Authors & Presenters

Mario Acosta has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, new teacher professional development specialist, professional development consultant, assistant principal, academic director, and principal.

Marie Alcock is president of Learning Systems Associates and serves as an education consultant in the United States and internationally. Her work focuses on the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. She has spent over twenty years working in public and private education as a teacher, administrator, and public advocate. She is the founder of Tomorrow’s Education Network, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting the greater community with students in the classroom to improve student literacy. Marie has been working with schools to improve student motivation and literacy skills through digital tools and gaming.

James Anderson is a speaker, author and educational leader. He is passionate about supportng schools to equip students to thrive in an increasingly changing and complex world. As a speaker, he regularly speaks at conferences around Australia and overseas. He is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). As an author, he has published Succeeding with Habits of Mind and The Agile Learner, as well as numerous e-books. He has published with Art Costa and Bena Kallick Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind and Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum. His regular blogs are also read by thousands of educators around the world. James is certified by Mindset Works as a Growth Mindset trainer and is an affiliate director of the Institute for Habits of Mind.

Anna Bennett is a training associate with Hawker Brownlow Education. Anna works with educators, school communities and education systems to build their capacity for planning and implementing effective learning and teaching practices from K–12.

Dr Adrian Bertolini is the Founder and Director of Learning of Intuyu Consulting - an educational consultancy that works with teachers and schools to unleash learning. His journey began as a curious kid growing up in Dandenong and led him to being an engineer and Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at RMIT University.

Tina Boogren is a former classroom teacher, English department chair, instructional coach, digital educator, professional developer, and building-level leader. She is also a fellow with the Denver Writing Project.

Toby Boss, EdD, is the director of professional development at a regional service agency in Nebraska. He has experience as a classroom teacher, district administrator, and professional development consultant.

Gail is one half of the 'The 2 Sisters' (the other being her real-life sister, Joan Moser). They are known by the teachers they've worked with in Washington state and throughout the country as researched, strategic and fun. Their reflective practice and combined experience of 40+ years has led to the development of The Daily 5, a structure for fostering literacy independence in elementary grades. Gail is currently a literacy coach working alongside K-6 teachers in her building. Together, she and the classroom teachers collaborate to make instruction meaningful, individualised and successful for all students.

Steve Boyle is a training associate with Hawker Brownlow Education. He works with leadership teams, whole-school communities and individual professional learning teams. Steve comes from a strong background in educational leadership at both an individual school and a systems level.

Tim Brown has over 20 years of experience in administration at both the primary and secondary levels. He excels at creating a positive school climate based on collaboration among educators. Tim has been active in numerous professional committees and task forces and received several awards and honours for his leadership.

Dr Austin Buffum has 38 years of experience in public schools and has presented in over 500 schools around the world. He delivers trainings and presentations on response to intervention (RTI), emphasising a tiered approach that centres on professional learning community (PLC) concepts and strategies. Austin also delivers workshops and presentations that provide the tools educators need to build and sustain PLCs.

Brian K. Butler has been an educator for over 27 years and a school-based administrator for over 12 years and is a former physical education teacher, counselor, and coach. Brian is the former principal of Mason Crest Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Under Brian’s leadership, Mason Crest received Solution Tree’s first annual DuFour Award in 2016.