Dr. Emily Feistritzer is a longstanding teacher education and certification innovator and entrepreneur. She most recently founded and was CEO of TeachNow, Inc.,which became Moreland University. It has trained nearly 10,000 teachers in more than 150 countries over the past decade. A former nun and high school math and science teacher, Dr. Feistritzer first gained national acclaim in 1979 as the founder of the National Center for Education Information, which published Teacher Education Reports and other newsletters, 48 reports on education, including surveys of teachers, school administrators, school board presidents, state departments of education, university colleges of education, local school districts and individuals interested in becoming teachers. Dr. Feistritzer has testified before Congress and other legislative bodies on the subject of teacher training and certification. She received and directed five grant awards from the U.S. Department of Education, including the establishment of the National Center for Alternative Certification, a one-stop national clearinghouse for information about alternative routes to teaching in the United States, and several studies of teachers who enter teaching through traditional routes and through alternative routes.
Jean-Louis Ikambana is Chief Evaluation and Compliance Officer at Friendship Place, having served as Director of Partnerships at TEACH-NOW Graduate School of education 2017-2020. He has extensive experience in nonprofit program design and management, human rights education, community organizing, education, democracy, youth civic engagement, and social justice advocacy. Dr. Ikambana served in several capacities in causes for the advancement of human dignity in different international, national and local organizations. He holds five degrees from three continents, including a Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University, Philadelphia (USA). He is the recipient of the 2010 Community Human Rights Award, the 2014 President’s Volunteer Service Award and the 2016 Edward O’Brien Award of Human Rights Educators USA, and 2017 Community Human Rights Award from the US Human Rights Network.
David Imig is a Senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and a Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Maryland. For 25 years, Dr. Imig was the president and chief executive officer for the Washington, DC-based American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and was later awarded emeritus status. He also served as chair of the NCATE executive committee, the Learning First Alliance, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, the Forum for Education Organization Leaders, as well as the National Society for the Study of Education. He led the formation of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate as well as Carnegie’s Improvement Leadership Education and Development Initiative (iLEAD). Imig holds three degrees, and received an honorary doctorate in education from Bridgewater State University (MA) and a lifetime achievement award from the UK-based Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET).
Darlene Fisher is an International Accreditation Leader at NEASC; IB Lead Educator; Director at Reshaping Schools, based in Australia. Dr. Fisher has worked for thirty years as a leader and teacher in schools around the globe. Her doctoral studies at University of Bath, UK, focused on social cultures and effective international school leadership. Her research focuses on ‘What constitutes effective leadership - especially in times of crisis? What is the most effective model for Teacher Professional Development? How can professional development programmes be created in schools in order to build ongoing capacity growth? Her work in school leadership and preparation provides many opportunities to explore what is working and how leaders can help teachers provide quality learning.
Donna Gollnick is an Education author and consultant in teacher education and multicultural education. Between 2013 and 2018, she was the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Quality Assurance at the TEACH-NOW Graduate School of Education. Previously, she was Senior Consultant at the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Senior Vice President of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), Director of Professional Development for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and is a past-president of the National Association for Multicultural Education. Dr. Gollnick is the co-author of numerous books, including Introduction to the Foundations of American Education, now in its 17th edition; Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, in its 11th edition and An Introduction to Teaching: Making a Difference in Student Learning.
Dr. Floden is University Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus of Michigan State University’s College of Education, which has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for 27 consecutive years. Floden’s degrees include A.B. with honors in philosophy (Princeton), M.S. in statistics and Ph.D. in education (Stanford). Publications address the cultures of teaching, teacher education’s character and effects, and links between policy and practice. Floden is a member of the National Academy of Education, and fellow of both the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association (Division 15). Board memberships include American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, and Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
