Speakers: 2024 Teachers' Institute and Leading Change Conference
2024 Keynote Speakers
We are so honored to have these amazing educational leaders speaking and sharing their knowledge at the 2024 Teacher's Institute and Leading Change Conference.
GERRY BROOKS
Gerry Brooks has been an educator for 25 years, beginning as a third-grade teacher in Palm Bay, FL. He earned his master’s in administration and has been an elementary principal for 12 years. Originally using humorous videos to encourage his staff, Gerry has become a national encourager for teachers through social media and speaking events. He is a voice for teachers, but his passion is leading others to be responsible for their own personal climate and culture in the
workplace. His book, “Go See the Principal,” outlines strategies for taking on this responsibility. Gerry and his wife, Kelly, have 3 adult children and live in Lexington, KY.
MELODY K. ILK
Melody Ilk, M.A., is a national literacy consultant with years of successful experience in schools and districts around the country. Melody has a strong history of involvement in the implementation of scientifically based literacy practices, school improvement systems, and the infrastructures necessary for increased literacy performance. Melody is an approved consultant in numerous states and guides schools through the construction of scientifically based literacy systems and infrastructures through assessment, data analysis, differentiated tiers of instruction, and shared leadership. This work with educators, administrators, and superintendents has led to significant gains in literacy achievement and instructional effectiveness in all tiers of instruction. Melody has been a LETRS facilitator since the release of the first edition and is the lead author and facilitator for LETRS for Administrators. She is also a coauthor and facilitator for A Principal’s Primer for Raising Reading Achievement, both through Lexia Learning.
MALCOLM MITCHELL
Malcolm Mitchell is a native of Valdosta, Georgia. As a high school senior, he was an Under Armour All-American and went on to finish in the top ten all time receivers during his playing career at the University of Georgia (UGA). After graduating from UGA with a degree in Communications in 2015, Malcolm was drafted by the New England Patriots, becoming a Super Bowl Champion in February 2017. In 2015, Malcolm authored and published a children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat” and created a youth literacy initiative called Read with Malcolm. In 2016, he went on to establish a 501c3 organization, Share the Magic Foundation with a sole purpose: to transform children’s lives through literacy. Share the Magic Foundation’s mission is to inspire young people to read by bringing book ownership to students in Title I schools and under-resourced communities. Since its founding, the Foundation has placed books in the hands of more than 65,000 young readers and provided Read with Malcolm Literacy programing to over 300,000 students. In 2016, he received the Children’s Author of the Year by the Georgia Writers Association, and in 2017, Malcolm signed a three-book contract with Scholastic Publishing Company. This year, Malcolm once again received the Children's Author of the Year by the Georgia Writers Association for his second book, My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World. Among Malcolm’s numerous awards and accomplishments both on and off the field, he considers discovering a love of reading one of his greatest achievements.
