Speakers & Facilitators

Below, please find session descriptions along with the session speakers and facilitators. To learn more about the speakers and facilitators, hover over their pictures and read their bios.

 

Where Education Policy is Made

We’ll kick off the day together talking about what policy is made at the local and state levels. As we always say, to be an effective advocate, you have to know who to advocate to!

Elisa Hoffman

Elisa is a parent, former teacher, and education advocate who has worked for more than twenty-five years on issues of educational equity. She began her career as a teacher, first in rural Mississippi and then in Washington, DC. Elisa then joined staff at Teach For America where she served in a number of roles on the recruitment team and the human assets team. Working in policy on systems change had long been an interest of Elisa’s and in November 2013, she won election to a four-year term on the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education. In 2018, Elisa founded School Board School through a People’s Liberty/Haile Foundation Fellowship.

Elisa is originally from the quintessential New England town of Longmeadow, MA. She earned her undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity College. When she’s not working with the School Board School team, Elisa enjoys reading (just about anything), writing (mostly fiction), and hanging out with her husband and their twin high-schoolers.

Elisa Hoffman School Board School

Dr. Christina Collins

Dr. Collins is the Executive Director of Honesty for Ohio Education. She most recently served as an elected member of the Ohio State Board of Education where she represents District 7. Before redistricting, she represented her home community of Medina. She is a strong collaborative leader with deep knowledge of education policy and practice in Ohio and beyond, and a strong commitment to public education as an advocate rooted in community.

In addition to her time on the State Board of Education, Dr. Collins’ experience includes pre-apprenticeship work for the Medina County Economic Development Corporation, teaching at the k-12 and college level, and curriculum leadership for local school districts.

Dr. Christina Collins Honesty for Ohio Education

Keynote with Dr. David Niven, Nationally Renowned Political Scientist

Learn how the upcoming national election may impact education locally.

David Niven


David Niven (Ph.D., Ohio State University) teaches American politics and conducts research on political campaigns, gerrymandering, political communication and death penalty policy. David is the author of several books including The Politics of Injustice: The Kennedys, The Freedom Rides and the Electoral Consequences of a Moral Compromise (University of Tennessee Press) and has published research in numerous journals including the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Polity, Social Science Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and the Journal of Black Studies. David has testified as an expert witness and consulted on gerrymandering cases in state and federal courts and wrote an amicus brief submitted to the Ohio Supreme Court in Preterm Cleveland v. Yost. David's political analysis has been quoted widely including in the New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker. David has worked as a speechwriter for political and academic leaders including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and Ohio State University President Gordon Gee.

Dr. David Niven University of Cincinnati

What Does a School Board Do? 

To be an effective advocate you have to know who to advocate to! In this session, you’ll learn about who does what in your school district- the board or the administration- and who has the power to change the things you care about. 

Elisa Hoffman

Elisa is a parent, former teacher, and education advocate who has worked for more than twenty-five years on issues of educational equity. She began her career as a teacher, first in rural Mississippi and then in Washington, DC. Elisa then joined staff at Teach For America where she served in a number of roles on the recruitment team and the human assets team. Working in policy on systems change had long been an interest of Elisa’s and in November 2013, she won election to a four-year term on the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education. In 2018, Elisa founded School Board School through a People’s Liberty/Haile Foundation Fellowship.

Elisa is originally from the quintessential New England town of Longmeadow, MA. She earned her undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity College. When she’s not working with the School Board School team, Elisa enjoys reading (just about anything), writing (mostly fiction), and hanging out with her husband and their twin high-schoolers.

Elisa Hoffman School Board School

Combating Extremism on Local School Boards

Every student, family, and staff member deserves a school system where they are safe, included, and valued. Learn how to bring people together in your community to push back against extremism and focus your school board on building schools where every child can thrive. 

Natalie Hastings

Natalie Hastings draws upon 15 years of experience in strategic communications, including agency and in-house work. Prior to creating NHC, she was director of strategic communications for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. She also previously served as public relations director at Crossroads Church, and as assistant director of communications and public relations director for Cincinnati Art Museum. She currently serves as a Researcher at Honesty for Ohio Education.

