As a writing teacher on a mission, Amber Parks is one of our country’s leading experts on writing. When she developed Writing with Design (www.writingwithdesign.com), she set out to transform the caliber of writing in classrooms across the country. Writing with Design’s (WWD) revolutionary approach completely flips the writing process and provides teachers a scaffolded, skill development-aligned approach that makes writing manageable, relevant, and purposeful across every grade level and content area. Amber first learned the power of writing on the other side of the desk, as a student. She won highly competitive essay competitions and scholarships throughout high school and college, allowing her to attend college and graduate school with over $250,000 in winnings. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Education in Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision from the University of Oklahoma. Coming full circle, an integral part of WWD for her is coaching college bound and college-curious students on scholarships and college admissions, through her program called ScholarBound (www.scholarbound.com). Her years of experience in public education include teaching in Spain, South Africa, Mississippi, and Oklahoma before launching Writing with Design. Each week, she is in schools to train and support teachers as they integrate WWD across the curriculum. Believing WWD is only as effective as students view it, she regularly meets with students to better understand and gain their input on how WWD can pique their interest and make writing relevant. She possesses the vision of what writing-focused schools can accomplish, the expert-level understanding of child development and writing skills to successfully lead the transformation, and the passion to see all students become articulate, adept, analytical writers.