Authors

Rex Miller

Rex Miller is a six-time Wiley author. The Commercial Real Estate Revolution and Change Your Space, Change Your Culture and The Healthy Workplace Nudge have won international awards for ground-breaking innovation. His book, Humanizing the Education Machine, has become a catalyst for rethinking education as a uniquely human and relational experience. He is a respected futurist, frequent keynote speaker, and an elite leadership coach. His MindShift process applies a unique crowdsourced approach to tackling complex leadership challenges. Miller was named a Texas A&M Professional Fellow for his work combining leadership and scholarship to innovation. When organizations and industries are stuck, the MindShift approach to “wicked” problems has found breakthroughs by creating a uniquely human touch. MindShift also guides organizations through the difficult change process of improving the project, team, and organizational culture. Recent clients include Google, Disney, Microsoft, GoDaddy, Intel, FAA, Delos, Haworth, Turner Construction, Balfour Beatty Construction, DPR Construction, MWH Constructors, MD Anderson Hospital, Universal Health Systems, Oregon Health Science University, University of Illinois, Texas A&M, University of Denver, and many others. Miller is also a USPTA certified tennis professional, a member of the National Speaker’s Association, and actively mentors young leaders. He believes leaders come from anywhere in an organization or community and hopes his work helps empower hidden leaders to step up and step forward to create positive change. He can be reached at www.rexmiller.com and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/rexmiller

Bill Latham, @meteoreducation

Bill Latham is a leader in a movement to design and implement High Impact Learning Environments in schools. He is a co-author of Humanizing the Education Machine, the Thinking Guide for Educators, MeTEOR Connect Courseware for High Impact Learning Environments, and Cognitive Demand and High Impact Learning Environments. He is an Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP) and today creates accreditation courses through the Association for Learning Environments for architects, educators, and consultants. In October 2001, Latham acquired the assets of Contrax Furnishings with his business partner. Through his experience at Contrax, Latham was involved in some of the largest bond-funded school building initiatives in the United States. Those projects, funded by local communities and governmental programs, often had stated goals for school reforms which did not materialize. Latham’s observations of failed school reforms led him to create an approach now widely known as “Space Hacking”—the intentional use of disruptive school spaces to directly support the acceleration of high impact instruction and student inquiry. Latham contributed to an extension of the work of Dr. Karin Hess and Dr. Norman Webb in cognitive demand, creating a new model of immersive learning practice which leverages research-based learning environment design. Latham spent his childhood moving from school to school as part of a military family. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and later an MBA through the University of Florida. His early work at Clariant included the development of patents related to high purity alkoxytrimethylsilane3 and branched phenylsiloxane fluids (US5847179A; EP0855418B1). Latham lives in Central Florida with his wife and three children. He is active in martial arts with his children and competes at both the national and international level.

Kevin Baird, @meteoreducation

Kevin Baird is a noted leader in global College & Career Readiness and an expert in accelerated human development. He is one of the world’s first researchers to measure learner engagement through content immersion and psychological safety using real-time neuroscience technology. As well, he is part of the world’s largest study of student engagement and classroom self-efficacy. Baird has contributed to the development of the most widely used reading and language acceleration programs; designed K-12 artificial intelligence/predictive systems; and is the author of the National Implementation Pathway for College & Career Readiness. Kevin is also an Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP). He reviews inquiry frameworks developed for high impact learning environments and consults on the development of new AI systems for classrooms. Baird has trained administrators worldwide through his graduate-level College Career Readiness Black Belt Certification program, in partnership with the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. He is the co-creator of the ProSocial Paradigm for positive learning environments and is the principal designer of the Audible Learning Framework, Chairman & National Supervising Faculty of the non-profit Center for College & Career Readiness. Outside of education, Baird is a patent-holding inventor in predictive analytics. He initiated the Huafeng partnership with the People’s Republic of China, where his media has been viewed by a daily audience bigger than the Super Bowl. Connecting classrooms with pragmatic, practical approaches which speed student learning is Baird’s primary mission. He tweets regularly at @KevinEBaird. Baird holds an MBA in Global Management, Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Anthropology, has served as a member of the Secretary’s Circle of Phi Beta Kappa, is a Beinecke National Scholar and a Wingspread Scholar, and supports global education efforts through EdLead: The Baird Fund for Education.