Presenters
| Kendra Adams - Principal, Griffin Park School - Grasslands Public Schools Kendra Adams is the new Principal at Griffin Park School, marking her ninth year in educational leadership. Her background includes serving as a Literacy Coordinator for Grasslands School Division and as a Vice Principal. Kendra holds a Master's degree in Literacy from Queen's University and champions the belief that purposeful collaboration is key to unlocking student success through teacher expertise. Outside of school, Kendra lives on an acreage and loves reading and spending time outdoors gardening, hiking, and camping with her husband and three boys. |
| Scott Brandt - Superintendent, Grasslands Public Schools Scott Brandt is currently in his eighth year as the Superintendent of Grasslands Public Schools. He began his teaching career 32 years ago being mentored by Lorna Hewson at Claresholm Elementary School. Since 2001, Scott has served as a leader in Grasslands and has experienced first hand the division’s evolution into a multiculturally rich and diverse school community. He firmly believes in the power of servant leadership and advocates that collaborative processes and structures are fundamental to schools’ and systems’ cultures of learning and teaching. |
| Keri Card-Esau - Principal, H.W. Pickup Middle School - Wild Rose School Division Keri Card-Esau is a school administrator with 10 years of experience and holds a Master of Education in Educational Research with a specialization in Interdisciplinary Studies. She believes every child is capable of success, holding a unique set of gifts and talents. It is educators' duty to draw out, support, and celebrate these gifts through authentic, collaborative, and inclusive practices that honor the needs of each child. |
| Amy Cooper - Principal, Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary School - Edmonton Catholic Schools Amy Cooper is the principal of Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary School in southeast Edmonton. She has been an administrator for 14 years and this is her 6th year as a Principal. Amy is a strong advocate for early learning and inclusion and promotes kindness everyday in everyway in the school community. She is a mother of five and believes strongly in servant leadership. |
| Joanne Decker - Vice Principal, Griffin Park School - Grasslands Public Schools Joanne Decker is the Vice Principal and an experienced educational leader at Griffin Park School. She brings twenty-five years of experience, having excelled as both a classroom teacher and a learning support teacher. Joanne earned her Master's degree in Educational Research from the University of Calgary. She shares a commitment with her administrative partner to fostering school success through strong instructional practice. Joanne enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and grandchildren, with music being a favorite pastime for the whole family. |
| Jennifer Ferguson - Principal, Percy Baxter Middle School - Northern Gateway Public Schools Jennifer Ferguson is an experienced, student-centred educational leader with expertise in instructional leadership, Collaborative Response, and system improvement. She has spent over a decade in division-level and school-based leadership roles, including Learning Services Coordinator and Learning Coach. Her years as WeCollab Lead with Jigsaw Learning have carved a special place in her heart for the simplexity of Collaborative Response and she is enjoying putting theory into practice in her new role as Principal of Percy Baxter Middle School, leading approximately 400 students and 35 staff. |
| Deanne Good - Principal, Mattie McCullough Elementary School - Red Deer Public Schools A dedicated educator with 28 years in K–12 classrooms and a decade as an administrator, Deanne drives school improvement through data‑driven decision making. Experienced across elementary, middle, and high school settings, she led implementation of Collaborative Response in two schools, fostering team-based interventions and measurable student growth. Known for building teacher capacity, aligning instruction to evidence, and creating systems that translate data into actionable strategies, Deanne brings practical leadership, deep instructional knowledge, and a commitment to equity and continuous improvement. |
| Kristien Holtby - Assistant Superintendent of Student Support, Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools Kristien Holtby has lived and learned in the Pigeon Lake community for his entire life, including working in schools in Central Alberta for the past 28 years. With experience as an inclusive lead teacher, a Lead Learner, School Administrator at various schools in Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools, a Director of Inclusion and now an Assistant Superintendent of Student Support at Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools, Kristian is also an alumni of U of A and U of L. |
| Kari Huk - Assistant Director of Support for Students, Elk Island Public Schools Kari Huk is the Assistant Director of Supports for Students with Elk Island Public Schools and has been an educator with EIPS since 2002. Throughout her career, Kari has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and system-level leader, bringing a deep understanding of school communities and the diverse needs of learners. Kari is passionate about the power of Collaborative Response structures and processes to meaningfully support students. She believes strongly that this model ensures every child is “on the radar,” and that staff can work together—alongside families—to create responsive, team-based supports. |
| Ashlee Jodry - Assistant Principal and Inclusive Education Facilitator, Percy Baxter Middle School - Northern Gateway Public Schools Ashlee Jodry is the Assistant Principal and Inclusive Education Facilitator at Percy Baxter Middle School, where she is dedicated to fostering a positive, student-centered learning environment. She is proud to serve the Whitecourt community, working now in a school she experienced as a student. With a strong background in middle-years education, Ashlee supports both staff and students in achieving their best. She is known for her relational leadership style, commitment to inclusive practices, and belief in the power of strong partnerships between home and school. Ashlee brings expertise in instructional leadership, behaviour support, and school-wide organization, helping guide the Stars toward continuous growth and success. |
| Leslee Jodry - Deputy Superintendent, Northern Gateway Public Schools Leslee currently holds the office of Deputy Superintendent with Northern Gateway Public Schools (NGPS). Leslee has fulfilled many roles as an educator and leader, including a variety of grade levels with a focus and passion for middle school education. In additional to multiple district-level roles in Northern Gateway, Leslee has also served as Assistant Superintendent with Grande Yellowhead Public School Division. In her current role, alongside the senior leadership, Learning Services Team and school-based administrators, Leslee is dedicated to ensuring students are successful and students are supported. |
