2007 Conference Speakers
Ron Clark - Keynote Speaker
Ron Clark has been called " America's Educator." In 2000, he was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year. He is a New York Times best-selling author, and his classes have been honored at the White House on three separate occasions. He has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and Oprah, and Ms. Winfrey has even named him as her first "Phenomenal Man." Ron's teaching experiences in New York City are the subject of the uplifting film The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry, better known as Chandler from Friends. Ron brings charisma, energy and devotion to the education profession. His first teaching job was in rural North Carolina working with minority students in a low-wealth area where he conducted innovative projects that garnered world-wide attention. His programs were so effective that his classes were invited to the White House to be honored by the President. When Ron saw a TV show about low test scores and the lack of teachers in inner-city New York, he packed his car and headed to Harlem. After being warned by the principal that the class was the worst she had seen in terms of discipline, Ron prepared himself by visiting the home of each student before the first day of school. Ron involved his students in projects around the city and state, and his "low achievers" soon began to excel; by the end of the year, their scores were higher than the “gifted” classes in his district. As Ron speaks to groups around the country, he tells of the uncanny adventures he has had in the classroom and of his experiences teaching in Harlem. Within his humorous and heartwarming stories, he delivers a message that pertains to all of us. It is a message of hope, dedication and the will to never let anything stand in the way of goals or dreams. In 2003, Ron released the New York Times best-selling book titled The Essential 55, which includes the 55 expectations he has of his students, as well as of all individuals, young and old. Ron's second book, The Excellent 11, released in August 2004, is a "Must Read" for teachers, parents and everyone who wants the children in their lives to find happiness and achieve success! Currently, he is working tirelessly for the fall of 2007 opening of The Ron Clark Academy, a new school serving low-wealth students from inner-city Atlanta. The privately-funded institution will truly be unique for its innovative teaching methods and curriculum based on worldwide travel. Each year the students, grades 5 through 8, will apply what they've learned in class during international adventures, and by the time they graduate each child will have visited six of the seven continents. Teachers from around the world are invited to visit the Academy to learn more about the innovative and "out-of-the-box" methods for achieving student success.
Gloria Davis - Afternoon Plenary Speaker
Gloria Davis joined the Decatur Public School District as Superintendent of Schools July 1, 2006. Superintendent Davis is the District's first female Superintendent in its 132-year history. She brings 31 years of professional educational expertise to Decatur Public Schools. Most recently, Ms. Davis served as Superintendent in Dodge City, Kansas. During her five-year tenure, she provided the leadership for refocusing the school system through a strategic Academic Enhancement Plan. Implementation of this plan brought increased academic achievement, including an increased graduation rate, a reduction of the high school dropout rate, and an increase in advanced placement and honors classes. Prior to her position in Dodge City, Ms. Davis worked in the University City School District near St. Louis, Missouri, where she was promoted through three administrative positions. She began her career as a classroom teacher. Ms. Davis is an active member of each community she has lived in. Among her professional organizations are the American Association of School Administrators, the International Reading Association, the National Alliance of Black School Educators, Phi Delta Kappa, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Ms. Davis is completing her dissertation in the doctoral program at St. Louis University. She received her Master of Arts Degree in Educational Administration from Washington University and her Bachelor of Science Degree from Southern Illinois University.
Rod Bussell - Morning Plenary Speaker
Rod Bussell joined Caterpillar in 1974 in data processing and served in a number of quality management positions at facilities in Iowa and Illinois before being named manufacturing engineering manager at the Joliet, Illinois, facility in 1985. He served as the Caterpillar Brasil manufacturing manager from 1988 to 1991 and then returned to the Joliet facility as the component group manager, responsible for fabrications. In 1992, Rod was named manager of the Caterpillar Transmission Business Unit in East Peoria, Illinois. He served in that position until 1998, when he became general manager of the Caterpillar Large Engine Center in Lafayette, Ind. He was elected a company vice president and general manager of the Mining & Construction Equipment Division in 2001. In 2007, Rod was elected the vice president and general manager of the newly formed Heavy Construction and Mining Division. Rod is a graduate of the University of Illinois and has completed the Caterpillar Advanced Management Program and the Columbia University executive program. He serves as trustee for Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Homework Hangout, and the Decatur/Macon County Community Foundation. He also is a member of the Decatur, We Like It Here Committee. In 2004, Rod was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame in Decatur, and in April 2005 he was awarded the Platinum Civic Leadership Award by the Chamber of Commerce.