15 / 46
15
Moving Forward
Dr. Tony Smith
Thursday, October 1
1:45 to 2:45 p.m.
Moving Forward - State Superintendent Tony Smith will discuss his priorities and
vision for Illinois’ education system. He will also address critical topics that Illinois
school administrators will face during the 2015-16 school year, including finance,
budget, assessments and supports.
Mark Anthony Garrett
Friday, October 2
9:30 to 11:45
The author of “Teachers Are Heroes – 7 Success Principles for Transformational
Teaching,” Mark Anthony Garrett is one of the nation’s leading experts within the
K-12 industry and with regard to child welfare. He also is a motivational speaker
on such topics as teacher leadership, cultural pedagogy, overcoming adversity,
youth success, building relationships and maximizing human potential. He speaks
from experience.
Garrett grew up in the tough inner city of Dayton, Ohio as a foster child and was
later adopted. Throughout his childhood, Garrett faced hardships such as poverty,
neglect, homelessness, abandonment and physical and sexual abuse. At 14, he
lost his adoptive mother to cancer, dropped out of school, joined a gang and was
in and out of juvenile jail. Encouraged by his third grade special education teacher
to never give up and to strive for excellence, he went on to become a two-time
U.S. Achievement Academy award winner, recipient of the National Collegiate Minority Leadership award
and he attained the two highest honors given by his college, the President and the Trustee awards.
His experiences inspired Garrett to dedicate his life to helping troubled youth and adults overcome the
negative challenges in their own lives.