David Samore was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and has been a teacher and administrator at elementary, middle and high schools for over 35 years. After serving 18 years as the principal of a leading middle school in Palm Beach County, Florida, he served as the Director of Global Leadership and Innovation. He speaks five languages and was educated in Britain where he earned the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. A major thrust of Samore’s work has been the creation of international opportunities for all learners, including students, faculty, and community.
David earned his doctorate from Florida Atlantic University and has been adjunct professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University, teaching Global Management and Multicultural Leadership.
He has also been a guest lecturer at Universidad Cardenal Cisneros in Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Samore was named the 2015 Florida Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He was also honored as the 2008 Florida Principal of the Year the Florida Association of School Counselors and served as a Fellow on the 2017 Florida Commissioner’s Leadership Academy.
David has been the principal of two IB schools. His most recent school is the first International Spanish Academy in the United States, a dual language immersion school with formal ties to the Ministry of Education in Madrid, Spain. Samore’s school was recognized in 2012 and again in 2017 as the School of the Year for North America by the Embassy of Spain. For his extensive bridge-building efforts, Dr. Samore was honored in 2021 by King Felipe VI of Spain and conferred the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica.
Dr. Samore has contributed articles to the leading educational leadership magazine of Spain, Supervisión 21, and to the 2018 Collier & Thomas book, Transforming Secondary Education: Middle and High School Dual Language Programs. He has just published his first book, Ecstatic Doom: The Adult’s Guide to Middle Schoolers (2023). Samore’s future books are True Leadership: Why Fair Play and Open Arms Always Win (2023) and Avoiding Titanic: What Schools Can Do to Save the Sinking American Male (2024).
David is currently the CEO of David Samore & Associates, LLC, a private consulting and professional speaker practice which seeks to help all organizations fulfill their highest potential through the purposeful discovery and development of “the leader within” all team members.
Heysha Rodriguez is a Behavior Interventionist, originally from Puerto Rico, and has been in Georgia for 12 years. With a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama, Heysha has gained vast amounts of experience working with diverse populations inside and outside the academic setting. More importantly, Heysha has had over eight years of hands-on experience in educational settings working in multiple Georgia school districts. Within this role, she helped create a positive school environment for students and staff through the management of PBIS programs that earned a distinguished rating for several consecutive years, successfully implemented positive behavioral interventions, and effectively trained personnel to implement these. Additionally, Heysha has created successful programs for behavior management and social skills that use research-based interventions and supports. Her knowledge of Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans has assisted in increasing school-wide appropriate behaviors.
Heysha is passionate about working with cultural minorities. Being a cultural and racial minority has allowed her to understand and help culturally diverse students in the academic environment, school administration, and their parents. Outside of work, Heysha loves experiencing nature. She is an avid trail runner and hiker and enjoys rock climbing and camping. Her husband and Dobermann, named Jäger, often accompany her on these adventures.
Throughout my career in education, I have worked as both a building level and district level administrator. Within these roles, many years of my work focused on classroom management and behavior interventions. I earned my Educational Specialist degree through Georgia Southern University. Currently I provide district and organizational level consulting and training in various content including: Mindset, Restorative Practices, PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care and Behavior Management.
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Jimmy began working in the field of mental health and substance use over 20 years ago. He has always had a passion for working with people in reaching their goals and potential. His career has consisted of being involved in serving individuals in community mental health and staff development. Earning a degree in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University, he began his career as a counselor working for the Division of Youth Service (DYS). In this role he worked as a counselor for adolescents in the NC juvenile detention centers. While there, he became certified as a NC criminal justice instructor. Jimmy provided training for the detention center and training school staff. His training areas were suicide wareness/prevention, documentation and crisis management. Making a decision to transition into working in the NC community mental health and substance system, Jimmy returned to East Carolina to earn a degree in Social Work. Jimmy has held both clinical and administrative positions in outpatient treatment, community based services, school settings and 24-hour residential programs. Since 2014, Jimmy has served as the Director of Training and Staff Development for PORT Health Services. In 2022, he began a new role as Director of Behavioral Health Care Management while continuing to be involved in staff training. Jimmy has been involved with Mindset Safety Management for over 5 years as an instructor. For the past 3 years, he has brought his experience with training, staff development, program development and behavioral health to his role as an instructor trainer for Mindset Safety Management.
With a background in special education and degrees from the University of Georgia, David delivers the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum in order to certify trainers in districts across the nation. In addition, he provides district and organizational level consulting and training in various content including: Behavior Management, Collaborative Teaching, Data Analysis, Restorative Practices, PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care, and Tier I Teacher Coaching.
David’s most recent role as Coordinator of Behavior Supports for a diverse Title I school district adds to experience in leadership and teaching roles across various settings and specialized programs within public schools. He’s also worked in emergency shelters, therapeutic residential settings, and a school which is part of the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS).
David is married to Kathryn, an inspirational educator in her own right. They have four children and reside in Athens, GA.