Natalie Hastings Honesty for Ohio Education

Bridget Rueter

From volunteering in the classroom for all three of my children, to leading
the communication efforts for a successful levy campaign, Bridget has been supporting her public school district— Lakota— for almost 15 years. As a volunteer, she managed school board campaigns, and led social media
efforts for a state Senate campaign. When two extremists were elected to
her school board in 2021, she worked with a small group to start organizing
friends and neighbors to raise awareness of what was being discussed
during school board meetings. She’s seen people show up at meetings and
speak out to show the community that the majority of people in Lakota
believe that all students deserve a quality public education. Her group has
grown into a resource for over 550 like-minded people in West Chester and
Liberty Township.

Professionally, she brings experience in market research, social media
marketing, and even a few years spent as a substitute teacher. Her
educational journey, from a solid K-12 experience in the Forest Hills School
District to earning a sociology degree at Miami University, shaped her
passion for educational equity and community engagement. Joining Red
Wine & Blue a year ago allowed her to further use her skills to make a
positive impact in Ohio, combining her professional expertise with her
dedication to public education.

Bridget Rueter Red Wine and Blue

Authentically Hearing Student Voices

Learn from current students and organizations that support them about how you can create systems and spaces where student voices are centered in decision-making. 

Mary Maune

Mary Maune began leading the Hamilton County Commission on Women & Girls in December of 2021. In her role, she oversees the Commission's efforts of engaging with community partners, civic organizations, and local governments in identifying gaps of service, areas of insufficient resources, and opportunities for collaboration that could lead to better outcomes for the women and girls of Hamilton County.

Each year the Commission works to build off the previous year's list of recommendations, while also researching new challenges and opportunities to implement change. In her role, she works with Hamilton County Administration and community stakeholders to implement the recommendations and initiatives proposed by the Commission on Women & Girls, while continuing to lead the group's ongoing work and community building.

Through the Commission on Women & Girls, Mary engages community members from across the region to learn through thoughtful discussion, research, and collaboration to drive policy changes that build a more equitable and thriving community for Hamilton County and beyond.

Amy Tuttle

Amy Tuttle has supported local and international efforts in the field of Creative Arts Programming for the past 10 years. Tuttle has an MA in “Community Arts: Arts in Transformation” and her experiences range from leading professional trainings around the world to offering creative arts workshops/classes with local organizations. Tuttle loves engaging in community-building via expression/art-making and she especially loves supporting Teaching Artists as they share their gifts with the community. She has also served the community as an Arts & Healing practitioner, supporting individuals and communities with creative expression, story-based connection, and trauma-support. She believes that practices of re-connection and expression play an important role in personal growth, community-building, and cultural transformation. Locally, Tuttle has worked closely with Indigo Hippo, Price Hill Will, Baker Hunt, Imago Earth Center, Cincinnati Arts Association, Pones Inc., and Grailville.

Amy Tuttle Wordplay Cincy

Elyse Jenkins Prescott

Elyse, a proud Cincinnati native of Avondale and alumna of Walnut Hills High School, is a dynamic entrepreneur and advocate for education. With a background in engineering and technology, she seamlessly transitioned from corporate roles at Texas Instruments to entrepreneurship, founding SELEBRIAN™ Strategic Technical Marketing and Consulting in 2001.

Elyse holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA in Consumer Marketing Management. She has dedicated well over 30 years to serving her community through her work in education, activism, and leadership in various organizations. As the former Strategic Director of Marketing and Communications at Cincinnati Public Schools, she led the implementation of the first-ever community engagement events following the pandemic, significantly boosting community involvement and enrollment. In her role as the Midwest Regional Alumni Director of North Carolina A&T State University, she was instrumental in strengthening alumni connections and support. Elyse is a proud cohort of School Board School, where she leveraged her expertise in networking to bring out the best in preparing for School Board Leadership.

Elyse Jenkins Prescott The Civics Center

How To Get Involved in Elections + Campaigns

Every campaign needs people with a huge variety of skills and interests in order to reach as many voters as possible. Want to know how you can get involved? Join these veteran campaign managers to find out how you can support candidates you believe in.

