Introducing
The 2023 MACTE Symposium Keynote Speakers
Dr. Tia Brown McNair
Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities
“Embracing Our Vision of Excellence: A Springboard for Mission-Driven Equity and Inclusion”
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success.
Kate Bennis
Founder of kate bennis studio
“Communicating with Sway: giving and receiving feedback, tricky conversations, and galvanizing a group”
Kate Bennis is a professional actor and clinical social worker who draws from the skills and techniques of the theater, therapeutic training, and years of experience, to give her clients everything they need to communicate as their fullest, most perfectly imperfect selves. Kate’s presentation and communication practice is grounded in mastering the skills that give the speaker freedom, agility, creativity, humor, ease, presence, and the ability to connect with their audience.
A licensed clinical social worker, Kate has worked with children and adults in a private practice as well as schools and prisons. She holds a BA in theater from Wesleyan University, an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work, and lives in Charlottesville with her husband and their two children.
Laurie Stockton-Moreno
Director of The Center for Montessori Education at Trine University
Shelby Hiken
Early Childhood Associate Director at the Center for Guided Montessori Studies
Gulzar Babool
director of shelton montessori training
Lisanne Pinciotti
director of west side montessori school teacher education program
"Accommodations for Your Adult Learners"
Daniel Scruggs
founder of Peace culture music
"Adventures in Learning: Music, Culture & Montessori"
Daniel Scruggs is a world citizen, professional musician and experienced educator who is on a mission to educate, inspire and unite. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and internationally as a student and educator of human cultures and global music making traditions.
These journeys have provided him opportunities for learning immersion in twenty three countries throughout five continents. Throughout his travels, Daniel has collected hundreds of rare musical instruments, as well as cultural artifacts, curiosities and unique geological wonders from around the world. This collection forms the basis of his interactive educational programs.
Daniel’s interest in peace studies, culture and specialized learning methods led him to embrace the Montessori method of education. He has shared his one-of-a-kind cultural education programs in pre-schools, grade schools, colleges, hospitals, retirement communities, with students with special needs and learning disabilities, refugees from war torn countries, on two Native American reservations and with hundreds of educators and thousands of children throughout seven countries.
Brennan Gilmore
executive director of clean virginia
"How I Became Fake News and What I Did About It"
Brennan Gilmore is a native of Lexington, Virginia and a graduate of the University of Virginia. Following fifteen years in the U.S. Foreign Service focused on human rights, humanitarian affairs and conflict resolution in Africa and the Middle East, he served as Chief of Staff to former Congressman and Virginia gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello. Mr. Gilmore also served as Vice President for Operations for Wize Solutions, a Virginian rural workforce development enterprise. He leads the New Appalachian music group Wild Common.
"Middle School Minds: Tapping into the Fun and Potential of Young Adolescents"
Dr. Nancy L. Deutsch
Associate Dean for Faculty Development,University of Virginia School of Education & Human Development and Director, Youth-Nex: The UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development
Nancy L. Deutsch is Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and the Linda K. Bunker Professor of Education at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. She is also the Director of Youth-Nex: the UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development and a faculty founding director and affiliate of the UVA Center to Redress Inequity through Community Engaged Scholarship (The Equity Center). Her research focuses on understanding the process of adolescent development as it unfolds within local environments with a goal of understanding how to create settings that better support youth, especially those at risk due to economic or sociocultural factors. In 2023, Deutsch received the Established Advocate award from Voices for Virginia’s Children. Deutsch received her BA in English from Vassar College and her PhD in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.
Dana Sox
Ph.D. Student, Educational Psychology - Applied Developmental Science
Youth-Nex, The UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development
Dana M. Sox is a graduate student in the Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science Ph.D. Program at the University of Virginia. Before beginning her studies, she was a high school educator for six years. Her research interests are in mechanisms that help support students with traumatic experiences and the adults that interact with these students (e.g., teachers, coaches, after-school educators, mentors, etc.). Dana hopes that this research will have a broader impact on students, educators, families, and communities.