Our Team

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Board of Directors and Leadership Team

Chairman and Executive Director: David Boulton, is a Learning Activist who has conducted seminars and workshops for educators, as well as government and business leaders, for over thirty years. He is the Executive Director of Learning Stewards and the Children of the Code project and is the producer and interviewer of the Children of the Code Documentary series. His articles on learning have appeared in The Brain-Mind Bulletin, In Context, and The California School Board’s Journal, among others. Articles about his work have been featured in journals and books including The Journal of Developmental Education, Poisoned Apple:The Bell Curve Crisis and How Our Schools Create Mediocrity and Failure, The Interactive Corporation, Working Wisdom, and others. He has been an adviser to the Chair of the California Senate Education Committee and a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Gateway Project. Boulton has founded five companies and has been awarded four patents. He appeared in the PBS Television show “The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids.” See his full profile for more.

Vice-Chair: Kirk VandenBerghe began his technology career in 1980. Professional roles have included systems analysis and programming, customer support, marketing, sales, product management, operations, and mid-level corporate management. He has enjoyed working in both entrepreneurial startups and large corporations. Highlights include launching to market one of the first microcomputer accounting packages, co-founding the company that created and delivered the training for Apple’s Mac College, leading the information center of the hundred year old People’s Bank, performing in the top three percent of channel sales representatives for Borland International, and co-founding a web-based Internet publishing company.

Member: Ron Chi, PhD. has been in public education for over 20 years. He was the founding principal at The Learning Center (TLC) at Linlee and served on former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Highly Innovative Principals cohort and the Prichard Committee’s Achievement Gap Study Group. He is a board member on the Kentucky Leadership Institute for School Administrators (Kentucky Chamber). Dr. Chi has served in the dual role of chief innovation officer at both Kentucky State University and Frankfort Independent Schools where he facilitated the design of early college programs for high school students who have not traditionally pursued postsecondary education; the establishment of teaching and learning career pathways for underrepresented student populations; and the design of a global education system where students and educators have immediate access to formalized learning opportunities within “like-minded” school communities throughout the world. As a teacher-leader, he focused on ensuring that students in the classroom would not be identified by what others thought them to be, but by their natural gifts, inspirations, and thirst to learn. “It is the educator’s responsibility to reveal the magic within each child, facilitate the growth of that magic, and provide supports for their learning.”

Member: Gary David, Ph.D. is an epistemologist, affect theorist, and therapist. He taught classes in Epistemics and General Semantics at the Viewpoints Institute, and at UCLA Extension. He received his Ph.D. in Epistemics from the Union Institute and University and later became the editor of J. Samuel Bois’s college textbook on Epistemics titled, “The Art of Awareness.” His work in Epistemics includes a forty-year study of the biology of human emotion guided by the work of Silvan Tomkins as presented in Affect Imagery Consciousness. He has served as co-chairman of the board of the Tomkins Institute and co-created the website Philosphere, dedicated to the promotion of 20th-century writers: L.L. Whyte, J.S. Bois, Alfred Korzybski, Silvan Tomkins, David Bohm, Gaston Bachelard, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He currently has a private practice as well as an ongoing, online forum called The Art of Learning. Gary has engaged in dialogue with David Boulton over many years and is an advocate and supporter of Boulton’s vision of learning.

Board Secretary and Senior Project Manager: Deanna Kaparo is the manager of social media relations, community outreach, grant writing, bookkeeping, and fundraising forums. She is currently the editor of the mlc.learningstewards.org website, adding and fine-tuning content. She has managed program integration at schools and nonprofits and the evaluations of those programs. She assisted in the creation of three applications, WordScope, LetterScope, and the PQ Pop-Up App (Interactive Orthography). She is a Master Steward, assisting volunteer stewards in the implementation of Magic Ladder. Deanna holds a Bachelors in Neuroscience with minors in Mathematics and Sociology from Indiana University with the highest distinction.

Treasurer: Pamela Kvasic, is a non-profit administrator, grant administrator, bookkeeper, grant writer, and a passionate advocate for children with special needs.

Employees and Volunteers

Learning Stewards is or has been supported by over 100 volunteers and part-time employees including: Ed Pritchett, Jenny Pritchett, Leslie Gallison, Kevin Manley, Marla Abell, Vicki Bell, Leslie Bennett, Jo Ann Borntrager, Bill Bowman, John Boyd, Timmie Butler, Joann Carrico, Tahiti Castillo, Taneill Clark, Ashlee Collins, Jordan Cripe, Jennifer Cross, Gary Daniel, Shaconda Daniel, Rose Devasia, Devin Dowell, Jordan Danielle Eastridge, Jayden Evans, Nikki Ferneding, Diana Gautier, Jackie Gentry, Maddy Gilleran, Sandra Graham, Roxie Gribbins, Jennie Guelda, Lisa Hebert, Sherri Hill, David Hock, D’Anne Irvin, Margi Johnstone, Katie Jones, Jeffrey Kellow, Diane King, Heather Koyama, Cathy Longstreet, Lynn Luking, Pat Mack, Lacey McCreery, Michelle McKnight, Lynda Mehlhorn, Rusha Miles, Jerry O’Connor, Kim Olliges, Sandy Pence, Amanda Perry, Kaki Robinson, Janette Rogers, Jeanne Rohmann, Maddie Rokosh, Laura Seigle, Donna Sheffer, Mila Songer, Carol Spalding, John Stromberg, Lyndsey Taylor, Shirley Thorne, Dorothy Tinker, Julie Tisera, Kristin Weirich, Patti Whelan, Evie Whitworth, and Mark Worley.

