After 32 years as an English teacher and school counselor, Roxie Smith knows the joy of teaching and the exhaustion that can come with it.
In 2007, Roxie attended an 8 to Great workshop that changed her life. The ideas were simple, but they gave her a different way to look at challenges, relationships, emotions, responsibility, and the power of her own choices. The experience impacted her so deeply that she began teaching the 8 to Great process to students and continued for the next 17 years.
If she could learn something in her 30s that was so powerful, she wondered, “What if students could learn it in their teens and use it to help create their best life?”
Today, as a Master Trainer and speaker, Roxie brings humor, honest stories and heartfelt conversations to educators in this ever-changing profession and gives practical tools they can use right away personally and professionally. Roxie invites teachers to experience the proven process that helps them find their way to juggle the demands of life, because when you use 8 to Great, joy starts seeping back in or is enhanced in profound ways.

John Sommers-Flanagan is the founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education at the University of Montana and author or coauthor of over 100 publications, including nine books and many professional training videos. His books, co-written with his wife Rita, include Tough Kids, Cool Counseling, Clinical Interviewing, and Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach. In 2018, he produced a three-part, 7.5-hour suicide training video with Psychotherapy.net. John has published several articles and book chapters on evidence-based relationship factors (EBRFs) in counseling, as well as many newspaper columns, Op-Ed pieces, and has had articles in Psychotherapy Networker, Counseling Today, and Slate Magazine. You can learn more about John on his blog: https://johnsommersflanagan.com/

Rylee Sommers-Flanagan is a fifth generation Montanan who grew up in Missoula and spent summers on the family’s working ranch in Absarokee. She founded Upper Seven Law in 2021; and in the years since, Upper Seven has filed 25 cases—prevailing in the vast majority—largely focused on challenging unconstitutional legislation and conduct on behalf of Montanans around the state.

A graduate of Stanford Law School, Sommers-Flanagan served as president of the Stanford student chapter of the American Constitution Society. She graduated magna cum laude from Emory University. She also holds a creative writing degree from the University of St. Andrews.

Dr. Stephanie Erdmann is the CEO of Great Falls College MSU, and Susan Supola, her mother, is retired from teaching art and English classes at Flathead High School in Kalispell. Both are avid watercolorists and promoters of the arts.

A creative teacher of EFL with above 11 years of experience at the State Secondary school of Soligorsk.
As a volunteer, I successfully organised and currently lead the first UNESCO club in the district, as well as the English Speaking Club.
Alumna of World Training Programmes and courses as Prelim II from Open University, the UK; MOOC Open courses. Actively involved in international educational projects with a strong commitment to professional development.
I have the Bachelor degree of Humanitarian Studies from Minsk State Linguistic University with the specialty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature. I am currently pursuing a Master's Degree Program in Methodology of Foreign Language Teaching (Modern Linguodidactics) at Belarusian State University.
The International Professional Programs where I participated: Fulbright TEA, ITEC.
In 2025 I successfully took the teaching qualification exam and got the Highest Teaching Qualification.
I am a "Teacher of the Year-2026" of my region. Awardee for my innovative approaches in Foreign Language Education.

Since 2010, Monica Thompson has shared the joy of creativity with elementary students in Missoula, Montana. Over the years, she has taught in a wide range of settings, from traveling to five schools a week with her car serving as her supply closet, to establishing a permanent home base filled with color, curiosity, and care. No matter the setting, her mission remains constant: to bring joy and delight to her students through the power of art. She strives to create a space where every child feels inspired to be creative, to solve problems with imagination, and to express themselves authentically. She was honored to have been chosen as the Montana Art Educator of the Year, and the Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator of the year for 2026. In addition to her work as an educator, she is also a practicing artist whose work was recently featured in The New York Times. Her dual passions for teaching and creating continue to inform and enrich one another every day.

Tammy is the director of the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education (CAPE) in the University of Montana’s College of Education. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver and an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Montana, and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 1997.
With almost 30 years of experience as an LCSW and 15 years as a Licensed Educator in Montana, Tammy has worked across three states in both educational and community-based settings, supporting the strengths and well-being of young people. She is a Board-Certified Tele-Mental Health Therapist, a certified trainer for the I Love U Guys Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol and Reunification, and a QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor.

A proud third-generation educator, Amanda Tramill teaches at the CORE School at Morningside and is passionate about creating engaging, inclusive classrooms where all students can succeed. With a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a master’s in Curriculum and Assessment, a minor in Reading, and a Music endorsement, Amanda has taught grades 1 through 6. Committed to literacy, differentiated instruction, and student achievement, Amanda integrates creativity and data-driven practices to support diverse learners and foster a lifelong love of learning.

James Turner is a native of Great Falls, MT (Lincoln Elementary, Paris Gibson/East Jr. High, GFHS '90 and The University of Montana '95) and working mosaic artist who began his mosaic career in Missoula, MT in 1996. He moved his studio to Boise, ID in 1998, began teaching mosaic in 2002, started the Mosaic Workshop at Fort Boise Art Center in 2004 and has since taught thousands of adults and kids from around the globe the art of mosaic. He also travels throughout the Intermountain West bringing his "Traveling Mosaic Workshops" to communities which lack an existing mosaic art education presence (including Montana) offering classes/workshops meeting every experience and age level including Introduction to Mosaic, Intermediate Outdoor Installation and Advanced Architectural Mosaic. He has been the Artist in Residence at Christine Donnell School for the Arts, ANSER Charter, and Whitney and Longfellow Elementary Schools in Boise, appeared on HGTVs television program "That's Clever!" and in numerous media pertaining to the art of mosaic. Known for his expert glass shaping skills and unique color palette and content, he has work all over the globe in various collections and participated in some of the finest art shows in the West including Sun Valley, ID, Bend, OR, Jackson, WY, Bozeman, MT and beyond. He also plays the accordion and sings in Irish-influenced punk rock and Americana bands, having appeared on dozens of records and played hundreds of live shows. Overtly proud of his Central Montana roots, he counts C.M. Russell, Shane MacGowan and Lemmy as his influences.

T.J. Umemoto is a Physics and Math teacher at Billings Senior High School in Billings, MT. He has been teaching for 22 years at Billings Senior and in that time he has taught AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, General Physics, and various levels of mathematics.

Kymn has taught for 30 years in several states and different levels including middle, high school and community college levels. She currently teachers Geometry, Statistics and Calculus for Pearson Online Academy. In her spare time her hobbies include making artisan cheese and nurturing a cut flower garden

Arianna is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling. She is a Licensed School Counselor and Counselor in Montana. Over the past several years, she has worked in a local elementary school as a CSCT therapist and was an elementary school counselor. Arianna has a private practice that specializes in adult and teenage clients who are experiencing life transitions, have experienced trauma, are working on parenting, or are developing relationship skills. Her research focuses on navigating barriers in the supervision relationship. Outside of her professional life, Arianna enjoys road tripping, cooking for friends and family, and reading.

Brenda Wahler is an attorney, historian, horsewoman and freelance writer from Helena, Montana. Her research focuses on exploring the myths and misconceptions of the American West.