Presenters

Andrea Cota, Ed.D
I began my teaching career in 2006; first recruited out of Oregon to teach in Palmdale California For almost a decade I taught throughout southern California, in both public and charter, urban and rural schools. As a fellow at the UC Writing project in 2010 I discovered a love for the nuances of teaching writing and within a couple years began my journey with ERWC. In 2017, after settling in Redding the year prior, I finished my Ed.D at USC with a case study dissertation focused on how teacher beliefs shape how we work with our students. This experience profoundly shifted the way I thought about my practice and the value of a research-based response to teaching.

Now, as the English district department chair for Shasta Union High School District in Redding, CA. I have the pleasure of working with every teacher in my district while maintaining a busy classroom teaching juniors and seniors. My school site participated in WestEd’s study of ERWC in the 11h and 12th grade. Our 12th grade course is an ERWC designated class, and with our PLC growing, we continue to integrate ERWC units in grades 9-11.

When not teaching, my time is filled with books, knitting, and managing a multigenerational household, and as much time as possible spent in or near water.

Session:  
"Rethinking Relevance: Adapting ERWC to Meet the Needs of Rural Students"

Angie Yi has been teaching high school for 18 years. She is particularly proud of the curriculum she has helped create at her school site: Multicultural Literature, Literature and the Environment, and American Voices. She loves to bring in diverse voices that reflect the complex and beautiful world we live in. She has led professional development workshops on the teaching of writing and grammar through the UCLA Writing Project and loves to meet other educators to enthusiastically collaborate and commiserate with and cheer them on.

Session: 
"Engaging Multilingual Learners in Classroom Community: Scaffolds for Reading, Writing, and Academic Talk when Synthesizing Multiple Sources"

Carlos Barrera is a National Board-Certified Teacher at Spanaway Middle in Tacoma Washington . He is trained as an ERWC consultant and is writing 10th grade curriculum for the ERWC. He served as a College Board consultant, a Question Leader at the 2020 and 2021 AP English Language scoring/reading, an Exam Leader at the 2022 and 2023 AP English Language reading and he completed a four-year term as a member of the College Board’s AP English Language and Development committee.

He served as the co- Lead Consultant, responsible for training new AP Lang consultants. He was also a a Diversity and Equity Consultant for The College Board presenting on Long Island, Baltimore, Albuquerque NM, and Miami FL in 2023. As a consultant, he has presented over 20 week-long APSI trainings for AP English Language and Composition. 

He has been a frequent presenter at College Board conferences, including the 2023 AP Annual Conference in Seattle. Currently, he teaches as a dual language teacher of Washington State History teacher in Spanish as part of a dual language academy.

Sessions: 
"Rhetorical Approaches to Healing Through Lorca’s Blood Wedding"

Carol Jago has taught English in public schools for 32 years and is associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. She served as president of the National Council of Teachers of English and as chair of the College Board’s English Academic Advisory Committee. She has also served on the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card.

Carol has published many books with Heinemann including Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough, The Book in Question: Why and How Reading Is in Crisis along with books on contemporary multicultural authors for NCTE. She is a consulting author to HMH Into Reading, a K-6 reading program and for HMH Into Literature, a 6-12 literature program.

Carol has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Association of Teachers of English and was the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Squire Award given to honor an individual who has had a transforming influence and has made a lasting intellectual contribution to the profession.

Sessions: 
"Leaning into the Liminality of Reading & Writing in the Age of AI"

Chris Street is a Professor of Secondary Education at Cal State Fullerton. Chris has taught English at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Dr. Street serves on the statewide ERWC Steering Committee and authored the 12th grade module, Island Civilization. He presents and publishes on issues related to ERWC, and he has been facilitating ERWC professional learning sessions for teachers since the inception of the ERWC. In this role, he has worked with hundreds of English teachers across the California.

