Announcing Our 2018 Keynote Speakers

Daniel Whitt is currently the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Madison City Schools in Madison, Alabama. Daniel is a native Alabamian, but his early adulthood was spent pursuing music and filmmaking in New York City. He spent his early years in education teaching language arts and video production, which led to a heavier focus on facilitating adult learning. Now Daniel combines his passion for the needs of our youth with his technical and creative skills to help solve complex problems in the world of education. His latest creation is a documentary and accompanying repository of resources to accelerate the advent of digital portfolios; it's entitled "Digital Portfolios: the Whole Child, the Whole Story". With a near-obsession for the future, Daniel advocates for student voice, global awareness, access equity, and accomplishment-based pedagogy as precursors for positive change. Daniel is an Apple Distinguished Educator and a TEDx speaker.

Alabama’s 2015-16 State Teacher of the Year Jennifer Brown began her 20^thyear in education this year.  She holds a degree in Secondary Science Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; she also earned a Master’s degree in Instructional Leadership at Montevallo University.  Jennifer is passionate about positively impacting students, inquiry-based learning, hands-on science, and empowering teacher leaders. While serving as a science teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, she and a colleague co-founded “Leading by Learning,” a system of teacher-led instructional rounds designed to allow teachers the opportunity to observe, share, collaborate, and reflect with teachers of all subject areas throughout the school.  During her tenure as Alabama’s State Teacher of the Year, she visited schools throughout the state, attended and presented at conferences, met the President and Vice President in Washington, D.C., attended International Space Camp with other state and international teachers of the year, represented Alabama’s teachers (on the field at halftime) at the 2016 Alabama vs Clemson National Championship game, spoke at legislative public hearings at the Alabama State House, and worked to form partnerships between Alabama legislators and educators. Currently, Jennifer Brown serves as the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at Vestavia Hills High School.  She visits classrooms every day in the hope that she

can positively impact the lives of both students and teachers.