Welcome to the proceedings page of the 2025 Educational Leadership Summit, held at Cal State San Bernardino on November 13th, 2025. We are thrilled to offer you a chance to revisit this impactful event.
The summit, "Education in the Balance: Advancing Equity and Social Justice in Today’s America," brought together 200 educators, advocates, and community leaders. This video captures the main events of the day and is filled with robust discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing public education today, while thinking about the public education of tomorrow.
Highlights of the Summit:
Four distinguished keynote speakers, each providing unique perspectives on the state of education, led the conversation.
- Naming and Addressing the Equity Challenges of the Educational Settings of 21st Century America: Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle, founder and president of Orenda Education, captivated the audience with charts of the graduation rates, dropout rates, and other similar graphs for students that largely follow a particular pattern based on demographics. Her presentation shed light on the difficulties of bridging that gap with equity. She highlighted that schools need to take in data but then use it to rapidly assess and modify curriculum. For more than 28 years, Dr. Avelar La Salle and the Orenda team have been thought partners for districts and schools aspiring to transform their systems and practices to raise student achievement. Watch Keynote
- The Impacts of Equity Measures on Educational Attainment in the Inland Greater Empire: Allowing Data to Speak: Dr. Ashish Vaidya, President and CEO of Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), presented about equity versus equality. He showcases that investment in schooling results in increases in median earnings, leading to a better quality of life, and ultimately helping the economy. He showcases some of the changes being made and being backed by data to help bridge the gaps in school and testing for our students, and challenges us to pay attention to the same issues. With a distinguished career in higher education, including leadership roles at several universities, Dr. Vaidya brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to his analysis of educational challenges and opportunities in the region. Watch Keynote
- Leveraging the Engine of Government to Address Equity Challenges in the Educational Setting: Tony Thurmond, 28th California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, discussed his success in equity from the government side. He highlighted the importance of meal programs, grants, and financial support that makes it possible for people to succeed in life, including his own background with poverty, and ongoing projects like Project Impact. Under his leadership, California has invested billions in community schools, mental health support, universal school meals, and early education — initiatives rooted in equity and access. Watch Keynote
- Leading Equity Measures in a Polarized Society: The Role of Educational Leaders: Dr. Gordon Amerson,Superintendent of Val Verde Unified School Distinct, challenges us to think not just of the present, but of the future. He emphasizes that we need to be focusing on listening when we're being presented with dilemmas in order to potentially move toward solutions. He challenges leaders to be compassionate and pay careful attention to what they say and how they lead, because they actively define the future. With over 25 years of leadership experience, Dr. Amerson is known for his deep commitment to cultivating leadership talent and driving equity-focused transformation. Watch Keynote
- Ideas into Action: Based on prior feedback, there were two breakouts into groups to discuss the content they'd seen and heard and how they would implement the topics and ideas into actionable change.
- Awards for outstanding individuals:
- Outstanding Classified Employee Award went to Hazel Walker
- Outstanding District Leader Award went to Alexis Jenks
- Outstanding Parent Leader Award went to Jennifer Corrigan
- Outstanding Instructional Leader Award went to Tommie Archuleta
- Outstanding School Site Leader Award went to Dr. Michael Lozano
- Outstanding Student Leader Award went to Jennifer Negrete Magnant
- Outstanding Counselor Support Services Leader Award went to Cynthia Holley
- Outstanding Teacher Leader Award went to Robin Nowotny
- Outstanding Superintendent Award went to Trenae Nelson
Note: The time-stamped chapters in the video allow you to navigate to specific segments or speakers for ease of viewing.
Enjoy the whole experience of the 2025 Educational Leadership Summit and stay inspired to make a difference in the world of education.