Summer Institute
Summer Institute Keynote Speakers
Dr. Jason Neiffer
Keynote Speaker – OPI Summer Institute 2026
Director of the MT Digital Academy
A Cast of Thousands: Reconsidering the Role of Expertise in an AI-Dominated World
Workshop: Making Sense of the Noise: Using NotebookLM for Professional Thinking
Susie Hedalen & José Muñoz
Keynote Speakers – OPI Summer Institute 2026
State Superintendent & Education Commission of the States President
Special Guests ECS Commissioners:
- Dr. Daniel Lee, UM
- Erin Ellis, EdD, Hellgate Elementary
- State Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe
- State Senator Sue Vinton
- Board of Public Education Chairman Dr. Tim Tharp
Dr. John Sommers-Flanagan
Keynote Speaker – OPI Summer Institute 2026
Center for the Advancement of Positive Education, University of Montana
Session: How to Grow Well-Being in Teachers and in Schools
Workshop: An Introduction to Strengths-Based Suicide Assessment
Dr. Matthew Burns
Keynote Speaker – OPI Summer Institute 2026
Professor of Special Education & Assistant Directory of the University of Florida Literacy Institute - UFLI
What to Do When the Interventions Didn't Work
Workshop: Using Data at Tiers 1 and 2 & How Do You Know if the Intervention Aligns to the Science?
OPI Staff Are Here to Help
Tammy Lysons, Continuing Education and Technical Assistance Unit Manager - 406.431.2309
Anne Carpenter, Program Support Specialist - 406.465.0922
Jenny Jarvis, MTSS/GT Program Support Specialist - 406.410.1140