Meet Our Featured Speakers

In addition to being the host of the widely popular Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is also the chief academic officer for Elementary Humanities at Amplify. She joined Amplify in 2013 after over 15 years of experience working in K12 education at school districts across the country. She served as a teacher and Graduation Standards Coach at Rochester Community Schools (Rochester, MN) and Curriculum Coordinator at the Network of International Christian Schools (Southaven, MS). Before joining Amplify, Susan spent over eight years with the National Heritage Academies (Grand Rapids, Michigan) serving as principal, director of curriculum, senior director of curriculum and assessment, and senior director of Specialized Learning Programs. Susan holds a bachelor of science and master of science in elementary education from Winona State University, has completed advanced coursework in educational policy at Michigan State University, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Mount St. Joseph University.

An 8-year veteran with Amplify, Karen has partnered with teachers, leaders and students around the globe implementing comprehensive literacy systems solutions. As an Indiana educator, she taught students in the elementary level, middle school language arts, and Reading Recovery. After earning her PhD from Purdue University, Karen worked extensively with pre-service and veteran educators in university and field-based coursework across the state. As a 25+ year ISRA/IRA/ILA member, Dr. Venditti has chaired and served on various standing and awards committees and presented at conferences in the US, Canada and New Zealand.

Janise Lane is regional vice president for customer success at Amplify. Previously, Janise served as executive director of teaching and learning at Baltimore City Schools. She supervised all core content areas as well as the areas of early learning, differentiated learning, specialized learning, and instructional technology Previously, Janise served the district as the director of literacy and as a leader in the district’s school support networks. Janise started her teaching career in elementary grades, focused primarily in grade 1. Faced with the challenge of supporting struggling readers led her to New Zealand, where she spent two summers studying early literacy strategies used in the public education system there. Sharing the knowledge and experience she gained in New Zealand with her colleagues unlocked a new love for professional learning. She spent time teaching alternative certification literacy courses at the Urban Teacher Education Center at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Janise is a leading Professional Learning Network member at Curriculum Matters. She has supported national partners in the adoption and implementation of HQIMs. You can follow Janise on Twitter at @janiselane22.

Robin McClellan is a regional director of customer success at Amplify. Previously, Robin served as assistant commissioner of academics and instructional strategy with the Tennessee Department of Education, where she led a consortium of 47 districts from across the state as they partnered to launch or continue the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. Prior to the state-level role, over the course of her 24-year public school career, Robin taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, was an elementary principal for ten years, and finished her district work as supervisor of elementary curriculum and Instruction for Sullivan County Schools in Blountville, Tennessee, where she spearheaded the implementation of high-quality curriculum across 11elementary schools between the years of 2016 and 2021. Robin is a founding member of the Curriculum Matters Professional Learning Network. You can follow Robin on Twitter at @robin_mcclellan.

Jamey Peavler is a full-time instructor in the Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University. Jamey received a Master of Arts in Reading Science from Mount St. Joseph University and is also a student in the MSJ Doctoral Reading Science program. As the former director of training for the M.A Rooney Foundation, Jamey has provided teacher training and coaching support for educators working to align instruction to the Science of Reading. Prior to joining the foundation in 2014, Jamey worked as a preschool teacher at Meridian Hills Cooperative Nursery School and later as a literacy coach and classroom teacher for Indianapolis Public Schools. While working in Indianapolis Public Schools, Jamey developed a pilot program utilizing Orton-Gillingham as a whole-class preventative approach in K-2 classrooms that has gained national attention. Jamey is a certified Fellow-in-Training with the Orton-Gillingham Academy and an International Dyslexia Association Structured Literacy Dyslexia specialist. Jamey also works for the National Council for Teacher Quality as a higher-education reading textbook and teacher licensing exam reviewer. Jamey is a board member of The Reading League Indiana.

Eddie began his teaching career in Southern California, teaching 4th and 5th grade music. He moved to Indianapolis in 2012 where he taught instrumental music, 1st Grade, and 5th grade for Indianapolis Public Schools. In 2015, Eddie became the founding assistant principal of Tindley Genesis Academy, a K-5 public charter school. Eddie then served as the principal of Tindley Renaissance, before transitioning back to Tindley Genesis as principal. While at Tindley Genesis, 100 percent of 3rd graders passed the Indiana state promotional reading exam and ranked as the second-highest performing public school in the greater-Indianapolis area. Student achievement results also grew 19 points in math and 14 points in English/Language Arts proficiency. In July of 2019, Eddie was accepted as an Innovation School Fellow at Indianapolis’s education non-profit, The Mind Trust, where he co-founded Adelante Schools as the founding executive director. Adelante Schools is an Indianapolis-based non-profit school management organization that operates Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School on the south side of Indianapolis. Eddie is a board member of The Reading League Indiana.

As Senior Vice President of Leadership and Equity, Patrick Jones leads The Mind Trust’s implementation of racial equity and leadership development priorities and commitments. He also serves on their leadership team. Before joining The Mind Trust in 2018, Jones served as Director of Secondary Schools for Tindley Accelerated Schools, where he coached principals and oversaw the development of instructional systems at the Indianapolis-based network of six charter schools. In 2011, Jones led the founding of Tindley Preparatory Academy as its first principal. Under his leadership, the school earned four consecutive A letter grades on the Indiana Department of Education’s school accountability framework. Before becoming principal, Jones taught at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, where he led the improvement of his 8th grade students’ Algebra End of Course Assessment pass rate from 45 percent to 91 percent proficiency. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Fisk University and a master’s degree from California State Dominguez Hills. He is pursuing an Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Marian University. Patrick is a founding board member of The Reading League Indiana.

Meagan Molbert, M.Ed., was introduced to Amplify Education through leading a core literacy adoption and implementation within her school district in south Louisiana. Over the past 5 years, Meagan has helped districts across the country build awareness about the expanding body of science of reading research, while providing coaching for educators as they put this research into practice in their classrooms by using Amplify’s high-quality instructional literacy programs. In her current role with Amplify, Meagan serves as a Senior Literacy Curriculum Specialist & Manager of Literacy Pilots where she continues to support educators as they begin to transform their reading instruction to evidence-based practices by implementing Amplify’s early literacy suite that makes the shift achievable.

Karrianne R. Polk-Meek was a social studies educator for 15 years prior to moving to building level administration. She most recently earned her Ed.S and continues to pursue her doctorate through Ball State University. Karrianne moved to the Indiana Department of Education in September of 2022 as the Director of Teaching and Learning where she serves all Hoosier students through standards supervision and STEM and literacy programs.

Andrea is a nationally certified school psychologist. She received her BA from Huntington University and her Master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Adam, and their three children. Andrea previously served as a school psychologist for the MSD Decatur Township, where she assisted in district-wide planning to roll out the requirements of the 2019 Indiana dyslexia legislation and provided training on dyslexia and the science of reading. Andrea was the founding President of the Indiana chapter of The Reading League; initiating the chapter in 2021. Currently, Andrea serves as the National Chapter Coordinator for The Reading League.