The Write Now Conference Returns in 2026

Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy. She has been in the literacy field for over 45 years as a teacher, administrator, and literacy consultant. She is the author of The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction in All Subjects, and the new book Essentials of Adolescent Literacy. Joan is also the lead author of Keys to Literacy’s courses, including The Key Comprehension Routine, The Key Vocabulary Routine, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Content Writing, Keys to Early Writing, and Keys to Adolescent Literacy. Prior to starting Keys to Literacy in 2007,  Joan was the lead trainer in MA for Reading first, a LETRS author and trainer, and literacy consultant to school districts and state departments of education across the U.S. She received her M.Ed. in Reading from Harvard University and her B.A. from Boston College.

Shauna serves as Vice President and Senior Director of Professional Development at Keys to Literacy and is an integral member of the senior management team. With over 20 years of experience, Shauna has dedicated her career to advancing literacy achievement for all students. Her journey began as a classroom teacher and literacy interventionist, where she developed a deep commitment to fostering student success.

Since joining Keys to Literacy in 2007, Shauna has played a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s professional development offerings and initiatives. She has held a variety of key positions, including national trainer, relationship manager for strategic accounts, contributing editor, and a principal contributor to the development of several professional development programs. In her current leadership role, Shauna oversees a team of national consultants who deliver professional development services to schools, districts, and state education departments nationwide. Additionally, Shauna directs and manages the Certified Facilitator program, guiding educators and education leaders through the implementation of Keys to Literacy’s hybrid online learning model. 

As a frequent speaker at state and national literacy conferences, Shauna shares her expertise and passion for literacy, delivering engaging content that inspires and empowers educators to elevate classroom instruction and improve student outcomes. She is also a contributing content creator for Reading Universe, an online, step-by-step professional development pathway for teachers, paraprofessionals, and reading coaches to learn more about evidence-based reading instruction — and then translate it into classroom practice that will complement any curriculum.

Shauna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Science in Language and Literacy Instruction.

As a member of the senior leadership team, Lisa brings a unique perspective to her role as Vice President and Senior Director of Relationship Management. With a background that bridges classroom teaching, special education, and coaching, she is committed to strengthening literacy instruction for all students. She co-edited Keys to Early Writing and Keys to Content Writing and has contributed to numerous other Keys to Literacy resources.

Since joining Keys to Literacy in 2011, Lisa has served as a national trainer and Director of Account Management before stepping into her current leadership position. She now directs the Relationship Management team and builds strategic partnerships with state education agencies and institutions of higher education. Her career in education began at the Landmark School, renowned for its work with children and adolescents with language-based learning disabilities. Lisa has served as a classroom teacher, special educator, and reading specialist in both urban and suburban schools, developing deep expertise in literacy instruction that continues to inform her approach to professional learning design.

Lisa is a frequent presenter at state, national, and literacy conferences, sharing actionable strategies that educators can immediately implement to improve student outcomes.

Margarita Espino Calderón, PhD, is a professor emerita and senior research scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Her research and professional development focus on integrating language, reading comprehension, and content knowledge, as well as how to coach teachers with English learners. She served on the National Literacy Panel for English Learners (2006 & 2008) and the Carnegie Panel for Adolescent English Learners (2007). Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s IES and OELA, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the U.S. Department of Labor, and, in collaboration with Harvard and the Center for Applied Linguistics, by NICHD. She has authored over 100 publications and is a national and international speaker. She has been inducted into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame.

Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy. She has been in the literacy field for over 45 years as a teacher, administrator, and literacy consultant. She is the author of The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction in All Subjects, and the new book Essentials of Adolescent Literacy. Joan is also the lead author of Keys to Literacy’s courses, including The Key Comprehension Routine, The Key Vocabulary Routine, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Content Writing, Keys to Early Writing, and Keys to Adolescent Literacy. Prior to starting Keys to Literacy in 2007,  Joan was the lead trainer in MA for Reading first, a LETRS author and trainer, and literacy consultant to school districts and state departments of education across the U.S. She received her M.Ed. in Reading from Harvard University and her B.A. from Boston College.

Dan Cogan-Drew is Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela, where he leads the learning insights that power student outcome improvements across Newsela’s products and services. For the last several years he has spearheaded the development of Newsela Writing, an AI-powered tool providing on-demand rubric-aligned feedback to student writers and up to the moment insights to educators. He began his education career in Teach for America and has taught in public and private schools as well as in the U.S. Navy. Dan holds degrees from Wesleyan University, Brown University, and Tufts University. He hosts the podcast AI in the Classroom-Daily, a show devoted to helping educators make sense of AI without the hype.

John Bennetts is a national literacy consultant and the founder of Bennetts Educational Consulting LLC. His work centers on one belief: grow teachers so they can grow students. Over nearly two decades in rural and urban schools across the country, John has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, principal, and K-12 literacy specialist at the Rhode Island Department of Education. He now partners with school networks nationwide on structured literacy, explicit instruction design, and instructional coherence across tiers of support. John also led the development of an online adaptive reading program for secondary students. He serves as Board Chair of Reach Out and Read Rhode Island.

