Cindy Puryear
Former Director of Elementary Literacy,
Houston ISD

As a self-proclaimed struggling reader, Cindy Puryear began her career as a special education teacher and most recently served as Director of Elementary Literacy and Library Services for the Houston Independent School District, the largest school district in the state of Texas. As acting Director of Literacy, Cindy began a grassroots effort to train, coach, and support teachers in their efforts to bring quality reading and writing instruction to all students.

Suzana Spina
Texas Early Childhood Administrator
and Educator

Suzana Spina understands that a quality early education provides the foundation for all future learning for children. She has been in education for 18 years, ranging from a bilingual early childhood special education teacher to assistant principal and director of the early childhood program for a large north Texas suburban school district.

She has also owned her own consulting firm and provided professional development for educators on social-emotional learning, behavior management, and differentiation for students with special needs.

Deb Diller
Texas Educator, Author, and
National Educational Consultant

Debbie Diller, a national educational consultant, and popular conference speaker uses her experience of over 40 years as a classroom teacher, Title I reading specialist, and literacy coach to teach others about sensible, realistic ways to meet the literacy needs of all students in the classroom.

She is the author of many books on literacy stations, math stations, small group instruction, and classroom design. Her newest project is called Simply Stations and is a series of books with each focusing on a different literacy station for kindergarten through fourth grade.

Anita Uphaus
Retired Early Childhood Director, Austin ISD

Anita Uphaus has been an early childhood master educator for over 40 years. As a classroom teacher and later director of early childhood for Austin ISD, Anita led the way for both the expansion of all-day high-quality kindergarten and then high-quality Prekindergarten across one of the largest Texas school districts.

Although Anita is now retired, her legacy lives on as the namesake of the Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center in Austin ISD, which was designed and built just for young learners upon “Uphaus’ love of learning.”

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