Sessions: 
"Teaching Writing Well, with a Focus on Feedback and Revision"

Christine Snyder, PhD, is a Research Associate at WestEd, where she provides professional learning for culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms and technical assistance at the national, state, and local levels. She is supporting the California Department of Education's rollout of the Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL) and co-facilitated the CDE’s five-part Webinar series in 2024 recentering the ELD Standards. She also facilitates the CDE’s hand scoring training of the ELPAC Interim Assessments for the Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series. At the county and district levels, she led a two-year project focused on culturally sustaining ELD instruction with the San Diego County Office of Education, and she currently leads professional learning and aligned coaching for designated and integrated ELD teachers for Grossmont Union High School District. 

Though much of her work at WestEd focuses on teaching and learning in California, she has also provided professional learning and technical assistance for state education agencies like the Nevada Department of Education and the Oregon Department of Education; and for local education agencies in Arizona, Utah, and Missouri. Snyder's research on teacher pre- and in-service teacher credentialing appeared in the Journal of Teacher Education and the 2018 Getting Down to Facts project by Stanford and PACE. She has almost 20 years' classroom experience, including as a designated ELD teacher with Los Angeles Unified School District and induction mentor trained through the New Teacher Center. 

She taught composition at Fullerton College and University of Redlands and was an instructor for Claremont Graduate University's teacher preparation program. Snyder earned a BA in Speech (Theatre) from Northwestern University, an MA in the Teaching of English from Teachers College, and PhD in Education from CGU.

Sessions: 
"English Learner Students Thriving in Your ERWC-ELD Classroom: Thinking as a Writer of a New Grade 8 Module"

Christy Kenny Kitchen is an English teacher at Buena Park High School where she has also served as a Literacy Coach and Curriculum Specialist. She has taught English at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Having written one of the i3 modules (The Daily Challenge), she also worked as an academic coach to ERWC teachers for the i3 grant. Christy has been leading ERWC professional learning workshops for a decade.

Session: 
"Teaching Writing Well, with a Focus on Feedback and Revision" (Co-Presenter)

Cristy Kidd is an educator, a scholar, a wife, a reader, and a nerd, born in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently living in Redding. She has been teaching Communication Studies at the community college level for seven years, and has taught high school for five years, first as an English teacher at a traditional site and now at an alternative education independent study school. She has taught ERWC in both the traditional and alternative settings for five years, and has adapted the curriculum into fully online asynchronous courses to engage a wide variety of learners and classroom environments. 

With a deep appreciation and focus on equitable learning, Cristy is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina, where her research is focused on community college student perspective on their own persistence in an online asynchronous course. When she began teaching at the community college, she was simultaneously completing a teacher education program and Master’s in Education to earn her single-subject credential. She already held a Master’s in and thorough knowledge of Communication and, since then, has dedicated time to developing as an effective educator, as well. 

Having been a student for many years at three different schools of higher education, she experienced teachers who were experts in their subject matter with little consideration for their work as a teacher of that subject. She strives to excel at both in order to serve every student who enrolls in her classes, honoring their diversity, their individual needs, and their educational goals. Outside of academia, she enjoys Dungeons & Dragons, is a certified yoga instructor, and loves live music and musical theatre.

Sessions: 
"Unmuting Potential: Rethinking Speaking Opportunities Within ERWC to Unleash Student Voice” 

"Canon Meets Counter-Narrative: The Power of Pairing Traditional and Contemporary Voices"(Co-Presenter)

Debra Boggs is a retired educator. She taught high school English and worked as a school and county office administrator. She is a member of the ERWC Steering Committee, and part of the leadership team that created ERWC-ELD modules for grades 9-12. She is also currently a member of the team that created the new ERWC-ELD middle school curriculum for grades 6-8.

