Featured Speakers

Lisa Campbell Ernst has written and illustrated over thirty picture books in the past thirty years. Her book, Duke the Dairy Delight Dog, won the 1999 Show Me Reader Award. Lisa lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her chaotic family of humans and animals.

Friday, March 9 – Featured Presentations #15 and #29: Thoughts, Themes, and Thanksgiving

 

 

 

 

Stephen Fite - As long as Stephen can remember, he has always loved music. At the young age of five he had big dreams of being the fifth Beatle. That whole British band thing never panned out, but, he has found something just as cool, if not cooler. He has realized his dream of playing before crowds of screaming fans - the very young variety. The bonus is that through his play he is able to touch their lives by aiding in their education.

Stephen is an award-winning musician/writer whose albums have received eighteen nationally recognized honors.  

His newest release, Songs For A Funtastic School Day is a collection of upbeat movement and calendar time, curriculum based songs targeted for Pre-K through 2nd Grade classrooms!  These Stephen Fite recordings, Giddy Up & Learn, Dive Into A Learning Adventure, All Aboard For Learning, Gobs Of Fun, Rock The Day Away, Havin’ Fun & Feelin’ Groovy, Wiggles Jiggles & Giggles and We’re Just Like Crayons are recipients of multiple children’s music awards.

In addition to his award winning albums, Stephen has written the following titles: Cool To Be In School, Monkey Business, Watch Me Move, as well as, these titles with children’s artist Mr. Al, Just One World, Back To School and Back To School Again.

Friday, March 9 – Featured Presentations #44 and #59: The Magic of Music and Movement

Jill Molli has the uncanny ability to help people laugh and learn at the same time. Her past position in a Title I elementary school offered her opportunities to apply Dr. Becky Bailey's Conscious Discipline ® model in a school setting, and her own family offers her constant real-life experiences to share with audiences. Jill was selected as a Loving Guidance Associate because of her no-nonsense ability to get to the heart of a situation and her commitment to living the Loving Guidance principles at school and at home. Since 2003, she has been the owner and operator of Connecting with Kids, a business whose mission is to build connections in families and classrooms, and she stays current with classroom issues by volunteering regularly in preschool, elementary and alternative high school settings. Jill is an entertaining, motivating, and heart-felt presenter.

Friday, March 9 – Featured Presentations #43: Discipline for the Most Difficult Children: Teaching Children to Care and #58: Bully Prevention: Using Children’s Literature to Encourage Best Practice

Dr. Peggy North-Jones is a mental health consultant and certified family life educator who is highly regarded for her ability to educate and entertain. Her breadth of professional expertise and knowledge, as well as the personal experiences she is willing to share – much to the dismay and embarrassment of her now grown children – captivates audiences of childhood educators, family advocates and parents while enhancing the lives of families in the U.S. and Great Britain. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, she has spent nearly 40 years working with children and families in a variety of settings. She is currently the Associate Director of Caregiver Connections in Quincy, Illinois and an early childhood consultant for The Center for Family Policy and Research at the University of Missouri. She is the owner of THIS IS MY FAMILY, a business that presents lectures and seminars for practitioners, teachers, parents and supervisors. She also is a researcher at St. Louis University in the Counseling and Family Therapy Department where she has also served as an adjunct professor.

Dr. North-Jones has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and holds a Ph.D. in counseling and family therapy from St. Louis University. Her engaging presentations and lectures take a unique look at a variety of areas including: family life education, infant mental health, time and stress management, general parenting issues, early care and education, children’s behavior, children and trauma, and supporting the development of reflective practitioners.

Saturday, March 10 – Featured Seminars #100 and #200: Why Do They Act The Way They Do and What Am I Supposed to Do About It?