Speakers

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John B. King Jr., J.D., Ed.D,

Keynote 
Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama

Dr. John B. King is a passionate social justice and civil rights advocate and inspiring educator. He is the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education and the CEO and President of The Education Trust, which seeks to close opportunity and achievement gaps for students of color and students living in poverty. Dr. King’s personal story is proof of the transformational power of an excellent education and great teachers. Parentless at age 12, Dr. King credits New York City public school teachers with saving his life and giving him hope for the future.  As Secretary, Dr. King focused on advancing educational excellence and equity from preschool through college; supporting educators and elevating the teaching profession; and improving college access, affordability, and completion. 

Barbara Stroud, PhD, Practice Plenary

Dr. Barbara Stroud is a licensed psychologist with over three decades worth of culturally informed clinical practice in early childhood development and mental health. She is a founding organizer and the inaugural president of the California Association for Infant Mental Health, as well as a ZERO TO THREE Fellow. Dr. Stroud’s career has allowed her to work across service delivery silos supporting professionals in mental health, early intervention, child welfare, early care and education, family court staff, primary care, and other arenas. Her innovative approaches have been honored on a national level, and she has been a key player in the inception and implementation of cutting-edge service delivery to children prenatal to five and their families. Currently, Dr. Stroud’s primary focus is professional training and private consultation from an anti-racist lens, with a focus on social justice in the field of infant and early childhood mental health. Her book “ How to Measure a Relationship ” [published 2012] is improving infant mental health practices around the globe and is now available in Spanish. Dr. Stroud remains steadfast in her mission to “change the world – one relationship at a time.” 

Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD, Science Plenary

Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka  is a Research Professor in Public Policy, a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), and the Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Iruka is leading projects and initiatives focused on ensuring that minoritized children and children from low-income households, especially Black children, are thriving through the intersection of anti-bias, anti-racist, culturally grounded research, program, and policy. Some focus areas include family engagement and support, quality rating and improvement systems, and early care and education system and programs. Dr. Iruka serves on numerous national and local boards and committees, including the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs, Brady Education Foundation, and Trust for Learning. 

Tiffany Manuel, PhD, Policy Plenary

Dr. Tiffany Manuel , (or as she prefers to be called, DrT) is President and CEO of TheCaseMade, an organization dedicated to helping leaders powerfully and intentionally make the case for systems change. DrT works with hundreds of passionate social changemakers, innovators, and adaptive leaders around the United States who are building better, stronger communities that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Trained as a social scientist in quantitative and qualitative methods, she is a self-professed “data, policy, and messaging wonk” who is passionate about translating the insights harvested from her research and practice to improve our ability to build public will around the critical issues that matter most. 

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