Leading Equity

About Kelisa Wing

Kelisa Wing has been in education for 14 years. Her journey into the teaching profession began after she was honorably discharged from the United States Army. She served as a Youth Consultant for the Self-Expression Teen Theater (SETT) under the United Way in Toledo, Ohio. After moving to Germany with her family, she began substitute teaching, then transitioned to a Special Education paraprofessional, was a school secretary, and eventually, an Administrative Officer. She then taught 8th-grade Language Arts and Reading to military-connected students at Faith Middle School in Fort Benning, Georgia, has been an Elementary School Assistant Principal in West Point, New York, and is now a Professional Development Specialist in Virginia. Kelisa honorably served in the U.S. Army for six years and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. She is the author of 'Conversations' (2006), 'Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life’s Storms' (2017), 'Promises and Possibilities: Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline' (2018), 'If I Could: Lessons for Navigating an Unjust World', and a contributing author of 'Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher' (ASCD, 2019). She is a 2017 State Teacher of the Year, a 2016 Association of Supervision, Curriculum, and Development (ASCD) Emerging Leader, and the 2017 University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Edward Parnell Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. She is the only educator on the Education Civil Rights Alliance (ECRA) Steering Committee, and a member of the Leading Educator Ambassadors for Equity (LEAE) with the ECRA. As a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), she has led efforts for mentoring teacher leaders through a partnership with 100Kin10, and she is also a member of ASCD. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Learner Variability Project (LVP) & Digital Promise, ASCD’s Global Advisory Council, and the ASCD College Football Playoff Foundation (CFP) Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline Working Group. She speaks both nationally and internationally about discipline reform, equity, student engagement, and many other topics Kelisa holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UMUC, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, and an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. Kelisa credits her faith in God, and His grace, favor, and mercy as the key to her success. Kelisa lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and children.

Show Highlights

• Systemic Racism
• Teaching with Standards
• Overcoming Fears and Biases
• Teaching Black History
• Teaching Other Cultures to Students

Connect with Kelisa

Twitter: @kelisa_I2teach

Website: www.kelisawing.com

Additional Resources

If I Could: Lessons for Navigating An Unjust World

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Desmond Williams

Desmond served six years at an all-boys school in Washington DC, teaching four years and serving as principal for two more years. His first year as an administrator reading scores soared to 64% proficient. In his second year, and upon his departure, The Bishop Walker School boasted reading scores of 83% proficiency. After leaving BWS, Desmond founded and launched Nylinka School Solutions. One of Desmond’s big goals was to help other educators increase the level of engagement and investment of boys of color.  Mr. Williams does this by leveraging his experience and expertise to aid schools and school districts.  The goal of Nylinka School Solutions is to help children achieve their dreams one solution at a time. In all, Desmond has spent nine years as a teacher and seven as an administrator. However, his greatest satisfaction is seeing kids maintain their enthusiasm for leaving their mark on the world. He has recently ventured into the world of writing. His first book The Burning House: Educating Black Boys inModern America was released in February of 2020 and debuted as a #1 New Release. In the fall of 2020, Desmond will return to Howard University to pursue his PhD in Educational Psychology.

Show Highlights

• Educating Black Males
• Issues of Standardized Testing
• Alternative Way of Testing
• Strategies for Advocacy
• Disproportionalities in Special Education Programs
• The Other Health Impairment/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Label

Connect with Desmond

Twitter: @Nylinka

#sobtc

Website: www.Nylinka.org

Email: [email protected] 

Additional Resources

The Burning House: Educating Black Boys in Modern America

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Arun Boudh

Arun Boudh is Co-Founder and Director of Lokuttara Leadership Academy and its educational residence, Blossom Projects, which provides English, Technology, Mathematics, Art, humane education and various life skills to students from the most remote regions of Kerala. 

Arun is from Kerala, south India, with a BAin  Malayalam literature from BM College in Mavelikara, and a diploma in Buddhism and Social Work from Nagarjuna Training Institute in Nagaloka in Nagpur. He is a Buddhist Dhammamitra practicing in Triratna BouddhaMaghasangh. Arun has been collaborating with Dayamudra at  Jai Bhim International since 2009 and leads social work trainings, educational workshops, and Ambedkerite Buddhist teachings across Kerala. Earlier in his career, he launched The Ambedkar Education and Cultural Society, which evolved into a democratic public space for the learners and artists, providing English and Music education and hosting public forums on Ambedker thought. Arun has translated three works of  Dr. B.H. Ambedkar “Buddha and the Future of his Religion”, “1956 Conversion Speech”, “Buddha or Karl Marx”, as well as Urgyen Sangharakshita’s “Dhamma Revolution” into  Malayalam.