| Nicole Kress - Vice Principal, H.W. Pickup Middle School - Wild Rose School Division Nicole Kress is the Vice Principal at HW Pickup School, bringing a collaborative and student-centered approach to educational leadership. Drawing on experience as a school leader and teacher (Physics, Chemistry, Math), Nicole has led and supported diverse teams in the implementation and maintenance of Collaborative Response structures across various school settings. Most recently, this included successfully introducing the WeCollab tool to enhance team efficiency. |
| Corey Kropp - Assistant Director of Supports for Students, Elk Island Public Schools Corey Kropp is the Assistant Director of Supports for Students with Elk Island Public Schools. With over 20 years of experience in K–12 education, Corey has worked as a classroom teacher, school counsellor, school-based administrator, and Assistant Director. Her leadership is grounded in creating student-centred learning environments that honour diversity, foster belonging, and remove barriers to success so that every learner can thrive. Corey is deeply committed to collaborative, strengths-based approaches that bring together students, families, schools, and community partners to support academic, and social-emotional growth. Through her work, Corey strives to build systems and supports that ensure all students have what they need to be successful at school and beyond. |
| Edlyn Murphy - Vice Principal, École St. John Paul II - Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education Edlyn graduated with her B.Ed. in 2004 and spent 16 years teaching in Spruce Grove, Alberta, where she taught Grades 5 and 6 and later served as an Instructional Coach. After relocating to Medicine Hat in 2023, she joined the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education and currently serves as the Learning Support Teacher and Vice Principal at École St. John Paul II School. Coming from a family of educators, Edlyn value lifelong learning. She enjoys travelling, reading, and spending time with her husband of 21 years and their two daughters. |
| Sandra Patton - System Assistant Principal for Early Learning, Calgary Board of Education Currently the System Assistant Principal for Early Learning in the Calgary Board of Education, Sandra provides professional learning to support teachers of the youngest learners in such areas as the pedagogy of play, the Alberta Curriculum, enhanced professional supports, home-learning supports and assessment. |
| Mark Owens - Associate Superintendent, Northland School Division Mark Owens was appointed Associate Superintendent on April 17, 2024, after being with Northland School Division since August of 2021. During his tenure with the school division, Mark has served as the Director of Student Engagement and Acting Associate Superintendent. Mark’s education background includes a Master of Education degree from the University of Calgary (U of C) in Education Leadership, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta (U of A) in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Physical Education from U of A. |
| Kati Ramsden - Vice Principal, Mattie McCullough Elementary School - Red Deer Public Schools Kati has taught in Red Deer Public Schools since 2006 and is dedicated to strengthening teacher efficacy and collective responsibility. A former elementary music specialist and Fine Arts Coordinator for RDPSD, she became vice principal at Mattie McCullough Elementary in September 2024. At Mattie, she learned and supported the implementation of Collaborative Response, valuing its collaborative, focused meeting structure, data‑driven planning to address individual student needs, and its promotion of shared expertise and collective problem‑solving. |
| Amy Savill - Acting Associate Superintendent, Northland School Division Amy Savill was appointed Acting Associate Superintendent, effective August 15, 2025. She has been part of the NSD family since 2008, when she began her teaching journey as a student teacher at Bishop Routhier School and was followed by later teaching experiences across the division. Amy completed a Master of Education with a specialization in educational leadership from the University of Calgary and is currently working on a second master’s degree, with a focus on math and literacy. In her role as Acting Associate Superintendent, Amy oversees literacy and numeracy, student attendance, and high school completion. |
| Nicole Short - Assistant Superintendent, Grasslands Public Schools Nicole is in her first year as Assistant Superintendent of Grasslands Public Schools. Prior to this new position, Nicole spent three years in the Director of Student Services role. With over 20 years in the Division, Nicole has been involved in supporting students in many roles, including teacher, LST, Administrator and system leader. Nicole holds a strong conviction that the highest achievements in teaching and learning are realized through meaningful collaboration. |
| Trevor Van Someren - WeCollab Lead, Jigsaw Learning Trevor is an experienced administrator with over 13 years as a principal at a number of schools from K-8. He has been involved with system leadership as a early adopter of Collaborative Response and is now a WeCollab Lead with Jigsaw Learning, supporting leaders in their use of WeCollab software. Fun facts about Trevor: he is an avid Oilers fan, a dad of two kids and is a Realtor with Century 21 Masters in Edmonton! |
| Kim Wedman - Learning Services Coordinator, Wild Rose School Division Kim is the Learning Services Coordinator for Wild Rose School Division, bringing 25 years of educational excellence and a Master's in Leadership and Design Thinking. Her core purpose is her commitment to ensuring success for all students. She achieves this by specializing in and advancing instructional and assessment innovation across key areas: Literacy, Numeracy, Inclusive Education, and English as an Additional Language (EAL). She is passionate about building vibrant community connections and collaborative learning environments to maximize positive outcomes. Based in Rocky Mountain House, she recharges by hiking and camping with her supportive family. |
| Tamra Wilcox - Principal, Woodlands School - Calgary Board of Education Tamra is an elementary school principal in Calgary with a student-centered approach to leadership. Having benefited from the resources provided by other schools, she is looking to share about the growth of Collaborative Response in her school toward student success and staff development. |