Sessions: 
"How do we get kids to read? Accessing Challenging Texts in ERWC-ELD Middle School Modules” 

"Insights from the Experts on the new ERWC-ELD Middle School  Modules-A Panel Discussion" (Co-Presenter)

Frank Mata has been teaching for 21 years at Corona-Norco USD at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, CA. His courses are Expository Reading & Writing, AP English Language & Composition, and a 12th grade class titled “Social Justice & Equity Language Arts and taught a graduate course titled “Social Justice in Education” at the University of Redlands, School of Education. Frank is also a fellow with the national network the Institution for Teachers of Color committed to Racial Justice (ITOC). He has been selected as a California Teachers Association Human Rights cadre trainer for their Racial Justice Advocacy team and was also the recipient of the 2023 Human Rights Peace & Justice award. Frank is also a board member for NCTE affiliate California Association for Teachers of English (CATE) and is a contributor to the DEI column for The California English Journal with such works titled “Being James Baldwin” (2020), “Caught Slippin’” (2022), and “The Risk of the Internalization of Inferiority.” He has recently been appointed to the Global Citizens committee of NCTE.
Frank is the proud father of Benjamin (12) and Ivan (8) while enjoying Dodgers baseball and still attempting to be a Pickleball legend.

Session: 
"James Baldwin's 'A Talk to Teachers': Interrogating Our Own Anti-Blackness” 

Ginny Crisco is Professor of English and Co-Director of First-year Writing at California State University-Fresno, where she teaches writing and teaches teachers how to teach writing. She is also a Professional Learning Leader for ERWC in the Central Valley, a module writer, a coach, and the chair of the Professional Learning Committee.

Session: 
"Take 2: Rhetorical Affordances: Recasting Texts for New Learning” 

Glen McClish is Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and Writing Studies at San Diego State University. He currently serves on the ERWC Steering Committee and has an abiding interest in college preparatory language arts curriculum. His scholarly interests include eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British and American rhetoric (with a particular emphasis on African American discourse), as well as composition and rhetorical pedagogy.

Session: 
"Rhetorical Strategies as Rhetorical Affordances” 

Grace Adcock is an educator, wife, mother, and avid baseball fan from Redding, California where she was raised and her family lives today. After graduating from high school in Shasta County, she attended CSU Monterey Bay, where she majored in Human Communication (HCOM) and minored in outdoor education and recreation. While in attendance, she had the pleasure of participating in a cohort of education students under the guidance of Jennifer Fletcher. After her undergraduate studies, she traveled the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica, before starting credentialing and graduate studies at CSU Chico. She holds a Master's Degree in Education and three credentials: single-subject English, multiple-subject, and education specialist mild/moderate. 

She has 15 years of classroom experience in special, alternative, and general education and many more working with students outside the classroom. She has nearly a decade of experience teaching ERWC, was a site lead, mentor, and study teacher in the pilot i3 grant study, and looks forward to participating in the upcoming 9th and 10th grade curriculum grant study in the fall. She has recently completed the extension program with UC San Diego to obtain her reading specialist authorization and has been working on ways to improve reading instruction at the high school level. 

When she isn’t in the classroom, she enjoys presenting, sharing what she has learned, and spending time with her family. Camping, attending baseball games, and traveling take up most of her spare time in the summer and over breaks.

Sessions: 
"Canon Meets Counter-Narrative: The Power of Pairing Traditional and Contemporary Voices"

"Unmuting Potential: Rethinking Speaking Opportunities Within ERWC to Unleash Student Voice” (Co-Presenter)

Gurbir Kahlon teaches high school ELA and ELD in Torrance, California. She is passionate about elevating environmental literacy in the classroom, utilizing technology and AI to enhance learning, and building Ethnic Literature curriculum. She thrives on the relationships she has collaborating with teachers throughout the UCLA Writing Project network. Gurbir believes reading and writing allows students' minds and creativity to flourish.

Session: 
"Engaging Multilingual Learners in Classroom Community: Scaffolds for Reading, Writing, and Academic Talk when Synthesizing Multiple Sources” (Co-Presenter)

My Name is Hector Yerena. I am a 24 years old Hispanic English Language Arts and English Language Development middle school teacher at Gustine Middle School. I thank you for taking the time to read about my personal bio and what I offer as an educator within the field of Humanities. 

