Page 9 - 2019 Reading Summit Event Guide: Austin

PRESENTERS
Valinda Kimmel is a literacy expert for kindergarten through eighth grades, working with schools and districts across the U.S., where she facilitates professional development and collaborates with teachers to plan instruction that engages and empowers students. She has been the lead-learner along with her students for three decades in her home state of Texas and in Europe. Valinda is an avid reader and is fanatical about promoting classroom libraries brimming with diverse texts. She partnered with school district leaders in her hometown
to design a tri-city summer reading initiative, HEB Reads, that brings school and community libraries together in combating the summer slide. Find her on Twitter @vrkimmel.
Lariza Liner, an educator for 18 years and a campus principal for nine, is an instructional leader that strives to continually promote a positive and engaging learning environment through strong communication skills, positive attitude, and a vision that says, “Success is our ONLY option. We will continue to work, evolve, change, and develop so that we can provide the highest academic environment for our Future Leaders of America!” Lariza rmly believes in creating a reading culture to instill the love of reading in her teachers and students. “By doing this, we are giving them a gift that will last them a lifetime.” Find her on Twitter @LariLiner.
Erika Long is in her fth year working in school libraries. She is currently a middle- school librarian for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Erika is active in ALA, AASL, Tennessee Library Association (TLA), and Tennessee Association of School Librarians (TASL). She has served on TLA’s Advisory Council as school libraries roundtable chair; worked on the AASL Standards Crosswalk Task Force; and served as an AASL interim regional director. She was named a 2017 AASL “Social Media Superstar” nalist in the social justice defender category, and she was part of the ALA Presidential Initiative: Fight for School Libraries. She has previously blogged for The Horn Book and TASL Talks. Find her on Twitter @erikaslong.
Donalyn Miller is a leading expert on independent reading, children’s literature, and the author of two best-sellers, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. She is founder of the annual #bookaday event, co-founder with Colby Sharp of The Nerdy Book Club, and co-host of the monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk. Her most recent book is co-authored with Colby Sharp, Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids. Her articles have appeared in Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership, The Washington Post, and other prominent periodicals. Find Donalyn on Twitter @donalynbooks.
Photo credit: Marta X. Perez