Dave Stuart, Jr
Since 2006, Dave has taught in an urban middle school (Baltimore, MD), a rural high school (Cedar Springs, MI), and some of the richest and poorest schools in New York City. In all these settings, he has found that students everywhere enjoy learning how to be awesome at life, specifically in the areas of character and literacy. Conveniently, these things are great predictors of life chances, and this is why Dave loves writing for teachers about dominating literacy instruction and character development in the classroom.
Dave began his writing career on the blog he still maintains: TeachingtheCore.com. He is the author or two books: A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Common Core and These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most.
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Theresa Flores
Theresa Flores is a survivor. As a 15-year-old girl in a well-to-do white suburban neighborhood, Theresa survived two years of living hell being trafficked to men in their 20's and 30's. She was given as a reward to men in this criminal ring when they did a good job.
She was an avid track runner, an older sister to three younger brothers, and looked like an all-American girl. No one, not even her parents, knew she was being trafficked for sex.
Twenty years later, Theresa is speaking out on the reality of human trafficking in the U.S. She is the author of The Slave Across the Street, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best seller, and The Sacred Bath. Her new international book, a top seller on the UK Sunday Times list, offers a look into her escape from her traffickers and her struggle to heal.
Theresa has been invited as a guest on The 700 Club, The Today Show and MSNBC's Sex Slaves — The Teen Trade. She has also been featured on Nightline, America's Most Wanted and For the Record as a sex slave survivor.
Theresa is featured by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum in a traveling exhibit entitled, "Invisible Slavery."
As a much-sought-after international speaker and expert on human trafficking, Theresa was also appointed to the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission in 2009 and has testified before the Ohio House and Senate in support of Human Trafficking legislation. Her efforts were a major part of the success of SB235 being passed into law by Ohio Governor Strickland on December 23rd, 2010.
Theresa has been awarded one of the top influential women in the Columbus, Ohio area. She was also recognized by current Ohio Governor Kaisch and received the Courage Award for her work in human trafficking.
Her book, The Slave Across the Street has been on the Wall Street Journal and USA Today's Best Selling List several times. The e-book is listed as a #1 favorite in the categories of Women's Studies, Child Advocacy, Family Law and Political Studies.
In addition, the audio version of her book was nominated for the 2011 Audie Award, being in the top 5 of all memoirs and biographies. Random House recently published a new version for the UK.
Theresa is a licensed social worker for more than 20 years. She received her Master's in Counseling Education from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor's of Social Work from Ball State University.
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Bob Kefgen
Bob Kefgen comes to MASSP with over ten years of experience in state politics, with a particular focus on education and human services policy.
He began his career in the Michigan House of Representatives, where he worked as a legislative aide and eventually chief of staff. He spent two years as legislative liaison for the Michigan Association of School Administrators. Immediately prior to coming to MASSP, Bob worked at the Michigan Department of Human Services where he was involved with a variety of strategic planning and process re-engineering projects, with a focus on child welfare.
Bob has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University where he studied history and German.
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