I am bilingual in both English and Spanish. I have various teaching capabilities and strategies when it comes to remote and in-person instruction, and my specialties when it comes to teaching within the Humanities subject are in graphic novels, poetry, and vocabulary comprehension. 

I have been teaching for about two years now with a specialty in ELA. This year, I have been teaching ELD for the first time, and have developed a proficient comprehension on designated and integrated ELD lessons within ELA. My time as an educator has allowed me to teach various kinds of units that not only tie in with different cultural needs that are associated with my students, but have also taught me and introduced me to various kinds of threshold concepts that allowed me to intertwine with UDL to help my students comprehend and succeed in not just their English language comprehension, but also beyond the classroom when it comes to knowledge that expands beyond the classroom.

Session: 
"Bridging the Gap: Utilizing Threshold Concepts to Enhance Language Acquisition and Content Learning for English Learners"

Jen Roberts is a Nationally Board Certified (NBCT) high school English teacher, with over 25 years of experience teaching English Language Arts and Social Science in grades 7-12. She has been teaching English at Point Loma High School since 2006, where she still enjoys the daily pleasure of working with 140+ students. In 2008 Jen became one of the first teachers in her district to have 1:1 laptops for her students. She pioneered best practices in digital pedagogy, online classroom management, and supporting student empowerment with technology. In 2011 Jen became a Google for Education Certified Innovator and in 2024 she became an Adobe Creative Innovator. Her co-authored book Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning with Diana Neebe was published by Stenhouse in 2015. From 2011-2021, Jen worked as adjunct faculty at the University of San Diego supporting pre-service teachers in courses focused on literacy and technology. She has mentored dozens of student teachers and presented at conferences locally, nationally, and virtually. CUE named Jen their Outstanding Educator in 2022. She serves her district as a 1:1 Ambassador and on the Technology Advisory Committee. An Edutopia author, her current interests include teaching students about generative AI and promoting authentic writing. You can find Jen on BlueSky @JenRoberts.bsky.social and catch up on the things working well in her classroom on her blog at LitandTech.com.

Session: 
"Living in Interesting Times: AI-Assisted Writing in the ERWC Classroom"

Jenn Wolfe, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor of Secondary Education at California State University, Northridge, where she serves as the Director of the CSUN Writing Project and Program Advisor for the English Education M.A. cohort. With over 19 years of experience teaching English in middle and high school classrooms in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Jenn brings practical expertise to her research interests. Her dissertation examined how successful English teachers create classroom climates that support students' open exploration and discussion of literature, with particular attention to students from historically marginalized backgrounds. Jenn's recent research explores instructional rehearsals for teacher candidates and the integration of artificial intelligence as a scaffolding tool in writing instruction. She earned her Educational Doctorate from the University of Southern California in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies. Her work focuses on creating equitable and engaging learning environments that support students' authentic voice and agency.

Session: 
"Scaffolding with AI: Supporting Student Writers in the Liminal Space of Composition"

Jennifer Fletcher is a Professor of English at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she teaches courses for future English teachers and first-year college students. Her thirty years of experience in education include a decade as a high school teacher. The author of Teaching Arguments (2015), Teaching Literature Rhetorically (2018), and Writing Rhetorically (2021), Jennifer facilitates workshops and webinars on rhetorical literacy skills for teachers across the country and is a frequent speaker at conferences. She serves as the Chair of the ERWC Steering Committee.

Sessions: 
"Humanizing Language Learning in the Age of AI" 

John R. Edlund is professor emeritus (currently retired) in the English and Modern Languages Department at Cal Poly Pomona. He has a B.A. and an M.A. in English from Cal State L.A. and a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric, Linguistics and Literature option) from the University of Southern California (1991). He has taught writing courses for more than 30 years, as well as undergraduate and graduate courses including Science Fiction, Literary Theory, and History of Rhetoric. He founded and directed two writing centers, one at Cal State LA and one at Cal Poly Pomona. He has served as Secretary, Composition Coordinator, and President of CSU English Council. He formed the task force that created the ERWC in 2003 and chaired the Steering Committee from 2004-2018. He has written at least 10 ERWC modules. He is currently playing guitar and writing science fiction and fantasy.

