DAY 1: Keynote Dr. Lisa Dieker, is the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas (KU).  She is the parent and sibling of people with disabilities. She serves as the Director of a Center in the Assessment and Achievement Institute called FLITE (flexible learning through innovations in teaching and education). Dr. Dieker’s research focuses on harnessing the power of teachers working across disciplines in inclusive settings, with her work focusing on teacher education, special education, and innovative uses of technology. Prior to KU she was a Pegasus Professor at the University of Central Florida where she served as the Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar directing the Lockheed Martin/UCF Mathematics and Science Academy, which produced over 500 teacher leaders in STEM. She also served as the co-coordinator for the Ph.D. program in special education, advising over 100 students, including 22 doctoral students with disabilities and 34 scholars from culturally diverse backgrounds. In her role as Co-Director of the UCF Center for Research in Education Simulation Technology (CREST), she and two colleagues created a widely used tool to prepare teachers and leaders using a mixed reality simulator called TeachLivE, now commercialized by Mursion. She is currently at KU and co-leads two U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Stepping Up grants to create a data tagging tool and to harvest resources to support STEM coaches working with special education teachers. The second project, in partnership with a public charter school district, is creating an AI agent combined with biometrics to support students with disabilities in STEM.  She has managed over 60 grants from state, local, national, international, and foundation sources amounting to more than $25M. She has provided over 150 keynotes, produced 7 books, over 100 articles and chapters, and has served as an editor for 4 journals in the field. She holds 6 patents in simulation and education. She has served as the national conference Co-Chair for the Council for Exceptional Children and in an elected position on the Innovation and Technology Committee for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and on 8 journal review boards. She has been awarded the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Children Advocacy Network Advocate of the Year Award, the CEC: Teacher Education Division (TED) Outstanding Service Award, the CEC: TED Outstanding Journal Article Award, the UCF Graduate Student Mentor of the Year Award, and the University of Illinois and Eastern Illinois University Outstanding Alumni of the Year Awards. 

DAY 2: Workshop Speaker - Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D., MBA, MEd, EdS, is the Executive Director and Eisner Endowed Chair for the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she is also a professor in the Department of Special Education and the Director of SIMPACT Immersive Learning. Dr. Murawski is the national Past President of the Teacher Education Division (TED) of CEC and award-winning researcher, author, and educator, including Teacher Educator of the Year in California. Dr. Murawski is an internationally known speaker and frequently requested keynote speaker, presenting in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. She has published extensively around inclusive education, co-teaching, collaboration, and Universal Design for Learning, to include 19 books and numerous chapters, blogs, and peer-reviewed articles. She is the CEO of 2Teach Global (www.2TeachGlobal.com), an international educational consulting company dedicated to championing inclusive education around the world.

DAY 2: Workshop Speaker – Jude Wolf, Ed. D. is a distinguished educator and practitioner specializing in special education, learning strategies, and neuroscience-informed teaching practices. At San Francisco State University, she serves as a full-time lecturer teaching courses in Adolescent Literacy, Socio-Emotional Learning, and Student Teaching, while also coordinating the MMSN CalTPA program. In these roles, she expertly bridges the gap between empirical research and classroom practice, helping future educators implement evidence-based interventions for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. She holds an Ed.D. in Learning & Instruction with a concentration in Special Education from the University of San Francisco, complemented by a Graduate Certificate in Mind, Brain, and Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. Her expertise in compassion-based education is supported by her certification as a Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) teacher through the Compassion Institute and Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE).

As a Learning Specialist and Executive Function Coach in her private practice, Dr. Wolf supports and empowers students to develop effective learning strategies and self-regulation skills. Her practice combines evidence-based approaches with neuroscience-informed techniques to help students overcome academic challenges and build lasting executive function skills.

Additionally, serving as an Associate for both 2TEACH Global and the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools, she provides international consultation on inclusive education practices, co-teaching methodologies, and assessment strategies.

In recognition of her leadership in special education, Dr. Wolf serves as the President-Elect of the California Council for Exceptional Children (CACEC), the state's premier professional association for special educators. In this role, she helps advance CACEC's mission of improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities through advocacy, professional development, and the promotion of evidence-based practices throughout California's educational system.

Dr. Wolf's professional focus centers on translating complex educational research into practical, effective interventions for students with diverse learning needs. Her expertise spans executive function, emotion regulation, mindfulness in education, and cognitive resiliency. She regularly presents at national conferences, including the Council for Exceptional Children and the American Educational Research Association. She is currently contributing to the field through her work with WestEd and the California Department of Education on the DRDP 2025 and P-3 Learning Progression initiatives.