Donna Alvermann, Ph.D.

Dr. Alvermann is the Distinguished Research Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Formerly a classroom teacher in Texas and New York, her research focuses on youth's multiple literacies in and out of school. From 1992 to 1997 she co-directed the National Reading Research Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. With over 100 articles and chapters in print, her books include Content Reading and Literacy: Succeeding in Today's Diverse Classrooms (5th ed.); Popular Culture in the Classroom: Teaching and Researching Critical Media Literacy; Bridging the Literacy Achievement Gap, Grades 4-12; and Adolescents and Literacies in a Digital World (3rd printing). Past president of the National Reading Conference (NRC) and co-chair of the International Reading Association's Commission on Adolescent Literacy, she currently edits Reading Research Quarterly. She was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame in 1999, and is the recipient of NRC's Oscar Causey Award for Outstanding Contributions to Reading Research, the Albert Kingston Award for Distinguished Service, the College Reading Association's Laureate Award, the H.B. Herr Award for Contributions to Research in Reading Education, and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit awarded by the International Reading Association.

Donald Deshler, Ph.D.

Dr. Deshler is the director of the Center for Research on Learning (CRL) and a professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He is also a co-principal investigator with the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD). Dr. Deshler's work addresses ways to close the large "achievement gap" and to reduce the escalating drop-out rate for struggling adolescent learners. His work focuses on designing instructional routines that can be used by secondary teachers to help them more effectively teach subject-matter content to academically diverse classes in secondary schools. The work of CRL focuses on the validation of academic strategies for adolescents who struggle with becoming good readers, writers, and learners. Dr. Deshler serves as an advisor on adolescent achievement to several organizations, including the Carnegie Foundation, the National Governor's Association, the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Council on Families and Literacy, and the U.S. State Department. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the J.E. Wallace Wallin Award from the Council for Exceptional Children and the Learning Disabilities Association Award from the Learning Disabilities Association of America for outstanding research and service for at-risk populations.

Rafael Heller, Ph.D.

Rafael Heller has worked in education for 20 years as a writing teacher, researcher, and policy advocate. From 2005-2007, he directed the adolescent literacy work of the Alliance for Excellent Education and served on the steering committee of the National Adolescent Literacy Coalition. He has held positions at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and elsewhere. Heller has extensive experience in strategic communications, working as a contractor for leading education public relations firms Lipman Hearne and CommunicationWorks, and through his own firm, Blue Pencil Consulting. Heller earned his Ph.D in English and Education from the University of Michigan in 2002, and he also holds degrees from Oberlin College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Andrés Henríquez

Andrés Henríquez is Program Officer and Manager, Adolescent Literacy Project in Carnegie Corporation of New York’s national program where he oversees the Corporation’s Advancing Literacy initiative. Prior to joining the Corporation, Henríquez served as the Assistant Director for Strategic Planning, Center for Children and Technology (CCT) at the New York offices of the Education Development Center, Inc. He has also worked at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C. as an Associate Program Director, responsible for monitoring the Network Infrastructure for Education and assisted with the Research in Education Policy and Practice program. He has served as a Research Coordinator at the Children’s Television Workshop and as a Senior Research Analyst at MTV Networks. Henríquez is also a certified teacher and taught for five years at a public elementary school in East Harlem.

Henríquez received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and a master degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Kathleen Leos

Kathleen Leos is the President and CEO of The Global Institute for Language and Literacy Development (GILD). The company provides professional expertise to state and district departments of education and higher education institutions to transform education into high-quality, integrated, comprehensive systems that ensure English Language Learners (ELLs) achieve academic success. Previously, Leos served for six years (2002-2007) as the Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director to the US Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). In that position, Ms. Leos was principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education on all matters related to ELL students and developed regulations, policies and procedures to create a national education and accountability infrastructure for Limited English Proficient students.

Dolores Perin, Ph.D.

Dr. Dolores Perin is an associate professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she directs the Reading Specialist Program, and is a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center. Dr. Perin specializes in adolescent and adult literacy, as well as community college developmental education. Dr. Perin recently completed a project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York to prepare high school science and social studies teachers to incorporate literacy in their content instruction. She received a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Sussex in England, where she conducted a study of the spelling of adolescents and adults with reading difficulties. She is a New York State-licensed psychologist and has published in journals such as Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Exceptional Children, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Community College Review, Higher Education, Urban Education, Adult Basic Education, Teachers College Record, and Reading Psychology.

Cynthia Schmeiser, Ph.D.

As ACT’s Education Division President, Dr. Cynthia B. Schmeiser, is responsible for leading and coordinating the research, development, marketing, sales, and client support of all assessment instruments associated with ACT’s educational programs. Dr. Schmeiser serves as a member of the board of trustees of the American College of Education, the board of directors for the Diversity Pipeline Alliance, NCCEP/GEAR UP Evaluation Council, NGA–Gates National Advisory Committee, among other committees focused on P–20 improvement. She obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in educational measurement and statistics from the University of Iowa.