As one of three Lead Senior Staff Developers at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, M. Colleen Cruz is called upon to oversee, keynote, and lead general sessions at all the Project's institutes, including the Content Literacy institute, the writing institute, and the reading institute. Colleen leads writing groups for her colleagues, writes curriculum for the organization, and provides staff development at TCRWP's mentor schools, including for example the renowned PS 29, as well as PS 59, the school where she first taught. Colleen is the author of many books, including a novel for children (Border Crossing) and two other professional books. She is especially known for her… advocacy and engagement with inclusive classroom settings, her leadership work in fiction and fantasy, her engagement with social media, and her fierce advocacy of justice.