Featured Speakers

Jennifer Bay-Williams is one of own Kentucky educators (as well as a national leader)! She is mathematics teacher educator with a passion for making mathematics meaningful for every student. She is currently a professor at the University of Louisville, having previously worked at Kansas State University, University of Missouri, and in K-12 schools in Peru and Missouri. In her past 11 years in Kentucky, she has worked with K-12 teachers and teacher leaders in western, eastern, and central Kentucky. She has co-authored many articles and books, including Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally and Teaching Student Centered Mathematics series (widely used in Kentucky), Mathematics Coaching, Math & Literature: Grades 6-8, On the Money (financial literacy series for elementary, middle, and high school), and the new ASCD Quick Reference Guide: Games and Tools for Addition Facts. Jennifer has served on the NCTM board of directors, AMTE (president and secretary), and currently serves on the TODOS: Mathematics for All Board of Directors.

Zachary Champagne spent thirteen years as an elementary school teacher with a specialization in math and science. During this time, he received many state and national awards for excellence in teaching, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), Duval County Teacher of the Year, and Finalist for Macy's Florida Teacher of the Year. After his time in the classroom, Zachary spent six years as a researcher at the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) at Florida State University. Zak currently works as the Director of Advocacy and Program for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. He is active with local, state, and national organizations as a founding member and Past-President of the Duval Elementary Mathematics Council (DEMC), Past-President of the Florida Mathematics Presidential Awardees Association (FMPAA), and President of the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (FCTM). He is also serving on the Editorial Board of Teaching Children Mathematics, an elementary mathematics journal published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

Dr. Hintz's academic interests are in the areas of student learning, elementary mathematics, classroom discourse, and teacher development. Her research and teaching happen alongside pre-service and practicing teachers in early elementary classrooms, as she studies teaching practices that support all children in lively, robust mathematics learning.

Cathy Seeley is a former Senior Fellow from the Charles A. Dana Center, past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and former K-12 Director of Mathematics for the state of Texas. Dr. Seeley is widely known as a speaker, and her books include Making Sense of Math (2016), Building a Math-Positive Culture (2016), Faster Isn't Smarter (2015/2009) and Smarter Than We Think (2014).

Dr. Thomas is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Kentucky where he focuses on the mathematical preparation of elementary-grades teachers. Prior to his university appointment, Dr. Thomas served as a mathematics intervention teacher in public, private, and charter schools in the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Dr. Thomas' current research interests include investigating the use and impact of different responsive mathematics teaching practices, patterns of mathematical interaction such as the use of gestures, and how the progression of children's mathematical learning. As a former staff member with the Kentucky Center for Mathematics, Dr. Thomas continues his relationship with the center as a faculty associate and assists with program-oriented research and evaluation efforts. Dr. Thomas also serves (presently as chair-elect) on the board of directors of the U.S. Math Recovery Council and is an assistant editor of the School Science and Mathematics Journal. Dr. Thomas earned a BA in elementary education from the University of Kentucky, and an Ed.D. in mathematics education from the University of Cincinnati.

Rose began her professional life as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. As a mathematics educator and researcher at Penn State, she welcomes opportunities to study mathematics learning and teaching in K-12 school classroom settings. Rose is especially interested in how instruction and materials support students' development as mathematical modelers while also helping them to meet local and state expectations throughout their school years. She enjoys exploring and sharing ways to open up common problems and capitalize on ways to pull modeling work into daily lessons. Her main interests include using mathematical modeling effectively to engage students in enjoyable problem solving.