KDSL Global is an education consulting company launched by Kevin Simpson in 2016 in the USA and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Simpson and his team have served thousands of schools, organizations, educators, and leaders worldwide in over 25 countries.

The majority of this work in education has centered on American curriculum schools. Since 2008, Simpson has been focused on education in the MENA region, assisted numerous schools with accreditation, training, development, and served as a thought partner to investors on school start-up projects.

He is co-founder of the UAE Learning Network and leads the GCC ASCD Connected Community. In addition, he has co-authored papers on American curriculum in the MENA region with a focus on Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, social studies, the arts, and the history of American Education in the UAE. Simpson is the founder of the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University (USA).

Rashenah Walker is an international curriculum specialist and educational trainer. She holds a Master’s degree in Education majoring in Instructional Technology and is a dual major Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Design. Rashenah began her career in the United States as special education and Advanced Placement teacher. Since then, she has worked in the areas of curriculum design, educational administration, organizational needs analysis, and teacher development. As an independent contractor, Rashenah has completed professional development training for TESOL, College Board, Edmodo, and KDSL Global making significant contributions to educational organizations within the U.S. and internationally. Currently, she is serving on the TESOL Professional Standards Council, has appeared as a guest on the radio show Myk12career.com, in addition to winning multiple Global Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) awards for her research on using Edmodo in schools.

Ashley Green’s passion for global education has led to her teaching in classrooms and collaborating with teachers from all over the world. Her desire to become a global educator began when she taught students in England, and had the chance to make connections between the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and Common Core standards. Since then, she’s honed those skills in Dubai; in both Elementary and Middle school settings as a full-time classroom practitioner.

Ashley is a lifelong learner and believes that while she is an educator; she will always be striving to improve her own practice. She’s currently employed as a Middle School Math Teacher Leader, specializing in differentiating within the Secondary Math classroom. She also works as an Achievement Coach, assisting students with preparing for life beyond grade school.

Ashley holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and has developed and written curriculums for English, Language Arts and Mathematics for grades 3-8. She obtained a Gifted Endorsement in 2015 and also served as an ambassador for Gifted and Talented Education in Georgia, USA. Ashley was selected in 2018 as the first ASCD Emerging Leader based in the Middle East.

Mona Fairley-Nelson is an educational leader who has served in numerous international schools since relocating abroad in 2014. Mrs. Fairley-Nelson’s vast leadership experience includes: developing international partnerships with colleges and universities to support school innovation, developing quality instructional practices in K-12th grade, accreditation planning and report writing, multidivisional strategic planning and school improvement, budgeting development and allocation for organizational growth, implementing effective leadership and supervision models, and creating sustainable practices for start-up schools across the globe.

The majority of Mrs. Fairley-Nelson’s work in education has centered on supporting American curriculum schools in the NESA region. She presented at the MENA Teacher Summit in Dubai, AAIE conference in San Francisco, and the END conference in Portugal. Additionally, she organized the PEAK 2019 educational conference in Kuwait which hosted over one thousand of the country’s educators. In August of 2019, Mrs. Fairley-Nelson will expand her professional reach to include the AASSA region as well.

Mrs. Fairley-Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development, a Master of Education degree in Elementary Education, and a Master of K-12 Leadership and Supervision degree. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in International Educational Leadership from Wilkes University.

Heather French is a dynamic teacher trainer, with extensive international experience and a demonstrable track record of success, with a particular interest in whole school literacy. Heather French’s strengths include the ability to critically evaluate schools and to deliver bespoke training programmes; professionalize literacy coordinators; improve the teaching of phonics using a systematic approach; advise schools on language policies who have a high number of EAL pupils; provide drama workshops for staff; deliver training on creative ways to teach grammar, spelling and punctuation; present creative ideas for the teaching of poetry; improve the standard of writing across whole school and help to instill a love of reading amongst all pupils.

Dr. Cory A. Bennett is an Associate Professor of mathematics education at Idaho State University and works closely with pre-service and in-service teachers on developing their professional practice. Cory is also the Director of the Albion Center for Education Innovation which oversees several projects relating to effective instructional practices in mathematics, school leadership initiatives, and academic coaching. Cory has published numerous research and practitioner papers on the teaching and learning of mathematics and serves on committees for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.