Sessions: 
"Identification and Division: Pushing Back Against Scapegoating" 

Joshua Moreno is an English instructor with experience across both secondary and postsecondary education. He taught AP Spanish Literature for eight years before earning his M.A. in English and transitioning to AP English Language and Composition. In addition, he teaches English 1A and 1B at Chaffey College. He has also previously taught at El Camino College, Glendale Community College, and ESL courses at Pasadena City College. His work is grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy, equitable grading practices, and an interest in the liminal space between high school and college writing. Recently, Joshua has begun being an AP reader for the AP English Language Exam.

Sessions: 
"Rhetorical Approaches to Healing Through Lorca’s Blood Wedding” (Co-presenter)

Dr. Katie Wolff works for the Cape Flattery School District at Neah Bay High School, a public school in the state of Washington that is located on the Makah Reservation. Cape Flattery is the northwestern-most point of the contiguous United States and is called the “beginning of the world” by the Makah people. Dr. Wolff is Neah Bay High School’s Instructional Facilitator and Head of the English department. She also serves on several leadership committees, both for the District and the state of Washington. She is also a curriculum module writer, currently working on the new ERWC 9th and 10th grade curriculum. She has published several English content modules for Washington state. She also teaches English courses for Central Washington University. Dr. Wolff is raising six children and a Great Dane, and enjoys hiking and backpacking in her free time.

Sessions: 
"The Rhetorical Situation in a Digital Space: Amplifying Student Voice Through Text Creation Online” 

Dr. Marcy Merrill holds a doctorate in Reading and a Master’s degree in English Education. Dr. Merrill holds teaching credentials in English grades 7-12 and reading grades pre-k-16. She taught high school English for 12 years before becoming a professor at California State University, Sacramento in 2002. She works in the College of Education, where she teaches graduate students and preservice English teachers and serves as the chair of the graduate program in Language and Literacy. Dr. Merrill has been a member of the leadership team for the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum since 2005 and serves as director of the College and Career Readiness Center at CSUS.

Sessions: 
"Introduction to the ERWC” (Part 1 & 2)

Roberta Ching is a Professor Emerita in English at California State University, Sacramento. She coordinated the English as a Second Language program at CSUS before becoming chair of the Learning Skills Department. She was a member of the original 12th Grade Task Force and part of the leadership team that created ERWC-ELD modules for grades 9-12. She is currently a member of the team that has created the new ERWC-ELD middle school curriculum for grades 6-8.

Sessions: 
"How do we get kids to read? Accessing Challenging Texts in ERWC-ELD Middle School Modules” 

"Insights from the Experts on the new ERWC-ELD Middle School  Modules-A Panel Discussion"(Co-Presenter) 

Ronald Klemp, Ed.D., spent 37 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and has taught in the Secondary Credential Program at CSUN since 1986 He has collaborated on several books on adolescent literacy and behavior management including a secondary reading intervention, Inside the Text, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He has written numerous articles in national and state publications and has presented at many state and national conferences. He also taught at Santa Monica College, California Lutheran University, and National University. He founded the Middle School Peace Institute in LAUSD and founded a Peace Institute school in Jackson, Mississippi. He has had several articles published in the CATE Journal, California English.

Sessions: 
"ERWC in the Middle (or High) School: Making It “Brat” for Young Adolescents” 

Dr. Seth Spencer is an Assistant Professor of English at Stanislaus State. He teaches students enrolled in the English department’s ELA teaching track. His teaching and research interests include digital humanities, 19th-century American women writers, and print culture.

Session: 
"Using Virtual Museum Spaces to Cultivate (Digital) Literacy in the ERWC Classroom” 

Thomas Roddy has been an English teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District since 2001. He has taught a wide range of classes from ELD to AP from South Los Angeles to the Northwest Valley.

Session: 
"Daring to Be True”