Antonia (Tanya) Anderson, Fayetteville Academy

I am an elementary educator who has worked in grades K-3 for the last 18 years.  I have public and private school experience, as well as experience providing PD opportunities for adults.  In 2018 I completed my Master's degree in instructional technology through ECU.  I love working with students and incorporating literature and STEAM concepts.   

Erin Baldecchi is certified in applied positive psychology from The Flourishing Center in New York and is a certified life coach. She has 20 years of educational experience including teaching, overseeing a learning center, administration, and facilitating professional development for schools. She earned her BA in English and teaching certification from Salem College.

The founders of Happy YOUniversity are partners Erin Baldecchi and Sara Corckran. Together they have 40 years of educational experience as classroom teachers, curriculum writers, and administrators. Both Erin and Sara are certified in applied positive psychology from The Flourishing Center in New York and are certified life coaches. They joined together to create Happy YOUniversity with the mission to transform school communities to a more positive mindset. Their focus is on empowering faculty to unlock their joy, build resilience, foster connections and embrace a growth mindset. They have worked with schools, communities, sports teams, and individuals and are proud of their partnerships with AIMS, MSDE, TAIS, FCIS, NCAIS, NJAIS, SAIS and AISGW.

Katey Balikian

Katey is the Lower School Technology Facilitator at Charlotte Christian School. Prior to this role, she served as the Media Specialist and taught second grade. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Wheaton College and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Virginia. Katey loves finding innovative ways to improve instruction and enhance content with technology integration. 

Keri Bartholomew has been a lead educational consultant with the Center for the Collaborative Classroom since 2009. She holds an M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Language and Literacy from National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois.
With over 20 years of experience in public education, Keri has facilitated Professional Learning with preservice and inservice educators in the areas of reading and writing development, intervention, and social-emotional learning. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences and worked with schools across the country as an independent literacy consultant. Keri Bartholomew has served as an adjunct instructor teaching literacy courses at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. Keri currently lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two children.

Casey Beauchamp is a Physical Education and Wellness teacher at The Raleigh School where he teaches Pre-School 4's through 5th grade. His background is in performing arts and contemplative education. With a passion for integrating mindfulness and embodied movement he enjoys exploring play-based approaches to social emotional learning. He is delighted and honored to present at this year’s NCAIS conference.

Wes Brown, Ravenscroft School

This is Wes Brown's twelfth year in independent school education. In 2011, Wes joined the middle school faculty at Ravenscroft School (Raleigh, NC) where he taught English and history courses, served as the Instructional Technology Specialist, and the Coordinator of Student Leadership and Programming. In 2019, Wes moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work at The Lovett School where he continued to work with middle school students. In January 2019, Wes rejoined the Ravenscroft community where he currently teaches fifth-grade ELA and serves as the grade-level team leader. Wes earned his B.S. and M.Ed. from N.C. State's College of Education and is currently pursuing a Master of School Administration degree from East Carolina University. 

Erin Cole currently serves as the Assistant Head of Lower School for Student Learning at Ravenscroft in Raleigh, NC. She has 12 years of experience in multiple education-related roles, including as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist and curriculum coach. She received her undergraduate degree from James Madison University (Go Dukes!) and her graduate degree in Educational Leadership from Depaul University. Erin resides in her “fraternity house” with her husband and two lively boys. When she isn’t working or wrangling her children, she enjoys being outdoors, running, listening to podcasts and learning new languages.

 Sara Corckran is certified in applied positive psychology from The Flourishing Center in New York and has an IFC certification in coaching. She has 20 years of educational experience teaching in the classroom and curriculum writing. She earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State and her masters in Education from Johns Hopkins.

The founders of Happy YOUniversity are partners Erin Baldecchi and Sara Corckran. Together they have 40 years of educational experience as classroom teachers, curriculum writers, and administrators. Both Erin and Sara are certified in applied positive psychology from The Flourishing Center in New York and are certified life coaches. They joined together to create Happy YOUniversity with the mission to transform school communities to a more positive mindset. Their focus is on empowering faculty to unlock their joy, build resilience, foster connections and embrace a growth mindset. They have worked with schools, communities, sports teams, and individuals and are proud of their partnerships with AIMS, MSDE, TAIS, FCIS, NCAIS, NJAIS, SAIS and AISGW.