Cory completed his undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in mathematics at Western Washington University. He then attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he earned both his Masters in Curriculum studies with an emphasis in Middle-Level education and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in mathematics education.

Cory is certified in both elementary education and secondary mathematics and holds National Board Certification in Early Adolescence–Mathematics. Prior to moving to higher education, Cory was an eighth grade mathematics and algebra teacher, instructional coach, new teacher mentor, and a district resource specialist in culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse communities in Hawai’i.

In his role as a KDSL Global mathematics consultant for American curriculum schools in the MENA region, Cory is focusing his efforts on helping teachers implement research-based strategies that promote students’ mathematical reasoning and mathematical practices. Services provided by Cory are aimed at increasing the professional knowledge and practices of teachers and developing the internal capacity of schools to support teacher leaders developing their cognitive coaching skills.

Carly Muetterties is a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, working on her Ph.D. in Educational Sciences. She is currently managing editor of the C3Teachers website. C3Teachers.org, created by the writers of the C3 Framework, is an initiative to empower teachers as they implement the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

Previously, she was a high school social studies teacher at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky, an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program school. She earned her B.A. in Secondary Education in Social Studies, Masters in History, and Masters in German Studies at the University of Kentucky, and her Masters in Education at Georgetown College. She has taught across many ability levels on a broad range of topics including government, economics, anthropology, geography, US and world history.

Craig Gabler is a Science/STEM education consultant and the KDSL Global science consultant for American curriculum schools in the MENA region. Previously he was at Educational Service District (ESD) 113 in Olympia, Washington, beginning in 2000. At the ESD, Dr. Gabler served as Regional Science Coordinator where his primary role was to coordinate and deliver science professional development to the 44 school districts in the region.

During his time at the ESD, Dr. Gabler also served as Curriculum Director for Science & Mathematics for Tacoma Public Schools in Washington for two years. Dr. Gabler began his career in Centralia, Washington in 1975 as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. Outside of his work in districts, Dr. Gabler has been active in science education leadership. He served as a writer for the NGSS, worked on Washington state science standards writing teams, and spent several summers as Mentor Teacher in the U.S. Department of Energy's Pre-Service Teacher program at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

He is currently the Retiring President of the National Science Education Leadership Association. In addition, he served a two-year term as president of the Washington Science Teachers Association and as the National Science Teachers Association's District XVII Director. Leadership and leadership development continues to be an area of focus for Dr. Gabler. He served as the team leader of the 2014 NGSS Forum held in Dubai for American curriculum schools in the MENA region. Dr. Gabler was also a featured author in Teach UAE Magazine where he wrote an article on implementing the NGSS.  Dr. Gabler received a BS in Physical Science from Washington State University, an MS in Science Education from Oregon State University, and a PhD in Science & Mathematics Education from the Curtin University in Perth, Australia.

Monique Childress has been in the education field for 13 years and enjoys incorporating technology within her lessons. Currently, she is working as a teacher in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  Monique enjoys assisting KDSL Global with their conferences and events and has been since 2013. As a volunteer teacher fellow, she will collaborate with the team to develop innovative programs and materials and contribute to professional learning opportunities.

Monique has been involved in many KDSL Global initiatives such as Cognitive Coaching and she has hosted Real Men Read UAE literacy volunteers in her classroom. C. Monique Childress received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Tuskegee University in the United States of America. Monique has been working on her Master’s from Troy University in Adult Education with a concentration of Instructional Technology.

After a successful career of teaching in both public and private education in Nashville (TN), Memphis (TN), and Orlando (FL), Marla Hunter is now teaching internationally and has taught in the following places: China (Shenzhen), Nigeria (Abuja), and currently the UAE (Al Ain).

Marla graduated from University of Memphis, by way of Oakwood College (now University), with a Bachelor’s in K-8 Education and from Nova Southern University’s MATL (Master’s of Teaching and Learning) program where she earned a degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

It is believed that as educators we must work to inspire the students with a love of learning. We must also teach them how to learn and equip them with the tools necessary for their next step in life. The child must work to be teachable, to practice their lessons faithfully, and to learn from their mistakes and from the mistakes of others. Finally, the classroom must encourage curiosity, foster thinking, and facilitate productivity. It must be a safe and inviting environment in the eyes of the child.