Nicole Klungle

Nicole Klungle has been working with the nonpartisan Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative to encourage voter engagement and voter turnout since 2020.

Organizing 101: Coming Together to Advocate for a Common Cause

Is there an issue in your school district that keeps you up at night? Chances are there are other people in your community who share your concern. Check out this session to find out how to bring people together around a shared cause. 

Brice Mickey

Brice Mickey is the inaugural Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Beech Acres Parenting Center and serves as the chair of the DEI Committee. He came to BAPC with 12+ years’ experience as an award-winning JEDI consultant where he worked with over 200 organizations across the country to help them achieve their equity and inclusion goals. 

He was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH where he graduated from Walnut Hills HIgh School and later earned his BSIT from the University of Cincinnati. It was there he realized his calling for dialogue around diversity and inclusion after participating in, and later directing UC’s nationally recognized Racial Awareness Program (RAPP).

After leaving UC, he went on to advocate for trans youth at Living with Change and from there went to Public Allies Inc to manage a trans-national cohort of underrepresented leaders involved in AmeriCorps apprenticeships.

Jessica Moore

Jessica Moore is the Community Manager for Cohear, a consulting firm specializing in grassroots community organizing. After planning a 200 person block party in her neighborhood she was invited to serve as Chair to the Norwood Together Block Party Grant Committee helping distribute grant dollars and block party planning advice to neighbors Jessica spends her free time visiting friends and family across the country, at dance class and attending concerts. Jessica is most proud of her genius toddler, Moxon and her wonderful marriage to Jon Moore.

Jessica Moore CoHear

How To Speak Compellingly at a School Board Meeting

Speaking up at school board meetings is an important part of advocacy. In this session, you'll learn about how to compose a compelling spoken testimony.

Jeremy Jones

Jeremy is working tenaciously to ensure that ALL students have the opportunity to attend world-class schools. For the last two decades, Jeremy has worked in the classroom as a middle school math teacher, served as a principal of an innovative district-charter partnership school, been a school system founder and leader, and worked in state policy to help create the conditions for students from all backgrounds to thrive. Jeremy came to School Board School after successfully turning around the EAGLE College Prep Schools in Phoenix, Arizona as its Executive Director. Prior to that, Jeremy was the Executive Director for the Maine Charter School Commission, a Partner at The Learning Accelerator, and the Founding Executive Director of the Democracy Prep Schools in San Antonio, Texas.

For Jeremy, this work is personal. Growing up in a single-parent family, he found mentorship and guidance in his male teachers and coaches. As he grew older, he began to understand how our school systems were created to perpetuate systems of inequality, and dedicated his career to unraveling antiquated and oppressive structures for liberatory systems that can help all students flourish. Being a former school board President, Jeremy understands the power of strong governance, community engagement, and systems change.

Jeremy is originally from Austin, Texas. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Arizona. Jeremy was a 2005 Teach For America New Orleans Corps Member. He is a dad and an avid trail runner.

Jeremy Jones School Board School

The Trending Issues in Ohio Education 

It can feel like whack-a-mole to try and keep up with all the bills and resolutions impacting education coming out of the statehouse! Learn from a state policy expert about what’s important to watch and how state policy impacts you locally. 

Rachel Coyle

Rachel Coyle, Honesty for Ohio Education’s Policy Lead, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in political communication from American University.

Rachel brings a broad range of Ohio political experience. She has held legislative and campaign roles with the Ohio Senate Democrats, directed communications for Joe Schiavoni for Ohio Governor and Cathy Johnson for Ohio Senate, and served as press secretary for the Ohio Democratic Party. She has previous experience with nonprofits as well, having managed grassroots advocacy and mobilization at ACLU of Ohio.

 In her free time, Rachel operates the popular advocacy training program “How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse,” which teaches Ohioans how to be effective Statehouse activists.

Honoring Parent Voices + Parent Organizing

Parents/caregivers can be their children’s most powerful ally. See how schools can honor their voices and support them. 

