Empowering Educators: Strategies for Teacher Professional Development

A serial entrepreneur and performance coach, Ian Cohen began his career in the classroom teaching high school humanities in Metro Atlanta, where he was awarded Teacher of the Year and Coach of the Year. After seeing the opportunity gap firsthand, Ian left the classroom to serve as Cofounder and first Executive Director for the youth development non-profit Next Gen. Ian has also served as Regional Director for the Urban Leaders Fellowship, Co-Director of Fellowships for the Center for Civic Innovation, and now leads the EdTech company TARA as Cofounder/CEO.

TARA's progress monitoring tools for special educators and upcoming communication app for school staff significantly reduce the burdens on teachers and leaders alike. Ian is also the Co-Creator of the Teacher Support Languages Quiz, a workstyle assessment for school leaders looking to better understand the needs and preferences of their teachers.

Ian is a passionate doer and strategic thinker who gains energy from supporting and connecting people. An avid reader, Ian is always ready with a good book recommendation and believes strongly in the power of mental performance training and technology to empower individuals anywhere.

John is a strategic leader in the camp, out-of-school time (OST), and youth development fields. He currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH). John has a deep understanding of mental, emotional, and social (MESH) health needs of youth, national program expansion and a hope-filled perspective. Prior to ACH he served as the National Director for Camp HOPE America where he collaborated with city/county government, national leaders, clinicians, psychologists, and community-based organizations. John has an MA in Leadership and Cultural Justice, has been named the American Camp Association's Subject Matter expert on MESH and Trauma-Informed Care at camp and is a former Executive Director of a camp near Lake Tahoe.

Adam Mangana is a highly respected figure in the education industry, known for his expertise in integrating virtual reality (VR) into the classroom experience. As co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of OptimaEd, he has been instrumental in creating VR curriculum development solutions that cater to the unique needs of modern-day learners.

Prior to launching OptimaEd, Adam served as Head of School at Benedict Day School, where he established the first-ever Virtual Reality Lab in Mississippi’s Pine Belt region. He also worked as Director of the Extended Reality Lab at Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, MS. In that role, he helped build the largest K-12 Extended Reality Lab in the Southeast. Adam is passionate about crafting the best educational experiences in VR and empowering students to create their own content in the immersive medium. He is a Teach For America alumnus and an Albert Bennett award recipient, and hosted the “Ready Teacher One” podcast.

Dr. Rachel Book is a dedicated educator with over fifteen years of experience in teaching and administration. Her unwavering commitment to ensuring that every student receives compassion, guidance, and robust educational experience has been the driving force behind her illustrious career. With a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Education in School Counseling, Dr. Book possesses a strong foundation in educational theory and practice. Her academic journey culminated in the attainment of a doctoral degree from the prestigious University of Southern California, further solidifying her expertise in the field.