About Dayamudra Dennehy

Dayamudra Ann Dennehy is an ESL tenure track faculty member at City College of San Francisco, where she works with language learners at all levels of English language proficiency in Credit, Non-Credit, and Vocational classes, in face-to-face and online classes. Dayamudra has led grassroots educational projects with a Mayan weaving cooperative in Guatemala and a Roma/Gypsy community program in Hungary, taught at a language school in Indonesia, has led yoga and meditation workshops across the U.S., India, Mexico, Scotland, and Spain, and has studied 8 languages, including English. She founded her own non-profit organization, Jai Bhim International, in 2008, which she leads as volunteer Creative Director collaborating with with an India-based team on an alternative leadership academy, serving caste-oppressed Dalit and Adivasi students in Kerala who have dropped out of high school. Daya is currently enrolled in the Educational Leadership/ Equity and Social Justice doctorate program at San Francisco State University, to be completed 2021.

Show Highlights

• Youth Retreat for Dalit in India
• Growth of the Youth Retreat
• Dalit Youth Becoming Role Models
• Leadership Academy
• India Schooling System
• India's National Languages
• Success Stories of Leadership Academy

Connect with Arun

[email protected]

Connect with Daya

Twitter: @sfdaya

IG: @dayamudra_esl

Website: Blossom Projects

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Renae Azziz, Ed.D.

Dr. Renae Azziz is the Founder and Director of Virtuoso Education Consulting. She and her team of consultants support educators nationally with Equity-focused best practices.

Before starting Virtuoso Education Consulting, Renae practiced as a School Psychologist. Currently, Renae and team provide consultation, training, and facilitation to schools, districts, and State Education Agencies regarding Assessment, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Culturally Responsive Practices, Proactive Discipline, Implicit Bias, and Disproportionality in Special Education.  

Renae is the author of several articles and professional development resources geared to supporting educators with developing awareness, knowledge, and skills to meet the needs of all students.  Renae received her undergraduate and school psychologist training from Indiana University and earned her Doctorate in Education at The Johns Hopkins University.

Show Highlights

• The Problem of Disproportionality
• Causes of Disproportionality
• Making More Equitable Learning Environments
• How Disproportionality Effects School Discipline
• Mitigating Disproportionality in Schools

Connect with Renae

Twitter: @Virtuoso_Ed

Website: www.virtuosoed.com

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Kiera Vargas, JD

Kiera Vargas is an educator who realizes that one of the key components to teaching is to “love thy student and nurture them like your own.”

She has taught in North Carolina, she was the 2019 Teacher of the Year for Madison County, located in Madison, Florida, and taught for a Department of Defense Education Activity School in Kentucky, and she currently teaches in the Language, Literature, and Philosophy Department at Tennessee State University.

Kiera Vargas has presented on various topics; to include most recently, “Librarians Being Open-Minded Professionals: Fostering Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity,” Building Teacher/Relationship;

Kiera Vargas holds a BS in Journalism and Mass Communication concentration Public Relations and MS in English Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Juris Doctorate from Charlotte School of Law, and an MLIS from Drexel University.

Kiera’s research interests are: Critical Race Theory, School to Prison Pipeline, Minorities and

Education, The Education Gap, Education Policy, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, Information Literacy.

Main Points

• The Importance of Relationships During COVID-19
• Establishing Communication With Students
• Building Relationships During COVID-19
• Building Relationships Online
• Connecting With Students

Connect with Kiera

Twitter: @DrSurvivor
Website: www.epifhanyshappen.com

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Shamari Reid

Shamari is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in the department of Curriculum & Teaching where he is completing his dissertation on the agency of Black LGBTQ+ youth in NYC. Before starting his doctoral program, he completed a B.A. in Spanish Education at Oklahoma City University and an M.A in Spanish and TESOL at New York University. He has taught Spanish and ESL at the elementary, secondary, and post secondary levels in Oklahoma, New York, Uruguay, and Spain. Most recently, he began teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on Urban Education, Teaching Developmental Reading, and Literacy, Language, and Culture at CUNY-Hunter College. His research explores the possibilities of involving Black youth in explorations of their agency, activism, and advocacy and what such explorations could mean for the preparation of their teachers.

