About the Presenters

Dr. Jill Louters has worked in education for 35 years as a teacher, administrator, trainer, and superintendent. She is currently serving her 11th year as Superintendent of the New Rockford-Sheyenne School District in North Dakota. A 2019 National Blue Ribbon Award School District, the governor also recognized the district’s personalized learning practices by naming the district the North Dakota 2018 Innovative District of the Year. Dr. Louters received a National AASA Superintendent Credential in 2017 and recently completed a governor-appointed four-year term on the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education as Vice Chairperson, where she served as the chair of the Academic Student Affairs Committee. She completed her doctoral degree at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in educational leadership. In addition to her role in the district, she provides parent education training through North Dakota State University. Rural education, and the leadership which supports this work, are her passions.

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum, Superintendent of Winchester Public Schools, has worked in the field of education for over 25 years. Dr. Van Heukelum believes that great schools use a combination of high expectations and high community engagement to maximize student potential in a nurturing and caring environment. Over the last seven years, Dr. Van Heukelum has secured over $20 million in grants for innovative ideas that meet the emerging needs of our future society. Dr. Van Heukelum is dedicated to the implementation of the Winchester Public Schools’ Strategic Plan. Combining his classroom-, school-, and division-level experience, Dr. Van Heukelum is actively leading Winchester Public Schools to embrace the pride and tradition of Winchester along with an innovative future. Dr. Van Heukelum earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Cedarville University, Master of School Administration from the University of North Carolina, and Doctor of Education from Vanderbilt University.

About the Moderator

Ann McMullan is Project Director for CoSN’s EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, created in partnership with AASA. Ann served as Executive Director for Educational Technology in Klein ISD, near Houston, Texas until September 2013, when she and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. For 16 years Ann led the district team that provided professional development on technology and 21st century instructional strategies to 4,000 educators serving 50,000 students. She was co-chair of the Texas Education Technology Advisory Committee which developed the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology.

Today, Ann works as a public speaker, writer, and consultant focused on leadership to meet the needs of today’s students. Ann serves on the edWeb.net Advisory Board and is a founding member of ERDI’s Ed Leadership Council. She also volunteers as a leadership consultant for the Executive Service Corps of Southern California, serving non-profit associations. Ann is co-author of Life Lessons in Leadership.