Professor Eugene Galanter

Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Children’s Progress; Emeritus Professor and Director, Psychophysics Laboratory, Columbia University

Dr. Galanter is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Quondam Director of the Psychophysics Laboratory at Columbia University. A pioneer scientist in the field of technology in education, he holds MA and PhD degrees in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an honors BA from Swarthmore College.

Dr. Galanter’s distinguished academic career includes positions held at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Washington and Harvard University. He was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and served as Chairman of the Committee on Learning at the Salk Institute with eminent scientists James Watson, Jacob Bronowski and Jonas Salk.

A prolific writer, Dr. Galanter has authored more than 150 books and articles on learning theory, psychophysics, perception, motivation and memory. His publications on education include The Ideal Teacher, The Mechanization of Teaching, Two Models of a Student, and many others, including Plans and the Structure of Behavior, which sparked the cognitive revolution in psychology.

Dr. Galanter’s foresight and passion for early learning and computer-related pedagogy resulted in the founding of the Children’s Computer School in 1980 and the Summer Computer Institute at Amherst College in 1981. He subsequently published the best-selling Kids & Computers series in 1983. He was also the Chairman of the Board of the Tompkins Hall Nursery School, and served for many years on the board of St. Hilda’s and St. Hugh’s School in New York.

Having directed projects for NASA, FAA, the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Army and the National Science Foundation, Dr. Galanter has been recognized by NASA with the Distinguished Scientist Research Award. Dr. Galanter and his daughter, Michelle Galanter co-invented and hold the United States patent for the Galanter Educational Evaluation Lattice, which is the basis for the Children’s Progress Academic Assessment (CPAA) and is licensed exclusively to Children's Progress.

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Mary Ann Greene

Founder, Educational Director
The Texas Foundation for Educational Advancement, Inc.
The da Vinci School, Dallas, Texas

In 1987, Mary Ann Greene founded the Texas Foundation for Educational Advancement, Inc. (TFEA), after recognizing the need for a new and innovative approach to early-childhood education.

Convinced that science is the key to inspiring a life-long love of learning and curiosity about the world, Greene founded the da Vinci School in Dallas, Texas. A core component of the da Vinci School is parent education and involvement which Green believes is the key to securing each child's success in a learning environment

In 2008, Greene brought PlayWisely's^® brain-based, early cognitive and motor development system to The da Vinci School. PlayWisely's^® parent child-based system aligns with The TEFA's belief that parents are the first and foremost teacher during the first six years of life.

In December, 2009 The TFEA has begun construction on a new, LEED Registered campus which will be among the first facilities dedicated to early-childhood education. The campus will serve as a model for education and sustainable building design within the Dallas community and beyond.

The Texas Foundation for Educational Advancement, a 501 C 3 non-profit organization, is seeking donations to further its core objectives. These include the promotion of research into effective early-learning techniques, specifically PlayWisely^®; the provision of scholarship funds; and the training of more coaches to provide community outreach.

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Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci

Olympic Gold Medalists
Vice Presidents, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Executive Committee, Special Olympics International

Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci are Gymnastic Icons. They are married and have a 3 year old son, Dylan Paul Conner.

Bart Conner was the only American Gymnast to win Gold Medals at every level of competition, including Junior National, Elite National, NCAA, Pan American Games, World Championships and Olympic Games where he won 2 Golds in 1984. Bart Conner was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1977. He is a member of the Special Olympics International Executive Committee where he has served for the past 25 years. He has also Served as Board Member/Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1983.

Nadia Comaneci made history in 1976 when she scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history. She has won 9 Olympic medals, 5 of them Gold. She was selected as the Athlete of the 20th Century by World Sports Awards. She also was picked as one of the 100 most influential women of the century by Sports Illustrated and Ladies Home Journal. She has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Special Olympics International Executive Committee for the past 9 years and has served as the Vice Chair the past 6 years. Nadia also serves as Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and was a founder of the Laureus International Sports for Good Foundation.

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Carolyn R. Garver, PhD.

Director Dallas Program
Autism Treatment Center

Dr. Carolyn Garver's passion for working with children on the autism spectrum has been a life time journey. She joined the Autism Treatment Center (ATC) in 1979. She earned her PhD. in Health Studies. She is licensed Child Care Administrator. Dr. Garver is a recognized expert in autism. A National and International speaker on autism, she has presented at the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology forum in New Delhi, India speaking on sensory processing issues. Her presentation to the eighth National Autism Congress in Rotterdam, The Netherlands addressed sensory abnormalities for children on the autism spectrum. She presented at the 2008 Texas State Conference on Autism, and the Texas State Head Start Association on Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Dr. Garver has completed and published numerous studies on autism. Her focus is on applied research and innovative intervention for people with autism. Dr. Garver believes we must explore possible early interventions, like PlayWisely^® to determine if we can mitigate the symptoms of autism.

Dr. Garver is a member of the Advisory Task Force for the Burkhart Center Autism Program at Texas Tech University. She currently the Parliamentarian of the Autism Society of the America Dallas Chapter.

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