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Illinois NCA Conference

October 1 & 2, 2009
I Hotel & Conference Center -- Champaign
Conference Schedule

Conference Keynote Speakers

Karla Reiss **
Dr. Randall Collins
Dr. Mark Elgart
Dr. Christopher Koch

 

**COMPLIMENTARY CONFERENCE COACHING SESSIONS:

Karla Reiss will be providing complimentary, confidential one-half hour coaching sessions on October 1, 2009 to the first eight professionals who sign up. In order to be considered, please complete the Conference Coaching Session Form, then fax 217.244.1132 or mail your form to Becky Densmore-Stoll at616 East Green Street, Suite 201in Champaign IL 61820.

  

 

Karla Reiss
Reiss
Karla Reiss is the founder of The Change Place which is a consulting and coaching firm specializing in continuous improvement of individuals, groups and school systems. As a school administrator for twenty years, she has worked with more than 50 school districts, planning teams, and individuals. Ms. Reiss has conducted and coordinated professional development for educators and is trained and experienced in strategic planning and organizational development. She holds a School District Administrator license and a Masters Degree in Elementary and Special Education. She is also a certified Professional Empowerment Coach, member of the International Coach Federation, and hosts the international Educator Special Interest Group. She is a graduate of the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching, and has had additional coach training at the College of Executive Coaching. She is the author of Leadership Coaching for Educators; Bringing Out the Best in School Administrators, and recipient of the 2007 National Staff Development Council Book of the Year Award. Karla was selected from 2,000 applicants to participate in “The Life Makeover Project,” a five-hour television documentary shown on the Oxygen cable channel.

Collins

Collins

Randall Collins
Dr. Randall Collins is the 2008—2009 President for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the Superintendent of schools in Waterford, Connecticut. He has been a professional educator for 38 years serving on the eastern seaboard. Dr. Collins received his Bachelors degree in History and Government from Gordon College and has a distinguished military background. He pursued his advanced studies earning a Masters from the University of Maine and an Ed.D. from Boston University. Dr. Collins’ experience in the Waterford District is a model for many districts struggling to balance rigorous academic work and student engagement in service to their community. He pioneered the development of the “Learning through Service Program,” which made Waterford one of the first public schools in America to require a designated number of community service hours as a requirement for graduation. His leadership has been extraordinary in carrying the message of the value of service-learning and its benefits for young people, schools, and communities. He is the founding member of the National Center for Learning and Citizenship, one of seven centers sponsored by the Education Commission of the States in Denver, serving as past Chair. During his service in the military, he received several medals and commendations including the Connecticut Veteran's Hall of Fame. He has also received numerous professional awards and honors for outstanding contributions to education. Having begun his career as a head start teacher, Dr. Collins remains a vocal advocate for pre-school education, for the right and necessity for all children to learn, and for adequate and equitable funding for public schools.

Mark Elgart

Elgart
Dr. Mark Elgart currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for AdvancED, the parent organization for the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA). Under his leadership, AdvancED is being recognized as a leader on issues of educational quality. Prior to his appointment to lead AdvancED, Dr. Elgart served as Chief Executive Officer for SACS CASI. Previous appointments include Executive Director of the SACS Commission on Secondary and Middle Schools for two years and Associate Executive Director for seven years. During his tenure with SACS CASI, he provided leadership for the consolidation of the SACS Commissions on Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Schools to form the SACS Council on Accreditation and School Improvement. He also led the development and implementation of the “next generation accreditation” model and the District Accreditation protocol. Dr. Elgart is a national and international trainer and presenter on the topics of accreditation, school improvement, leadership, and accountability. Elgart currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Knowledge Alliance, and on the Advisory Board of Measured Progress.

Koch

Christopher Koch

Dr. Christopher Koch The State Board of Education appointed Christopher A. Koch, Ed.D. to serve as Illinois State Superintendent of Education on May 1, 2007. Prior to his appointment as State Superintendent, Dr. Koch served in the position in an interim capacity. Dr. Koch has been with the Illinois State Board of Education, serving in a variety of capacities, including Director of Special Education and ISBE’s Chief Education Officer.
Dr. Koch has experience as a special educator having taught in four states in various settings including an Outward Bound program, a college preparatory school, a youth detention center, a psychiatric hospital and a church-sponsored day school. He served at the federal level, with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education where he administered programs in correctional education and School-to-Work (“STW”) transition. As ISBE’s Assistant Superintendent for Special Education he worked to ensure the continuation of federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to Illinois, implemented a performance-based accountability system for special education, established public reporting of performance data for school districts, promoted parent and school
district partnerships and embraced a philosophy of continuous improvement. Dr. Koch is a member of the Council of Chief State School Officers and serves on that organization’s Early Childhood and Special Education subcommittees. He is an Illinois native, and obtained his
master’s and doctoral degrees in Educational Policy and Leadership from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

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