Presenter Resources & Bios

Worksheets

Executive Summary (PDF)
Problem Tree (PDF)

Presenters and Workshop Leaders

Amir Alhambra

Amir Alhambra

Amir Alhambra is a lead program associate with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. There, he collaborates with colleagues to develop strategic initiatives to provide programs that inspire young students to stay in school, to recognize business opportunities, and to plan for successful futures. He engages in social change philanthropy by creating partnerships with financial institutions and school districts in order to mentor students toward developing an entrepreneurial mindset and college and career readiness. Alhambra is currently a doctoral candidate at The George Washington University.

Andrea Elzy

Andrea Elzy

A native of Los Angeles, Andrea "Drea” Elzy completed her undergraduate degrees at the University of California Santa Cruz, earning bachelor’s degrees in both politics and sociology. She graduated with her master’s degree at the University of Southern California (USC) in postsecondary administration and student affairs and is currently in the final stages of completing her Doctor of Education degree at USC in higher education administration and organizational leadership. In her current role as the director of Postsecondary Education Navigation at the City Colleges of Chicago, Elzy is responsible for the design, development, and programmatic management of the City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Public School (CPS), and Chicago Office of the Mayor’s collaborative Postsecondary Education Navigation Student Success Initiative, which supports postsecondary success for CPS students in networks citywide.

Andy Costanzo

Andy Costanzo

Andy Costanzo is a veteran educator and student activity adviser. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. An advocate for leadership education for more than 35 years, he has been recognized nationally as Student Council Adviser of the Year as well as Workshop Director of the Year. As a speaker, presenter, and trainer in more than 35 states and China, Costanzo works with students and activity advisers to make a difference in their schools and communities.

Bertrand Perdomo-Ucles

Bertrand Perdomo-Ucles

Bertrand Perdomo-Ucles is passionate about developing poverty-fighting solutions. As an educator, organizer, and manager, he has taught students across different grade levels, built capacity for education and public safety programs, and trained teams to improve family engagement initiatives. As a board member for the California School Based Health Alliance, he oversees the nonprofit’s strategies to support 257 school-based health centers. Perdomo-Ucles was re-elected as delegate for California’s Democratic Party and is founder of the South Los Angeles Democratic Club. Bertrand is from Los Angeles, a graduate of University of Southern California’s School of Public Policy, studied abroad in Greece and served in Honduras through Global Water Brigades.

Brandon Lee Stuart

Brandon Lee Stuart

Brandon Lee Stuart is the founder of ideaLogic LLc, a think-tank style start-up company that operates as an incubator and curator of compelling interdisciplinary ideas intended to yield innovative strategies, technologies, systems, products and practices. He has served in the Episcopal Service Corps in Los Angeles and helped to pilot the Collegiate Identity and Participation Model (CIPM), a college-readiness initiative created to address the educational needs of local underserved charter schools, which solidified his passion for educating students on the power of self-authorship. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Biology and East Asian Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Liberal Arts for intellectual freedom from the University of Chicago.

Carlos Mark Vera

Carlos Mark Vera

Carlos Mark Vera is the founder of Pay Our Interns, a bipartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for more paid internships and workforce development opportunities for millennials. In one year they have successfully convinced a dozen senators to start offering paid internships, including Senators Corey Booker, Kamala Harris, Michael Bennet, and Catherine Cortez-Masto, as well as the Democratic National Convention. Their efforts have led to the creation of more than 100 paid internships. While in school, he founded Justice for AU Workers, a student-led labor organization that advocates for service workers of color. Vera’s work in advocacy has been highlighted by The Atlantic, The Washington Post, NPR, NBC, Fox News, and USA Today.

Crystal Newby

Crystal Newby

Crystal Newby currently serves as the associate director of Education and Training for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) where she is responsible for creating and executing professional development experiences for its 16,000 members. She is also the staff liaison for NACAC’s Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee. Prior to joining NACAC, she spent nearly 10 years as a leader in college admission at both public and private institutions. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in entrepreneurial leadership in education from Johns Hopkins University.

Drew Ollero

Drew Ollero

Drew Ollero is a fundraising professional who currently supports strategic projects for the University of California, Berkeley at Haas School of Business. His prior work spanned various roles within startup companies, government, school settings, and nonprofit organizations. Ollero relishes in working in chaotic environments and helping organizations and leaders build structures and processes to be effective. Ollero’s work is centered around reflective and experiential practice, which comes from his professional and education background in social work.