Erika Watson

Erika L. Watson is the Founder & CEO of the Intersection Collective. In this role, Ms. Watson leads the Intersection Collective and its focus on impacting the lives of children of color with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, their families, and communities. Ms. Watson is recognized as a national DEI&A expert, with a career as an equity advocate that spans two decades. Prior to launching the Intersection Collective, Ms. Watson held national equity leadership roles with Easterseals, iMentor, and Leadership for Educational Equity.

LaRonda Thomas

LaRonda is a Cincinnati native and the District Parent Champion for Cincinnati Public Schools. She is an entrepreneur, a creative storyteller, and a marketing brand strategist with over 25 years of exemplary leadership experience and 13 years of experience in the healthcare profession. LaRonda also founded a nonprofit that provides mentoring to youth and young adults from ages 13 to 21. She is a 2019 graduate of MORTAR Cincinnati. LaRonda is a wife and mother of four children, and she engages in opportunities where she can spark purpose and empower those she encounters.

LaRonda Thomas Cincinnati Public Schools

Katelyn Jackson

Katelyn has worked at the Ohio Organizing Collaborative for 2 years under All in for Ohio Kids organizing parents statewide in Ohio and locally in Columbus City Schools. Previously Katelyn worked at the OOC on a criminal justice reform and has 10 years experience working in the non profit sector.

Katelyn Jackson All in for Ohio Kids

 

State School Board + Statehouse: Roles & How to Advocate

Find out what roles the Statehouse and State School Board play in our education system, and how their decisions impact our local school districts. 

Rachel Coyle

Rachel Coyle, Honesty for Ohio Education’s Policy Lead, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in political communication from American University.

Rachel brings a broad range of Ohio political experience. She has held legislative and campaign roles with the Ohio Senate Democrats, directed communications for Joe Schiavoni for Ohio Governor and Cathy Johnson for Ohio Senate, and served as press secretary for the Ohio Democratic Party. She has previous experience with nonprofits as well, having managed grassroots advocacy and mobilization at ACLU of Ohio.

 In her free time, Rachel operates the popular advocacy training program “How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse,” which teaches Ohioans how to be effective Statehouse activists.

Katie Hofmann

Katie Hofmann is a current member of the Ohio State Board of Education. She assumed office in January 2023 after challenging an incumbent member and winning. Katie was a long-serving Cincinnati Public Schools teacher before joining the State Board of Education.

So You Think You Want to Run? 

The decision to run for school board is a big one, but the potential impact on students in your community is huge! Learn from these school board members about what it takes to run and how it may impact your personal and professional life. 

Brandon Craig

Brandon Craig joins the Board of Education for Cincinnati Public Schools from a strong, loving family where he was infused with an appreciation for learning and the importance of a great education. His earliest memories of growing up in Bond Hill and Evanston allowed him to learn the value of a good public education and the challenges that exist for many who do not have the same support system he was fortunate to have.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Craig is a graduate of Cincinnati Public Schools, first attending Woodford Primary, then Roselawn Condon, and graduating from Walnut Hills High School. It is with the great foundation built by his CPS education that he attended Hampton University and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor of arts in economics degree. He also earned his law degree from the UC College of Law.

For the last decade, Mr. Craig worked in civil rights. First, as the Compliance Manager and advocate for fair housing at Housing Opportunities Made Equal. Beginning May 2017, Mr. Craig has dedicated himself to civil rights policy enforcement and education in the Office of Equal Opportunity & Access at the University of Cincinnati. It is his passion for equity and fairness that drives Mr. Craig's desire to ensure every student has an opportunity to receive a great education and reach their utmost potential.

Ian Orr

Ian Orr was elected to the Mason Board of Education in November 2021.  He works as an Account Executive Officer with Travelers Insurance and has been named as a Top 20 under 40 Insurance Professional by the Cincinnati Insurance Board. He received his BA from Xavier University where he majored in Political Science. Orr has been involved in My Brother’s Keeper Cincinnati as the Treasurer and volunteers as a youth basketball coach in Mason. He and his wife, Jessica, are the proud parents of MHS Class of 2013’s E.J. Class of 2017’s Maiya, Class of 2025’s Eden, and Class of 2028’s Aren.  