Marla is a firm believer in the use of EdTech & a lover of Maths. She has participated and facilitated several math initiatives in Tennessee and Mt. Holyoke University: SITES-M School (Strengthening Instruction in Tennessee Elementary Schools) - Focus on Mathematics, Summer Math for Teachers Working with Data: DMI Training/ DMI Facilitation Training, Summer Math for Teachers Geometry: Examining Features of Shape DMI Training/ DMI Facilitation Training, and SITES-M DMI Training for Teachers Number and Operations, Part 1 Building a System of Tens: Calculating with Whole Numbers and Decimals. She also provided quarterly Parent PD (Early Childhood Parent Sessions) in Reading, Math, and STEM/STEAM at the International School of Abuja.

Marla's school in Nashville, TN was also the anchor school to begin the use of Common Core State Standards for the state. Marla receive training and became a trainer in CCSS for both K-8 Maths. She developed workshops to help educators in Memphis & Orlando. She also helps school districts, homeschool co-ops & various educational companies development EdTech and other curriculums for their various programs.

Mazen Sheikh has served as the Arabic Program Coordinator at the American Community School of Beirut and Riffa Views International School in Bahrain, and has supervised the Arabic Heritage language program at the American International School of Muscat. He is an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma examiner and previously served as a NESA Arabic Advisory group member.

Mazen has conducted numerous workshops for Arabic teachers at various conferences in the Arab region and the Middle East and has worked as a consultant, curriculum developer, literacy coach and teacher trainer for the World Language Initiative of International Schools Services. Currently, he is the Director of Arabic at the American School of Dubai. Mazen holds a B.A. in Arabic language and a Teaching Diploma from the American University of Beirut as well as a certificate for teaching English to speakers of other languages from Cambridge University. He is currently completing his Master’s in Education Administration from Endicott College, Massachusetts.

Kathy Ward-Cameron is an early learning specialist, with over 30 years of experience providing professional development for early childhood programs. Kathy began her career as a kindergarten teacher and early childhood program administrator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from East Carolina University and a Master of Science in Child Care Administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Kathy is a pioneer in the field of early childhood education, contributing to ground-breaking research and initiatives in the area of quality teaching and learning, including the US Department of Education, the Office of Head Start, Vanderbilt University, University of Florida, and the University of Virginia. At the National Center for Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL), Kathy created Practice-Based Coaching training and materials which are used by technical assistants and coaches of teachers throughout the United States. She has presented best practices to global educational leaders at two Early Childhood World Forums. Kathy’s work is featured in the book, Conversations on Early Childhood Teacher Education: Voices from the Working Forum for Teacher Educators (Gibbons and Gibbs, 2009) and the National Elementary School Principals periodical Principal (2013).

With over 25 years’ experience, Ann Little is passionate about making a difference globally within the education and leadership field. She is a versatile professional with an extensive background and expertise in strategic planning, change management, education reform projects, leadership development, training, recruitment, special education, and inclusion.

Ann began her career as a special education inclusion teacher and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Special Education from Hiram College, Ohio. In 2009 she wanted to expand her knowledge and interests by studying abroad and in 2010 earned a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership & Management from the University of Roehampton in London, United Kingdom. She is a licensed teacher in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

After earning her master’s degree Ann went on to work with two international school start-ups in the Middle East and three large scale education reform projects in SE Asia focusing on leadership development, strategic planning, recruitment,   building capacity, improving teaching pedagogy and inclusion practices. Prior to this, she led a large-scale special education literacy project in Hillsborough County, Florida with the 8^th largest school district in the United States. Under her leadership, the project grew to provide services to over 5,000 special education students in 100+ schools.

Ann is both a visionary and transformational leader who has proven her ability to succeed in driving change through school transformation projects with diverse populations at an international level. She is committed to improving opportunities for students everywhere to access quality education. She brings her ability to work and relate effectively across international cultures to recruitment, leadership, and special education projects.