Dr. Bill Cope — President

Bill Cope, Ph.D, has led Common Ground Publishing since 1984. He is a research professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. He is a former First Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs in the Australian Federal Government. His academic research and writing crosses a number of disciplines, including history, education and sociology; and examines themes as varied as immigration, workplace change and literacy learning. For more information, please visit wwcope.com.

bill.cope@commongroundpublishing.com

Phillip Kalantzis-Cope — Associate Director

Phillip Kalantzis-Cope has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Public Policy) with Honours at Monash University in Melbourne, and a Masters of Arts (international Relations) with Honours from The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. He has worked in various research roles for the Victorian Justice Department and the City of Darebin and was the Co-Host for many years of a Greek/Australian Youth Hour on ZZZ Community Radio in Melbourne. Currently he is a Ph.D candidate at The New School For Social Research in New York City.

Alex King — Chief Executive Officer

As well as retaining overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business, Alex is also responsible for leading the company’s efforts in creating the company’s next generation of revolutionary software. With 25 years of experience working in all aspects of technology and the management of technology driven companies, he has an outstanding track record on measuring and improving systems and services, and excels at delivering results on time and on budget. Prior to his position at Common Ground Publishing, he worked for fifteen years at Sun Microsystems in a variety of roles, including responsibility for budgets in excess of $15m and has most recently been employed by Solidware Technologies up to and following their acquisition by Coverity, Inc. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Technology from the University of Westminster, London, England.

Conferences

Emily Kasak — Conference Producer

Emily Kasak is a long-time member of our Common Ground conferences team. She has an Associate’s Degree in Science from Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, USA and has studied Arts Management at the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts in Liverpool, UK. Throughout her studies and travels, Emily has helped organized events ranging from music and arts to politics and advocacy. Emily’s involvement in events planning began in 2004, with her work with local and national congressional campaigns. She also worked for four years as the organizer of an advocacy initiative for a national educational coalition and assisted with the coordination of their annual conference in Washington, DC. More recently, Emily’s focus has shifted towards work in the arts and entertainment. Her involvement as a freelance manager/administrator for independent music and arts organizations has allowed her to work with artists directly, at industry conferences, and international arts festivals.

Audrey LeGrande — Conference Producer

The newest member of our Common Ground conferences team is Audrey LeGrande. Audrey has a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. Since moving to Champaign-Urbana in 1999, Audrey has worked for a variety of non-profit organizations coordinating development activities, leading volunteers, and planning fundraising and community outreach events. These included educational seminars, donor cultivation and stewardship events, and large scale family events. Audrey also has extensive volunteer experience planning and executing fundraising events, identifying and advocating for legislation, and serving on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Champaign-Urbana.

Jenna Stoia — Conference Producer

Jenna Stoia is another new addition to our Common Ground conferences team. Jenna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies and a minor in English from Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, USA with further studies at the University of Illinois. Jenna’s special area of interest has been intercultural studies with an emphasis on interfaith dialogue. She has been privileged to take part in numerous interfaith conversations over the years. Jenna has helped organize many kinds of events—ranging from student dialogue and advocacy outreach to healthcare, policy, and legislative forums. She also has past experience in service and legislative work with State agencies.

Homer (Tony) Stavely — Conference Program Development

Tony Stavely manages the development of the conference content and proposal review. He is Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Keene State College in New Hampshire, USA. He has a PhD from Princeton University and a BA from DePauw University. After training in animal learning and behavior, he shifted his attention to personality and social psychology and the history of psychology. His interests and activities have included environmental psychology, the educational uses of computers, technology and society, and issues of diversity and multiculturalism.

Publishing

Kathryn Otte — Director of Publishing

Kathryn Otte manages Common Ground’s journals and book imprints. She has been with Common Ground Publishing since July 1999. She has a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing from Victoria University of Technology.

Accounts

Roger West – Director of Accounts

Roger West manages the Common Ground Publishing financial team. He has a BS in Accounting from Indiana State University (Terre Haute, Indiana, USA) and over 15 years of experience working as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).