8:30 am                Continental breakfast and networking

9:00 am                Welcome by Garth Lewis, Yolo County Superintendent

9:15 am                Keynote address by Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade

10:45 am             Break

11:00 am             Guided Group Discussion & Q&A with Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade

12:00 pm             Lunch and networking

12:45 pm             Speaker: Dr. Navdeep Purewal, Chief of Learning Services, Alameda County Office of Education

1:30 pm               Speakers: Sicola Elliott and Asher Ki, Californians for Justice

2:15 pm               Break

2:30 pm               Speaker: Elizabeth Estes, Founder, Breaking Barriers California

3:15 pm               Closing

 

Dr. Jeff Duncan Andrade, Ph.D., is a Professor of Latina/o Studies and Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. He was a founder of the Roses in Concrete Community School, a community-responsive lab school in East Oakland, and has been a classroom teacher and school leader in East Oakland for the past 29 years. He lectures around the world and has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on effective practices in schools. In 2016, Duncan-Andrade was part of a group of educators invited to the White House on National Teacher Appreciation Day by President Obama. In 2019, he was chosen as the Laureate for the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education.

 

 

Dr. Navdeep Purewal, Ed.D., is the Chief of Learning Services at the Alameda County Office of Education. She oversees the Core Learning and the Social and Emotional Learning departments. Navdeep works closely with state, county, and district leaders to emphasize the importance of access for all learners and research-based, culturally-responsive, and consistent professional learning for educators. Her work is embedded in equity, inclusion, and diversity, and she is a strong advocate of policies, programs, and practices that support the whole child. Navdeep collaborates with organizations across the state to ensure strategic and concerted efforts resulting in increased outcomes for students. She holds a B.S. in Biology, an M.A. in Education, and an Ed.D. in Learning and Instruction.

 

Elizabeth Estes is the founder of Breaking Barriers California. Elizabeth is the Executive Director of the California Institute on Law, Neuroscience, and Education (Cal Institute), which promotes a collaborative focus on neuroscience, law, education, and social justice to improve literacy outcomes for children and youth. She has dedicated her legal career to supporting schools and the children they serve. She founded Breaking Barriers in 2014 to bring together leaders from across child-serving systems throughout California who are united by the conviction that only through collaborative planning and problem-solving can we insure the educational, social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of California’s children and youth. 

 

 

Sicola Elliott is a Capacity Building Manager at Californians for Justice. In the role, she supports and oversees the implementation of the Relationship Centered School's Professional Learning Network with Long Beach Unified. Sicola works closely with the school district's leadership team, teachers, students, and the community to build capacity around student voice, teacher-student relationships, equity, and racial justice for school transformation. Sicola is a wife, a mother of three teenagers, a writer, an artist, and a skilled connector. She brings the positivity, encouragement, and realness needed to transform the energy in any room.   

 

 

Asher Ki is a Capacity Building Manager at Californians for Justice. He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of Cultured Seeds Inc., a community benefit organization invested in combating cultural stigma, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness surrounding mental health, trauma, and racial disparities amongst marginalized low-income LGBTQ+ communities of color. Asher has a passion for making a difference in his community by advocating for racial, social, and educational justice as well as building the capacity of individuals, and organizations.