Kathleen Alfiero’s passion for the well-being of young people has been the foundation of her professional life. She worked for over 25 years in public education as a teacher and substance abuse counselor, has hosted a television program featuring the stories of extraordinary ordinary people that has aired on PBS and in live shows in theatres throughout Maine. In 1996, Kathleen was the Executive Director of Maine Communities Face Alcohol, a nationally recognized statewide substance abuse prevention effort summarized in Voices of Hope, a report recognized by the PEW Center with the Batton Award for Civic Journalism.  

As founder of Global Celebrations, Inc., Kathleen explores and shares the talents, gifts, and contributions of people of all ages through multimedia to a global audience. Celebrate ME, a non-profit arm,  produces educational programs and events using storytelling as a medium for positive change and features school people, parents, children and communities.

Dr Sandra Chapman has a private practice as a business and life coach. She retired from a thirty-two year career in education in 2004 which included service as a teacher, speech pathologist, school principal, division director for student services and assessment, and district office administrator for staff development.

Maybeth Conway serves as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and
Instruction in the Upper Freehold Regional School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey. She earned a B.A. and M. A. in English from the University of Rhode Island, a M.Ed. in Psychoeducational Processes from Temple University, and a post Master's certification as a Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultant from Georgian Court University. Maybeth has over 25 years' experience in education with a focus on special education, professional development, and curriculum design. She is the co-author of educational texts on cross-cultural mental health and child welfare intervention strategies. She is also a past-president of the New Jersey Staff Development Council.

Claire E. Diab, founder of The American Yoga Academy, is a certified registered and internationally renowned Yoga Therapist and Fitness Specialist with over 18 years of experience. Claire teaches throughout the United States and internationally with Dr. Deepak Chopra. She has taught with Dr. Chopra at Oxford University in England and in Goa, India, designing and teaching yoga programs at the "Seduction of Spirit" and "Journey to the Boundless" seminars. She is currently lecturing nationwide on "Zen & Yoga: The Art of Living."

Philo Elmer is an experiential educator of many venues — the wilderness, ecological studies, service learning, and organizational development. He has spent his forty-year career helping individuals reach their potential, facilitating groups in teambuilding, improving communication skills and developing leadership ranging from senior executives to at-risk youth. He has worked also with all manner of organizations in visioning, strategic planning, capacity building and staff and volunteer leadership. He ran his own company for many years using the Outward Bound model in many nontraditional settings across North America. He is a true believer in the potential of each individual and in personal and organizational growth fostered by direct experiences.

Liz Griffin is a freelance editor who works as managing editor for School Administrator, a monthly magazine published by AASA, The School Superintendents Association. She has worked with Paul Houston during his tenure as executive director of AASA. Over the past 20+ years at AASA, she has helped polish the prose of hundreds of school superintendents and other education professionals. She lives in Washington, D.C. Contact: lgriffin@aasa.org.

Dr. Bea Mah Holland is committed to the development of people and organizations as a consultant, executive coach, facilitator, and writer. Her clients include leaders in education, business, and health care. Dr. Holland has served as Director of Leadership and Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, President of Pegasus Communications (publisher of the Systems Thinker newsletter), Leadership Program Manager and Organization Consulting Group member at Digital Equipment Corporation, Harvard Educational Review editor, Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, and Coordinator of Management Development for the Commonwealth (MA). Her doctorate from Harvard concentrated on organizational effectiveness and adult learning. She is the co-editor and an author of the book, Appreciative Leaders: In the Eye of the Beholder, as well as author or co-author of numerous articles on Appreciative Inquiry and Systems Thinking.

Dr. Paul D. Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators since 1994, has established himself as one of the leading spokespersons for American education through his extensive speaking engagements, published articles, and his regular appearances on national radio and television. Dr. Houston served schools in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Alabama prior to serving as superintendent of schools in Princeton, New Jersey; Tucson, Arizona; and Riverside, California. He has authored or co-authored several books on education including, Exploding the Myths, Articles of Faith & Hope for Public Education, and Outlooks and Perspectives on American Education. His doctorate from Harvard University concentrated on educational leadership.

Joseph Jakubowski has served as a special education teacher (10 years), a Title 1 Coordinator (4 years), an administrator for a countywide vocational/educational program for urban disadvantaged children (4 years), and as a Director of Special Services (25 years). Since retiring from that position in 2005, he has served as the special education representative on approximately 25 Collaborative Assessment and Planning for Achievement (CAPA) teams in New Jersey. These teams help underachieving schools meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind. He also serves as a mentor to new Directors of Special Services through the NJPSA mentoring program. Joe obtained a BS in Special Education, and a Master's in Teaching Emotionally and Social Maladjusted Children from Temple University.

Christa Metzger is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at California State University, Northridge. She came to the University from a successful career as teacher, principal and district superintendent in several states and in Germany. Christa has a doctorate (PhD) in educational administration from Arizona State University and has held leadership positions on many state, regional and national boards, community and professional organizations. She has made numerous presentations and written many articles throughout her career. She recently retired and lives with her husband of 40 years on the Inner Banks of Eastern North Carolina. She is continuing to teach on-line graduate courses for her university from there.

During the past decade, her active life has turned inward to explore all dimensions of living. She conducted research to connect her love for her profession and her interest in spirituality. Her most recent book is Balancing Leadership and Personal Growth – The School Administrator’s Guide (2006, Corwin Press). In 2008, she authored a chapter (Personal Growth in the Workplace: Spiritual Practices You Can Use) in Volume 4 of The Soul of Educational Leadership (Corwin Press).

