Julie Causton, Ph.D., is founder and CEO of Inclusive Schooling. She is a former Professor in the Inclusive and Special Education Program in the Department of Teaching and Leadership at Syracuse University. She has spent the past 20 years studying and creating best practices for inclusive education, with a specific focus on supporting students whose behavior challenges the educational system. As a former special education teacher herself, she knows firsthand how belonging leads to better outcomes for students. She works with administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and families across the country to help them create inclusive experiences. Dr. Causton is the author of seven books about inclusive education and she has published articles in over thirty educational research and practitioner journals. She also hosts The Inclusion Podcast on iTunes. Dr. Causton lives in Manlius, NY with her wife, two adorable teenagers, dog, and three cats.
Check out our spotlight on Julie Causton! Discover bestselling inclusion guides, available live and on-demand trainings, and snag free, downloadable posters!George Theoharis, Ph.D., is Associate Dean in the School of Education and Associate Professor in Educational Leadership and Inclusive Elementary Education in the Department of Teaching and Leadership, Syracuse University. He has extensive field experience in public education as a principal and as a teacher. George teaches classes in educational leadership and elementary/early childhood teacher education. His interests, research, and work with K-12 schools focus on issues of equity, justice, diversity, inclusion, leadership, and school reform. His book The School Leaders Our Children Deserve (Teachers College Press, 2009) is about school leadership, social justice, and school reform. He is co-editor of a new book What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Excellent and Equitable Schools (Teachers College Press, 2013). George's published works appear in such journals as Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Leadership, Equity & Excellence in Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Journal of School Leadership, Journal of Special Education Leadership, Remedial and Special Education, The School Administrator, Teachers College Record, and Urban Education. He co-runs a summer leadership institute for school administrators focusing on issues of equity and inclusion as well as a school reform project called Schools of Promise. His doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Richard A. Villa, Ed.D., has worked with thousands of teachers and administrators throughout North America and the rest of the world in developing and implementing instructional support systems for educating all students within general education environments. Dr. Villa has been a classroom teacher, special education coordinator, pupil personnel services director, and director of instructional services. He has authored more than 70 articles and book chapters regarding inclusive education and has co-edited three previous books for teachers, administrators, and parents: Restructuring for Caring and Effective Education: An Administrative Guide to Creating Heterogeneous Schools (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1992), Creativity and Collaborative Learning: A Practical Guide to Empowering Students and Teachers (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1994), and Creating an Inclusive School Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, (1995). He has presented at numerous national and international conferences and is known for his enthusiastic, humorous style of presenting.
