Speakers
| Wednesday, November 18th 1:15 p.m. College Station Hilton Hotel and Conference Center |
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James Brewer Principal, Longview High School James Brewer grew up in the welfare system, but it didn't stunt Brewer's desire to succeed. He has a bachelor's and master's degree and has been a school superintendent. Brewer graduated from Magnolia High School in 1976. He graduated four years later from Southern Arkansas State with a bachelor of science in recreation and community services. He returned for teacher's certification in 1981. His first job was in Hughes Springs ISD as girls' basketball coach, teaching science and health as well. He later moved to Linden-Kildare ISD where he was head basketball coach for five years. In the spring of 1990, Brewer moved to De Kalb ISD. That same year he earned his masters in education administration from East Texas State University in Commerce. Brewer was head track coach and assistant principal that spring, then assistant principal the next year. In 1991-1992 he was the lead principal at De Kalb High School and held that position for five years. He was named the superintendent of De Kalb ISD in 1997 and held that position until he moved to Longview ISD as principal of Longview High School and assistant superintendent in April 2007. |
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Susan Peterson Principal, Weslaco East High School Susan Peterson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. In Weslaco, she taught 5th grade and special education for eleven years before earning her master of education from the University of Texas at Pan American in 1992 followed by a mid-management certificate in 1993. She was an administrator at Mary Hoge Middle School and then Mary Hoge Ninth Grade Academy for several years before becoming the principal at F.D. Roosevelt Intermediate School. She is currently assigned to Weslaco East High School where she has been principal since the school opened in 2000. In 2008 Peterson was named the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals High School Principal of the Year for the state of Texas. She was also awarded the HEB Excellence in Education Award as Secondary Principal of the Year for 2008. Peterson is very proud of her students and staff at Weslaco East who were responsible for the school being named to The U.S. News and World Report’s list of America’s Best High Schools as a silver medalist in 2008. Weslaco East High School has completed three years of a redesign plan during which it has transformed from a traditional high school model to one that houses six small learning communities. |
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Dr. Benny Soileau Principal, Nederland High School Dr. Benny Soileau is a graduate of Lamar University with a bachelors of science degree in criminal justice. His received his master of educational administration from Lamar University and his doctorate of educational administration from Texas A&M University in College Station. He is currently principal of Nederland High School. As a high school principal, he is the instructional leader for the campus and serves as the facilitator for program implementation, data disaggregation, and the ultimate success of all students, shaping the culture of the school by his leadership and modeling for students and staff. His passions include acting as a change agent through successful leadership practices, involving community at every level, maintaining a standardized curriculum and accommodating economically disadvantaged students though professional learning communities, school climate and cultural shifts. |
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Gabriel A. Trujillo Gabriel Trujillo, AKA "Mr. T" is a 1986 graduate of Roswell High School. He attended New Mexico Military Institute and is a veteran of the armed forces. He received his bachelor of arts degree in education and masters of education from Wayland Baptist University before earning his post-graduate superintendent’s certification from Texas Tech University. "Mr. T's" service in shaping and educating youth as an educator and administrator in public education includes elementary, intermediate and middle school experience, totaling 17 years. He has served Byrd Middle School as Principal since 2002. Trujillo has made it his mission to understand the instructional dynamics of the classroom, the effectiveness of appropriate student services and the instructional nuisance and/or interdependence of the campus educational system. As an experienced elementary, intermediate and middle school educator, he is determined and driven to identify, recruit and retain the highest quality teachers, as they are the common denominator to student success. He understands that the ultimate success of a student rests upon the leadership of the school, and he is committed to meeting this challenge through innovative and critical evaluation of his campus systems and classroom practices. As an educator that has been exposed to rural and suburban school systems, he states that he is provided with a perspective that would not have been afforded to him, if it were not for the experience of leadership in these areas. He embraces his role as the instructional leader and has strived to promote an environment that is data-informed, yet value driven. As a leader of learners, he continues to place value in the professional growth of all staff members and finds tremendous value in participating in the development process with his staff. Trujillo states, "My alignment in personal faith and professional experiences helps define 'True North' in the daily adventures of leadership as a husband, father and principal." Self–reflective and innovative, Trujillo continuously strives to ensure an inclusive climate that is genuine and transparent. All individuals bring value and must be celebrated as an integral part of the educational system. |
| Wednesday, November 18th 6:00 p.m. Miramont Country Club in Bryan |
