Invited Speakers

For nearly three decades, Sam Glenn’s inspirational and artistic speeches have impacted audiences of all sizes.  Attitude is the driver of everything, and Sam knows exactly how to recharge and rekindle that positive spark that empowers leaders to give, do and be their best. Things weren’t always so picture perfect for Sam. At one time he was homeless, depressed, defeated and negative. It was

a chance encounter at a buffet, where Sam accidentally knocked over the legendary Zig Ziglar.

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This led to a positive friendship between the two and with Zig’s encouragement, Sam got his life

pointed in a better direction. Today, audiences gravitate to his humor, relate to his stories and embrace his relevant ideas for improving their personal and professional life. Sam Glenn has been honored by being named Speaker of the Year on several occasions by meeting and event organizations and won two national awards for his training videos. He is the author of more than 30 books based on his research. Not only does his creative art bring energy to the walls in any workplace, but the art is used for training purpose to enrich the quality of personal and professional performance. Sam Glenn is an expert at igniting personal and professional

positivity. Sam’s most rewarding title in life is being called Dad by his three kids and husband by his super awesome wife. They currently reside in Indianapolis. However, Sam is originally from Minnesota.

Jon Paul is currently the Special Education Director Technical Assistance Specialist for the Colorado Department of Education and former Director of Special Education for the Weld RE-4 School District in Windsor Colorado who left this past fall after 14+ years of service. Paul also teaches as an adjunct professor for the school of special education at the University of Northern Colorado. Jon Paul also has served as the Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee Chair for 12 years and as a member of the Consortium of Special Education Directors.  Jon Paul has also taught at UNC in the School of Special Education in both the Generalist Graduate program and the Special Education Director Licensure program.  In his free time, Jon Paul enjoys fishing, hiking and camping with his family and dogs.

Kim was blessed with the talent of storytelling at young age, and after honing her ability to

engage reluctant audiences in high school, now conducts workshops to inspire greatness using

neuroscience to empower people.

When she started speaking and training, she churned out cool strategies that inspired learning and better performance; however, her focus has changed to the training on those strategies integrated with the research on mental health and wellness. The practices are fun, free and will spark a positive revolution immediately. Imagine what you can do with a feeling a renewed passion, purpose, and energy for the important endeavors.

What I hear people say overwhelms me with joy, “after the professional development everything changes” , and “when we announce you were coming back, they said they can’t wait to attend!”

Mr. Feingold grew up as a student with undiagnosed learning differences. Due to his personal experiences, Mr. Feingold has an immense passion for helping children with learning differences realize that they are wicked smart and build the skills and tools necessary to achieve success in school and life!

In 2004, He founded Results Learning. Results Learning provides academic coaching, tutoring and professional development with expertise in ADHD, Executive Functioning and Dyslexia. Mr. Feingold has presented at numerous conferences on dyslexia and executive functioning. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors at Denver Academy and the International Dyslexia Association, Rocky Mountain Branch.

Tiffany Feingold and her husband, Cyle Feingold, founded Guiding Bright Minds in 2020; a community of educators, professionals, and parents who are dedicated to helping guide and educate parents of neurodivergent children on their journey.

In 2022, Tiffany co-founded the Colorado Neurodiverse Chamber of Commerce (CNDCC).  An organization focused on improving employers' economic growth and development through the support of hiring and retaining qualified neurodiverse employees.

Tiffany’s motivation and passion for Guiding Bright Minds and CNDCC stems from her personal journey as a parent of a neurodivergent child. Tiffany is an accomplished business leader with over 22 years of experience in the fields of healthcare and education.

Dr. Rosemarie Allen has served as an educational leader for over 30 years. Her life's work is centered on ensuring ALL children have access to high quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate.  She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  Rosemarie has served in directorship roles with the Colorado Department of Human Services as the Director of the Division of Early Learning and in Youth Corrections.

Dr. Allen also serves as the President and CEO for the Institute for Racial Equity & Excellence (IREE), which is the lead agency for ensuring equity in educational practices throughout the nation. In this capacity she has worked with the United States Department of Education as well as 48 State Departments of Education, the United States Customs and Border Protection, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Police Officer Standard Training (POST) and numerous police departments, school districts and other organizations providing training on implicit bias, microaggressions, anti-racism and racial equity. IREE is contracted with the State of Colorado to monitor and license early childhood facilities using a model she created, “Culturally Responsive Community Based Licensing”. 

