About the Presenters

Bronwynne Stewart is a preschool disabilities teacher at John Robert Lewis Early Childhood Center in Orange Township Public Schools in New Jersey. She is a graduate of Kean University with a Bachelor of Arts in early childhood education with endorsements in Preschool through Grade 3 and Teacher of Students with Disabilities. She is currently pursuing an MA in applied behavior analysis and BCBA certification from Arizona State University. As an adult with autism spectrum disorder, she is an advocate for the integration of an equal and equitable education for students with disabilities in every classroom. Bronwynne’s personal affirmative statement that guides her students through the process of learning is “all students have the capacity to learn.”

Heather Ganime is an early childhood special education teacher for the Fredericktown R-1 School District. She is in her 12th year of teaching, with the last seven years in her current position, and the first five years as a special education teacher (K-2). Heather loves her school family and students. She has the privilege of serving students ages 3-5 that have developmental delays with the majority of her students included on the autism spectrum. She has learned a lot from her students through the years, and looks forward to learning more throughout the coming years. She has a true passion for working with young children and finds delight in her students’ progress no matter how big or small. “Practice makes progress, not perfection.”

When not working with her school family, Heather enjoys spending time with her family. She is married (Eric) with two daughters (Lillian and Claire). Her hobbies include gardening (veggies and flowers), cooking, and crafts. She is beyond grateful to be one of the ARIS Thrive Grant winners but considers her students to be the true winners of this amazing opportunity. This grant has provided her with the tools to help her students succeed and made her a better teacher. She has seen the improvement in her students in such a short time that she is super excited to see what the future holds for them. Heather is forever grateful to have this opportunity for her students.

Anne May is an early childhood special education teacher in Warren Consolidated School District, located in Warren, Michigan. With the help of her paraprofessionals, she leads a classroom of transitional kindergarten students, focusing on academics and school readiness skills. Anne has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University, a master’s degree in reading, and a master’s degree in early childhood education. She has certifications in art education, elementary education, reading intervention, and general/special early childhood education. Anne works hard to build relationships with her students’ families, providing opportunities through field trips, classroom activities, and daily communication to involve them in the education of their children. In 2022, Anne was the recipient of the Communication is Key Playground AAC Core Board, a board that allows students to communicate more effectively about their wants and needs while they are at recess. This year, she is focusing on implementing the ARIS curriculum with fidelity and navigating the waters of a classroom of non-speaking students.

A passionate advocate for educational technology, Kari Stubbs, Ph.D. is a seasoned professional renowned for her leadership in the field. Previously serving on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) board, she significantly contributed to pioneering tech-centric strategies for progressive learning environments. After a 14-year tenure at BrainPOP, Dr. Stubbs is currently the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Stages Learning.

Dr. Stubbs is a distinguished speaker, routinely invited to present at prestigious conferences worldwide. Her speaking engagements include UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week in Paris, SXSWedu in Austin, the 21st Century Learning Conference in Hong Kong, the Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando and Miami, and the Infrastructure, Education and Innovation Summit in San Juan. Relishing the opportunity to engage with fellow educators and industry experts, she anticipates contributing to this year’s ISTE event with great enthusiasm.

About the Moderator

Lisa Schmucki is the founder and CEO of edWeb.net, an award-winning professional learning network that provides peer-to-peer learning for a global community of 1.4 million educators. edWeb’s framework for Best Practices for Virtual Professional Learning provides districts, schools, and individual educators with professional learning that impacts staff growth, culture, wellness, retention, and student outcomes. edWeb has won nine SIIA CODiE Awards for professional learning and collaboration.

Lisa has over 40 years’ experience in educational publishing, media, and online learning. She serves on the Board of NCTET (National Coalition for Technology in Education & Training), the Expert Network for ERDI (Education Research & Development Institute), the Project Tomorrow SpeakUp Council, the Advisory Board for the Power Trip for Women District Leaders, and previously on the Board of the SIIA Education Division. She is a graduate of Princeton University and has a master’s degree from the Stern School of Business at NYU.