 Keynote Speakers
 Hot Takes: The Year's Best of the Quarterly Legal Updates
This presentation will address the Top Ten court decisions and any agency guidance issued during the past year and featured in the last four quarters of the CASE Weatherly Review Legal Update. "Hot takes" from each of the cases will be provided and will include lessons learned for special educators and their school attorneys. Julie J. Weatherly, Esq. (pictured) is the owner of Resolutions in Special Education, Inc., a special education law and consulting firm in Alabama. Julie is a member of the State Bars of Alabama and Georgia and for over thirty-six years has provided consultation and legal presentations to school agencies across the country in the area of educating students with disabilities. Julie has developed a number of training programs (in-person and virtual) that support special education legal compliance and has been published nationally for her trainings, workshops, and seminars. In June of 1996, Julie appeared on the CBS news program “60 Minutes” to discuss the cost of meeting the legal requirements of IDEA. In 1998, she was honored by Georgia’s CEC as the Individual who had Contributed Most to Students with Disabilities, and in April 2012, Julie received the Award for Outstanding Service from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). 
Does Leadership Matter? Preparing for a Seismic Shift in Beliefs and Attitudes in Behavioral Health Practices
Transformational Leaders understand that every time we think about a child, there is a debt that accrues, something that we owe to them. All children deserve to feel a sense of well-being with the opportunity to learn in a safe place but passion is often a silent master of hope triumphing over skills that get lost in the reality of accountability. This is the time for us to do more, not the same, certainly not less...by moving upstream, preventing behavioral health problems and by leading and helping our teachers learn how to help themselves. Our conversation will center on critical behavioral health practices for creating a solid foundation so that our schools can serve as a learning place of predictable belonging, safety and shelter. Dr. Eric Hartwig (pictured) is a distinguished education leader with over 44 years of service, specializing in behavioral, emotional, and social development in schools. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds advanced degrees in Psychology and School Psychology. Key achievements include creating b.e.s.t.®, a universal screening tool for behavioral needs, and co-authoring influential works like Disciplining Students with Disabilities: A Balanced Approach. A former Administrator of Pupil Services for Marathon County, Dr. Hartwig is also an award-winning educator, adjunct professor, and sought-after speaker, recognized for his expertise in special education law, discipline, and leadership training. 
Profiting from a Complaint Free Workplace
Complaints are a silent killer of workplace culture, productivity, and success. From coworkers and customers to social media and the news, complaints poison attitudes, drive up stress, and foster an unhappy, unproductive environment. Complaints and Complainers Lead to…
- Negative Workplace Culture-Complaints from customers, coworkers, friends, family, the news, and social media poison attitudes leading to an unhappy, unproductive, and unsuccessful workplace culture.
- Lower Profits-Complaining increases stress, illness, absenteeism, burnout, and turnover negatively impacting the bottom line.
- Leadership Problems-Complaining causes discord, creates alliances, and kills cooperation.
- Mental Health Issues-Complaining increases stress, anxiety, and burnout limiting the ability to think clearly and perform efficiently.
- Lack of Future Focus-Complaining keeps attention on past mistakes obscuring new solutions and future opportunities.
- Decreased Success-Complaining customers will soon become former customers if their complaints are not handled correctly.
The Complaint Free Solution
The Complaint-Free Solution offers a proven strategy to transform complaints into opportunities. Will Bowen’s revolutionary framework, G.R.I.P.E, reveals the five underlying motivations behind every complaint—Get attention, Remove Responsibility, Inspire envy, gain Power, and Excuse poor performance. Learn to address each effectively, and you’ll build a thriving workplace culture that improves retention, relationships, and productivity.
Will Bowen (pictured) is the founder of the Complaint Free movement, a global phenomenon with more than 15 million participants taking his 21-Day Complaint Free Challenge. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NBC’s Today show, as well as in People, Forbes, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Will holds the prestigious CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation and is a sought-after keynote speaker and trainer for businesses and associations worldwide. His clients include Volvo, Kimberly Clark, and The Million Dollar Roundtable.
The author of five international bestsellers, Will equips organizations with practical strategies to replace complaints with solutions, fostering positivity, productivity, and success. Learn more at www.WillBowen.com.
Kendra Yoch
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Kendra, a former special educator, brings a practical, student-centered approach to representing schools. She previously served as Assistant AG for the District of Columbia Public Schools and currently supports public, charter, and private schools, focusing on special education, Section 504, Title IX, and other civil rights. She serves as lead counsel in mediations, due process hearings, state complaints, and OCR complaints. A Paralympic silver medalist, Kendra also provides training and serves as an independent investigator, decisionmaker, and advisor for K12 and higher education institutions. |
Ian Lovett
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Ian is driven by a passion for education and service, and technology to empower human excellence, not replace it. Raised by educators, and a former Spanish Teacher, he was influenced by the belief that, "to whom much is given, much is required." After a career in the asset management industry, he co founded Playground IEP to support Sean's mission to empower educators and streamline special education services. |
Sean Klamm
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Sean is an experienced special ed teacher and director, which led him to create Playground IEP & IEP Copilot- a suite of free AI writing tools to enable special educators to be more effective and efficient. Sean combines a passion for special education, technology, AI and design to improve outcomes for special education students and staff. He speaks nationally on AI for Special Education, including National CASE, and as a keynote speaker on AI at the Academy of Law & Leadership. |
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