Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. He is a credentialed English teacher and administrator in California. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, leadership, and curriculum design, as well as books such as The Teacher Clarity Playbook (2nd ed.), Your Introduction to PLC+ , The Illustrated Guide to Teacher Credibility , Instructional Strategies to Move Learning Forward: 50+ Tools That Support Gradual Release of Responsibility, and Welcome to Teaching! Nancy Frey is a professor in educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California. She is a member of the International Literacy Association''s Literacy Research Panel.
Her published titles include 50 Strategies for Activating Your PLC+, The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning , Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners , Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers, and RIGOR Unveiled: A Video-Enhanced Flipbook to Promote Teacher Expertise in Relationship Building, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance. Dr. Nancy Akhavan, Ed. D. has spent more than 35 years as an educator and consultant. Dr. Akhavan is the founder of Nancy Akhavan Consulting, Inc. She recently retired from Fresno State as an Associate Professional Emerita.
Dr. Akhavan has been a bilingual teacher, principal of three schools, and a district administrator of a large urban district for ELA, math, social studies, science and world languages. She also served as Assistant Superintendent Secondary Division in a large urban school district. Dr. Akhavan is recognized for her expertise in teaching literacy practices and has published thirteen books that focus on literacy instruction that increases student achievement She has worked with districts and county offices in multiple states and internationally to increase student achievement in reading, writing, and in content areas. She continues to provide professional development for leaders and teachers in literacy K-12, early literacy, content area literacy and English language development. Diane Lapp, EdD, is a distinguished professor of education at San Diego State University where her work continues to be applied to schools. She is also an instructional coach and teacher at Health Sciences High & Middle College.
Throughout her career, Diane has taught in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her major areas of research and instruction regard issues related to the planning and assessment of very intentional literacy instruction and learning. A member of both the California and the International Reading Halls of Fame, Diane has authored, coauthored, and edited numerous articles, columns, texts, handbooks and children''s materials on instruction, assessment, and literacy related issues. Diane is the recipient of the ILA 2023 William S. Gray Citation of Merit, a prestigious award reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to multiple facets of literacy development. Diane can be reached at lapp@sdsu.edu. Follow her on twitter @lappsdsu Dr.
Kelly Johnson is currently a faculty member in teacher education at San Diego State University and an instructional coach in the San Diego Unified School District. A Nationally Board Certified teacher, Kelly devotes much of her work to literacy teaching and learning in classrooms. Dr. Johnson is passionate about the teaching and learning connection that results from proper teacher modeling, productive group work, formative assessment, and student engagement.