Education Conference Speakers

Chris Perry has a diverse background in K-12 education, with nearly 20 years experience as a paraprofessional, special education teacher, behavior specialist, administrative intern, state trainer with the Kansas State Department of Education, researcher, author, and consultant. Chris holds degrees in Psychology, Special Education, and School Leadership. Additionally, Chris co-founded Cultivate Education, LLC. in 2016, where he currently serves as the Executive Director providing professional development and coaching support to improve initiative implementation in school districts across the country.

In addition to his current work with Cultivate Education, Chris also serves as the Vice President on the School Board of USD #348 Baldwin City, Kansas and as the Vice President of the East Central Kansas Cooperative in Education which provides Special Education services to the several communities in Northeast Kansas.

Dr. Beth Clavenna-Deane is a Senior Program Associate at WestEd, a nonprofit educational research and technical assistance organization. Beth leverages her 30+ years of education experience to provide training, coaching, and technical support for districts across the country on developing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. She specializes in sustaining high quality and evidence-based, inclusive instructional practices, while also refining curricular efforts to achieve growth in reading, math, behavior and social emotional learning outcomes. Beth also supports states and districts to improve post-school outcomes for students with disabilities by implementing high quality, secondary transition practices, and she supports middle and high schools to braid these practices in their MTSS to accelerate student achievement growth. Beth has worked as a Secondary Teacher, Transition Specialist, Instructional Coach, Behavior Specialist, and an MTSS State Trainer. Beth lives in Shawnee, Kansas, with her husband of 29 years and her dog and cat. She has a son in college studying media production, and a son and daughter-in-law who are teachers in Kansas. She enjoys reading, walking in the park, going to dinner with friends, and traveling to see her siblings. 

Assistant Professor Rachel E. Finnell received her Master of Arts (2018) and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (2021) from the University of Kansas with concentration in Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Research Methodology. In the classroom, Finnell utilizes civic engagement assignments and activities to increase student engagement. Further, she develops in-class simulations that further reinforce the importance of being civic engagement minded. Her research areas include Global Politics, Support for Democratic Norms, and Authoritarian Regimes. Recent Publications by Finnell include The Dictator Wears New Clothes: Authoritarian Home Style in Action (2024) and Democracy at Gunpoint: American Gun Owners and Attitudes Towards Democracy (2024). Courses she teaches include US Government, Comparative Government, International Relations and Diplomacy, Constitutional Law: The First Amendment, and The American Presidency

Mary Ellen Hodge is a State Trainer for Technical Assistance Systems Network (TASN) and Autism Tertiary Behavior Supports (ATBS). Her degrees are in K-9 Elementary and Special Education. She has a District Level Leadership license and an Autism Certificate. She's been in education for 17 years and taught students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and has been an Autism Coordinator. She enjoys working with districts to improve student outcomes. 

Paula Hough is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning in Emporia, Kansas. She brings a wealth of experience to her role, focusing on improving learning conditions and outcomes for all students and effective policy implementation.  

Prior to her current role, Paula was a member of the Special Education Policy and Practice team at WestEd. In that capacity, she partnered with state and local agencies, supporting systems as they created, implemented, and refined practices to guide evidence-based strategies and effective policy. Before joining WestEd, Hough was the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning for a 6A school district in Kansas. During her tenure, she spearheaded significant work in areas like personalized learning, tiered interventions, and effective collaborative team practices. Her experience also includes serving as a curriculum director at the district level and working within individual systems as an instructional coach, supporting academics, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives. Paula began her career as a high school English teacher in her hometown in Northern Minnesota, giving her experience that spans early learning through adult learners. Hough is committed to lifelong learning, evidenced by her strong formal education background. She holds master's degrees in education leadership (at both the building and district levels) and curriculum and instruction (master's level), in addition to a doctoral degree in academic leadership. 

Outside of work, Paula is often found going on adventures with her German Shorthair Pointer, George, or spending time with her family, including her nieces, nephews, and sisters. As a Minnesota native, she enjoys spending summers at the lakes "up north." 

