Lana M. Tatom, Ed.D. is a Leader of Education, a Visionary, Author, and Speaker. Her mission is to educate, empower and inspire people of all ages to recognize their goals, become the person they want to be, and create the life of their dreams. She is an elementary school principal of an IB world school, Dundee Elementary Academy, that is passionate about education and began working at age fourteen paying her way through college.
She recently completed her Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership at Florida Southern College and holds an Educational Specialist Degree from NOVA Southeastern University in Curriculum, Instruction, Management, and Administration; a Masters of Arts Degree from Eastern Michigan University in Elementary Education and Computer Applications in the Classroom; and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Eastern Michigan University. She has spent the last twenty seven years working in public education serving in a variety of roles starting as a Child Care Provider; Substitute Teacher; Classroom Teacher; Title I Teacher and Literacy Leader; Director of State and Federal Programs; Directory of Elementary Education; Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; and Principal. She has received awards for both her leadership and teaching abilities including the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association Administrator of the Year Award, Michigan Association of School Board’s Education Excellence Award and the Exemplary Educational Endeavors from the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce. She worked with the Michigan Department of Education’s Freedom to Learn one-to-one laptop programs which provided every middle school student with a laptop computer in the new state of the art middle school. She has presented at several conferences regarding technology in education, parent involvement, student-led conferencing, and using data to increase student achievement.
She a Distinguished Toastmaster, and has served as Area Director and Vice President of Education in the Lakeland Toastmasters club where she earned her Advanced Communicator Gold and Advanced Leader Bronze awards. While working on her Doctorate degree many years ago, she realized that she wanted to take some time away to write on more of a personal level of the human experience reflecting on the experiences throughout her life and the life of her Grandmother who passed away to honor her life and heal from the past and pursue yoga teacher certification. She teaches yoga in her community at Carillon Lakes. She is serving as President of her local Delta Kappa Gamma chapter. She uses the China her Grandmother gave thirty years ago every day because we are all on our journey to heaven and every day in life we have the opportunity to make it special…www.ajouirneytoheaven.com
She first attended the I Can Do It conference in November 2009. Here is a picture of Louise Hay signing my book that she wrote called You Can Heal Your Life.
She also attended the I Can Do It at Sea Cruise. She attended the Writer's Workshop and the Movers and Shakers workshop. She highly recommends attending this fabulous opportunity! She was a bit nervous taking this trip on my own, but the first person she met was Priti our yoga instructor for the week on the cruise. Yoga every morning with her was an amazing experience!
When she returned from the trip she joined Toastmasters which was recommended on the cruise to improve public speaking and leadership skills. Funny story right when she returned from the cruise finding a Toastmaster group was at the top of my list of things to do. She returned on Friday, that Saturday she happend to be talking to her friend Leah and she said, "Have you ever heard of Toastmasters? I am starting on Monday." "I am going with you!" she replied.
