2019 Nevada Department of Education

2019

MEGA
MEGACONFERENCE
The New Nevada – Expanding Equitable Opportunities for ALL

With Opening Keynote Speaker

Wes Kieschnick
Wes kleschnlck
The 2019 Mega Conference, The New Nevada – Expanding Equitable Opportunities
for ALL, will be held May 3 – 5, 2019, at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. The
Mega Conference will offer quality professional development on effective educational
practices that promote student success.

Weston Kieschnick is a lifelong educator with more than fourteen years of experience
designing, developing and delivering leadership training and professional development to teachers and school
leaders around the globe. He is the author for the bestselling book, Bold School: Old School Wisdom +New School
Innovation=Blended Learning that Works, co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended
Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of Teaching Keating; one of the most downloaded edu-cen-
tric podcasts on Google Plan, iTunes and Stitcher. For the last 14 years Weston has worked in collaboration with
innovative tech and publishing companies (Google, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Apple) to redefine teaching and
learning in the digital age.

Breakout sessions will be offered that focus on Enhancing Technological and Education Innovations and Supports,
Recognizing Diversity and Providing Equitable Programs and Supports for All Learners, and Ensuring Successful
Outcomes for All Students. Presenters will include educators from across the state and the nation, including the
International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE).

Mark your calendar for this incredible opportunity,
made possible through the collaboration of the Ne-
vada Department of Education, the Nevada Center
for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Ne-
vada, Reno, and the International Center for Leader-
ship in Education (ICLE).
Registration fees are $200/person ($150 Early Bird
before April 3, 2019). Please visit www.nevadateach.
com to register.
CEU credit will be available!
A limited number of sleeping rooms are available at
Harvey’s at the special conference rate of $93/night
for Thursday and Friday nights and $131/night on
Saturday night plus tax and $23 resort fee.
Please make your reservation before March 10, 2019
by using the hotel link on www.nevadateach.com.
May 3 – 5, 2019
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
Stateline, Nevada
www.nevadateach.com
 Additional Keynote Speakers
Wherever the very latest neuro-
science intersects with real-world
challenges facing the workplace,
education, healthcare, and our
everyday lives, you’ll find energiz-
ing insights from brain scientist
John Medina. Acknowledged
as one of the most engaging and
crowd-pleasing speakers in the
world of neuroscience, Dr. Medina
is a developmental molecular biologist, researcher, pro-
fessor and the author of ten books. His New York Times
bestseller, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving at
Work, Home and School has been celebrated as the
standard handbook on understanding the brain and
optimizing its performance.
Jimmy Casas served twen-
ty-three years as a school leader,
including fourteen years as Prin-
cipal at Bettendorf High School.
Under his leadership, Bettendorf
was named one of the Best High
Schools in the country three
times by Newsweek and US News
& World Report.
Jimmy was named the 2012 Iowa
Secondary Principal of the Year and was selected as
one of three finalists for NASSP 2013 National Second-
ary Principal of the Year. In 2014, Jimmy was invited to
the White House to speak on the Future Ready Schools
pledge. Jimmy is also the author of three books, What
Connected Educators Do Differently, Start. Right.
Now. - Teach and Lead for Excellence, and his latest re-
lease, Culturize – Every Student. Every Day. Whatever
it Takes.
Tom Murray serves as the Direc-
tor of Innovation for Future Ready
Schools, a project of the Alliance
for Excellent Education, located in
Washington, DC. He has testified
before the United States Congress
and works alongside that body and
the US Senate, the White House,
the US Department of Education
and state departments of educa-
tion, corporations, and school districts throughout the
country to implement student-centered, personalized
learning while helping to lead Future Ready Schools
and Digital Learning Day. His latest book, Learning
Transformed, was released in 2017 with ASCD.
National Speakers
The Mega Conference will also feature breakout
sessions by the following national speakers:
Greg McGough is the Director of Curriculum, Co-
ordinator of Federal Programs, and Pennsylvania
Information Management System administrator
for the Columbia Borough School District. Dr. Mc-
Gough taught high school English for 17 years in
a 1:1 digital learning environment.
Maisah Howard, M. Ed is a former Children’s So-
cial Worker with the Los Angeles County Depart-
ment of Children and Family Services. She pro-
vided professional development for teachers and
principals nationally focusing on ways teachers
and administrators can acquire the skills, knowl-
edge, and dispositions that help support the
needs of children and families dealing with social
emotional trauma.
Dr. Tyrone Howard is a professor in the Gradu-
ate School of Education and Information Studies
at the University of California, Los Angeles, and
the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclu-
sion. His work for the last 20 years has focused
on culturally relevant pedagogy, the role of race
and culture in the classroom, and creating cultural
democracies to enhance learning. A former class-
room teacher in the Compton Unified School Dis-
trict, his work focuses specifically on schools with
culturally diverse students.
Lin Kuzmich is an educational consultant, univer-
sity instructor, and bestselling author from Love-
land, Colorado. She served Thompson School Dis-
trict in several roles as the Deputy Superintendent,
Executive Director of Secondary and Elementary
Instruction, Director of Professional Development,
and as a building principal for nine years. Lin cur-
rently works with schools and districts across the
country that are struggling to meet the needs of
diverse learners, the requirements of AYP, and the
changing educational practices needed for the fu-
ture success of our students.
Dr. Lissa Pijanowski supports teachers and lead-
ers in creating compelling learning environments
that reflect high expectations, promote student
engagement, and produce results. Lissa’s work
with schools across the U.S. and Canada integrates
her years of school improvement experience and
curriculum leadership in standards-based educa-
tion.