Kayla Arena is an Education Advisor in the High School Completion Program at Vermont Adult Learning. Kayla's heart work in education is fighting for educational equity and youth empowerment. She is passionate about transforming schools to be safe places where all students can succeed, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation and bridging the gap between schools and communities to ensure that students have the tools and resources to use their voice and make change within their communities.

Nancy Doda, Ph. D., has devoted her professional life to improving the educational experiences of young adolescents. Nancy began her career as a middle school Language Arts teacher, went on to earn her Masters and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and Teacher Education, and received numerous educator and service awards, including the National Middle School Association’s most prestigious John H. Lounsbury award. She has authored numerous articles and books, including: Transforming ourselves: Transforming schools (NMSA, 2002) Currently, she works as a professional development coach supporting teachers and school leaders in their middle grades education reform efforts.

Dorinne Dorfman, Ed. D., has served as a teacher and principal for over twenty years in Vermont's public schools. As a Fulbright Scholar, she taught at the Technical University of Berlin and conducted research on democratic secondary education in Germany. Her interests include educational policy, school desegregation, arts integration, restorative practices, and full-service community schools. Currently Dr. Dorfman is the Director of Targeted Supports at Randolph Union High School.

Ben Freeman has worked as a teacher, administrator and professional development facilitator promoting education for positive change for over 20 years. Ben has worked in a variety of innovative education settings domestically and abroad, most recently serving as founding Director of Burr and Burton Academy’s Mountain Campus. In 2016, Ben shifted out of school-based work to engage directly in systems-level change as Network Coordinator for Vermont Learning for the Future. Ben holds a BA in Geology and Environmental Studies, a MA in Education Leadership, and a passion for building equity, sustainability and joy for all.

Kathleen Kesson is Professor Emerita of Teaching, Learning and Leadership (LIU-Brooklyn).  She is a lifelong advocate for progressive education, and prior to her tenure in Brooklyn, she was the Director of Education at Goddard College in Vermont and the founding Director of the John Dewey Project on Progressive Education at the University of Vermont. Her work appears in numerous book chapters, academic journals and the books Curriculum Wisdom: Educational Decisions in Democratic Societies and Understanding Democratic Curriculum Leadership (both with James Henderson) Defending Public Schools: Teaching for a Democratic Society (with Wayne Ross), and her most recent Unschooling in Paradise.  Her author website is: kathleenkesson.com

James Nagle is Professor of Education at Saint Michael's College. Currently, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in middle and high school curriculum and assessment, new literacies, and educational research. He works extensively with Vermont teachers on flexible pathways, proficiency-based education and personalized learning. His research investigates the intersection of school reform initiatives and collaborative teacher learning in middle and high schools. James is editor of English Learner Instruction through Collaboration and Inquiry in Teacher Education and co-editor of the Middle Grades Review. His work has appeared as chapters in handbooks and as articles in journals such as The Educational Forum, Middle School Journal, RMLE: Research in Middle Level Education, and Middle Grades Research Journal.

Kendra Rickerby is an educational consultant. She offers extensive experience in classroom teaching, educational technology, and state department of education testing systems to catalyze an innovative culture of learning for all students in the preK-16 pipeline. She has coached a variety of school districts on their implementation of competency-based grading processes to support the systemization of personalized learning strategies. She has earned a Certificate in Education Finance, a Ph.D in Educational Leadership, a Masters Degree in Literature & Writing, and a BS in Secondary Education.

Dr. Caitlin Steele is longtime educator and school leader, former Rowland Fellow, and currently the Director of Teaching and Learning for the Addison Central School District. Her doctoral research at UVM focused on complex systems as an interdisciplinary lens in K-12 curricula: Education in the Age of Complexity: Building Systems Literacy. Through ongoing work with the Rowland Foundation, she remains actively involved in state-wide conversations around school change in Vermont.

Kate Toland is a high school social studies and global citizenship teacher at People’s Academy in Morrisville. Kate is fierce advocate for elevating youth voice in schools through local and global place-based education for sustainability and social justice. Her doctoral research at UVM focused on the implementation of Act 77 at a statewide and local level. Implementing Proficiency-Based Learning: Perspectives Of Three Vermont High School Social Studies Teachers.