Sheila Abron is a partner at Fisher Phillips, LLP. Certified as a specialist in employment and labor law by the South Carolina Supreme Court, Abron represents companies and educational institutions—large and small—as they navigate employment issues related to hiring, discipline, investigations, employment discrimination, unemployment, and other related issues.

Peter Adams is the News Literacy Project’s senior vice president of research and design and has been with the organization since 2009. He began his career in education as a classroom teacher in the New York City schools. He also has worked with the New York City Teaching Fellows Program, as a youth media after-school instructor in the Chicago Public Schools, and as an adjunct instructor at Roosevelt University and Chicago City Colleges.

Edward R. Amend, PsyD a clinical psychologist at The Amend Group in Lexington, KY, focuses on the social, emotional, and educational needs of gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent youth, adults, and their families. He is co-author of the revised edition of A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children: A Resource for Caregivers and Advocates, as well as other award-winning books, chapters, and articles about gifted children. He presents internationally, and his service includes leadership roles with the National Association for Gifted Children, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, and The G WORD film’s Advisory Board.

Tim Bono, PhD is a faculty member in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis where his teaching and research focuses on positive psychology and college student development. His work has been featured in media outlets including NBC News, CNN, Fast Company, and the Associated Press. Thousands of students have taken his popular courses on the Psychology of Young Adulthood and the Science of Happiness. He summarizes the research along with how his students have put that information into practice in their own lives, in his book, Happiness 101: Simple Secrets to Smart Living & Well-Being.

Leila Brammer is the director of curriculum for the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression at the University of Chicago. She established a nationally recognized civic learning curriculum and a community-based public deliberation and dialogue program, and works with high schools, colleges, and civic leaders to build capacities for productively engaging about, with, and across differences and disagreements. At the University, she develops curricula, programming, and outreach to advance the Chicago Principles of Freedom of Expression and foster the capacity for vigorous, inclusive, and productive discourse in the classroom, campus, and civic life.

Peggy Campbell-Rush is an internationally recognized education expert who provides coaching, mentoring, and instructional support to teachers and students. She has been honored as a Fulbright Specialist and Fulbright Fellow, inducted twice into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, and named to the USA Today All-American Teacher Team. A two-time New Jersey Teacher of the Year, she was appointed by the U.S. government as a Fulbright Education Specialist, supporting educational efforts in more than 150 countries.

Tim Fish is founder and partner at Two Chairs Studio, a strategy and design firm focused on doing deep work with purpose-driven organizations. Before forming Two Chairs, Fish was the chief innovation officer at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). He has worked with over 500 independent schools, conducted 200 board retreats, and talked with thousands of school leaders. While at NAIS, he led internal innovation efforts, was a member of the Strategy Lab team, and served as the host of the New View EDU podcast. In addition, Fish was the founding president and CEO of the FolioCollaborative and is the co-author of the book Leadership and Technology at Independent Schools.  

Berit Gordon believes every student deserves an exceptional teacher, and she's dedicated her work to making that possible. She shares practical strategies that transform overwhelmed educators into confident classroom leaders. Having taught at all levels from elementary through college, including working with new teachers at Columbia University Teachers College, she brings deep classroom experience to supporting educators through the daily challenges and rewards of this demanding profession. Her workshops, presentations, and books (including The Joyful Teacher, No More Fake Reading, and The New Teacher Handbook) help educators thrive rather than survive.

Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC is the host of The Neurodiversity Podcast, which explores the psychological, educational, and social needs of neurodivergent people throughout their lifespan. She also is the author of several books for educators and parents related to supporting neurodivergent young people; her most recent book, Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted and Supported, was published in January 2025. She started her career in education and now works as a mental health counselor in private practice outside of St. Louis, MO. 

Sessions:

T-01 Using the Metacognitive Cycle to Improve Executive Functioning
Thursday • 9 a.m.

T-20 Creating a Neurodiversity-affirming School
Thursday • 10:30 a.m.

T-40 Beyond Behavior Charts: Reframing & Rethinking Behavior Through a Neurodiversity-affirming Lens
Thursday • 1:30 p.m.

Rosetta Lee is an outreach specialist at Seattle Girls’ School, where she designs and delivers trainings for all constituencies of the school community, as well as schools, nonprofits, and businesses throughout world. She has been a speaker and trainer on topics, including cross-cultural communication, identity development, implicit and unconscious bias, gender and sexuality diversity, facilitation skills, and bullying in schools. Lee has presented at conferences and has worked with over 450 organizations throughout the country. She has a BA from Harvard University.

Jessica Minahan, PhD, BCBA is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator, as well as a consultant to schools internationally. Minahan has over 17 years of experience supporting students who exhibit challenging behavior in urban public school systems. She is the co-author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students, and author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors. For more information, visit www.jessicaminahan.com.

