EdCon Featured Keynote Speakers

Jon Gordon is one of the most sought after speakers in the world today. His engaging talks and principles have influenced numerous leaders and teams in professional sports, business, healthcare and education.

Jon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

For more resources and information on Jon Gordon's work, check out his website.

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Dr. Stephen Fink is the executive director of the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL), and affiliate associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies in the University of Washington College of Education. Stephen has worked for many years with school district leaders focusing on the school district as the “unit of change” – particularly on developing systems-level leadership capacity for eliminating the achievement gap. In pursuit of this seemingly elusive goal, his particular interest is in helping school district leaders develop instructional leadership expertise.

In addition to directing CEL, Stephen provides facilitation and executive coaching for superintendent and district-level leaders in a number of CEL partnerships. Prior to coming to the University of Washington, he spent 12 years as an assistant superintendent in the Edmonds School District (Wash.), and was a Principal and special education teacher in Idaho and Los Angeles. Dr. Fink is the co-author of the highly acclaimed book Leading for Instructional Improvement: How Successful Leaders Develop Teaching and Learning Expertise.

For more information on Dr. Stephen Fink and his work, check out his website.

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Renowned speaker, educator, author, activist and minister, Eric Thomas is rising to national prominence by delivering high energy messages that encourage people to live up to their full potential by breaking the cycles of crime, hopelessness and despair that many face daily. Known for his engagingly personal approach, his messages are both dynamic and inspiring.

Formerly a high school dropout, Eric obtained his Masters degree in 2005 and is presently pursuing his PhD in Education Administration at Michigan State University. While consulting at MSU, he developed The Advantage Program, an undergraduate retention program targeting academically high-risk students of color. Eric’s representation of the merits of higher education, coupled with his knowledge of the pains of life, inspires people of all walks to break bad habits and reach for new levels of personal achievement.

For more information about Eric Thomas, visit his website.

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Dr. Deborah Ball serves as the Chair of the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness. She is also the William H. Payne Collegiate Professor in education at the University of Michigan, and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor. She currently serves as dean of the School of Education and as director of a new organization called TeachingWorks. She taught elementary school for more than 15 years, and continues to teach mathematics to elementary students every summer.

Deborah’s research focuses on the practice of mathematics instruction, and on the improvement of teacher training and development. She is an expert on teacher education, with a particular interest in how professional training and experience combine to equip beginning teachers with the skills and knowledge needed for responsible practice. She has served on several national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education, including the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (appointed by President George W. Bush) and the National Board for Education Sciences (appointed by President Barack Obama).

For more information about Dr. Deborah Ball, visit her website.

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Patti Kinney is the Associate Director of Middle Level Services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the Principal of the NASSP National Center for Middle Level Leadership. She has an extensive background of 33 years in public education, the last 17 spent as an administrator at Talent Middle School in southern Oregon. Patti served on the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Board of Directors for seven years and was president of the organization in 2005-06. She was the NASSP/MetLife National Middle Level Principal of the Year in 2003, Oregon Middle Level Principal of the Year 2002, and Oregon Assistant Principal of the Year 1996. In 2007 she was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Oregon Middle Level Association.

Patti is an accomplished speaker and has keynoted and presented at numerous state, national, and international conferences over the years. Topics she has developed as workshop sessions include leadership, literacy, student-led conferences, middle level best practices, school reform issues, building a positive school culture, school transformation, and many others.

For more information about Patti Kinney, visit the NASSP website.

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Dick Flanary serves as the Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) where he led the delivery of the Breaking Ranks leadership development-training program as well as the design and delivery of leadership skills assessment and development programs for practicing and aspiring school leaders.
Flanary also serves as the chairman of the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC), which reviews university educational leadership programs and confers national recognition to approved programs.

Prior to coming to NASSP in 1989, Flanary served as director of the Southwestern Virginia Regional Assessment Center located at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA. He worked for 20 years in the Prince William County (VA) Public Schools district as a middle level Principal, Assistant Principal, guidance director, and teacher.

For more information about Dick Flanery, visit the NASSP website.

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