Dr. Dawn Brooks DeCosta is the Deputy Superintendent of Harlem Community School District 5, where she leads the Culturally Responsive and Affirming Social Emotional Leadership and Learning framework. Formerly the principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem, she focused on cultural responsiveness, social emotional learning, and academic achievement. With 28 years in education, Dawn served 16 years as a teacher in NYC Public Schools and 11 years as a principal. She also taught at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Queens. Her recognitions include Teacher of the Year 1998, Heroes of Education Award 2002, and Outstanding Educator 2002. Dawn is a 2015 Yale Institute Marvin Mauer Spotlight Award winner and a 2015 Cahn Fellow with Teachers College, Columbia University. Her published works address cultural and social emotional learning in education. She holds an EdD and M.S. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

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Connect with Dawn!

LinkedIn

Twitter/X & IG: @DeCostaDawn

Darren "dee" Dubose is past K-12 educator, a present community member, future doctoral candidate in the College of Education at Michigan State University. His current research interests connect to the application of lessons learned from graduates that attended separate but equal Black schools. Particularly, how these alternative knowledges influence educational policy decisions that Black school board members take part in a deficit education landscape in the 21st century. Outside of his scholarly research at MSU, dee is a current member of the 517 Wellness Committee in Lansing, Michigan; Vice President Board Member of Resilient Village; Leadership Fellow in The Graduate School at Michigan State
University.

Camelia (Mimi) Felton is a BYTA (Black Yoga Teacher Alliance) and a Yoga Alliance RYT500, E-RYT200, YACEP, a KAY (Kidding Around Yoga) Certified Kids Yoga Teacher, a Certified Meditation Instructor, a YBB (Yoga Behind Bars) certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor & a Reiki ll Practitioner. She is also currently enrolled at Prema Yoga Institute to become a certified Yoga Therapist. Mimi started Mimi's Yoga Kids in 2018 after realizing the many benefits of doing yoga with her young grandson. She knew that this was something that kids and their families needed. She couldn't find what she wanted so she decided to create it! She currently has a community yoga/wellness space in Peoplestown, a community in Atlanta, Georgia. She offers free yoga/wellness practices to the community and surrounding areas. She is very excited to share all these wonderful practices with children and their families. She wants to share her knowledge with the world to cultivate awareness on how these wonderful practices can teach all of us, especially our children, MINDFULNESS, INNER PEACE, MEDITATION & IMAGINATION!

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Connect with Mimi!

mimisyogakids.com

IG: @MimisYogaKids

Kailyn Fullerton, Ed.D is an educator and consultant passionate about supporting teachers, schools and families with the integration of mindfulness-based SEL into systems of practice. Coming from a background of teaching in international schools, Kailyn values play, curiosity, and presence in teaching and learning. Kailyn holds a Doctorate of Education from Antioch University, where her research focused on the mindfulness-based social-emotional learning for educators. She is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher with the MMTCP, and also holds SEL facilitator certifications from the organizations SEE Learning and 6 Seconds. She recently published a book chapter called Integrating SEL into Online Learning for Lower Elementary Learners in an International Context in the book “Exploring SEL in Diverse Academic Settings” and has also written for Edutopia. Born in Canada, Kailyn currently lives as an expatriate in Jakarta, Indonesia with her partner and four bonus children.

Connect with Kailyn!

LinkedIn

Twitter/X: @kaifull

Dr. Ashley Gibson is a veteran K-12 in-service educator in Houston, TX. Her areas of passion and expertise include building capacity for teacher critical consciousness and restorative practices. She earned her doctorate in Learning and Organizational Change at Baylor University where her research and writing centered on intersectional learning communities, restorative practice facilitation, and enacting culturally sustaining pedagogies. She has taught in a variety of K-12 classroom settings, including advanced placement rhetoric and composition, and social action. Dr. Gibson’s broader research and writing interests are included at the intersections of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). She also serves as a curriculum team member of Houston’s Project Curate, a faith-based social justice and activist collective, and enjoys reading, writing, teaching Zumba, and hanging out with her two cats James Baldwin and Mandy.

Connect with Ashley!

LinkedIn

Facebook: Ashley Gibson / Interior Learning

IG: @Interior_Learning

Dr. Drew Giles is committed to positively impacting the lives of children, families, and educators while shaping the future of early education. With a background in systems-thinking, developmentally appropriate practices, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care, he champions holistic child development and supports families and educators alike. In 2023, Drew co-authored "Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators," a resource for educators to understand trauma as well as its impact on young children’s brains, behavior, learning and development. Drew excels in creating innovative, human-centered systems that foster collaboration and sustainable growth, emphasizing conflict resolution and relationship building. Drew's doctoral research focused on mindfulness-based professional development in early education and currently serves as Executive Director, Preschool - 3rd Grade at San Francisco Unified School District in San Francisco, California.

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Connect with Dr. Drew!

