Diana Laufenberg-Executive Director
Projects: SLA-Beeber; SLA Middle; NEXT HS, Lab Atlanta; SRI ; Henry County Schools; Griffin Spalding; The Langley School; Career Academy; Edina; NKCS; Liberty
For over 16 years, she was a secondary social studies teacher in Wisconsin, Kansas, Arizona and Pennsylvania. She most recently taught at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, an inquiry-driven, project-based high school focused on modern learning. More...
Caitlin Thompson- Director of Operations
Caitlin completed her undergraduate degree at Tufts University in Boston and started her teaching career as a Philadelphia Teaching Fellow. She earned her degree in engineering science and geology and enjoys exposing students to the wide range of mathematical applications in the world. Caitlin came to SLA in 2008 and has taught students Algebra 1, Geometry and Statistics. She finished her Masters of Arts in Adventure Education from Prescott College and continues to enjoy sharing her love for cycling and the outdoors with Philadelphia's finest youth. She chose to leave the classroom in 2016 and is pursuing a range of interests that include her work with Inquiry Schools, Little Bellas and Gearing Up.
Zac Chase - Educational Consultant
Projects: SLA Middle; Lab Atlanta
Zac Chase loves learning and teaching. A classroom teacher of middle and high school students for nearly a decade, Zac’s pedagogy and practice are deeply rooted in building schools that are project-based and inquiry-driven. He has worked with schools and teachers nationally and internationally and is the co-author of Building School 2.0: Creating the Schools We Need. Zac is the preK-12 English Languages Arts Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley Schools, based in Longmont, CO. He returned to the district after completing a two year fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education where he worked in the Office of Educational Technology as the lead author on the 2016 National Education Technology Plan. Zac has worked with teachers, schools, and school systems across the U.S. as well as Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Kenya, and Pakistan to consider how to shift their educational practice to better leverage the active use of technology to support teaching and learning. He is @MrChase on twitter and blogs regularly at autodizactic.com.
Mary Beth Hertz-Educational Consultant
Project(s): AFPCS
Mary Beth has been teaching in Philadelphia since 2003. She holds a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from St Joseph’s University and she currently holds PA certificates in K-6 Elementary Education, K-12 Business/Technology, K-12 Art as well as an Instructional Technology Specialist certificate. She teaches her students Technology and Art and is the Technology Coordinator at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber. Mary Beth was named an ISTE Emerging Leader in 2009, PAECT’s 2013 Outstanding Teacher of the Year and is a member the 2013 class of ASCD’s Emerging Leaders. Outside of teaching, Mary Beth was a co-organizer of the Philly EdTech Meetup, sat on the board of the Edcamp Foundation, is a founding organizer of Edcamp Philly, and, in May 2013, organized WebSLAM, Philadelphia’s first hackathon for high school students. She has also presented at ISTE, the #140 Character Conference as well as a number of edcamps and Educon. Mary Beth blogs at Philly Teacher (http://mbteach.com), maintains a blog on Edutopia.org and can be found on Twitter as @mbteach.
Marcie Hull- Educational Consultant
Projects: Summer Teaching Institute; Henry County Schools
Before becoming SLA’s founding Technology Coordinator, Marcie spent five years at Shoemaker Middle School in SDP. She brings a powerful understanding of both the fine and digital arts and their role in schools. She has established a reputation as one of the top digital arts educators in the city. Marcie has presented at the National Educational Computing Conference, PETE&C, the NY Tech Forum and has worked training teachers all over the School District of Philadelphia.
Brad Latimer- Educational Consultant
Projects: Summer Teaching Institute; Henry County Schools
Brad was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, and returned to Philly to complete graduate coursework at the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. In 2008, after earning his Masters Degree in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, Brad joined the faculty of SLA. He currently serves as the Mathematics Department Chair, teaches students Algebra 2 and Calculus, and chairs the Academic Standards Committee. Additionally, he teaches Secondary Math Methods at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education for Teach for America Corps members. Brad recently earned his Level II Certification for Mathematics, and won the Linback Distinguished Teaching Award in 2010. In his free time, he enjoys sports (basketball and football), music, and spending time with his kids.