Past SUM Keynote Presenters

SUM 2019 Keynote Presenters

Robert Berry is president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), a 50,000-member international mathematics education organization. He is a Professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, with an appointment in Curriculum Instruction and Special Education. Berry teaches mathematics methods courses in the teacher education program at the University of Virginia. Additionally, he teaches graduate-level mathematics education courses and courses for in-service teachers seeking a mathematics specialist endorsement. He is a former middle school teacher and was twice named Teacher of the Year in Virginia.

Equity issues in mathematics education are central to Berry’s research efforts within four related areas: (a) understanding Black children’s mathematics experiences (mathematical identities and agency); (b) measuring standards-based mathematics teaching practices; (c) unpacking equitable mathematics teaching and learning; and (d) exploring interactions between technology and mathematics education. Berry has extensive experiences in classroom observation and is the lead developer of an observation instrument, Mathematics Scan, which measures standards-based mathematics teaching practices.

Berry has published nearly 100 articles, book chapters, and proceedings. His articles have appeared in the Journal for Research in Mathematics EducationJournal of Teacher Education, and the American Educational Research Journal. Berry served on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2011–2014 and is a two-time recipient of NCTM’s Linking Research and Practice Publication Award. He was recognized as the 2011 Mathematics Educator of the Year by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM), and received the University of Virginia’s All University Teaching Award in 2011.

Website: curry.virginia.edu/robert-q-berry-iii
Twitter: @robertqberry

Dr. Ruth Beatty is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Orillia. As a mathematics education researcher, Ruth’s focus has been how children learn complex math concepts, and the alignment of instruction with developmental trajectories of understanding. She is also interested in multiple representations of mathematical concepts, particularly visual representations. Since 2013 she has collaborated with members of Anishinaabe and Métis communities, and educators from Ontario school boards, to research the connections between Anishinaabe and Métis ways of knowing mathematics and the Western mathematics found in provincial curricula. The goal of this research, funded by a number of grants including a SSHRC Insight Development Grant, is to collaboratively design culturally responsive mathematics instruction and to learn from and incorporate Indigenous pedagogical perspectives in inclusive classroom settings. This work resulted in the Ontario Premier’s Award for Safe and Accepting Schools in 2017, and the 2018 Lakehead University Indigenous Partnership Research Award.

As a proud Algonquin woman of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, Christina Ruddy has spent the majority of her career working to empower Indigenous youth through education, language and capacity-building. She has worked in grass roots movements such as Friendship Centres, in post-secondary institutions such as Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario and with Lakehead University in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Education. Christina is a successful alumnus of the first graduating class of the Native Community and Social Development program from Georgian College and in 2012 received the Board of Governor’s award of Excellence – Distinguished Alumni for her work with Indigenous people. Christina’s invaluable work in the promotion of Anishnaabemowin has added to efforts to preserve this endangered language both within her own community and provincially. She has worked to bring about change in Indigenous education and to make schooling more inclusive and Indigenous-focused through the Indigenous mathematics research study with Ontario teachers to incorporate Indigenous ways of teaching into the Ontario mathematics curriculum. She has collaborated with educators and administrators from the Renfrew County District School Board, and has worked as a mentor with Indigenous artists in other communities who have been part of this work. Christina has shared her experiences as an Algonquin artist researcher at a number of conferences, included four presentations at the Ontario Association of Mathematics Education annual conference. In 2018 Christina, along with Dr. Ruth Beatty, was awarded the Indigenous Partnership Research Award during Lakehead University’s Research and Innovation awards ceremony as a testament to her leadership in this project. Christina’s dedication to the celebration of Indigenous culture has resulted in many successful events and projects. Through empowering Indigenous youth to celebrate their identity, language and culture made visible in their daily lives, she embodies the tradition of passing on culture and the skills needed to preserve it to the younger generations.


SUM 2018 Keynote Presenters

Lisa Lunney Borden is an Associate Professor of mathematics education at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada with a particular focus on Equity in Mathematics. Having taught 7-12 mathematics in a Mi’kmaw community, she credits her students and the community for helping her to think differently about mathematics teaching and learning. She is committed to research that focuses on decolonizing mathematics education through culturally based practices and experiences that are rooted in Aboriginal languages and knowledge systems. Lisa is equally committed to mathematics outreach through programs such as Show Me Your Math that was developed with David Wagner, Newell Johnson, and a team of teachers from Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey schools. This program invites Indigenous youth to find the mathematical reasoning inherent in their own community context. Lisa is a sought after speaker on Indigenous mathematics education, working with mathematics educators across Canada as well as internationally.

