(Submitted by Bowling Green City Schools)
Bowling Green City Schools is looking to celebrate its opening week with a lineup of star talent for its faculty and staff. Beginning on Monday August 14, BGCS will open its doors to welcome back staff and be honored with a keynote speech from local speaker, advocate, and writer Diana Patton.
Diana Patton is a Social Justice and Integrative Health Advocacy Coach. She is also a speaker, author and attorney. She coaches individuals who are in the “helping profession”, which includes school counselors, social workers and clinical psychologists on how to go into the fire and not get burned (out). She speaks to helping profession organizations, junior high, high school and college-age groups and women’s groups. She also speaks on leadership, emotional intelligence, and diversity topics. In December 2015, she completed her full-time work as the VP/COO/General Counsel for the Toledo Fair Housing Center
but she continues to provide consulting services to the Center.
Prior to becoming a health coach and speaker, Diana held a number of law firm and high-level corporate positions, including global director-level positions at Fortune 500 companies. She earned her bachelor and law degree at the University of Toledo and is currently a member of the Toledo Bar Association. Diana has conducted corporate diversity trainings and has taught various business courses at Owens Community College in Toledo. She has written curricula, blogs and newsletters when she operated her FITatudes company, has spoken nationally on health and life coaching topics, and has contributed articles to the Toledo Free Press and the Sojourner’s Truth newspaper.
To help teachers prepare for the upcoming school year, Bowling Green City Schools is also bringing three very talented presenters to work with teachers: Elementary teachers will have the distinct pleasure of working with renown author and speaker Mr. Greg Tang; Middle School teachers will be working with award winning Dr. Cedrick Gray; High School teachers will work with Ohio Transformation Specialist and Harvard Data Fellow Dr. Colon Lewis.
About Our Presenters!
Greg Tang grew up in Ithaca, N.Y. with his two sisters. His father taught electrical engineering at Cornell University and his mother taught mathematics at Ithaca College. Greg earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics from Harvard, and later earned an M.A. degree in Math Education from New York University. Greg is certified as a middle and high school math teacher. Greg began his business career at Pfizer in New York City. He worked in their Systems and Strategic Planning Groups, and served as the speechwriter for the CEO William Steere. In 1989, he founded Technovations Inc – a multimedia company with offices in New York City and Boston. In 1995, Greg created TopPresenter – an award-winning software product for the real estate industry. In 1997 Greg moved to Boston, where he opened a Tae Kwon-Do school and managed the health club Fitness First in Arlington. It was at this time that he endured a surprising divorce, and with three little kids at home, made the decision to become a part-time writer and full-time hockey dad.
Now, 20 years, 8 books, 2,500 workshops, and 3 wonderfully grown kids later, Greg is enjoying life with his wife Tammy and working harder than ever to make math a better, more enjoyable experience for kids everywhere.
Dr. Cedrick Gray is currently an Executive Director at New Leaders for New Schools. Dr. Cedrick Gray is formerly the proud lead teacher of the Jackson Public School District. He was appointed superintendent by the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees in 2012. He is widely praised for leadership and guidance that have revived the District and given it a new focus. He’s known for an innovative and effective strategic direction process: “Wearing WIGs (Wildly Important Goals), having FITs (Focused Instructional Teams), and saying ABCs (Attendance, Behavior, Coursework),” which applies a research-based focus to school improvement and student achievement. Since being appointed superintendent by the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees in 2012, Dr. Gray has been acclaimed as an innovator, motivator, risk taker, outside-of- the-box thinker, and true educational visionary. His recent achievements include the following:
● Superintendent of the Year, National Association of School Superintendents, 2016
● Superintendent of the Year, National Alliance of Black School Educators, 2015
● Educator of the Year, Young Gifted and Empowered Awards, Savvy Life Magazine, 2016
● Outstanding Administrator Advocate, Mississippi Association of Gifted Children, 2015
Dr. Gray’s career has been guided by his vision to lead others to see the leader in themselves. He previously served as the superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools in Fayette County, Tennessee. Prior to becoming a superintendent, Dr. Gray was principal of Craigmont Middle School and Lester Pre-K-8 School, both in Memphis, Tennessee. Currently, he is the Executive Director of Principal Supervisors for New Leaders – Southeast Region. Dr. Gray and his wife, Karen, are the proud parents of their daughter, Peyton.
Dr. Colon T. Lewis is currently the school and community agency transformation specialist at Future Ready Columbus. Selected to participate in the Harvard Strategic Data Project (SDP) Fellowship, a competitive two-year professional development program that places and develops talented data strategists in education agencies, he provides leadership, professional development and strategic planning around using data within school and community-based settings. Through his fellowship and professional experience, Dr. Lewis has extensive training in measurement and analysis, leadership and change management, and education policy.
Colon has a Bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Japanese from Alma College, a Masters’ in Education from The Ohio State University and a Doctorate in Education Administration from Ohio University. For 21 years, he has leveraged his knowledge of teaching and learning, school turnaround and professional development to consistently deliver improved student outcomes.