Executive Director, The Academy for Urban School Transformation and The Institute for International Schools, Seton Hall University

Thirty years ago Dr. Charles P. Mitchel embarked on a life-long journey as an educator. He received his B.S. and M.A. Degrees from Seton Hall University and his Ed.D. from Fairleigh-Dickinson University. He is now an Associate Professor and the Executive Director of the Academy for Urban School Transformation and the Institute for International Schools at Seton Hall University’s College of Education and Human Services.

Dr. Mitchel has proved to be a catalytic force in the world of education. He has served as principal, superintendent, and Assistant Commissioner of Education in the state of New Jersey. During his tenure as an assistant superintendent and principal in Newark, one of America’s most challenging (and as he says, most promising) cities, Dr. Mitchel received local, state, and national recognition for his outstanding leadership as principal of the Franklin School where 90%+ of the 1240 students were classified as free or reduced lunch. The New York Times rated Franklin School as one of the 10 best urban schools in the country. In a national documentary, CBS called Franklin “a School of Hope,” and CNN featured Dr. Mitchel in its news broadcast.Internationally, Dr. Mitchel has trained teachers and leaders throughout South America, Macedonia, Albania, and the Ukraine. He has brought his highly demanded teachings on the spirituality of leadership and effective schools to India, Iceland, and Western Europe.

Domenico Piazza is a career educator with 40 years experience as a teacher and administrator. Through his company, Awakenings, he has been providing school districts with training and coaching in Brain-Compatible Learning and 4MAT, a design for implementing current brain research in schools. Domenico also provides workshops in gender brain differences through the Gurian Institute in Colorado Springs. The workshops are called “Boys and Girls Learn Differently."

Dr. Jamie P. Savedoff is the superintendent of the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania and former superintendent of the East Brunswick, Montgomery Township and Colts Neck Township School Districts in New Jersey. Dr. Savedoff served as a founding member and President of the Garden State Coalition of Schools and as an Executive Board Member of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. He has conducted workshops and presentations on such topics as school board/superintendent relations and conflict resolution, and served as a mentor to aspiring superintendents.

Dr. Savedoff began his career as a teacher in New York City and held positions as a high school assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. He earned a business degree from the University of Denver, a Master's from the University of Washington, and a doctorate in Educational Administration and Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan.

Peter G. Selby, RPT (MT) has worked as a clairvoyant healer and medical intuitive for the past 20 years. He has been a registered physical therapist since 1978 and is licensed in the State of Montana.   He holds a B. A. from Stanford University & a degree in Rehabilitation Medicine from the University of British Columbia, with postgraduate training and certification in Orthopedic Manipulative Therapy, acupuncture & studies through the advanced level in CranioSacral Therapy, Myofascial Release, & Osteopathic Visceral Manipulation.   His work draws on conventional wisdom and integrates alternative approaches.

Alexa “Anne” Selby is an intuitive counselor in practice for 14 years. She works with Peter facilitating private sessions, workshops and lecture/demonstrations. Her studies include Mind to Mind Healing, Energy Mastery & Angelic Healing Wisdom.  In addition to her corporate background in management with BellSouth Corporation and experience as a private consultant with BellSouth International, she co-owned  Metamorphosis Yoga Studio in Atlanta, Georgia where she taught Kripalu Yoga for 4 years, provided intuitive counseling and private yoga therapy sessions.

Dr. Claire Sheff Kohn served as superintendent of schools for the Masconomet Regional School District (MA), the Princeton Regional Schools (NJ), the Lawrence Township Public Schools (NJ) and the Hull Public Schools (MA). She has been a training consultant to districts and professional organizations on matters of leadership, strategic planning, global education, and ethical literacy. She also mentors prospective and newly appointed superintendents. Dr. Kohn's earlier professional experiences include assistant superintendent, high school assistant principal, high school guidance counselor, and teacher of English. She earned her degrees from Stonehill College, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Adam Sokolow has a dual career as an architectural designer and spiritual psychotherapist on the upper west side of Manhattan. He is grounded in Jungian Depth Psychology and has been a practitioner of esoteric Buddhism for over 30 years. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, and his Master’s degree in Buddhist and western psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Stephen L. Sokolow served as a teacher and administrator in Pennsylvania and Delaware prior to serving in New Jersey as superintendent of schools in the Upper Freehold Regional and Bridgewater-Raritan Regional school districts. Dr. Sokolow is a past president of the Monmouth County Roundtable and served on the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. His feature articles in The School Administrator on “Enlightened Leadership” (September 2002), and “Nourishing Our Spirit as Leaders” (November 2005), have been well received throughout the country. He received his doctorate from Temple University where he also served as an Adjunct Professor of educational leadership. In 1986, Dr. Sokolow was selected by the Executive Educator, a publication of the National School Boards Association, as one of the top 100 small-district school executives in North America.

Dr. Thomas J. Vona has served as a secondary school teacher, department supervisor, high school assistant principal, and high school principal. Under his leadership, Allentown High School was one of the first high schools in New Jersey to successfully implement block scheduling. Dr. Vona attended the Harvard Principals Center and the Principals Center for Educational Leadership at Princeton University. He received his doctorate from Rutgers University in educational leadership. Since retiring after a thirty-three year career in public education, Dr. Vona served as an interim superintendent, a cohort leader for a Principals-In-Training Program, an adjunct professor at Georgian Court University, a supervisor/mentor for individuals serving as administrative interns, and supervisor of student teachers. He is a reader for the School Leaders Licensure Assessment for ETS in Princeton. He also serves as an instructor/supervisor for New Pathways to Teaching, a New Jersey graduate program for alternate route teachers.