• March 18, 2024 Keynote Speaker

    Dr. Katie Peters

     

    Dr. Katie Peters is an educator, author, adjunct instructor at the University of Findlay, and Director of Communications at Washington Local Schools in Toledo, Ohio. With 22 years of experience in teaching and a Doctorate in Empathy Education, KP designs and presents workshops nationally, focusing on the implementation of empathy as the most important framework for all we do.

    The author of Lessons from a Late-Bloomer (2017), Dr. Peters’ work has been highlighted in The Associated Press, Parent Magazine, Newsweek, as well as featured on the Today Show. KP gave a Tedx Talk in 2018 and has been the Keynote Speaker for charities, educational conferences and many business organizations. She was named the 2023 Ohio District 2 Teacher of the Year, the 2012 NW Ohio Teacher of the Year and inexplicably had her TikTo go viral in 2022. In all spaces, KP shares her message of staying positive, laughing out loud and, most importantly, showing profound empathy in all that you do.

     

     

     

    March 19, 2024 Keynote Speaker

    Laine Whitaker Laine Whitaker, MSL is the Vice President of Professional Learning at Effective School Solutions(ESS) and the co-host of the ESS Mindbeat podcast. She has over 15 years of teaching experience serving at-risk youth at the New Jersey State Department of Children and Families, Office of Education. Additionally, she was the Director of Experiential Learning at a Philadelphia charter school before transitioning to consulting. Laine is an Advanced Trainer of The Nurtured Heart Approach®, a Certified Youth Mental Health First Aid® Instructor and holds several Parenting and Youth Group Facilitator certifications. She has a social work certification from Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Cabrini University where she was also an adjunct Professor. There she taught a course on Social-Emotional Learning, which she designed for education majors. At ESS, Laine uses her knowledge and passion for school based mental health to offer professional learning, coaching, and consulting to educators and parents.