Dr. Susan Zoll's research speaks to the need for increased access to high-quality early language & literacy opportunities for all children.  She has served in leadership roles on several federally funded literacy projects, working alongside school administrators, educators, and families to support student learning. Dr. Zoll served on the AMS Research Committee and the AMS Innovation Fellowship Think Tank.  She is a frequent speaker at national conferences; and holds an AMS-Early Childhood (3-6) credential having served as a Montessori educator, teacher trainer, Head of School, and Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education. Dr. Zoll has co-authored two books published by Teachers College Press: Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom: Aligning Reading Research and Practice (2023) and Effective Literacy Assessment in the Montessori Classroom: Using Data to Inform Instruction (2025). A third publication considers Montessori education from birth through adolescence will be released in 2026.

Website: www.dr-susan-zoll.com 

Dr. Katie Keller Wood grew up in the world of education, and delights in helping people find new ways of thinking about the world. Discovering Montessori education, both as a pedagogy and a philosophy, was pivotal for her, and she is on a mission to bring a Montessori perspective of work to everyone. 

Katie has had the great honor of working with hundreds of middle and high school Montessori teachers from all over the world through the training program she runs, called CMStep. She is recognized as a leader in Montessori programming for adolescents and adults. Any given semester might find Katie teaching undergraduates at the University of Virginia, where she earned both her bachelor’s and her doctorate degrees, master’s students at Purdue Fort Wayne, or doctoral students at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is active in the Montessori research and teacher education communities. 

Katie does her work because she believes that a more peaceful, just, equitable, and sustainable world is possible, and that it takes all of us leading our aligned lives to bring this world forward.

Katie lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is a TEDx and keynote speaker and a sought-after presenter for workshops and conferences. Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance is her first book.  

Website: katiekellerwood.com