Kareem Simpson

Kareem Simpson serves on the Covington Independent Public Schools Board. He has advocated for the educational needs of the Covington community's children for 22 years as an employee of the Covington Branch of the Kenton County Library, the  Northern Community Action Commission, and as Kenton County Planning Board member. His efforts as a board member center on strengthening the district’s long term vision to provide equitable education by promoting diversity and inclusion, serving all of the children in the community.

Caring for Student Mental Health

Caring for our students’ mental health is a critical part of  their education. In this session, you’ll examine some of the issues impacting students’ mental health, and how to access resources to support students.

Mike Mizer

Mike Mizer is a Program Manager for 1N5 whose focus is taking their Mental Health Education and Suicide Prevention initiatives to his home region of Northern Kentucky. With over two decades of experience in education and community engagement, Mike is devoted to finding ways to connect stakeholders at every level in order to start conversations and reduce stigma around mental health.

Mike Mizer 1N5

Susan Shelton

Susan is the Executive Director and was the primary founder of MindPeace. Through collaboration, systems integration and alignment, and outcomes driven work, MindPeace has helped to expand access to quality mental health care to over 140,000 children and teens across 235 schools through school based mental health partnerships with 19 mental health partners in Greater Cincinnati.

Susan Shelton MindPeace

Jodi Pickering

Jodi is a recent Cincinnatian, having lived the past 18 years in the Bay Area of California. She came here to do a year of service with AmeriCorps and found she liked the pace of life and the people. Before AmeriCorps, she spent her professional life in schools as a teacher, coach, and administrator for students K-12th grade. Her family includes her 24-year-old daughter, her cat, her dog and all those she loves around the country. Having lived in NY, NJ, PA, DC, TX, MN, CA and OH, she’s lucky to have friends and family all over. She loves to run and hike, but she’s equally at home with a book or a pen.


Jodi Pickering 1N5

Brianca Gay

Brianca is a District Lead School Counselor for Cincinnati Public Schools and a Senior Counselor at Woodward Career Technical High School. She holds a Bachelors in Psychology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a Masters in School Counseling from Xavier University. She has been a school counselor for ten years.

Brown vs. Board: Looking Back on 70 years of Education

It’s been 70 years since the Brown vs Board decision. In this session, we’ll discuss what’s changed, the progress that’s been made, and the significant work ahead of us.

Cincinnati NAACP

TBD

Coming Soon Cincinnati NAACP

Jennifer Myree

Ms. Jennifer L. Myree is the Education Chair for the Cincinnati NAACP. She leads a dedicated committee of like-minded advocates who desire to create equitable access to education for black and brown school-aged children in Hamilton County (Ohio). Her passionate pursuit for Equity in Education began as a second career when she recognized the blatant employment gaps and lack of diversity while working as a Human Resources Manager for a large manufacturing company. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and holds certifications in Urban School Leadership, Superintendent Licensure, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is currently working on her doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
Her work and passion for equity in education have led her to fulfill diverse roles to increase student achievement, access to advanced coursework, engage families, and increase high school graduation rates for minority students.
As a former elementary school principal for Cincinnati Public Schools, Ms. Myree was recognized for increasing achievement and gap closing. She led the rebranding of an underperforming school by implementing an integrated and culturally relevant curriculum, rigorous literacy development, and high-yield community engagement. Her experiences as a pre-K to adult educator span large, urban, and suburban school communities in three states.
The historic COVID-19 pandemic exposed the financial disparities in education and Ms. Myree was inspired to shift her professional priorities. She manages the Expanding Opportunities for Each Child Grant for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. In this role, she allocates and monitors the use of federal grant funds for more than three hundred underperforming districts and schools across the state. Ms. Myree is also equipping future teachers with an equity-oriented mindset, sound pedagogy, and culturally relevant instructional strategies as an adjunct professor in the Middle Education Program at the University of Cincinnati.
Ms. Myree believes that every problem in society can be solved through education. Following her passion for improving education outcomes for children, she is the President of 3Seeds&Me a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focusing on equity in education, a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., and a ProKids Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services.
She is a lifelong learner who enjoys a good laugh, spending time with her family, reading sewing, and roller skating.

Jennifer Myree Cincinnati NAACP