In addition to the above, a number of volunteers and part-time employees participated in the ‘Children of the Code Project’ (see “Children of the Code Production Credits“).

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It starts with recognizing the fundamental, profound, and capital value of ‘stewarding the health of our children’s learning.’

“I agree. I think everything points in that direction. I think you want to get to a basic set of principles and this is clearly it.” – Dr. James J. Heckman Recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Is there an educational mission that trumps, that is more important than “stewarding the health of our children’s learning”?

“No when put that way”. Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst 2002-2008 Director of the Institute of Education Sciences and Assistant Secretary of Education with the U.S. Department of Education.

Ultimately what’s going to shift the behavior of the country over the long-term is understanding how fundamental this [healthy learning] is to everybody through the economic channel. …We must come up with a way of describing, measuring, and supporting the health of children’s learning. It is the unhealthy learning environments that are the problem.

Yes, that’s the message. That’s the message you’ve got to get across. Arthur Rolnick Senior V.P. and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Associate Economist with the Federal Open Market Committee.

It’s not that somebody ‘knows’ the current science, because the current science might be wrong. But it’s that somebody knows how to learn about new science, and adapt. It’s also how they learn to adapt to workplaces… how to learn to do something that they had never even thought about doing when they were in school. That’s the key element. Dr. Eric Hanushek Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.

So then the fundamental intention of our education system must be to use knowledge, skills and experience not just as the end, but as the means through which we’re exercising how well someone is able to participate and become self-extending in learning what they need to learn when they need to learn it.

Precisely.

The Institute for the Study and Prevention of ACQUIRED Learning Disabilities.

“This is critical to the future of our society as a whole! I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and cannot begin to put into words how powerful it was. The general message (Healthy Learning) being spread is something that everyone needs to hear and understand in order to maximize the learning and success of future generations. The one-day experience was remarkable and unforgettable!” – J. Shirron, Teacher, LodiUSD, Lodi CA

“The most powerful professional development experience I have ever had. This was truly an awakening for me! – Julie Colley Lowery, Education Specialist, Alabama State Department of Education, Special Education Services

“A Mind-Blowing Way to View Learning. While many of us have observed this effect on an intuitive level, it took writer, researcher, and learning activist David Boulton to express the problem of incomplete learning in terms of its devastating effect on kids.” – Patricia Kokinos at ChangeTheSchools.com

“You made a wonderful contribution. The topics have stimulated classroom discussions. We are extremely pleased with the impact made in our community. ALL the comments heard from the registration people, people in our classes this week, table discussion leaders etc. have been positive. You are great. The BIG picture was outstandingly FINE!” – Linda Koehler, Professor of Special Education, University of Central Missouri

“The training was extraordinary! Six months later, conversations are still occurring around thoughts from that event. It was the easiest and best event we have done! Thank you for outstanding professionalism and customer service while delivering dynamic, relevant information and challenge!” – Mary Ashe, Coordinator,The Literacy Connection Project Enlightenment, Raleigh, North Carolina

More comments about PL/PD events
NOTABLE PAST LIVE EVENTS:

Science of Educating Conference – National School Mental Health Association – 21st Century Learning Initiative – World Futurist Society – PBS: New Science of Learning – Future of Learning Keynotes for Apple – New American Schools Design Team – National Technological University – California Education Summit – Dalian Medical University (China) – International Dyslexia Association – Nebraska School Psychologists Association – South Carolina Education and Business Summit – Scientific Learning’s National Circle of Learning – Lindamood-Bell Conference – Carus Foundation – Contra Costa Literacy Coalition – Convocation for New Britain Schools – Burnaby School District – JP Associates – University of Greenville SC – ACE of Florida – Michigan Council for Exceptional Children – Florida State Literacy Coalition – United Way – Rotary International – National Center for Family Literacy – Fundamental Learning Center – Wyoming State Education Leadership

“After listening to David Boulton, who explained and played several video interviews in his (National Circle of Learning Conference) keynote address, it was as if the pieces of the puzzle magically appeared and fit into place.” – N. Schmidt, Trainer, Onondaga Cortland Madison County BOCES, Syracuse, New York

“Clear explanations that do not focus on the blame game but work toward solutions. This was a tremendous awakening! This much needed information must be spread to the masses!” – B. Smyzer, Educator

“You are doing a great service – you are a voice crying in the wilderness about a problem that is very real right now & is only going to get worse (given the ongoing demographic changes of the US) AND you are presenting the way to help (rather than just admiring the problem!) you’ve done (& continue to do) outstandingly well!!! good show! good work!” – Dr. B. Stone, Psychologist, Kansas

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