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Chuck Norris Martial Arts Expert and Film Star, Founder of KICKSTART Chuck Norris is an international television and film star, as well as a world-renowned martial arts expert and teacher. He is also a New York Times bestselling author of three books. They include Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America, released in 2008, his first book of social commentary, and the 2004 autobiographical Against All Odds. He has also penned two books of fiction. In 2006 he added the title of “columnist” to his list of credits with the launch of his popular Internet column on the independent news site WorldNetDaily.com. His weekly column is now widely syndicated and carried by Human Events and Townhall, among other outlets. A man of deep religious convictions and a giving spirit, among Norris’ more rewarding accomplishments is the creation in 1992 of his "KICKSTART" program, which began in Houston and now teaches more than 6,000 at-risk middle school children in Texas martial arts as part of the P.E. curriculum. Since that time, this character-building, life-skills program has exceeded 60,000 youngsters graduating the program with many going on to college and becoming successful in their own right. He plans to someday expand KICKSTART nationwide and proceeds from Norris’ books and other ventures go to support this nonprofit foundation. In March 2009, Norris was awarded the McLane Leadership in Business Award by the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation for his achievements as a martial arts legend, entrepreneur, and humanitarian. The award was presented by 41st President George H.W. Bush, Norris’ longtime friend and the person credited with first encouraging Norris to launch KICKSTART. A former Airman First Class in the United States Air Force, past spokesperson for the U.S. Veterans Administration and Veteran Foundation’s Veteran of the Year Award recipient, he has spent hundreds of hours visiting soldiers at military installations and in America’s veteran hospitals. In 2007, he was made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps in recognition of two recent visits to troops in Iraq. One of the most popular actors in the world, Chuck Norris starred in the CBS television series Walker, Texas Ranger, for eight full seasons. It is the most successful Saturday night series on CBS since Gunsmoke. The program is currently seen by an estimated one billion viewers worldwide and airs daily in the U.S. and in more than 80 countries worldwide. Millions of people around the world also know Chuck Norris as the star of films such as Delta Force, Missing in Action, Lone Wolf McQuade, and Sidekicks. Few people know he wrote the original screenplays for a number of his box office hits. |
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Charles Dupre Charles Dupre has lead Pflugerville ISD as superintendent of schools since June 2006. Dupre has a passion for serving children and young adults, and has invested many hours in shaping the future of others through his role as mentor, Sunday school teacher, camp counselor and friend. As superintendent of PISD, Dupre's commitment to developing capable young people is supported by his background as a certified public accountant, associate superintendent and chief financial officer in Fort Bend ISD. |
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Derrick Stinson KICKSTART Foundation Derrick Stinson joined the KICKSTART program in 1993 at Central Middle School. He attended Ball High School in Galveston. Although Derrick faced turbulent times at home due to his father's drug addiction and his mother's need to work multiple jobs, Derrick used his skills he learned in KICKSTART to become one of the top cadets in JROTC and a fierce competitor on the speech team in high school. After high school he enrolled in the nursing program at Galveston College to follow in his mother's footsteps. Derrick works in Houston for the KICKSTART Foundation, teaching moral values and shaping the youth of Black Middle School into young productive citizens of society. He competes in karate and is a four-time Chun Kuk Do World Champion. He received his 1st degree Black Belt in 2000 and since then has promoted the most students to black belt in KICKSTART. Although focused on changing and saving children’s lives, Derrick has written a book for the martial arts, produced martial arts videos, and he continues to develop a youth program designed to minister to children from all walks of life. His personal motto is "I was born to lose; I AM built for pressure; I AM DETERMINED to win." |
| Thursday, November 19th 9:30 a.m. College Station Hilton Hotel and Conference Center |
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Dr. Richard Elmore Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education Richard F. Elmore is the Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership at Harvard University. He is also co-director of the Connecticut Superintendents’ Network, a community of practice for superintendents engaged in the improvement of instruction, sponsored by the Connecticut Center for School Change. He is a member of the faculty on the Executive Leadership Program for Educators. The program, the Executive Leadership Program for Educators, builds on several prior initiatives at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Business School, and Kennedy School of Government, and works with state commissioners of education and school superintendents, along with their leadership teams and key stakeholders. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, a master's degree in political science from the Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California, and a doctorate in educational policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is co-editor, with Bruce Fuller and Gary Orfield, of Who Chooses, Who Loses? Culture, Institutions, and the Unequal Effects of School Choice (1996) and, with Susan Fuhrman, of The Governance of Curriculum. Other publications include Restructuring in the Classroom (1996), coauthored with Penelope Peterson and Sarah McCarthey, “Getting to Scale with Good Educational Practice” (Harvard Educational Review, 1996), and “Investing in Teacher Learning: Staff Development and Instructional Improvement in Community School District #2, New York City” (National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future and CPRE, 1997). His most recent publications are When Accountability Knocks, Will Anyone Answer? (CPRE, 1999), coauthored with Charles Abelmann, Building a New Structure for School Leadership (Shanker Institute, 2000), Bridging the Gap Between Standards and Achievement (Shanker Institute, 2002), School Reform from the Inside Out: Policy, Practice, and Performance (Harvard Education Press, 2004) and Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning (Harvard Education Press, 2009) by Elizabeth A. City, Richard F. Elmore, Sarah E. Fiarman, and Lee Teitel. |
