Battelle for Kids Chief of Staff Jamie Meade will help kick off MREA’s 2020 Annual Conference: Rural Proud this fall with an engaging keynote on how rural America provides hope — for today and for the future.

In her role at Battelle for Kids, Jamie leads efforts to collaborate with school systems and communities to realize the power and promise of 21st century learning. Prior to joining Battelle for Kids, Jamie spent her days in the classroom as a teacher. She began her teaching career as a high school English, French, and speech teacher. She also served as an elementary and high school administrator and a Director of Data & Assessment.

Featured Sessions

Opening Keynote

Building Hope in Rural America

Rural educators, families, and community members understand the critical need to foster Hope—especially during these ever-changing, uncertain times.  Hope is more than a feel-good emotion. In this keynote presentation, participants will explore the evolving science of Hope across two decades of research—and learn why hope matters now, more than ever before.

Livestream with Q&A: Monday, Nov. 16 at 3:30 pm

Breakout Session

Taking Action to Empower Every Learner

When educators are well equipped with knowledge and skills to foster hope, we’re leveraging our greatest educational resource: student empowerment! Hopeful students are empowered with the will and the ways to achieve their goals toward a better future. Building off the keynote presentation, this interactive session will include research-based strategies for educators to cultivate hope for both in-person learning and virtual learning environments to cultivate student empowerment.

Available On-Demand: Beginning Nov. 16

About the Speaker

Jamie brings more than 30 years of educational experience to her role as Vice President and Chief of Staff at Battelle for Kids. She is committed to supporting school systems in the redesign of education systems and innovative learning experiences, in response to the unique needs of today’s learners.

In her role at Battelle for Kids, Jamie leads the execution of the organization’s strategic plan to fulfill the mission of collaborating with school systems and communities to realize the power and promise of 21st century learning. She also heads the marketing and communications team as they accelerate the spread and adoption of 21st century learning. Jamie has played a significant role in driving the use of multiple measures, and in collaboration with Gallup, expanded Battelle for Kids’ work beyond academic measures to cultivate skills and mindsets, including hope and engagement, for today’s learners.

As a national thought leader, Jamie has presented at numerous state and national conferences including the National School Boards Association Conference, ASCD National Conference, AASA’s National Education Conference, Gallup Measures Summit, Harvard Strategic Data Project Convening, and the National Forum to Advance Rural Education.

Learn more about the 2020 MREA Annual Conference.