Toni DeFiglia specializes in teaching 4th and 5th grade math using multi-sensory strategies at Noble Academy in Greensboro, NC. She acquired a special education general curriculum and reading teacher licensure (K-12) through the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Toni holds an M. Ed. in Special Education (K-12) from Western Carolina University. Prior to being at Noble she was a lower school Special Education teacher supporting students with academic, behavioral, and social awareness challenges. She holds an undergraduate degree from Guilford College in Chemistry. Toni has always had a passion for science and incorporates STEM throughout her activities.

Molly French is the Lower School Media Specialist at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, NC. Molly has over 23 years of classroom teaching experience in Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. She has a passion for teaching all facets of reading and inspiring students to be lifelong learners utilizing inquiry-based teaching. Molly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in early education from The College of Charleston. Molly lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and 3-year-old golden retriever and has one son currently attending college.

Angela Gala spent twenty years as co-owner of Rogers and Gala Creative Partners, Inc., a high -profile event production and design firm. During those years she also engaged in public school advocacy through MeckFuture, Educating Change and as a founding member of the Gathering of Minds. Ms. Gala has a history of community engagement serving as a founding member of the TEDx Charlotte team, as Project Manager for Quasimodo – Art Project for the DNC and as a board member for NC Center for Arts and Technology Advisory Board, Advisory Board for Studio 345 and SAFE Alliance. In 2014, her passion for advocating for public education in a way that can generate social change led her, along with her teacher Ranjit Deora, to co-found Youth Meditation. Through her experience as an entrepreneur and community advocate, Ms. Gala believes in the importance of education and self-mastery. It is through meditation that children, teachers and parents can connect to themselves and find peace, clarity and focus needed to create healthy relationships, learn and grow to generate an educated community. Ms. Gala received a BS in Marketing from the University of Louisville.

Over the past 8 years, Angela and her team have taught Laughter Yoga and a fully secular form of Mindfulness Meditation in public schools, private schools, alternative schools, universities, non-profits and corporations serving thousands of children and adults.

Crystal Garris has taught the littlest kiddos for 13 years. She is a Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher and grade-level team leader at Ravenscroft School. She has taught for seven years in independent school education. At the start of her teaching career, she taught Pre-Kindergarten in Greensboro, NC at Guildford Child Development where she transitioned to teaching children with Exceptional Needs in an inclusive classroom setting for Alamance Burlington Schools and Durham Public Schools. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an M.Ed. from Nova Southeastern University. She enjoys coaching cheerleading, hiking, traveling, and portrait photography.

Jaime Hartley holds a MA in Dance from American University and a BA in Theatre and Dance from from Cedar Crest College. She is a former student of the Laban Conservatory in London, England were she studied European Dance Theatre. Jaime was a recipient of the CWKelly Award of Movement Studies. Currently, Jaime is the director of Theatre and Dance at GRACE Christian School in Raleigh, NC where she uses theatre as a means of education for 6-12 grade students. It is her ambition to partner with other educators in applying concepts of dance and theatre to their respective subject areas.

Maryjane (MJ) Hayes is an internationally-recognized child safety instructor, curriculum development expert, and Kidpower Senior Program Training Leader. MJ has been an important member of the Kidpower team since 2001, when she started volunteering in with Colorado Kidpower Center because she wanted to help kids have a safer childhood than she did. Since then, she has become one of the most active and experienced Kidpower instructors in the world, directly training more than 60,000 kids and adults, including those with special needs. In addition to teaching and training, MJ is the Project lead for an on-demand, skills-based personal safety education video curriculum for teachers to use in their classrooms.

