Conference KeyNote Speakers
Jessica Sprick
Jessica Sprick has an M.S. in Special Education. She is a consultant and presenter for Safe & Civil Schools and a writer for Ancora Publishing and ASCD. Jessica has been a special education teacher for students with behavioral needs and Dean of Students. It is these practical experiences that guide her passion for working with educators to create systems of support that allow all students to thrive.
She is the author of numerous educational resources, including School Leader’s Guide to Tackling Attendance Challenges, Bullying Solutions: Universal and Individual Strategies, and Discipline in the Secondary Classroom.
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Each year, Jessica works with thousands of educators, providing training and support in how to implement multi-tiered and function-based approaches to improve classroom and school safety and climate and to boost student attendance, motivation, and academic engagement.
Robert Jackson
For every problem, there is a solution is Mr. Jackson’s motto. He began his teaching career 27 years ago in Indianapolis Public Schools with a No More Excuses teaching approach with all of his students after being cut from the NFL Minnesota Vikings. He set high expectations for his students and expected them to do well by teaching and coaching them how to use their circumstances as steppingstones into their futures. Those same students went from low performing to successful Pastors, Lawyers, School Administrators, Teachers, Pharmaceutical Sales Reps, Business Owners, Pro Athletes, Entertainers and more. He has become one of the most sought-after speakers in the country, delivering keynote addresses and workshops to educators, administrators, parents and students, corporate events and churches. He has become an expert in teaching cultural diversity, restorative practices, socio emotional learning, working with students who have experienced trauma, motivating educators and how to educate Black and Latino males. His goal is to teach educators and administrators how to use their power more effectively to Educate, Activate and Motivate all Students to be Successes.
Mr. Jackson has written and published 7 books and has written articles for ASCD EL Leadership Magazine. His ASCD book, “Becoming the Educator They Need: Strategies, Mindsets, and Beliefs for Supporting Male Black and Latino Students” won the Gold Excel Award for Technical Writing. His “No More Excuses” Curriculum has been featured in publications nationally and is being utilized in K-12 Schools, Colleges and Universities in the US and Canada. His 7th book, For Mothers Raising Sons, was just released.
He attended Western Kentucky University where he received his BS Degree in Industrial Technology while lettering 4 years in both Football and Track. After being cut from the NFL he was broken himself and understands the importance of educators and administrators being sensitive to students who have experienced trauma and let downs. He teaches solutions while remaining deeply rooted in his commitment to serve his community as a speaker and mentor. He has keynoted and conducted workshops at many national and international conferences.
Mr. Jackson is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and the NFL Players Association. He has received numerous awards for his work. 1000’s of youth and adults are being transformed through his speeches and presentations.
He is married to Essence Best Selling Author, Tajuana “TJ” Butler-Jackson and they have 3 children and 2 Grandkids.
“His motto is, “For Every Problem, there is a Solution.”
Matthew Morton
Dr. Matt Morton (pronouns: he/him/his) is an applied researcher with significant experience in working with communities, government, and philanthropy to create and use evidence for action. Matt is the Executive Director of the Constellation Lab (CoLab), which aims to reduce poverty by producing actionable data through high-quality, longitudinal research on programs, practices, and their effects. CoLab is a new philanthropic partnership of the Constellation Fund and the Foundation for Educational Research and Development (FERD).
Matt's work has focused both in the U.S. and internationally on evidence-based practice and policy-making, research and evaluation methods, poverty-reduction policies, youth development and empowerment, housing justice and homelessness prevention, cash transfer and "cash plus" solutions, women’s economic empowerment, and gender-based violence prevention.
In Matt's previous role as Research Fellow at Chapin Hall, he led the most extensive national research initiative to-date on youth homelessness and developed homelessness prevention models and a multisite longitudinal evaluation of cash transfer and support interventions for young adults. Matt held previous positions at the World Bank as an Economist and Social Protection Specialist, the U.S. government as a Special Advisor on youth and family policy, in philanthropy, and with youth-serving nonprofits. While working in the federal government, he was a key contributor to the development of the U.S. Government’s national strategy and framework to end youth homelessness. Matt's work is widely published and has influenced policy, philanthropic investments, and practice. Central to his work is the importance of collaborating with lived and community experts to advance racial equity and the outcomes and solutions that they value.
Matt is a Board Member for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Adolescent Health, an Associate Member of University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, a Research Management Committee Member for Making the Shift (in Canada), and an Advisory Committee Member for the five-year governmental plan for the socio-economic development of the Bedouin society (in Israel).
Jamie Meade
With a career spanning over 35 years in education, Jamie is dedicated to positive change and impact in our nation’s education systems.
She began her career as a High School English teacher in the rural Appalachian regions of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, where her passion for empowering students through knowledge and inspiration took root. Jamie’s dedication led her to leadership roles in School and District-level Administration, including Curriculum, Instruction, Data, and Assessment.
She has also served in regional school improvement services with the Ohio Department of Education and as Vice President at Battelle for Kids, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing educational excellence. In her work at Battelle for Kids, she worked closely with Gallup in designing a student voice survey to capture the impact of educators in fostering hope, engagement, and belonging in their students.
As an experienced education consultant and speaker, she has delivered keynotes, workshops, and professional learning for thousands of educators on various topics, including data-informed practices, accountability systems, student voice, vertical progressions in K-12 curricula, and the sciences of hope, engagement, and belonging.
She is an experienced keynote speaker at numerous district, state, and national events. She has delivered professional learning sessions at national education conferences, including the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Since the global pandemic, Jamie has traveled to school districts and conferences in more than 15 states, delivering inspirational messages on the science of hope – and why it matters in education.