Linda and her business partner, Michael Hunter, are the founding partners at Readsters.  Linda has the career of her dreams: helping children, adolescents, and adults learn to read.  She keeps her skills current by working with children struggling to learn to read whenever she can.  She is the teacher in the Reading Rockets series Looking at Reading Interventions.

Besides working directly with children, Linda’s favorite work is modeling in the classroom She is also passionate about helping teachers understand how to use data.  She works in schools nationwide helping to implement instruction that ensures all students learn to read. 

Linda and Michael have written assessments and curriculum that are widely used.  In the last few years, Linda has worked in Senegal and Niger helping write curricula and assessments for children who are learning to read in seven languages she doesn’t even speak!

Melisa joined the Keys to Literacy team as a National Consultant/Trainer for all of the Keys to Literacy professional development offerings and is also the Head of Product and Content Integration. Melisa has been privileged to work with teachers and students in a variety of educational settings as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, and supervisor for practicum students. She also worked as a reading specialist at the Boston University Donald Durrell Reading & Writing Clinic and as an Early Grades Literacy Consultant for state-funded grants.  Melisa received her B.A. from Providence College in Elementary & Special Education, a Masters in Reading Education from Boston University, and a C.A.G.S. in Education Leadership & Policy Studies from Boston University/ Wheelock College of Education. When Melisa is not reading children’s books, she can be found savoring the evening glow at the beach and taking nature walks with her husband, three children, and her loving Golden Retriever.

Lisa holds the position of Vice President, Senior Director of Relationship Management and is a member of the senior management team. Beginning in 2011 with Keys to Literacy, Lisa spent eight years as a trainer and three years as Senior Director of Account Management. An experienced educator with a passion for literacy and learning, she began teaching in 1995 at the Landmark School, a school renowned for the work they do with children and adolescents with language-based learning disabilities. Throughout her career in education, Lisa enjoyed being a classroom teacher, a special educator, and a reading specialist in both urban and suburban schools. As a Keys trainer, she was passionate about her work with students, teachers, and administrators from schools across the United States. In her current role, Lisa appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with district and school leadership to customize professional development plans that bring consistent literacy routines to students across all grade levels and subject areas. Lisa is a frequent presenter at literacy conferences.

Jen Leffers is a Consultant with Keys to Literacy. Originally from South Dakota, but now residing in Connecticut, Jen started her education career in 2000. She has been a classroom teacher, a Reading Specialist/Coach, a reading interventionist, and an RTI coordinator. Jen has taught a variety of classes for a graduate school of education as well as supervised student teachers. When her children were young, Jen created a “Parent and Me” literacy class for preschool parents and their children to emphasize the importance of literacy and oral language for young children. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education with Middle School endorsements from the University of South Dakota, an ESL endorsement from the University of Utah, and an M.A. from the Applied Educational Psychology: Reading Specialist program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jen loves to spend time with her boys, read, write, hike, play games, and she is a huge sports fan.

Ms. Montgomery has been recognized by the International Dyslexia Association, ARC, and ExcelEd for her outstanding leadership in the area of literacy. She is a national speaker in the area of leadership and literacy, specifically on the systems and structures that should be implemented in schools to increase literacy outcomes for students. She serves as an expert and advisor on several literacy panels for states and school districts. Pati is the lead author for the book, It’s Possible, A Leadership Plan for Implementing Quality Reading Instruction and Ensuring Literacy for All, as well as the lead author for A Principal’s Primer for Raising Reading Achievement, a Lexia LETRS for Administrators module (First Edition). She is currently in the position of Senior Education Officer at Keys to Literacy and founded Schools Cubed, a literacy leadership coaching firm that is now part of Keys to Literacy.

Shauna serves as Vice President and Senior Director of Professional Development at Keys to Literacy and is an integral member of the senior management team. With over 20 years of experience, Shauna has dedicated her career to advancing literacy achievement for all students. Her journey began as a classroom teacher and literacy interventionist, where she developed a deep commitment to fostering student success.

Since joining Keys to Literacy in 2007, Shauna has played a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s professional development offerings and initiatives. She has held a variety of key positions, including national trainer, relationship manager for strategic accounts, contributing editor, and a principal contributor to the development of several professional development programs. In her current leadership role, Shauna oversees a team of national consultants who deliver professional development services to schools, districts, and state education departments nationwide. Additionally, Shauna directs and manages the Certified Facilitator program, guiding educators and education leaders through the implementation of Keys to Literacy’s hybrid online learning model. 

As a frequent speaker at state and national literacy conferences, Shauna shares her expertise and passion for literacy, delivering engaging content that inspires and empowers educators to elevate classroom instruction and improve student outcomes. She is also a contributing content creator for Reading Universe, an online, step-by-step professional development pathway for teachers, paraprofessionals, and reading coaches to learn more about evidence-based reading instruction — and then translate it into classroom practice that will complement any curriculum.

Shauna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Science in Language and Literacy Instruction.