Kristin Smith is a partner in the Houston and Minneapolis offices and a co-chair of the education industry group at Fisher & Phillips LLP. Her practice focuses exclusively on independent and private schools. Smith assists schools in a variety of areas, including student and employee discipline; faculty, staff, and student contract drafting; handbook and policy drafting, implementation, and enforcement; LGBTQ issues, including transgender students and employees; board governance and training; discrimination claims and EEOC charges; administration and faculty training and development; school entanglement in family court proceedings; and, investigations, litigation, arbitration and mediation.

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa is co-founder of Conexiones: The Learning Sciences Platform, an instructor at the Harvard University Extension School where she teaches The Neuroscience of Learning: An Introduction to Mind, Brain, Health and Education, and an associate editor of Nature Partner Journal Science of Learning. As a researcher in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and education, she is the author of 12 books and dozens of peer-reviewed articles on themes ranging from improved indicators to measure educational quality and the expansion of the Mind, Brain, and Education field.

Heidi Tringali is a pediatric occupational therapist, speaker, and writer. She founded Tringali Occupational Therapy Services (T.O.T.S) in response to a need for occupational therapy services in independent schools. T.O.T.S. now provides support and consultative services to independent schools and pre-schools throughout the country. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, where she serves as a media expert. Tringali holds a certification with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, BA degrees in special education and psychology from Hastings College, and an MS degree in occupational therapy from Tufts University.

Lisa Van Gemert shares best practices in education with audiences around the world. She is a consultant and advisor to television shows including Lifetime’s Child Genius, a writer of award-winning lesson plans, numerous articles on social psychology and pedagogy, and four books, including the award-winning Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing Never Good Enough. Van Gemert is a former teacher, school administrator, and Youth & Education Ambassador for Mensa. For resources for educators and parents visit her websites: giftedguru.com and vocabularyluau.com. 

Emma Cradock, PhD is a researcher and consultant at 9ine, specializing in artificial intelligence, data protection, and privacy law and regulation. She holds a PhD from the University of Southampton, where her research bridged the fields of computer science and law. Before transitioning to the education sector, Cradock advised large corporations on navigating complex legal and ethical issues in emerging technologies.

Nicole Hager is director of school partnerships at Authentic Connections. Prior to Authentic Connections, Hager was an administrator in independent schools for nearly 30 years, and her work focused primarily on student well-being, with a particular focus on supporting students of color and LGBTQ+ students. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in English, psychology, and education.

Evan Harris is a national expert on emerging AI risks in schools, with a focus on deepfake abuse and digital safety. He has advised the Office of the First Lady, the Texas State Senate, and the general counsel of NAIS, where he co-authored the legal guide on deepfake sexual abuse. A former teacher and administrator with a decade of experience in independent schools, Harris holds a masters from Teachers College and was a technology ethics fellow at Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. 

John Krownapple began his career as an elementary school teacher and, over the years, has served as a district-level curriculum specialist, professional development facilitator, and organizational development administrator. Additionally, he was an adjunct professor at The Johns Hopkins University for 17 years. Krownapple has partnered with schools and districts as an educational consultant, cofounded Dignity Consulting LLC, and written articles and books, including coauthoring Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation and Teaching with Dignity: How to Cultivate Classroom Ecosystems Where People Thrive.

Nina L. Kumar is co-founder and chief executive officer of Authentic Connections, an organization aimed at maximizing well-being in school communities using a holistic approach and cutting-edge surveys. Prior to Authentic Connections, Kumar was a product manager at IBM Watson Health. She graduated from Williams College with a BA in computer science and psychology and a concentration with honors in cognitive science. 

Shelly W. Peters is the principal of Crane + Peters, a strategic communications firm specializing in branding, marketing, planning, and internal alignment exclusively for schools, universities, and nonprofits. She fosters empowering conversations and connections across many levels of an organization, with external audiences and prospects, across internal constituencies, and among members of teams, departments, and divisions. She holds a dual BA from Emory University and studied learning and organizational change at Northwestern University.

Brad Rathgeber is the president & CEO of One Schoolhouse, a nonprofit that supports academic leaders in more than 300 independent schools via a program that helps expand their schools' course offering, and as an association for academic leaders to provide the community, learning, and resources for academic leaders to be successful in their current and future roles. Prior to One Schoolhouse, Rathgeber worked as a teacher and administrator at Holton-Arms School and in higher education. He earned a bachelors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar, and has a masters from Dartmouth.

Laura Tierney is the founder and CEO of The Social Institute, a leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students' futures through #WinAtSocial, their unique, peer-to-peer learning approach that integrates teacher professional development, family resources, student voice insights, and more. The Social Institute’s positive, student-led approach has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and USA Today.