2003 PAESSP Conference Keynote Speakers
Dr. Douglas Reeves, Ph.D. - Keynote Speaker
-Dr. Douglas Reeves is the chairman and founder of the Center for Performance Assessment, an organization dedicated to improving student achievement by improving the knowledge and skills of educators and school leaders. Schools throughout the United States and in several other countries are transforming their approach to standards, assessment and accountability by using Dr. Reeves’ practical popular books and video series.
Dr. Reeves has published 14 books. He is the author of the best selling Making Standards Work, now in its third edition. Other recent books include Holistic Accountability: Serving Students, Schools, and Community (Corwin Press, 2002); The Leader’s Guide to Standards (Jossey-Bass, 2002); and The Daily Disciplines of Leadership: Improving Student Achievement, Staff Motivation, and 20-Minute Learning Connection: A Practical Guide for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children Succeed in School, a book that recently won the Parent’s Choice award for 2002. He was one of five people named to the Harvard Distinguished Authors Series for 2002 and was named the Education Writer of the Year by the California Superintendents Association.
Dr. Reeves is a frequent speaker in the U.S. and abroad for education, business and government organizations. He is also a featured speaker on accountability, standards and assessment for the Harvard University leadership forum, the Video Journal of Education, Learning 24/7, the National School Conferences Institute and many national and international professional organizations.
In addition to his many books, Dr. Reeves has contributed a number of articles to professional and popular journals and magazines. His research and articles have also appeared in popular publications such as USA Today, the Washington Post, New York Daily News LA Times, Boston Globe, International Herald-Tribune, Reader’s Digest and many others.
Beyond his work in large-scale assessment and research, Dr. Reeves has devoted many years to classroom teaching with students ranging from elementary school to doctoral candidates. His family consists of four children ranging from elementary school through college. His wife, Shelley Sackett, is an attorney, mediator and school board member. He and his wife reside near Boston.
Donna S. Weldon, Esq. - Keynote Speaker
Donna S. Weldon is a partner in the Harrisburg law firm of Keefer Wood Allen & Rahal, LLP. She represents public school entities as solicitor and special counsel and serves as a chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.
Before entering private practice, Ms. Weldon served as assistant attorney general and assistant general counsel in the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She has lectured on education law topics throughout the Commonwealth.
She is a former English teacher in the Cumberland Valley and Central Bucks West school districts. Presently, she is the solicitor of Cumberland Perry Area Vocational School, Sylvan Heights Charter School and the school districts of East Pennsboro Area, Everett Area, Lower Dauphin and Mechanicsburg Area.
A graduate of Pennsylvania State University in the Honors English Program, she obtained her J.D. from Dickinson School of Law.
She and Ann Carbon, PAESSP assistant chief counsel, will discuss "School Law Changes Affecting Principals," as it pertains to public education.
Jamie R. Vollmer - Keynote Speaker
"Nobody in America has the right to criticize public education unless he or she has spent a warm Friday afternoon locked in a room with eighth graders.”
Jamie Vollmer is a friend of public education. He
is a former corporate CEO and attorney who now works to help increase community
support for America’s schools and build professional pride among educators. In
the last 12 years, in over 4,200 speeches, he has spoken to tens of thousands of
educators, business leaders and community members. He works to halt the erosion
of public trust in public schools, and help create the kind of
schools our students and our communities need to thrive in the 21st century.
Mr. Vollmer is president of Vollmer and Associates, Inc. in Fairfield, Iowa. He believes that a vital system of public education is essential if America is to continue to be a great nation. He is committed to the notion that real educational improvement can only occur if it is understood and supported in the hallways of our schools and the living rooms of our communities.
Mr. Vollmer served for six years as the director of the nationally recognized Iowa Business, Labor and Education Roundtable. He is the author of the highly acclaimed videos, “Why Our Schools Need to Change,” “Building Support for America’s Schools” and “Praise for America’s Teachers.”
He is the former CEO of the Great Midwestern Ice Cream Company - People Magazine’s choice as the “Best Ice Cream in America.”
Mr. Vollmer holds a bachelor of arts degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.