Meet the Team
This is our family of presenters. These stellar educators are equipped to conduct staff development sessions and have received rave reviews from their participants.
Gretchen Bernabei
Gretchen has devoted her professional life to learning, developing, and sharing best practices, particularly through the National Writing Projects. A sought-after speaker, Gretchen has authored Why We Must Run with Scissors: Voice Lessons in Persuasive Writing (2001, Discover Writing Press); Reviving the Essay: How to Teach Structure Without Formula (2005, Discover Writing Press); Lightning in a Bottle (2003, Trail of Breadcrumbs); Sparklers: High Scoring Test Essays and What We Learn from Them (2007, Trail of Breadcrumbs); The Good Writer’s Guide (2006, Hampton-Brown/National Geographic School Publications); Crunchtime: Lessons to Help Students Blow The Roof Off Writing Tests and Become Better Writers in the Process (2009, Heinemann); The Story of My Thinking: Expository Writing Activities for 13 Teaching Situations (2012, Heinemann); Fun-Size Academic Writing for Serious Learning (Corwin, 2013); Grammar Keepers (Corwin, 2014), Text Structures from the Masters (Corwin, 2016), Text Structures from Nursery Rhymes (Corwin, 2018), Text Structures from Fairy Tales (Corwin, 2019), Text Structures from Fables (Corwin, 2022) and the forthcoming Text Structures from Shakespeare. She holds a B.S. degree from Southwest Texas State University and an M.A. in English from Arizona State University. When she is not in Edna, Texas, she is in San Antonio.
Dottie Hall
Dottie Hall has been an educator for over thirty-three plus years. She is married with two children, a son-in-law, two grandchildren and a chocolate lab. Working with students and teachers to be successful writers, Dottie uses her years as a teacher and administrator to be a master presenter of proven strategies for writing. She is the co-author of The Story of My Thinking, an authentic work on expository writing. Her love for teachers and students and her wonderful sense of humor make Dottie one of the most sought after presenters on the subject of writing.
Stacy Lewis
Stacy Lewis was born and raised in Graham, America, and loved to talk and attend social events which may or may not have led her to a career in education. She recently retired from Graham Junior High where she taught ELA for 25 years. She has one dog named Tillie, and she loves birds, often caring for injured or lost ones in her home. Stacy loves lifting weights, and she referees basketball in her spare time. She also enjoys fishing with her husband. People think she talks funny, and her colleagues appreciate her organizational skills and attention to detail; they lovingly refer to her as “Mr. Mayor.”
Jennifer Martin
Jennifer specializes in guiding readers to not only access rigorous texts, but to boost critical thinking skills. Her “Reading Lenses” methods have been helping teachers and students across Texas find deeper meaning and growth in their reading and writing abilities. Check out her website for workshop information and resources.
Honor Moorman
Honor Moorman has more than 20 years of experience in teaching. She is a National Board Certified teacher who has served as a literacy specialist, dean of instruction, and university instructor. Honor has also been a co-director and teacher consultant for the San Antonio Writing Project, reviewer for ReadWriteThink, and associate editor for NCTE’s Voices from the Middle. She is currently an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Education at Trinity University.
Nicole Morales
Nicole Morales is a former teacher, reading specialist and literacy curriculum specialist. She currently serves a diverse magnet school as a literacy coach. Nicole is passionate about developing sound literacy practices in classrooms through supporting teachers with practical approaches. Her creativity and engaging personality enhance her work with teachers, students, and those who attend her trainings.
Alana Morris
Alana Morris has been a literacy educator for thirty years and has taught all levels from elementary through high school. She received her undergraduate degree in music where she developed her intense interest in the science of learning and how to best reach the special interests and needs of every student. Her background in music education served as a framework for her style and voice as a teacher, which carried over to her exploration and study of language arts and literacy. She is currently the Director of Personalized Professional Learning in Spring Branch ISD in Houston.
Judi Reimer
After teaching 4th grade in Texas for 17 years, Judi Reimer has experienced almost every evolution of the state writing test. She is currently the Director of Staff Development for Trail of Breadcrumbs where she works with schools, districts, and regions to connect their professional development needs with the perfect workshop and trainer. Judi thoroughly enjoys working with the Trail of Breadcrumbs collaborative and has been privileged to co-author two books with Gretchen, Fun-Size Academic Writing for Serious Learning and Text Structures from Fairy Tales.
Shona Rose
Dr. Shona Rose started teaching reading in the fifth grade using small cards that her mom had handwritten for her. When she took Children’s Literature in College, she remembered getting lovely books from Parent’s Magazine Press, and happy moments spent becoming characters through her mother’s voice. After 34 years of various educational experiences, she became the Book Sasquatch for The Leaders Readers Network, distributing books and providing professional learning to promote the love of literacy and learning. Believe – free book access and support are real.
Maureen Ucles
Maureen Uclés has worked in education for 34 years. She began her educational career as a teacher trainer in Honduras, Central America as a Peace Corps Volunteer. For most of her teaching career, Maureen has worked with bilingual and ESL students in elementary, middle, and high school. Teachers enjoy her workshops because of her vast experience with diverse learners, enthusiasm, knowledge, and humor. Additionally, teachers leave her workshops energized, excited, and confident. She has authored a book for dual language titled ¡Ándale Ya! Let’s Go!. She has also authored a book designed for English Learners in grades 3-8 titled Let’s Go Now!, a Youtube channel where she posts educational videos, and a Google Site called The Elementary Digital Reading Project.