Dr. Vernita Mayfield
Vernita Mayfield, hails originally from Los Angeles, California where she began her career teaching elementary school. As a teacher Mayfield found her first love serving and supporting students who have been historically marginalized. Since then, she has continued to do so through numerous positions of service including secondary school principal, vice-president of learning services for a national charter school organization and a school improvement specialist with a federal educational laboratory and two state educational agencies. In 2012, she founded Leadervation Learning to support organizations seeking to build leadership capacity, particularly in marginalized communities. The company supports leaders at all levels to understand and dismantle inequitable systems and organizations by building the cultural competency of staff.
Dr. Mayfield delivers customized course development, comprehensive professional development, and consulting in cultural competency, equity and inclusion. She is an inspiring speaker, the author of numerous articles, and most recently, the book, Cultural Competence Now: 56 Exercises to Help Educators Challenge Bias, Racism, and Privilege(ASCD, 2020).
She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Innovation, and an Ed.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver. She earned an MBA in Business Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.
Thomas Murray
Tom serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready SchoolsⓇ, a Project of the Alliance for Excellent Education, located in Washington, D.C. He has testified before the United States Congress and works alongside that body and the US Senate, the White House, the US Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement student-centered, personalized learning while helping to lead Future Ready Schools and Digital Learning Day. Murray serves as a regular conference keynote, was named the “2017 Education Thought Leader of the Year,” one of “20 to Watch” by NSBA, the “Education Policy Person of the Year” by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. His best-selling book, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today, was published by ASCD in 2017 and his most recent book, Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime were written to support your work. Connect with Tom at thomascmurray.com.
Dr. Michael Rice
Dr. Michael F. Rice was appointed Michigan’s 45th superintendent of public instruction by Michigan’s State Board of Education in May 2019. He officially began his work as state superintendent on August 1, 2019. Dr. Rice came to the Michigan Department of Education after serving 17 years as a local district superintendent: 12 years as superintendent in Kalamazoo, Michigan and 5 as superintendent in Clifton, New Jersey.
Kevin Sutton
Managing Partner who works exclusively with public school districts and educational entities. Kevin's legal practice is focused on all aspects of school district operation, but chiefly on the defense of contested matters, including state and federal lawsuits filed against clients, as well as claims of discrimination, investigation of allegations of employee/student harassment and conduct, recommending appropriate employer actions in response to same, and advising clients regarding their statutory obligations under Michigan’s Revised School Code, applicable special education laws, school-related statutes, and labor/employment issues.
Bob Kefgen
Bob Kefgen has been advocating for Michigan Principals as MASSP's Director of Government Relations since 2012, bringing with him more than a decade of experience in state politics, with a particular focus on education and human services policy.
Bob 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 (MASA). Immediately prior to coming to MASSP, Bob worked at the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHHS) 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.