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| PENDING |
Date/Time: October 30, 2025 | 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Room: 166-167
Audience: Educators / Teachers
Call to Action:
Abstract: This presentation explores intentional design and fast response—challenging and moving beyond today’s approach to 21st century design. In just five years, the student body has evolved faster than schools are adapting—from digital learning to shifting social dynamics. As today’s students navigate a world of constant change, their learning environments must do more than accommodate—they must empower. Students today feel that real learning happens outside of school, as today’s classroom structures fail to engage their curiosity, creativity, and potential. To bridge this gap, schools must rethink their role—not just as places of instruction but as hubs of inspiration and innovation by understanding what is happening in the student’s world. Rising levels of anxiety, digital overload, and social-emotional stressors demand trauma-informed, flexible spaces that promote psychological safety and engagement. Additionally, the increasing recognition of neurodiversity calls for adaptable, student-centered designs that accommodate diverse cognitive needs. This presentation explores how intentional, research-driven design can meet students where they are, challenge their potential, and create learning environments that empower them. By future-proofing educational spaces, we can ensure that students are not just accommodated but understood and truly engage, motivate, and prepare them for the rapidly evolving world we live in.
Learning Objectives:
Design of Educational Facilities
Aligning Educational, & Community vision with design to support a regenerative mindset for a sustainable and future ready Educational Facility.
Dr. Sue Ann Highland is the National Education Strategist for School Specialty. She is a retired building and district administrator with over 25 years’ experience working with schools and districts across the country. As a growth and improvement expert and Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, she has extensive experience in developing professional development and systemic change initiatives. She has held positions such as consultant, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Principal, Federal Programs Director, and CTE Director with a specialty in turn around and improvement. She has worked with public, private, and charter organizations throughout her career. As an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, her passion is helping people and processes come together. Dr. Highland has provided coaching and consulting for districts in the areas of recovery from crisis, brain-focused instruction, collaborative learning, high risk instruction, Career and Tech Education programs, writing, and reading instruction among other topics. Over the last seven years, she has had the opportunity to marry that district experience with work in instructional environments. She has the expertise to bring a district’s vision for teaching and learning and the physical environment together to create the most impactful spaces for students.
Paola an Argentine native, brings over 25 years of experience in business development, product development, marketing, branding, and product placement across multiple distribution channels. Her career spans diverse industries, including hospitality and fashion, where she has honed her expertise in design, digital marketing, and content-driven brand development. As the Senior Vice President of Product Development & Marketing at MooreCo Inc., Paola has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction. She led a full-scale corporate rebranding, developing multiple brands to better align products with market needs and distribution channels. In 2019, she introduced Thrive by MooreCo—an evidence-based design philosophy focused on enhancing productivity and well-being through thoughtfully designed spaces that consider all aspects of human behavior. This initiative involved close collaboration with experts in neurodiversity, psychology, ethics, and social-emotional development from esteemed institutions such as the University of Texas Department of Psychology, Rice University, and Columbia University. With customer and user experience at the core of MooreCo’s brand, Paola and her team continue to implement innovative products and solutions that enhance engagement and performance in learning and work environments. Beyond her professional achievements, Paola enjoys running, reading, cooking, traveling, and watching soccer. She is fluent in English and Spanish and also speaks French and Italian.
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Phoenix Convention Center
South Building
100 North Third Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
October 29-November 1, 2025
Email: donna@a4le.org
+1 480.391.0840