, and specialized training in areas such as GATE program development, differentiated instruction, literacy integration, and technology-driven instructional design.

As a consultant, Kelly offers more than just advice; she builds capacity through a relational, individualized, and targeted approach. Her work is anchored in job-embedded application and implementation support, ensuring that every initiative not only aligns with the unique needs of her partners but also delivers lasting impact.

Kelly’s leadership roles have been marked by significant achievements, including her time as Chief Academic Officer for Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC Schools), where she led the instructional vision for 13 high-performing schools. She also managed a $60 million Teacher Effectiveness Grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which contributed to the development of the College Ready Promise consortium. Most recently, as Chief Learning Officer at BloomBoard, Kelly helped shape the BloomBoard Learning Model, supporting over 8,000 learners nationwide, and co-developed a portfolio-based degree program to address the teacher shortage in partnership with universities.

Kelly’s approach is grounded in practical, sustainable strategies that make a difference where it counts most—in the day-to-day work of educators and leaders.

Verbal and visual language has been a running theme throughout Lisa’s professional and personal journey. From a childhood filled with fine art extracurriculars and notebooks crammed with creative writing, to a dual education in journalism and graphic design, to helping her Ethiopian-born son learn English, Lisa has been ever fascinated with the power of art, writing, music, and dialogue to communicate and connect. Prior to Paraphrase Communications, Lisa founded and operated Blue Marble Creative for sixteen years where she led communication strategy, brand identity and message development, and design execution for her clients. Lisa was also responsible for Blue Marble’s marketing activities and business operations including co-management of Blue Marble’s team. Near the end of 2016, Lisa sold her ownership interest in Blue Marble to her business partner so she could shift her focus to incorporate more writing and teaching into her work.

Laura Jeanne ("Jeannie") Penrod's journey as a high school educator has spanned 18 years in the Clark County School District, and she is the 2024 Nevada State Teacher of the Year. Jeannie teaches disciplines ranging from special education to English language learners and varying English language arts and career technical education teachers and training programs. She facilitates meaningful learning experiences with students using project-based learning (PBL) and social-emotional learning (SEL) to foster student reflection and advocacy. Passionate about teacher leadership, Jeannie has engaged in local, statewide, national, and global fellowships. She is a contributing columnist with The Nevada Independent, a published author, and has spoken and provided professional development at local and national conferences. 

Alejandra Ramos Gómez, M.Ed., is an author, consultant, and multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Juárez, México. She immigrated to Dallas, TX, in 2014 to become a bilingual educator and is currently an Ed. M. Candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) in the Human Development and Education Program with a concentration in Arts and Learning. Alejandra has collaborated as an art and educational consultant with organizations across the U.S. and Latin America. She is a Research Assistant at the Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning Laboratory and an Identity Project Fellow at the Adolescent Ethnic Racial Identity Development Laboratory at HGSE. Further, she is certified in mindfulness instruction and dance therapy and serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of Wellness for Educators. Alejandra specializes in integrating artistic approaches, culturally responsive practices, identity development, and social-emotional learning. Imperfecta, her bilingual poetry book, explores the intersectionality of the experiences of women and immigrants.

EDU Café Contributions

Podcast Episodes

Jeff is the Founder and Director of the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC), Vermont’s statewide K-12 online learning program created in 2009. VTVLC serves thousands of students through a unique partnership of schools; connecting students with courses that are not offered locally, not accessible due to scheduling conflicts, or that are not offered at times that help them achieve success. In addition, Jeff also is the founder of the Northeast Online Teaching Institute (NEOTI) which provides Graduate level professional development preparing educators to facilitate both online and blended learning. NEOTI offers a Certificate in Online Teaching which prepares educators to obtain the Vermont Agency of Education’s endorsement as an Online Teaching Specialist (OTS). Jeff has over 34 years of teaching and education administration experience in Career Technical Education, Academics, Online and Blended Learning, and Professional Learning through the Graduate level. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Information Technology and numerous Graduate Certificates in School Administration, Web Design, Internet Teaching, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Educational Philosophy and Technology, an Associate Degree in Electronic Technology, and another in Educational and Instructional Technology.

Meredith Roe is an Education Industry Architect, as part of Microsoft's WorldWide Education team. Prior to this, she created and led the Virtual School Network (ViSN) for Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA), and led digital transformation projects for Canberra Goulburn Catholic Education. An experienced educator and leader at system level and in remote and metropolitan schools, Meredith understands how technology can help schools address a wide range of contemporary challenges. She is a keen advocate for using technology to enable equitable access to quality education, particularly in regional, remote or rural areas. Meredith understands the importance of building relationships and connections for successful online delivery and has designed teacher training for the successful delivery of quality online courses. Her leadership in online learning has been recognized both locally (Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, from the Australian Council for Educational Leadership) and internationally (Online and Blended Learning Award, ISTE and K-12 Innovation in Online Learning, USDLA). Outside of work, Meredith enjoys pilates, the beach, cooking, and travelling.