Rosemarie is a national expert on implicit bias and culturally responsive practices, speaking at conferences across the country. She is a respected keynote speaker, presenting on Implicit Bias, Racial Equity, Inclusive Practices, Culturally Responsive Practices, Cultural Competence, Micro-Aggressions, Disproportionality, Privilege, Power and Intersectionality, etc.  She also has the distinct honor of being appointed as a “Global Leader” connecting with world leaders in early childhood across the globe. 

Rosemarie earned her B. A. from California State University, Long Beach, Master’s of Education from Lesley University and Doctorate in Equity and Leadership in Education at the University of Colorado, Denver.

Philippe is a native of Turnhout, Belgium. In 1980 he immigrated to the United States where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from Longwood College (1994) and a Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Colorado (2003). Philippe is a former Board Chair of Celebrate EDU, committed to creating a bright future for young adults with developmental disabilities and diverse learning profiles. He has also consulted with various organizations including Words Beyond Bars, a project committed to introducing powerful and transformative literature to incarcerated individuals, Teach For America, and the University of Antwerp.

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Philippe has been in the field of education since 1994. He presents annually at a variety of national and international educational conferences and workshops.

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Philippe has been recognized with various state-wide and national awards, including the Colorado Council for Learning Disabilities Professional of the Year (2017), and also the recipient of the prestigious Floyd G. Hudson Service Award by the Council for Learning Disabilities (2017). He has been at Denver Academy for over 25 years where he is currently Director of Education. His published work and blog can be found at www.rememberit.org. 

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Philippe lives with his family and a flock of chickens on the eastern bank of the Platte River near Denver, Colorado, USA.

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Anthony Allmaras is a sophomore in the College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska, majoring in Architectural Engineering. He is a member of the Honors Program, Engineering Living & Learning Committee, and Delta Chi fraternity. In addition, Anthony is a selected member of the Architectural Engineering Student Leadership and Advisory Committee and co-chair of the Affairs Committee focused on facilitation of programs to align students, faculty, and local industry members.

Anthony graduated from Denver Academy with honors and was a member of the golf team, a National Honor Society member and co-founding member of the Student Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) where he presented at several conferences including University of Denver “Choose Your Own ADDventure” on assistive technology for students with learning differences.

During early years of elementary school, Anthony struggled to learn to read and struggled with academic learning based on memorization. In fifth grade he was diagnosed with dyslexia, weak working memory, ADHD and anxiety. In seventh grade, he entered Denver Academy where he excelled in academics and strengthened his ability to advocate for himself which he continues to use in his college years to ensure appropriate accommodations to support his needs.

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Mary Allmaras is the proud mother of Anthony Allmaras. She currently is the Head of Cyber Defense Operations at DISH. Mary has more than 30 years of diverse leadership experience in operations, network & software technology, and product-related positions in the telecom industry. Prior to her current role, Mary was a Vice President within the Information Technology department of CenturyLink and held Vice President Service Delivery Operations positions at Level 3 Communications, tw telecom, and Qwest Wireless as well as one privately funded firm. Mary graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She enjoys traveling, outdoor activities and spending time with her family, especially with her son, and actively volunteers for learning difference advocacy organizations.

Joe Hendershott, Ed.D., is a sought-after speaker about the effects of trauma on learning and behaviors, social-emotional learning, & working with wounded students™.  As founder of Hope 4 The Wounded, he also provides consulting, staff training, online courses, & has authored three books:  Reaching The Wounded Student, 7 Ways to Transform the Lives of Wounded Students, and most recently co-authored with his wife, Dardi, Supporting the Wounded Educator: A Trauma-Sensitive Approach to Self-Care.  Joe has over thirty years in education and is the recipient of the 2015 National Crystal Star Award for dropout prevention & the 2016 Bixler Award, which recognizes excellence in education, and nominee for the Diversity Enhancement Award by students at Ashland University.  His ongoing research, his practical experiences as both a teacher and administrator, and his personal experiences as an adoptive father give him a unique perspective that is engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring.