Keynote Speakers for the 2013 National Conference

Madeline Levine PhD

Tuesday, February 12
Madeline Levine, PhD, is a psychologist with close to thirty years of experience as a clinician, consultant, and educator.  She is the bestselling author of the books The Price of Privilege, and Teach Your Children Well, was a co-founder of Challenge Success, and has been featured on television programs from The Early Show to The Lehrer Report and on NPR stations.  As featured in Teach Your Children Well, Madeline will share how the current definition of success stresses academically talented kids, while marginalizing many more whose talents and interests are less amenable to measurement; and how the development of skills needed to be successful in the 21st century—creativity, collaboration, innovation—are not easily developed in our competitive, fast-paced, high pressure world.

Peg Smith

Tuesday, February 12
With nearly three decades of experience as a change agent in youth development and transformation, Peg L. Smith is ACA’s chief executive officer. ACA is the champion of better tomorrows — providing resources, research, and support for developmentally appropriate camp experiences. Prior to joining ACA in 1998, she was the executive director of the Indiana Youth Institute. Peg is a regular presenter at both state and national conferences for varied professional associations and youth-serving groups and serves on the board of the National Collaboration for Youth.

Mawi Asgedom

Wednesday, February 13
Nationally recognized educator and author of eight books, Mawi has spoken to over 1,000,000 in more than forty states. As a child, Mawi fled civil war in Ethiopia and survived a Sudanese refugee camp for three years. After being resettled in the U.S., he overcame poverty, language barriers, and personal tragedy to graduate from Harvard University, where he gave the commencement address to an audience of 30,000. He has been featured by The Oprah Winfrey Show, ESSENCE, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Harvard Magazine, and Ebony Magazine.

Dr. Lorena Garza Gonzalez

Thursday, February 14 
Lorena  is a nationally recognized leader and strategist in strengthening Hispanic communities.  Prior to her work at Urban Strategies, she led efforts in developing, designing, implementing and evaluating family, parent and community leadership programs with AVANCE.  Cross-cultural group dynamics, including communication, conflict management and team/individual motivation represent just a portion of her areas of expertise. Recently, she co-authored a book, “Inheritance: Discovering the Richness of Latino Culture and Families.” 
  

Paul Tough

Thursday, February 14
Paul Tough challenges our culture’s belief that intelligence, endlessly measured by test scores, is the sole indicator of value in our education system.  As author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, he ushers in a tidal change in thinking and argues that non-cognitive skills—or, character—are better indicators of success: curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, self-control, and grit.  He is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and a speaker on various topics including education, poverty, parenting, and politics. 

Gary Krahn, PhD

Friday, February 15
Gary has been an invited speaker at the National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Mathematics Association of America, and universities around the world. As the head of Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, he has been part of an educational team that guides students to become leaders of character who can anticipate and respond effectively to the uncertainties of a changing technological, social, political, and economic world. Gary believes that K–12 education will be the significant ingredient for the future success of our nation. Gary is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who served for over twenty-nine years on active duty before retiring in the grade of brigadier general. His PhD is in applied mathematics, and his broad areas of research include cryptography, leadership, and learning.
 

Keynote speakers sponsored by Markel Insurance.