Page 8 - 2019 Reading Summit Event Guide: Universal City

PRESENTERS
Sara K. Ahmed has taught in urban, suburban, public, independent, and international schools. Sara is the author of Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension and co-author of Upstanders: How
to Engage Middle School Hearts and Minds with Inquiry with Harvey “Smokey” Daniels. Sara’s classrooms are designed to help her young adolescent students consider their own identities, inspiring them to take action in the world in socially responsible ways. She is a long-time member of the teacher leadership team for Facing History and Ourselves, an international organization devoted to developing critical thinking and empathy for others. Sara has been in Bangkok, Thailand,
since 2016, as a literacy coach for PreK through sixth-grade students at NIST International School. Find her on Twitter @SaraKAhmed.
Karina Almanza is a fth-grade teacher at Barrett Ranch Elementary School. Motivated by her farmworker grandparents who had no formal education, Karina’s passion is to empower children through literacy. Over the past ve years, she has been a part of a school team that is dedicated to instilling a love for reading in all students. Find her on Twitter @MsAlmanza.
Tamiko Brown has over 20 years in education and has spent 17 years as a school librarian. In 2016, she was named “Campus Teacher of the Year” at Ed White E-STEM Magnet School, and she was School Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year in 2017. She was one of the rst librarians in her district, Clear Creek Independent School District, to open a makerspace for students. She is a grant writer, blogger, social media enthusiast, robotics sponsor, TCEA presenter, TLA Presenter, maker club sponsor, book club sponsor, and book promoter. Find her on Twitter @booksforkiddos and at makerspacelibrary.blogspot.com.
Chad Everett currently serves as a middle-school literacy coach in northern Mississippi. He is a self-proclaimed literacy and technology geek. His knowledge of e ective technology practices to enhance student learning, coupled with
his passion for literacy, makes him a signi cant resource in the school district where he works. He previously served as an instructional technology specialist and educator in student discipline where he examined the power of restorative discipline practices to transform the student discipline process. He continues
to bring all he has learned from his previous roles to his current practice with students. Chad is also deeply involved with community adult literacy, believing the change needed to transform education extends beyond the school’s walls. Find him on Twitter @chadceverett.