Blue Roads Education

Patti specializes in providing customized learning experiences for community leaders in rural settings. Her work helps educators, business leaders, family advocates and leaders of community-based organizations develop local changemakers.

Patti customizes her events to best meet the needs of each specific audience she serves. She offers keynote addresses, onsite and virtual consultations, webinars, workshops, ½ day to 4-day trainings, and facilitates ongoing communities of practice. Her work supports leaders in improving global competencies while developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions of global citizenship in the young people they hope to influence.

Patricia A. Talbot, Ed. D., has over 35 years of experience in higher education and K-12 public education. Prior to founding Blue Roads Education Group in 2018, she served as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Elementary Education in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership (STEL) at Radford University. She still teaches in the Educational Leadership Program as Adjunct Faculty for RU. Her eleven years as university faculty followed more than 25 years in Virginia’s Montgomery County Public School system as a classroom teacher, elementary counselor, school principal and Director of Instructional Services and Professional Development. She has been active in the leadership of a study abroad program for pre-service teachers in Malawi, Africa since 2008. This effort intensified her desire to “globalize” teacher and leader preparation particularly in rural areas like the Appalachian Mountain region she calls home.

Talbot holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts degree in Pupil Personnel Services and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership, all from Virginia Tech. She is licensed by the Virginia Department of Education in the following areas: Division Superintendent, Administration and Supervision PreK-12, Elementary School Counselor, Elementary Grades 4-7 and Early Education NK-4.

Dr. Talbot’s research interest lies primarily in the area of leadership for global education. Publications include:

Bizzell, B., Kahila, R. C., Talbot, P.A. (Eds.). (In Progress). Global Competence for Educational Diplomacy in International Settings. IGI-Global

Bizzell, B., Talbot, P.A. (Eds.). (2016). Developing Globally Minded and Culturally Proficient School Leaders: Voices of Aspiring Leaders. National Council of Professors of Educational Administration.

Talbot, P. A., Bizzell, B. E. (2016). Teaching, Technology, and Transformation. In Rosemary Papa, Fenwick W. English (Ed.), Educational Leaders Without Borders: Rising to Global Challenges to Educate All. (1st ed., pp. 84-104). Springer International Publishing. (link hidden)

Talbot, P. A., Powell, J. J. (2016). Engaging Heads, Hands and Hearts to Optimize Study Abroad Outcomes. In Joan A. Rhodes and Tammy Milby (Eds.), Advancing Teacher Education and Curriculum Development through Study Abroad Programs. Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global: Disseminator of Knowledge.

Talbot, P., Bisha, J. & Neely, A. (2013). Building community across continents: a critical ecological model for examining relationships in an international partnership. Global Education Journal. 2013 (2).

Talbot, P. (2011) Aha Malawi! Envisioning Field Experiences that Nurture Cultural Competencies for Preservice Teachers. The International Journal of Multicultural Education. 13(1).

Talbot, P. (2010) Nurturing Cultural Competence with Intentional Field Experience in Unfamiliar Places. The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education. 6(3).

FOR KEYNOTE ADDRESSES:

MICROPHONE
• Order of preference for microphone: 1) Hands free microphone (lapel or country-man mic).
2) Wireless Handheld. 3) Handheld microphone with at least 30 feet of cord.
• Sound System has been tested for proper operation.

STAGE / LIGHTS
• Patti prefers a well-lit stage that is open and empty. She does not need a podium.
• Please leave the house lights on enough so that Patti can see the audience from stage.

SEATING ARRANGEMENT
• Please sit audience directly in front of Patti in a theater style setting. No seating behind or to the side of Patti while she speaks.
• If Patti is speaking at a school, she prefers to have the assembly in an auditorium. If a gymnasium is the only option, sit students only on one side with the remainder on the gym floor or contact us to discuss other options.
• The audience should be seated as close to the stage as possible.

RESOURCE TABLE
• Please put a table beside the exit of the room so Patti can share resources and autograph merchandise for your group.
• There should be a 15-minute break immediately after Patti's speech in which she can interact with audience members, sign autographs, take photos, etc.

OTHER NOTES
• Two bottles of water would be greatly appreciated. Room temperature is preferable.

FOR WORKSHOPS
• Order of preference for microphone: 1) Hands free microphone (lapel or country-man mic).
2) Wireless Handheld. 3) Handheld microphone with at least 30 feet of cord.
• Sound System has been tested for proper operation.
• Workshop audiences should be limited to approximately 150 participants.
• Participants should be seated at round tables with 6 to 8 people at each table if at all possible.
• Wall space should be available for posting "sticky notes" and "sticky note style" chart tablets
• One sticky note style chart tablet and one package of sticky notes and sharpie markers should be provided for each table. Any other materials will be provided by Patti's team.