Read our interview with Dr. Lisa Lunney Borden here.
Website: www.showmeyourmath.ca
Twitter: @LLB_315


Mary Bourassa teaches mathematics at West Carleton Secondary School in Ottawa. She has presented workshops internationally, authored mathematics resources and is a past Vice President of the Ontario Association for Mathematics Education. She is a Desmos fellow and is always working to improve her craft. You can get a window into her classroom through her blog and can find her collaborating with other math teachers on Twitter. An award-winning teacher, Mary continually strives to learn new and better ways of helping students learn and love mathematics.

Website: http://marybourassa.blogspot.com 
Twitter: @MaryBourassa


SUM 2017 Keynote Presenter

Steve Leinwand is a Principal Research Analyst at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and has over 35 years of leadership positions in mathematics education.  Leinwand’s work has included co-authoring “What the United States Can Learn from Singapore’s World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States).” Leinwand has spoken and written about effectively implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, differentiated learning, and “What Every School Leader Needs to Know about Making Math Work for All Students.”

Before joining AIR in 2002, Leinwand spent 22 years as Mathematics Consultant with the Connecticut Department of Education, where he was responsible for the development and oversight of a broad statewide program of activities in K-12 mathematics education. Steve has also served on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Board of Directors and has been President of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. Steve is also an author of several mathematics textbooks and has written numerous articles. His books, Sensible Mathematics: A Guide for School Leaders in the Era of Common Core State Standards and Accessible Mathematics: 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement, were published by Heinemann in 2012 and 2009, respectively.

Read our interview with Steve Leinwand here.
Website: www.steveleinwand.com
Twitter: @steve_leinwand


SUM 2016 Keynote Presenters

Grace Kelemanik

Grace Kelemanik works as a mathematics consultant to districts and schools grappling with issues related to quality implementation of the Common Core State Standards.  She is particularly concerned with engaging special populations, including English Language Learners and students with learning disabilities, in the mathematical thinking and reasoning embodied in the eight Common Core standards for mathematical practice. Kelemanik is a secondary mathematics Clinical Teacher Educator for the Boston Teacher Residency Program, a four-year teacher education program based in the Boston Public School district that combines a year-long teacher residency in a school with three years of aligned new teacher support.  Prior to BTR, Grace was a project director at Education Development Center (EDC). She was lead teacher of mathematics at City on a Hill Public Charter School in Boston where she also served as a mentor to teaching fellows and ran a support program for new teachers.  Grace is co-author of the book, Routines for Reasoning, about instructional routines that develop mathematical practices.

Learn more about Grace Kelemanik’s work in the August 2016 edition of Spotlight on the Profession.

Twitter: @GraceKelemanik

Max Ray-Riek

Max Ray-Riek works at The Math Forum, NCTM, and is the author of the book Powerful Problem Solving. Max is a former secondary mathematics teacher who has presented at regional and national conferences on fostering problem solving and communication and valuing student thinking.

Learn more about Max Ray-Riek’s work in the September 2016 edition of Spotlight on the Profession.

Website: http://mathforum.org/blogs/max/

Twitter: @maxmathforum

Featured Presenter

Peg Cagle

Margaret “Peg” Cagle began her working life as an architect, but after learning of the shortage of STEM teachers, decided she could make a greater difference teaching math in a large urban district. Over the next 17 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she taught every math course from 6th grade through Honors Algebra II/Trigonometry, supported informal education through chess, robotics, and math clubs/teams, and served in various leadership roles. Peg earned National Board Certification and was recognized as LA County Teacher of the Year, Raytheon Math Hero, member of USA-Today’s All-USA Teacher Team and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching. A love of mathematics and drive to advocate for students and the profession have spurred Peg’s involvement beyond the classroom, including serving on the board of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, providing input to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, being on staff of the Park City Mathematics Institute, testifying before Congress, and working to bring the wisdom of practice to inform policy as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Peg spent three years as a teacher-in-residence at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, working with the research and practice faculty in teacher preparation, teaching math content, and providing a practitioner’s perspective to enrich research. She also established a support network for local early career mathematics teachers through a professional community of practice. As of August 2016, Peg is back at LAUSD, teaching Geometry & Algebra II at Reseda High School.

Twitter: @pegcagle