Hello, I am
Daniel Mares
Education Professional
Certifications
K-12 Administration
Professional Teaching Certificate
MI 6-12 RX, CC, CD
ISTE Certified Educator
Google Certified Educator
Level 1 & 2
Education
Curriculum Leaders Institute/Michigan ASCD
District Curriculum and Instruction Specialty/2020-2022
Masters of Arts/Michigan State University
K-12 Administration/2015-2017
Teacher Certification/Michigan State University
6-12 RX, CC, CD/2008-2010
Bachelor of Arts/Michigan State University
History/2005-2008
Values & Beliefs
Relationships
Relationships are at the core of my beliefs for positive impacts in education. School is a partnership between students, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders built upon solid, meaningful relationships.
Growth Mindset
Everyone must believe that they can grow. Everyday, we must strive to get better in all that we do from implementing research-based teaching practice, analyzing data, and implementing meaningful change.
Collaboration
True collaboration driven by norms and data are essential to growing, developing school culture and fulfilling goals. Collaboration must come naturally to all members of the school culture.
Shared Leadership
Developing and sustaining a leadership vision must be done through sharing leadership with staff and teachers. This allows for increased growth, ownership and goal achievement by all members of the staff.
Work Experience
Director of State, Federal, and Grant Programs/Coloma Community Schools
2019-Present
- Developed Title & State Grant Applications
- Oversaw planning, allocation, and spending of $1.8m annual grant budget for district as well as over $4m in COVID-19 related grants
- Located and assisted in writing additional grants for the benefit of the district
- Supervised and served as the Director of Migrant Education for the district
Co-Founder & Head Organizer/The Lake Michigan Technology Conference
2017-Present
- Planned effective professional development conference for an average of 150 participants in each year
- Recruited and hosted local, regional, and national speakers for the event
- Designed conference schedule to maximize opportunities for teacher growth
- Executed effective communications campaign for the events using social media, WordPress, and newsletters
- Created community partnerships with local and national companies
- Achieved revenue positive outcomes each year
Instructional Technology Specialist/Coloma Community Schools
2016-Present
- Developed staff training opportunities around a variety of topics including classroom management, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, effective communication with stakeholders, effective teaching practices with technology, and more
- Coached individuals, small groups, and large groups in effective teaching strategies and effective use of technology in the classroom
- Designed and implemented 1-1 plan for our 6th graders
- Assisted in redesign and alignment of curriculum
- Developed Camp Chromebook, an interactive website for Chromebook skills, and basic computing skills for students
Instructional Technology Coordinator/Career Academy South Bend
2015-2016
- Developed and wrote K-12 Technology Plan for all schools within Charter School Network
- Designed and implemented classroom workshops for teachers and students
- Streamlined administrative process by creating portal for frequently used documents and curriculum resources
- Coordinator Digital Citizenship Awareness week with outside organizations
- Implemented “Technology Immersion Program” for teachers interested in technology use in the classroom
Social Studies Teacher/Career Academy South Bend
2011-2016
- Utilized Project-Based Learning to fulfill academic requirements
- Organized mandatory after-school activity schedule for all students
- Created and implemented standards-aligned curriculum for 8th grade U.S. History, high school U.S. History, Economics, and Government
Highlighted Speaking Engagements
MACUL / 2022
10 Strategies to Re-Engage Students Following COVID-19 Pandemic
WIRED TC / 2021
Engagement Strategies for Students
MACUL / 2021
Alternative Assessments for Engagement
MACUL / 2020
Podcasting with Students
MACUL / 2019
Cultivate Curiosity with Project-Based Learning
ISTE / 2018
Hacking Google Slides
Lake Michigan Tech Conference / 2018
1-1 Classroom Management Techniques
GoogleFEST / 2017
Classroom Websites with Google Sites
MACUL / 2017
Adventures by Chromebooks: Chromebooks in Elementary Classroom
miGoogle / 2016
Redefining Google Slides
Indiana Connected Educators / 2016
Trials & Tribulations of a 1st year Tech Coach
MACUL / 2016
Instantaneous Feedback with Google Forms
University of Notre Dame ACE Program / 2015
Formative Assessment in Your Classroom
Professional Organization Memberships
Association of Supervisors and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Michigan Association of Supervisors and Curriculum Development (MIASCD)
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
– Board Member – 2023-2026
– Treasurer – 2025-2026
– Nominations Chair – 2024-2025
– Technology for Tomorrow Chair (2021-Present)
– Learning Area Delegate – Technology Leadership (2019-2021)
Michigan Educational Technology Specialists (METS)
– Executive Director (2020-2023)
– Director of Communications (2019-2020)
– Fall Rally Coordinator (2018)