LinkedIn

​Facebook: Drew Giles / Healing Minds Collective

Craig Aarons-Martin proudly serves as the CEO of CCM Education Group, an education consulting agency and progressive think tank powered to co-create solutions in school leadership, cultures of belonging, change management, and equity. Craig is an award-winning teacher & school leader with 20+ years of experience in urban education serving as a mentor, instructional coach, teacher developer, and professional learning facilitator. Martin also works with groups, individuals, and organizations to create bold and joyful solutions that amplify equity and belonging. Craig is also the co-host of SELinEDU, The Podcast. Craig was named the 2018 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the 2018 Elementary Principal of the Year by the Massachusetts School Administrators Association. In 2009, Boston Public Schools awarded Craig the Educator of the Year award. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Dillard University in his native New Orleans, Louisiana, and his Master of Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

To Connect with Craig Visit - https://ccmeducationgroup.co

Dr. Kristi Morale, a passionate educator, realized her dream of becoming a teacher early on in her childhood. After completing high school, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and embarked on a teaching career. After 14 years in the classroom and earning a Master’s Degree in Multiple-Subject Teaching, Kristi transitioned into leadership as a Social and Emotional Learning Specialist. Dr. Morale’s research focuses on the impact of social-emotional learning practices on the discipline rates of Black middle school girls. Inspired by her findings, she founded The Innocent Brown Girl Project, an educational consulting firm specializing in curriculum development and professional development for educators and advocates of Black and Brown Girls and gender-expansive youth. Kristi is a nationally recognized speaker and the host of The TeachHER Podcast, where she interviews experts in the field of girls' education and empowerment.

Connect with Dr. Kristi!

LinkedIn

Facebook: The Innocent Brown Girl Project

IG: @theinnocentbrowngirlproject

Twitter/X: @theIBGP

Sarah Said is an educator who has served in various roles: teacher, assistant principal, dean, curriculum coordinator and multilingual coordinator. Sarah is an advocate for the students she serves and is a strong voice in education. She currently works in Elgin School District U-46 as an ELL English teacher at the district's Alternative High School- Dream Academy. Sarah started her mindfulness journey years ago when we served as a district administrator- she saw she needed to work on herself and began practicing yoga. During the pandemic, Sarah wanted to support students and families in their mindfulness journey and became a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor through Breathe for Change. She is currently working on her 500 Hour Certification. Sarah runs Yoga, Tea and Justice, an organization she has just begun to support women, particularly Muslim Women in their Mindfulness and Yoga practice. She has been published in various publications such as Edutopia, Learning for Justice, EdWeek, Teaching Channel, and Confianza.

Connect with Sarah!

Twitter/X: @MrsSaid17

Denise Schira is a transformational educational leader and former NYC Department of Education assistant superintendent, central director, school administrator, and teacher that served over 1,000 schools in 30 districts for 30 years. As founder and educator of Wellness and Wellbeing, she continues to support and impact schools and communities as a mindfulness, yoga, somatic movement, restorative practices, social emotional learning, and crisis de-escalation specialist, practitioner, master trainer, and public speaker. Denise has served as Board Director on city, state, and national organizations, including New York Academy of Public Education, Council of School Supervisors &
Administrators, and New York State Association of Latino Administrators & Superintendents as co-founder. She has a BS in Human Development from Cornell University and an MS in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. Denise has been honored by multiple organizations for her excellence in educational leadership and outstanding service and she is a published author in the Latinx Radiance Trilogy, flamenco dancer, and actor.

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Connect with Denise!

LinkedIn

IG/X: @deniseschira

Kalee Thompson is a mother to two children, a yoga + meditation teacher, holistic educator, and elementary school counselor at the Atlanta International School. Kalee is a Transformative Educational Leadership Fellow and a meditation teacher on Insight Timer. In 2022, she gave a TEDx talk on “The Oh so Simple and Life-Changing Power of Gratitude”. Kalee is passionate about whole-school wellness and often leads workshops for students, staff, and parents on the topic. Kalee will soon publish her first book called One Breath at a Time: A Sacred yet Practical Guide to Living with Presence and Purpose as an Educator. It’s Kalee’s honor to teach mindfulness around the world in schools, homeless shelters, studios, backyards, and festivals. Gratitude is her religion and being present is her life’s work. To nourish her soul, Kalee loves spending time in nature with her family, riding horses, and designing dresses made of beautiful Indian textiles.

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Connect with Kalee!

LinkedIn

IG: @kaleethompson

Jamie has been an educator for 25 years. She has been fortunate to work in the public, private, and parochial systems. She focused her skills with at-risk preschoolers, low income / mission school elementary age students in East St. Louis, and two county safe school programs for grades 6-12. She has a BS double major in Speech Communication / English Language Arts and a minor in Psychology from SIUE. In 2018, she incorporated Mindfulness Based SEL in her classroom. She completed the 4 Foundation Classes through Mindful Schools. She studied with Fleet Maul and the Engaged Mindfulness Institute from 2023-2024. She graduated in June 2024 as a CMT-P (Certified Mindfulness Teacher Professional Level 300+ hours) and is a registered member with IMTA (International Mindfulness Teachers Association). She is the owner and sole operator of All About MMEE (Mindfulness, Meditation, Education, Exploration) LLC. She trains educators, first responders, medical professionals, and the general public on the importance of Mindfulness.

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Connect with Jamie!

LinkedIn

Facebook: Jamie B. Wasser-Goforth / Mindfulness, Meditation, Education, Exploration 

IG: @wasserjamie