About the Presenters

Kamania Wynter-Hoyte, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. Her teaching and scholarship center on the brilliance, joy, and stories of diverse young learners.

Michele Myers, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University. As a holistic, social justice educator, Dr. Myers is committed to ensuring that all children receive a humanizing education that honors their histories, heritages, literacies, languages, cultures, family structures, and communities as assets for learning. Dr. Myers recently co-authored The Educator’s Guide to Building Child & Family Resilience (Scholastic, 2023) with Linda C. Mayes.

Sanjuana Carrillo Rodriguez, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Reading and Literacy Education at Kennesaw State University. Her work focuses on the early literacy development of emergent bilingual students, Latinx children’s literature, and social justice education in teacher education.

Eliza G. Braden, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include critical literacy and language practices of Black and Latinx children and their families, culturally relevant teaching, and critical multicultural children’s literature.

Natasha Thornton, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Spelman College. Her research interests include culturally responsive literacy instruction, curricula affirming Black children’s histories and identities, and the intersection of teachers’ beliefs and practices.

Amanda Alexander, Ph.D. serves as Scholastic’s Chief Academic Officer. In this role, she leads research and validation efforts to ensure the efficacy of products, the delivery of professional learning services, and the company’s partnership with the Yale Child Study Center focusing on the intersection of literacy and health. Before joining Scholastic, Dr. Alexander served as the Vice President of Policy and Partnership Development at Teachstone. With more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience, the majority of Dr. Alexander’s service has been as a practitioner in the public sector. She has a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Howard University, an M.S.Ed. in educational leadership from Baruch College, and a Ph.D. in education from American University.