A National Board Certified teacher, Kate Hughey received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA but soon realized that teaching was her calling and received her Master’s in Elementary Education and Reading Specialist certification from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She has taught in and out of the classroom, teaching first, second and third grade science at a private school in Utah, environmental education in the Florida Keys to children from first grade through high school, and first and second grade at The Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA. In the year 2000, she founded a nonprofit called WorldWise, Inc. and partnered with the world-circumnavigating tall ship Picton Castle. For several years, she sailed around the world giving books and school supplies to schools in the South Pacific, Indonesia, Africa and the Caribbean while writing for and maintaining an educational website. Hundreds of children in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere followed the voyage and learned about life onboard a working tall ship and cultures around the globe. In 2005, she was happy to return to the classroom and has been teaching ever since, first in a suburb of Boston and now at Charlotte Latin School.

Ashley Lumpkin is the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Noble Academy in Greensboro, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hampton University and an M.Ed from Wake Forest University. Ashley served as a classroom teacher for more than a decade and is passionate about the ways in which identity frames the learning experience. Outside of school, Ashley is an award-winning performance poet. She enjoys travelling and spending time with friends. 

Steven Mercado is currently working at Ravenscroft School as the Assistant Head of Lower School. Prior to this, he spent time as a Second Grade Teacher and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Triangle Day School. Steven moved to Durham from Brooklyn, NY where he taught grades from Pre-K to Second Grade at Packer Collegiate Institute and Bank Street School for Children.

He received a B.S from Gettysburg College and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College. Steven was born and raised in Bed- Stuy, Brooklyn, New York. When Steven isn't working, he enjoys riding motorcycles, biking, hiking, and exercising. Additionally, he enjoys cooking, reading graphic novels, photography, and music.

 Alice Oakley is a co-founder and current CEO of Education Resource Group in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a practitioner, professional developer, coach, and recently co-authored the book How to Look at Student Work to Uncover Student Thinking (ASCD, 2021).

Prior to founding ERG, Alice received her Bachelor’s degree in Early and Middle Grades Education from Radford University. Alice has experience as a classroom teacher, school level curriculum facilitator and district office team member. She earned a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In addition, she was able to complete an additional K-12 reading certification and is currently pursuing a Master of Human Resource Development from Clemson University.

Amy Porter earned a Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She brings a variety of creative Industry experience, as a Television Broadcast Designer, Corporate Visual Communications Designer, Fine Artist, and more than 10 years as an Art Educator. She teaches a wide variety of 2D and 3D mediums in a student- led classroom. Amy embraces the T.A.B. (Teaching for Artistic Behaviors) philosophy, where she empowers her students to think and make choices as the artist.

Dr. Pamela Ross is currently the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development at Freedom Christian Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She has served in the field of education for over twenty years in various roles to include Elementary Teacher, Remediation Specialist, Technology Integration Specialist, Elementary School Principal, and her current role in curriculum and professional development. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Fayetteville State University, a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from East Carolina University, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. Her passion is inspiring teachers and helping them grow in their confidence and self-efficacy in the field. 

Kathy Sullivan is the Director of Professional Development for Hill Learning Center. She has thirty years of experience as a classroom and special education teacher, administrator and speaker, specializing in instructional practices that work for students with learning differences. 

Dr. Amy Tiemann has studied child development and abuse prevention for over 25 years. She was a full-time science teacher at an independent school in San Francisco. She established the Kidpower North Carolina Center in 2007. She is now is a leading youth-safety trainer for educators and other youth-serving professionals in our state. In addition to her book, “Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels,” Dr. Tiemann has co-authored the new, on-demand video "Full Circle Safety" curriculum to fulfill the new NC state requirements (SB199) for K-12 educator training about child sexual abuse prevention and reporting, and what educators need to know about human trafficking.

Heidi Tringali is a pediatric Occupational Therapist. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Special Education and Psychology from Hastings College and a Masters of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University. She has practiced as an Occupational Therapist for over 30 years.
Heidi founded Tringali Occupational Therapy Services (T.O.T.S) in 2006 in response to an identified need for Occupational Therapy services in independent schools. She provides training and education to faculty and families on topics related to classroom success and maximizing student performance. Heidi consults throughout the country on curriculum development and school-wide programming. Heidi serves as an Expert Witness\Consultant for legal cases related to pediatric Occupational Therapy.
Heidi is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), where she serves as a Media Expert. Heidi holds a national certification with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).