Felix Yerace, PhD

Felix Yerace, PhD

Felix Yerace, PhD, is a student government co-adviser, interact co-adviser, link crew co-coordinator, and graduation project coordinator at South Fayette High School in Pennsylvania. Among the courses he teaches is a College in High School (CHS) class on leadership, and he is a graduate of the International Leadership Association Leadership Education Academy. Yerace is also the assistant executive director and Advanced Gold Summer Camp co-director for the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils. He previously served on the NASSP Student Leadership Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Global Switchboard and Pennsylvania ASCD and is an adjunct faculty member of Jesuit Worldwide Learning—Higher Education at the Margins. He is a proud alum of the University of Pittsburgh, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Gonzaga University.

Karen Dawson

Karen Dawson

Karen Dawson spent 32 years as a high school art and leadership teacher and was also involved in service learning. She was named as an All-American Teacher by USA TODAY and has earned numerous awards during her career, including the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President George W. Bush for her work with Habitat for Humanity. In 2012, she co-founded a nonprofit weekly community outreach program that provides a meal for anyone in need in the St. Louis area. Since its inception, more than 66,000 meals have been served. This program is now being emulated in 54 communities. Currently she is the co-chair of the Greater St. Louis Area Homeless Task Force.

Leonel A. Diaz, Jr.

Leonel A. Diaz, Jr.

Leonel A. Diaz Jr. is a research coordinator at The University of New Mexico’s Center for Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions. His academic and professional background is interdisciplinary: fine arts, digital arts, social media, academic advisement, student leadership, academic support, marketing, organizational development, and social justice. Diaz Jr. enjoys learning several disciplines to find ways to merge ideas, bridge gaps, problem-solve, and develop new perspectives. He began his career as a photographer and digital media artist, only to follow his interest in helping mentor and support college students.

Nhi Truong

Nhi Truong

Nhi Truong is currently a 9th grade advisor at MetWest High School, a small district school in Oakland, California. Additionally, she teaches a college course to English teachers at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. She is an Advisory Board Member for AYPAL, a leadership development, community organizing and coalition building organization seeking to empower Oakland’s low-income, immigrant and refugee families to be leaders for school reform and neighborhood change. She is also a member of H.E.L.L.A., a collective that centers intersectional healing praxis in order to sustain critical organizers and educators of color throughout the Bay Area.

Hear from Nhi as she breaks down some of the points she covered in her competency presentation.

Nicole Smith

Nicole Smith

Nicole Smith is an educator, advocate, change agent, dream director, warrior of peace and possibility, and transformational leader. She is committed to unleashing the passion, purpose, curiosity, imagination, courage, and grit in students and youth leaders. She is a former teacher, principal, and college counselor and currently serves as the Dean of Culture at a public charter school located in Washington, D.C.

Quinton Lampkin

Quinton Lampkin

Quinton Lampkin is the founder and CEO of a capacity-building education consulting firm that works with K–12 schools, community-based organizations, and postsecondary institutions to help students complete critical milestones on their journey towards college and career success. Lampkin holds a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in business administration specializing in international business from the American University; a Master of Arts in sociology and education from Columbia University’s Teachers College; and a Master of Philosophy in politics, development, democratic education from University of Cambridge.

Stephon Harris

Stephon Harris

Stephon Harris is a senior technology consultant who architects front-end applications for leading publications and institutions. His experience has helped Fortune 500 companies with critical technology projects and business ventures. In 2016, Harris co-founded Black Code Collective, an organization for black software developers in the District of Columbia and leads workshops and events to train and cultivate community for underrepresented minorities in technology. He has a passion for education and empowering students to think critically and analytically.

Tom Heethuis

Tom Heethuis

Tom Heethuis has been involved in advising student activities for more than 40 years. He has been a student council adviser, activity director, leadership camp director, and building principal. Heethuis is an award-winning adviser and adviser trainer and has presented at conferences and workshops across the United States and Canada. He has served on the executive boards of four national student leadership and adviser organizations. Through his workshops, attendees discover hands-on, practical leadership activities they can take back to their schools and use with their fellow student leaders as soon as they return.

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