Dr. Dennison S. Bhola
Dennison’s wealth of classroom experience includes teaching secondary school classes in math, physics, and chemistry in the Caribbean Region. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Measurement as well as M. Ed. and Dip. Ed. credentials. He has consulted with more than 100 school districts in the United States conducting workshops, delivering online assessments, and engaging teachers in action planning for positive culture transformation. During the last fifteen years, he has conducted more than 300 professional development workshops for teachers in North America, India, China, and Trinidad & Tobago. Dennison brings expertise in aligning curriculum, instruction and assessment to this team.
Dennison and his wife, Wendy, have been married for more than forty years and grew up in the country of Trinidad and Tobago. Together they have raised 4 children and celebrated two grandchildren in Lincoln, Nebraska. Philanthropically, Dennison focuses his talent on education by donating his time to facilitate teachers’ professional development and also, on improving healthcare through his contributions to the Trinidad Eye Hospital which delivers affordable, eye surgery to those in need.
Michelle Piel
Michelle Piel has worked in the business world for more than a decade as a corporate training director, business writer, researcher, and consultant. As her research and consulting experiences coincided with opportunities to explore the realm of education, she began to conduct qualitative research, lead focus groups, and interview hundreds of teachers, principals, and superintendents within top schools across America. By working with Dennison, researching education, and listening to educators, Michelle became more and more intrigued by the concepts described and developed for this book. What began as an ongoing dialogue about teaching and learning among Dennison, Michelle, and educators around the Midwest has culminated in this book, Create Aha! Moments.
Michelle and her husband, Eric share an Air Force background of piloting C-5 aircraft. As parents of twins, Lindsey and Amanda, they take part in supporting education as well as sports programs that foster the development of young people in their local community of Portage, MI.