Anne Paonessa

Dr. Anne Paonessa is an experienced educator and leader with over 20 years in public education, serving as a teacher, principal, director of multilingual services, and assistant superintendent. As a Professional Learning Specialist with West40, she partners with school teams to design and lead instruction through coaching, leadership development, and job-embedded support. She works closely with administrators and instructional leadership teams to strengthen effective, inclusive practices. Her work focuses on improving outcomes for Multilingual Learners, advancing the Illinois Numeracy Plan, and helping educators design instruction that responds to the variability of student needs.

Anne is also an adjunct professor at National Louis University and co-author of Essential Connection Skills (Corwin, 2025). She is passionate about helping schools build meaningful connections that increase student engagement, attendance, and achievement. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, being with her dogs, golfing, kayaking, traveling, and staying active at the gym.