KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
| November 6th |
November 7th |
November 7th |
November 8th |
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Chase Mielke, Educator, Writer, and Speaker, focuses on preventing teacher burnout and increasing student engagement
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Glenna Wright-Gallo, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Initiatives, United States Department of Education |
Dan and Samuel Habib, Emmy Award-Winning Film Makers, Public Speakers, and Disability Rights Advocates |
Julie Weatherly, Esq., Founder of Resolutions in Special Education, Inc. |
 Chase Mielke, Wednesday, November 6th, 1:00 PM, Opening SessionChase Mielke is an award-winning educator, writer, and speaker focusing on preventing teacher burnout and increasing student engagement. He has been awarded multiple honors, including being a Michigan Teacher of the Year nominee and an Allegan County “Outstanding People for Education” recipient. For his work minimizing the achievement gap with at-risk high schoolers, his Positive Psychology program received a Michigan Association of School Administrators’ “Winner’s Circle Award.” The program teaches concepts of positive emotion, engagement, meaning, and accomplishment to hundreds of students each year, especially at-risk high schoolers. Consistently, students reduce failure rates by at least 50% each year.In addition to modeling excellence as an educator, his writing has been featured on We AreTeachers, Huff Post, Edutopia, and EdPost. He received a WordPress “Freshly Pressed” distinction for his viral blog and video, “What Students Really Need to Hear,” which has been used worldwide to motivate students. As an engaging, nationally recognized speaker, he has traveled nationwide and the world to speak with students and educators on topics of resilience, mindset, applied neuroscience, and positive psychology.  Glenna Wright-Gallo, Thursday, November 7th, 9:00 AMGlenna Wright-Gallo is the assistant secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the United States Department of Education. In this capacity, she serves as an advisor to the Secretary of Education on matters related to the education of children and youth with disabilities and employment and community living for youth and adults with disabilities. Her office's mission is to improve early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes and raise expectations for all people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the nation. Wright-Gallo has over 25 years of experience supporting students and adults with disabilities. She served as the assistant superintendent of special education in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington from 2017–2022 and previously as the state director of special education for the Utah State Board of Education for seven years. In her state-level education leadership roles, Wright-Gallo provided expertise in the improvement planning, data analysis, and monitoring of public pre-K through 12th grade+ special education programs. Before her state-level education leadership roles, Wright-Gallo worked as a classroom teacher and administrator. Wright-Gallo has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in special education, special education teacher and administrative licenses, endorsements as a program administrator, principal, and superintendent, and a Master of Business Administration.  Dan and Samuel Habib, Thursday, November 7th, 2:45 PM Presentation and Movie, The Ride AheadEmmy® Award Winning filmmakers, public speakers, and disability rights advocates, Dan and Samuel Habib, will share their film, The Ride Ahead, an exclusive premiere at the CASE Conference, and they will share how they have tried to build a culture of inclusion in their family, school district, and community, and plan for full adult life for Samuel as he has entered his 20's.
 Don't miss the opportunity to see the full movie at the conference! Samuel is a typical 21-year-old itching to move out, start a career, and find love. Every rite of passage is fraught with challenges. Unexpected seizures and uncontrolled movements caused by his rare genetic disorder. Friends' homes that are inaccessible to his wheelchair. His labored speech and use of a communication device are barriers to a social life. He craves more independence and a family of his own one day. "But no one tells you how to be an adult," he says, "let alone an adult with a disability." Samuel is determined to avoid the statistical realities of unemployment, isolation, and institutionalization. A turning point comes when he starts talking to disabled adults who have been through all he is going through now. When he channels their insights, a roadmap for himself and other young adults like him begins to take shape.  Julie Weatherly, Esq., Friday, November 8th, 11:30 AM, Closing SessionJulie J. Weatherly, Esq. is the Founder of RISE, Inc., located in Mobile, Alabama, and has been working with school agencies in the area of special education law since 1986. RISE is a full-service legal and consulting business designed to assist educational agencies in avoiding and resolving special education legal disputes arising under the IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the ADA, and other applicable laws. Julie graduated from Presbyterian College and the University Georgia School of Law. She is a member of the State Bars of Alabama and Georgia and provides consultative and/or legal services to school agencies, primarily in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, as well as nationally. In June of 1996, Julie appeared with Leslie Stahl on CBS' news program "60 Minutes" to discuss the cost of meeting the legal requirements of the IDEA. She has been a faculty member for many national and state legal Institutes and is a frequent speaker at state and national special education law Conferences. Julie has developed a number of in-person and online professional development training series, which have been published nationally as a part of her training, workshops, and seminars. In 1998, Julie was honored by Georgia's Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) as Georgia's Individual who had Contributed most to Students with Disabilities. In April 2012, Julie received the National Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) award for Outstanding Service.
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