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2019 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Troy Hicks is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University and focuses his work on the teaching of writing, the intersections of literacy and technology, and, more broadly, teacher education and professional development. A former middle school teacher, he collaborates with K–12 colleagues and explores how they implement new literacies in their classrooms. Hicks directs CMU’s Chippewa River Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, as well as CMU’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program. He frequently conducts professional development workshops related to writing and technology.
Also, Hicks is author of the Heinemann titles Crafting Digital Writing (2013) and The Digital Writing Workshop (2009) as well as a co-author of Because Digital Writing Matters (Jossey-Bass, 2010), Create, Compose, Connect! (Routledge/Eye on Education, 2014), Connected Reading (NCTE, 2015), Research Writing Rewired (Corwin Literacy, 2015), Coaching Teacher-Writers (Teachers College Press, 2016), Argument in the Real World (Heinemann, 2017), and From Texting to Teaching (Routledge/Eye on Education, 2017). His edited collection, Assessing Students' Digital Writing (Teachers College Press, 2015) features the work of seven National Writing Project teachers. Hicks has authored or co-authored over 30 journal articles and book chapters and blogs regularly at hickstro.org.
In 2011, he was honored with CMU’s Provost’s Award for junior faculty who demonstrate outstanding achievement in research and creative activity, in 2014 he received the Conference on English Education’s Richard A. Meade Award for scholarship in English Education, and, in 2018, he received the Michigan Reading Association’s Teacher Educator Award.
He can be followed on Twitter: @hickstro
CONNIE MONROE, PhD
Chair of Graduate Education at Cal U, Dr. Monroe is an expert in English education, a member of the boards of the English Education Collaborative and Scholastic Art and Writing of Southwestern PA.
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KRYSTIA NORA, PhD
One of the co-founders and co-chairs of the English Education Collaborative, Krystia is an expert in writing and composition studies, and she regularly presents at national conferences on these topics.
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Richard Koch, PhD, is Professor of English Emeritus of Adrian College (MI) where his lead specialization has been Teaching Writing. He has worked with the National Writing Project for over 25 years. He was Director of the Southeast Michigan Writing Project and also of the statewide network of Michigan Writing Projects. He currently works with the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project of the University of Pittsburgh. He is co-author of The Portfolio Guidebook and Director of the website Michigan Portfolios, intended to help teachers with writing assessment. He has been a consultant on teaching writing to schools and K-12 school districts in Iowa, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Peter Domencic is a certified English and special education teacher with 25 years of classroom experience. Peter is also a published Christian writer who seeks to use his professional educational and personal writing experience to help students become lifelong writers who continually grow through their experiences with literature and life. He has worked with students in various districts in the western areas of Pennsylvania, including both private and public schools. His experience with children ranges from the smaller private institutions of Yeshiva Schools, Holy Family Institute, and Pressley Ridge in Pittsburgh to larger public institutions, including Butler Area School District and Avonworth School District, where he served as both a teacher and a school board member. Most recently, Peter worked for Intermediate Unit One as an alternative education English and special education teacher for 11 years. He is presently a member of Intermediate Unit One’s Training and Consultation Staff, where he serves as a member of PDE’s TDA Cadre of Experts and is a regular trainer offering workshops on text-dependent analysis.
KATIE TRUPIANO
Katie Trupiano serves as Education and Accessibility Manager at City Theatre Company, helping to teach and oversee the Young Playwrights program, which just celebrated its 19th season. She has served as a teaching artist for numerous organizations in Pittsburgh, including the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Bricolage Production Company and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Katie also teaches at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, serving as their first ever teaching artist, creating and teaching various arts lessons to be integrated into their summer camp curriculum. She is a graduate of the Arts Education Collaborative’s Leadership Academy. BA in Theatre Arts, Point Park University. Certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from University of Pennsylvania and National Arts Strategies.
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Carol Aten Frow is in her thirtieth year as a seventh and eighth grade ELA instructor at Belle Vernon Area Middle School. Annually she coaches students in two reading competitions, WIRC and Englishfest. In addition, Mrs. Frow is the director for both the fall drama and spring musical, sponsors the yearbook, and leads the literary magazine staff, which produces a magazine that has been ranked by N.C.T.E. for sixteen years. A 2014 finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Frow now serves on their Executive Board as the Awards Chair. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English. Now a teacher consultant for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, Mrs. Frow attended the 2016 WPWP’s Summer Institute for Teachers. Her professional writing piece at the institute developed into an article co-written with a former student and was published in the November 2017 issue of English Journal.
It was at the 2014 WPWP Summer Institute that Mrs. Frow and Miss Spang began to develop professional development programs for their school. This session was an offshoot of their work together.
Mrs. Frow is a two time graduate of California of University of PA. In 1988, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with certifications in both Secondary English and Elementary Education. In 1993, she earned her Master of Arts with a degree in English.
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Lauren Spang teaches fifth
grade English Language Arts at Rostraver Elementary School in the Belle Vernon Area School District. As an alumna of Belle Vernon Area, she has enjoyed teaching ELA for the past five years at the elementary school in which she attended.
Prior to teaching at Belle Vernon, she taught one year of third grade in the Elizabeth Forward School District. She received her B.S. in Elementary Instruction and Early Childhood Education from Saint Vincent College in May, 2012. From there, she graduated with her M.Ed. in
Special Education from California University of Pennsylvania in 2013. Currently, Lauren serves as a teacher consultant for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project’s Summer Institute for Teachers, where she attended in the summer of 2016 and grew immensely as a teacher and writer.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys long-distance running, reading and writing for enjoyment, and researching new ideas to improve her classroom.
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Mr. Robert Stakeley is the director of the Heinz History Center's Affiliates Program, a consortium of nearly 450 historical societies throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In addition, he is the Education Outreach Coordinator and regularly facilitates volunteers in the Heinz History Center's education division.
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Dr. Christina Fisanick is an Associate Professor of English at California University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches expository writing, creative non-fiction, and digital stories. Through a collaboration with the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Christina's Honors students have created more than 300 digital stories for historical societies throughout the region. In addition, she is the author of more than 30 books and dozens of articles.
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SUSAN RUTLEDGE, PhD
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B.A.: History and Political Science, University of South Dakota
M.A.: English, University of South Dakota
Ph.D.: Curriculum and Instruction in TESOL, University of Mississippi. Dissertation: Mississippi Teachers' Attitudes and Peceptions Toward English Language Learner Inclusion
​Dr. Morris-Rutledge is interested in studying teacher attitudes and perceptions of English Language Learners (ELL), in mainstreaming ELL students, and in professional and curriculum development in ELL student issues.
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Kevin Smetak is the current principal at Yough Intermediate Middle School. He has served the district as principal for the past eight years.
Yough Intermediate Middle School has partnered with Google for Education to develop a coaching model to incorporate technology in the classrooms.
JOHN CORTAZZO
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Mr. Cortazzo is the district technology coach who works hand in hand with staff and students in all grade levels to enhance learning experiences.
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BRANDON DEPHILLIPS
Mr. DePhillips is a fifth grade teacher, who has incorporated many effective teaching strategies to enrich the classroom experience for his students.
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