Connect with Shamari

Website: www.shamarireid.com

Twitter: @shamarikreid

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Terri Watson, Ph.D.

Terri N. Watson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership and Human Development at The City College of New York. A Harlem native, her research examines effective school leadership and is aimed to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of historically excluded and underserved students and families. Dr. Watson is the guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration and History (Taylor & Francis Group) titled, A Seat at the Table: Examining the Impact, Ingenuity, and Leadership Practices of Black Woman and Girls in PK – 20 Contexts (Publication Date: Summer 2020).

Show Highlights

• Difference Between Anti-Racist and Performative Wokeness
• Kindness is Already Practiced
• Risking Your Job for Anti-Racism
• Leading Anti-Racist Work
• Providing Representation of Everyone
• Reconstructing the School System

Connect with Terri

Twitter: @terrinwatson

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Amy Samuels, Ed.D.

Amy Samuels is an assistant professor at the University of Montevallo in Alabama where she teaches in the Instructional Leadership and Teacher Leadership programs. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Social Studies, with a minor in Black Studies, from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Later, she earned both her master’s and doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida where she specialized in curriculum policy and development, Critical Race Theory, and practices for fostering equitable schools. Regarding research, Dr. Samuels’ professional publications in journals and book chapters align with the topics of educational justice, culturally responsive pedagogy, and race and racism. She has delivered multiple presentations at national and international conferences such as the National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME), American Educational Researchers’ Association (AERA), and National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) on topics related to racially just schools, culturally responsive teaching, and strategies for creating inclusive classrooms. Her recent work includes Champions of Equity: Fostering Civic Education to Challenge Silence, Racial Inequity, and Injustice (Multicultural Perspectives, 2019), The Revolution Will be Live: Examining Educational (In)Justice through the Lens of Black Lives Matter (Journal of Educational Controversy, 2018), and Exploring Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Teachers’ Perspectives of Fostering Equitable and Inclusive Classrooms (The SRATE Journal, 2018).

• Discussions About Race in the Classroom
• The Idea of Fragility
• What To Do When a Teacher is Called “Racist”
• Having Difficult Conversations About Race
• Implicit Bias

Connect with Amy

Twitter: @ajasamuels27

Email: [email protected]

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Marty Martinez, Ed.D.

Dr. Marty Martinez is an educational leader in PreK-12 education at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) in Sacramento, CA.  Marty currently leads the SCOE Principals’ Academy which serves practicing public, charter and private school principals in enhancing their leadership capacity and in developing practical strategies to support the development of learning cultures where all students thrive. 

Marty has taught across multiple grade levels at the elementary school level, and served as a school principal/administrator at several diverse schools. In addition to his work at SCOE, Marty also teaches leadership and leading innovation courses in the Benerd School of Education’s Doctoral Program at the University of the Pacific.

Connect with Marty

Email: [email protected]

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins

About Beth Poss

Beth Poss is the Director of Educational Initiatives for LessonPix. She is also a speech/language pathologist and a former special education administrator, assistant principal, and assistive technology team member with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland. She is passionate about supporting all students in accessing a rigorous curriculum in a Universally Designed Learned educational environment. She is an adjunct faculty member for Johns Hopkins University and presents nationally on best practices in Universal Design for Learning, Special Education, Assistive Technology, Instructional Technology, and Early Childhood Education. Areas of special interest include Designing Inclusive Learning Environments, Visual Supports for Students with Disabilities, and Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Show Highlights

• What is UDL and why should educators be using it?
• Myths around UDL
• Differentiation vs UDL
• How to use UDL in the classroom

Connect with Beth

Twitter: @possbeth

Email: [email protected]

Additional Resources

UDL Resources

Culturally Responsive Design for English Language Learners, The UDL Approach by Patti Kelly Ralabate and Loui Lord Nelson

Dive Into UDL, Immersive Practices to Develop Expert Learners by Kendra Grant and Luis Perez

Your UDL Lesson Planner: The Step by Step Guide for Teaching All Learners by Patti Kelly Ralabate

LE 75: Universal Design for Learning with Dr. Martha Ryan-Toye

Connect with me on Instagram: @sheldoneakins