Mary F. Rice is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of New Mexico. She earned a PhD in curriculum and teaching from the University of Kansas. Mary was a postdoctoral researcher at the federally funded Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities. She is also an Online Learning Consortium Emerging Scholar (2018) and has been a Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute fellow since 2016. In 2020, Mary was part of the team that received the Creative Works Award for Innovative Scholarship in distance learning. Her publication experience has been extensive. Mary is a senior assistant editor for Online Learning journal. She also co-edited a special issue of Distance Education focused on criticality and diversity in open, flexible, distance learning environments in 2020. Mary edited the book, Exploring Pedagogies for Diverse Learners Online in 2015 (Emerald). She is also the co-editor of a forthcoming book, Designing Critical Intersectional Online Teaching and Learning (Routledge).

Ross is an experienced organizational leader and strategic advisor frequently sought after for thought leadership strategy and content development, team and talent evaluation, and audience-specific messaging platforms. He focuses on being a strategic connector who brings together talented people with great ideas to find creative solutions. His previous roles include Managing Director with MindRocket Media Group and communications lead for ASCD. In his varied career, Ross has helped his companies achieve significant business development and client retention milestones, led award-winning PR and communications teams, developed effective brand messaging and identity platforms for numerous education companies, served as a core member of product launch teams, created custom editorial and content marketing strategies, collaborated with hundreds of leading authors and speakers, and managed team-building and culture-building efforts. He has worked as an advisor, consultant, and/or marketing and communications partner for nearly 100 companies in the education industry, including Soundtrap at Spotify, Curriculum Associates, EdisonLearning, Flinn Scientific, Future of School, LearnPlatform, and FETC (Future of Education Technology Conference); has created and/or hosted podcast and video series for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), Osmo Education, John Catt Educational, Chalk, and more; and has participated on advisory boards for companies including Edsoma, Lifestyle Learning, and Immersly.

As a yoga teacher, Margo strives to bring thoughtfulness and sensitivity to the yoga space so that students may attend to their own inquiry and get what it is they need from the practice. The classes she teaches combine detailed alignment, fluid breath, somatic movement, and heart-based themes. In addition to her experience as an instructor, she facilitates a signature Restorative yoga teacher training program. She has an intense curiosity to understand what it means to be human. She is inspired by people’s resiliency and creativity and the ways that they embody their truth through writing, movement, music and art. She is currently enrolled in the Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Goddard College in Vermont where she is studying body-based psychotherapy.

Jonathan Santos Silva has been a trouble-making, system-breaking leader in education for over 12 years. You may know him from his work as Founder of The Liber Institute and as Chairman of The Bored of Ed Podcast, but Jonathan can also be credited with contributions to the Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship and South Dakota’s Native American Achievement Schools. Jonathan has been recognized for his work as a classroom teacher, founding school leader, and leadership coach, and is a sought after speaker due to his engaging and uplifting style. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and an M.A. in Education Administration from the University of South Dakota and currently resides in Rhode Island with his wife, four children, and two dogs.

EDU Café Contributions

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Aaron is a father, teacher, and learner. Aaron is Head of Growth and Learning at Unrulr where he works to make learning visible and joyful. He is also a teacher, program director, and co-designer of student-agency-driven learning communities around the globe. His work is focussed on apprenticeship, craftsmanship, storytelling, and providing youth the space, time, resources, and methodologies to turn their ideas into iterative realities. Aaron's professional background is in education, international business, digital storytelling, and operations/management. At the Nalukai Foundation, Aaron creates and implements entrepreneurship schema and curriculum rooted in culture, hustles to find mentors, and waxes poetic on authentic storytelling.

With more than 30 years of executive leadership and management experience in the education and software publishing industry, Jean has led content development and instructional design teams in the creation of digital learning solutions that meet the learning needs of our K-12 students and educators today.  For the past ten years, Jean served as the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Content Development at Apex Learning where she was responsible for driving academic leadership in the market and setting the vision for curriculum and instructional design in Apex’s digital learning solutions. Today, Jean engages in relevant and meaningful ways to support education by aligning her research and writing with her commitment to improving the learning and life outcomes for all students.  Jean serves on several Curriculum Advisory Boards as well as the Executive Committee for the Digital Learning Collaborative.  Jean has written numerous articles and blogs and participated in many webinars and conference presentations on topics that impact education.

My Why: 

I am driven by a core belief that all children deserve access to high-quality learning opportunities to reach their full potential. As a young girl, my parents instilled in me both the value and importance of education and I have dedicated my career to supporting great teaching and learning, both in the classroom and online.
 
I have chosen education as my life’s work. And, like others who have made a similar choice, I believe with conviction that our job, in fact, our responsibility is to support the students we’re serving. We must strive to make learning accessible to every student. While we understand the time, pace, path, and place for learning may be different, there is no question that it’s the learning that matters. Now, more than ever, we recognize that our success depends on our ability to navigate the future of education together.