Kurtis S. Meredith University of Northern Iowa, USA

Kurt Meredith is presently serving as Interim assistant provost for international programs at the University of Northern Iowa. He is also an associate professor in Literacy Education. He is internationally known for his work in school restructuring and democratic educational practices. Along with Jeannie Steele, Meredith co-founded the Orava Association for Democratic Education, the largest self-governing NGO in the Republic of Slovakia and is dedicated to the professional development of teachers. While living in Slovakia he received the Order of St. Gorazd, the highest civilian award for meritorious service to Slovak education. He also received UNESCO recognition as co-author of the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking program (RWCT) as one of 25 practices world-wide recommended for crisis prevention and peace building.