KEYNOTES

Jonna Bobzien, Ph.D. is an associate professor of special education and the director of the Center

for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems (CIEES) at Old Dominion University.

She has served as the Communication Disorders and Special Education Department Chair and as the Special Education Graduate Program Director. As CIEES director, Dr. Bobzien is the primary investigator of over a dozen U.S. Department of Education-funded grant programs, targeting preservice and in-service teacher training, totaling approximately $5,000,000. Dr. Bobzien serves on the editorial boards of Preventing School Failure, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Social Cognition, the International Journal of Autism & Related Disabilities, and the Journal of Behavioral Education. Additionally, Dr. Bobzien has served as a reviewer for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Field Initiated Projects Program grant competition and for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) grant competition program. Dr. Bobzien’s research interests include support for inclusive practices, the use of technology-based approaches to learning and coaching, and curricular approaches and quality-of-life measures for students with significant ID.

As a classroom teacher, Dr. Bobzien taught in both school and hospital environments, implementing evidence-based practices that promoted the success of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and significant physical disability.

A professor, practitioner, and possibilitizer, Dr. Lindsey Godwin has a passion for helping individuals and organizations leverage their potential through strength-based change.  She has a master’s degree in conflict resolution from the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, where she studied with the founding thought leaders in Appreciative Inquiry (AI). She holds the Robert P. Stiller Endowed Chair of Management in the Stiller School of Business at Champlain College, where she serves as the Academic Director of the David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry. As a practitioner-scholar, she remains active in the global Appreciative Inquiry community, having served as the past Chair and/or Global Advisor for the past 5 World AI Conferences and is a co-editor of the AI Practitioner Journal.  An acclaimed instructor, she earned the Edward Lyman Phelps Professorship, Champlain College’s highest recognition for a faculty member. A sought-after international speaker, consultant, facilitator, and author, her article on “Earthshot OD” with David Cooperrider was recently named one of the most impactful articles for the field of Organization Development. Her current passion is inviting students of all ages to ask questions they love through her first-ever children’s book, “How Do You Love a Question?”  Learn more about Lindsey’s work at lindseygodwin.com   

Matthew Moehle is a forward-thinking leader with a deep passion for education's transformative power. Building on his background as a public-school teacher and leader, Matt's expertise lies in developing sustainable learning systems and collaborative teams that promote lifelong learning, integrate strengths-based development into educational structures and practices, and foster intergenerational teaching and learning. During his tenure at Southern New Hampshire University, he played a pivotal role in developing and radically expanding graduate programs that embraced strength-based educational approaches. From kindergarten to doctoral classrooms, Matt inspires students of all ages to adopt holistic perspectives, nurturing their resilience and self-awareness. Currently, as the CEO of EdLinks Press, a new publishing venture, Matthew is leading the charge to provide educators, students, parents, businesses, and organizations with top-quality, strengths-based content. Matt earned a Ph.D. in teaching, curriculum & learning from the University of Nebraska.