Dr. Kathleen Andreson is a founding partner and current owner of the Synergy Group, Ltd., an Albuquerque, New Mexico consulting company established in 1995.  She began her career in public education as a high school teacher, later in-service teacher, and finally staff development coordinator in New Mexico’s largest school district.  She is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and is currently an adjunct professor for Webster University-Albuquerque.  In addition to company operation, Dr. Andreson provides consulting services locally, regionally, and nationally on a variety of education/organization subjects including: design of staff training, program evaluation, performance management, training instructors, adult learning, facilitating change, team building, strategic planning, human resources and other adult training related areas.  Dr. Andreson’s skills include presentation, training, facilitation, research, and writing.  As owner of Synergy, she has managed a number of talented consultant affiliates in a range of complex contracts providing clients comprehensive services over the past fourteen years.  Most recently Dr. Andreson has been a consulting researcher to the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators, and Bureaus at the New Mexico Public Education Department. She has co-authored a number of publications, reports, and fact sheets, and has received many honors from her colleagues.  Dr. Andreson is serving as the elected Regional Representative and International Board member for Phi Delta Kappa International Professional Education Association.  She is the president-elect of PDK, elected in the spring of 2009.

Dr. Jean Casey has been in public school education for the past forty years.  She was a classroom teacher for seventeen years in the Albuquerque Public Schools and was the Coordinator of the Secondary Teacher Induction and Resident Teacher Programs at the University of New Mexico for twenty years.  As coordinator, she was responsible for program development, implementation, and evaluation as well as graduate curriculum and instruction.  Dr. Casey has also been an educational consultant and coach for the Albuquerque Public Schools, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Belen Public Schools, Farmington Public Schools, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico State University, UNM Gallup, the New Mexico Athletic Association, New Mexico Education Network Center, the Golden Apple Foundation, the New Mexico World Class Teachers Project, the New Mexico State Department of Education, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.  Dr. Casey’s expertise includes teacher education and mentoring, curriculum development and assessment, and the design and evaluation of educational and professional development programs. 

Dr. Barbara J. Yelverton received a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology and chemistry from what is now Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She was awarded a Master of Arts in the Teaching of Science (MATS) and a Doctorate in Multicultural Education from the University of New Mexico (UNM).  She has taught biology and chemistry, as well as earth and physical science at the secondary and post secondary level.   She has been a program coordinator at Los Alamos National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico.  Dr. Yelverton has worked as a researcher in laboratories at Veterans’ Administration Hospital, Sandia National Laboratory, and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute.  Dr. Yelverton has evaluated science education programs at UNM, New Mexico State University, Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories.   She joined the Synergy Group to assist in evaluations of special projects in the realm of science education for New Mexico’s State Department of Education.   Since then she has been active in the evaluations of a variety of educational projects such as the Southern New Mexico Academy for Young Scientists, a six-year evaluation of New Mexico’s charter schools, climate audits for schools and school districts, as well as research on administrator training for the New Mexico Public Education Department.  She has made presentations at American Education Research Association and National Staff Development Conferences.  Her work has been published in professional journals and newspapers.