Susan Schiffelbein, MSED, is a Kansas MTSS Trainer and has experience training in the areas of social emotional learning, behavior, math, and reading. Her teaching credentials and experience span Early Childhood through Secondary. Susan earned her English as a Second Language and Reading Specialist endorsements along with her Master of Science in Education Degree. She was a former PBIS coach, MTSS district coordinator, and Kansas Teacher of the Year candidate. Having experience in Cognitive and Appreciative Inquiry coaching models allows Susan to facilitate meaningful conversations which inspire positive change. Additionally, Susan serves on her local school board creating vision, driving policy, and setting goals for student and staff well-being and achievement.

Stephanie Stindt has spent over 30 years in education championing high-quality reading instruction for all students. She began her career as a classroom teacher and reading specialist in Kansas, where she saw firsthand how evidence-based practices could transform student outcomes. After discovering the science of reading, she made it her mission to help more educators build that knowledge, knowing it’s the most powerful way to eliminate reading difficulties and create lasting improvement in reading outcomes.

Stephanie served as a state-level reading and district alignment specialist with Kansas MTSS, providing professional learning and implementation support to districts across the state. Her work helped school and district teams use data and research to design effective instruction for all students. Most recently, she led large-scale state implementations of LETRS as Regional Manager of State Success at Lexia, guiding departments of education in meeting their literacy prorities through professional learning.

She currently teaches graduate-level literacy coursework at Bethany College, helping educators translate reading research into practice and earn the Seal of Literacy. Across all roles, Stephanie brings a systems-level lens, expertise in reading science, and a deep commitment to empowering educators through meaningful, engaging, and high-impact learning experiences.

Janell Neer, MSE, currently works on the Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) Coordination Project through the Kansas State Department of Education. Throughout her career, Janell has focused her time and energy on empowering educators to become more proficient and adept in embedding the science of reading into their teaching practices.

Janell began her career in special education, working directly with students with dyslexia. She then went on to coach special education teachers in reading instruction. She is a fierce proponent for bringing what is known through the science of reading into the instruction students receive.

Throughout her career, Janell has been involved with several organizations, including the International Dyslexia Association, Academic Language Therapy Association and she is currently a board member on the Kansas chapter of The Reading League. She is a Local Certified Facilitator for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) and spends time supporting other LCFs and educators across the state.

Brittany Torres is the Director of Learning Systems & AI Initiatives at Bethany College. She came to Bethany after receiving her bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Ozarks. She worked at the Bethany College library for 15 years and during that time chose to pursue a master's degree in library science at Emporia State University, which she completed in 2013. Two years ago, she shifted to her current position where she is the administrator for Swede Space and leads AI initiatives on campus.

Mark McDonald has been a faculty member at Bethany College since 1996.  A graduate of Bethany College in 1991, McDonald earned his doctorate in systematics and ecology at Kansas State University in 1996.  McDonald has taught general biology, microbiology, genetics, immunology, and numerous other courses and serves as the pre-medical programs advisor. 

McDonald has been active in various campus initiatives including curriculum reform projects and sustainability initiatives.  He has served on several campus and faculty committees and has served as President of the Faculty Senate and Faculty Representative to the Board of Directors. McDonald is a past recipient of the Mordvedt Teaching and Campus Leadership Award, the Greg and Beth Pierce Service to Students Award, and the Donna Meredith Humphreys Award for Teaching. 

Assistant Professor Emily Rude has taught at Bethany College for five years. Six years? Surely it hasn’t been eight years. Well, at any rate, for more years than one normal presidential term of office. She graduated with a M.S. in Plant Breeding & Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015. Her research was on the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of switchgrass, a perennial prairie plant with several surprising parallels to human evolutionary history. Currently she enjoys teaching genetics, evolutionary biology, environmental science, and various Core Curriculum courses at Bethany College. She enjoys it, even though it’s really hard, because she now finally understands some very important things about science that four years of doing actual scientific research in graduate school was not enough to convey.

Bio coming soon!