Dr. Steven L. Layne serves as Chair of Graduate Programs in Literacy Education at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, where he teaches courses at both the Master and Doctoral level. He is a fifteen-year veteran of public education, serving as a classroom teacher and reading specialist in a wide span of grade levels.

Steve is a respected literacy consultant, motivational keynote speaker, and featured author, working with large numbers of educators and children during school visits and at conferences held throughout the world each year. His work has been recognized with awards for outstanding contributions to the fields of educational research, teaching, and writing from organizations such as USA Today, the Milken Family Foundation, the Illinois Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Illinois Reading Council, and the International Literacy Association.