2015 Educator of Excellence Award Recipients ® AFRICAN AMERICAN REA REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCES 6th Annual Professional Development Summit January 30, 2015 ConneXion@Jack London Park Lifting as We Climb: Honoring Our Past Embracing the Present Cultivating the Future Summit Agenda 6:00pm Registration & Networking 6:30pm Educator of Excellence Awards 7:30pm A Conversation with Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Dr. Geneva Gay, and Dr. Joe Johnson 8:30pm Networking Sponsored by: ® AFRICAN AMERICAN REA REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCES ® Educational Enterprises, Inc. University of California Office of the President Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi Professor of Physics and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi is an astrophysicist, educator, and inventor. He received his doctorate in Physics from Stanford University. His post-doctoral work was performed at Applied Materials, Inc. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Oluseyi is a professor of Physics and Space Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology. He has begun working with the 100 Year Starship Project to help lay the groundwork in preparation for the first human mission to a nearby star system. Communicating the scientific process and the results of modern science to students and the public in the U.S. and around the world is his passion. He appears regularly in eight television series and has offered scientific expertise on news programs on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and Fox News. Dr. Gloria Ladson Billings Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Endowed Professors in Urban Education and is Faculty Affiliate in the Departments of Educational Policy Studies and Afro American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ladson-Billings’ research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She also investigates Critical Race Theory applications to education. Ladson-Billings is the author of the critically acclaimed books, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children, Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms, and Beyond the Big House: African American Educators on Teacher Education. She is editor of five other books and author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Geneva Gay Professor of Education, University of Washington-Seattle Dr. Geneva Gay is Professor of Education at the University of Washington-Seattle where she teaches multicultural education and general curriculum theory. She is nationally and internationally known for her scholarship in multicultural education, particularly as it relates to curriculum design, staff development, classroom instruction, and intersections of culture, race, ethnicity, teaching, and learning. Dr. Gay's writings include numerous articles and book chapters, including Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Practice, & Research (Teachers College Press, 2000); and editor of Becoming Multicultural Educators: Personal Journey Toward Professional Agency (JosseyBass, 2003). Culturally Responsive Teaching received the 2001 Outstanding Writing Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Dr. Joe Johnson Executive Director, National Center for Urban School Transformation & Professor of Urban Education at San Diego State University Dr. Johnson is the Dean of the College of Education at San Diego State University and the Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) and the QUALCOMM Professor of Urban Education at San Diego State University. At NCUST, he identifies, studies, and promotes the best practices of high performing urban schools and districts. He has received outstanding educator awards in both New Mexico and Texas. He has published multiple articles, book chapters, and reports. His latest work, co-authored with Dr. Cynthia L. Uline and Dr. Lynne Perez, Teaching Practices from America’s Best Urban Schools describes teaching practices in urban schools that achieve outstanding results for diverse populations of students. 2015 Educator of Excellence Award Recipients continued... Board of Directors Bobbie Brooks Barbara DeBarger Robyn Fisher Michele Molitor Dr. Nina Moore Rev. Dr. Elston Perry Rev. Tommy Smith LaShon Smith Dr. Evelyn Wesley Debra Watkins Founder and Executive Director, California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) Debra Watkins received a Master’s degree in Education from the Stanford University's Teacher Education Program and Life-time Teaching Credentials in English, French and Psychology. Debra was instrumental in securing funding to ensure the on-time graduation of a cohort of African American students through Project Word, a model program for districts seeking to close the opportunity gap and reduce high school drop-out rates. She is the founder and Executive Director of the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) and one of the founders of the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators. Debra also created the Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program (GSP), a model program that assists youth successfully complete higher education in STEM. Executive Director Monique August Advisory Council Alameda County Board of Supervisor Keith Carson Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success Assemblymember Joan Buchanan Assemblymember Rob Bonta California State University, East Bay Castro Valley Unified School District Chabot College Congressman Eric Swalwell Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney Hayward Unified School District Holy Names University Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Making Waves Foundation Mills College New Haven Unified School District Oakland Unified School District Pleasanton Unified School District R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises, Inc. San Leandro Unified School District San Lorenzo Unified School District University of California Office of the President To learn more about AAREA, visit our website at www.theaarea.org or follow us on Facebook Audrey Miles Teacher, Anna Yates Elementary School, Emery Unified School District; & Alameda County Teacher of the Year Audrey Miles earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts studies from Holy Names University and after receiving her teaching certificate in 1997, began teaching at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Richmond, California until moving to Anna Yates Elementary School in Emeryville, California. As a strong advocate of hands-on, inquiry based learning, she has always encouraged her students to be active members in community service projects, civic engagements, and political advocacy. As Board President on the West Contra Costa Unified School District School Board , she kept student learning and academic achievement as the top priority of West Contra Costa Board's goals. She fought to keep class sizes small and refused to agree to reduce the school year as a means to balance the district budget. Laura Babitt Executive Director, Parents of Children of African Descent (PCAD) Laura Babitt is the Executive Director of Parents of Children of African Descent (PCAD), a volunteer parent organization which advocates for equity in educational results within the Berkeley Unified School District. She is an active member of 5 district /school site committees. By being an active participant in her daughter’s experience at Berkeley High School (BHS), she learned of the great disparities in the treatment, placement, and overall educational experience a majority of black students were facing. Very quickly, she became a voice for equity at PTA meetings, the Principal’s office, the District Office, the Superintendent’s office, and School Board meetings; advocating for systemic change to support black students and families in education. ® AFRICAN AMERICAN REA ® Educational Enterprises, Inc. REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCES Continue the conversation at the… University of California Office of the President 6th Annual Professional Development Summit January 31, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm Oakland Marriott City Center - Junior Ballroom 1000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607 Registration opens at 8am