Meet Katelyn Forcucci, Chief Education Strategist at emPOWERED PD Powered by MiEN

As classrooms evolve, teaching methods must adapt to prepare learners for the dynamic demands of today’s rapidly changing world. Recognizing this need, Professional Development by MiEN delivers emPOWERED PD to equip educators with the skills and pedagogy needed to foster engaged learners. Through research-based, interactive, and collaborative training, emPOWERED PD aims to transform teaching practices by providing educators with practical, immediately applicable best practices.

To lead MiEN’s mission to empower educators through professional development, we’ve tapped Katelyn Forcucci, a highly-qualified educator and industry leader, as the Chief Education Strategist at emPOWERED PD. In her role, Katelyn supports PD by MiEN through the creation of a completely customizable PD program, for which she will be providing and administering PD plans for schools.

Katelyn has an extensive background in education, serving as a high school English teacher for ten years. She began her career in Upstate New York, where she earned her tenure before moving to Florida to teach advanced courses. Katelyn served on the Superintendent’s Steering Committee and has held leadership roles as the Cambridge coordinator, English department chair, class advisor, testing coordinator, acting administrator, and yearbook advisor. She has received recognition as NHS Teacher of the Year and was a High Impact Educator in the state of Florida.

Katelyn holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from SUNY Fredonia, a Master of Science in Gifted Education and Differentiated Instruction from Canisius University, and an educational specialist degree from National Louis University in leadership and administration. She is both an ESOL and Gifted certified educator in Florida. Presently, Katelyn is pursuing an educational doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the American College of Education.

In 2023, Katelyn was recognized as a NextGen Rising Star in the industry by EDmarket, for which she serves as vice chair of the Educational Manufacture Council (EMC) and is part of the Bold Women’s Collective. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), and A4LE. Furthermore, Katelyn was an Education Specialist at Charter Schools USA where she was instrumental in developing a future-ready school model.

Katelyn is a proponent of research-based best practices, which drive effective pedagogy and improve learner experiences. She believes that professional development is becoming more and more critical for educators as changing learning environments demand new educational approaches.

To foster student achievement, educators need to understand the value of professional development and be empowered to switch to future-ready instruction in an active learning environment. Research increasingly shows that one of the challenges causing educators to leave the school system is lack of resources and professional development. Katelyn believes this is one of the top reasons why it’s so crucial to support educators in their professional growth, and this is where emPOWERED PD comes in.

As schools update their classroom spaces to mirror the collaborative environments that students will encounter in their futures, educators must also adapt their pedagogy to promote synergy between learning and the learning environment. If we continue to apply traditional teaching methods in an innovative, future-ready learning environment, the learning space and the pedagogy will not be successful. By focusing professional development on a holistic approach to engagement and outcomes, schools can find the alignment between learning environments and pedagogy. This progressive approach empowers educators to cultivate a positive learning environment and foster engaged learners.

Katelyn takes pride in her lasting impact on learners’ lives, serving as both a mentor and friend. She is grateful for the powerful opportunity to support teachers through emPOWERED PD, Powered by MiEN®, which will enable her to reach and inspire educators at schools across the country.

We’re excited to have Katelyn Forcucci lead the PD by MiEN team, helping us empower educators through PD to provide engaging and comprehensive learning experiences that prepare students for a dynamic future.

To learn more about emPOWERED PD be sure to visit our site.