63^rd Correctional Education Association
International Conference
Denver, CO

Dr. John Palan (Conference Chairperson), Mike Wales (Region IX Director) and the Conference Planning Committee are to be commended — they hosted a wonderful event. I hope everyone who attended came away with as much as I did — great new ideas for my classroom, CEA training to improve our Region, lots of new contacts, and visits with friends, both old and new.

Dr. Don Kiffin gave a rousing welcome to everyone at Sunday's Opening Session. Dr. Owen Modeland, our President, is recovering from back surgery; Don stepped up to fill some pretty big shoes. During the Session our new Executive Board officers were installed, CEA Accreditation Awards were presented and auditors were recognized.

There were over 80 workshops during the Conference. They touched on many aspects of correctional education. A few of the workshop tracks included Adult and Juvenile Education, ESL/ELL, Re-Entry, and Research.

Teachers of the Year (TOYs) from all nine Regions were recognized throughout the Conference. They were also honored at the TOY Gala on Monday evening. Troy Evans was the Keynote Speaker. Troy's story is powerful — he spent over seven years in Federal Prison for armed bank robberies but walked out the gate with two degrees. His message encourages others to overcome personal hardships to escape the “prison within ourselves”. His story is, “From Desperation to Dedication — An Ex-Con's Lessons on Turning Failure Into Success.” TOY photos from the Conference

Between conference events, Denver had a lot to offer attendees. Some toured Coors Brewery while others visited the United States Mint or shopped at the 16th Street Mall. The weather was beautiful and the sun setting behind the Colorado mountains is an incredible, breathtaking sight.

Don closed out the Conference Wednesday morning with words of personal and professional wisdom. The Conference was a success and I am sure the Planning Committee is giving a sigh of relief. Our Executive Office is hard at work on 2009. Go ahead and put the 64th CEA Conference on your calendar. It will be July 19-22, 2009 in Madison, WI. Contact www.ceanational.org or peggy.meyers@wtcs.edu for more information. Also, be looking forward to 2010 when the Conference will be in Little Rock, AR.

My personal thanks to the Planning Committee, the Executive Office and Region IX — job well done!

Lisa Williams-Gallacher