Events

H. Richard Milner IV (also known as Rich) is Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Education and Professor of Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. His research, teaching and policy interests concern urban education, teacher education, African American literature, and the social context of education.

Professor Milner’s research examines practices and policies that support teacher effectiveness in urban schools. Professor Milner is President-Elect of the American Educational Research Association, the largest educational research organization in the world. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

Professor Milner’s work has appeared in numerous journals, and he has published seven books. His most recent are: "Start where you are but don’t stay there: Understanding diversity, opportunity gaps, and teaching in today’s classrooms" (Harvard Education Press, 2010 and 2020, Second Edition), "Rac(e)ing to class: Confronting poverty and race in schools and classrooms" (Harvard Education Press, 2015) and "These kids are out of control: Why we must reimagine classroom management for equity" (Corwin Press, 2018). He can be reached at rich.milner@vanderbilt.edu.

Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Ph.D., is Professor of Latina/o Studies and Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. He is also a founder of the Roses in Concrete Community School, a community responsive lab school in East Oakland and the Community Responsive Education Group.

As a classroom teacher and school leader in East Oakland (CA) for the past 28 years, his pedagogy has been widely studied and acclaimed for producing uncommon levels of social and academic success for students. Duncan-Andrade lectures around the world and has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on effective practices in schools. He has written two books and his third book with Harvard Press is due out Spring 2021.

In 2016, Duncan-Andrade was part of the great educators invited to the White House on National Teacher Appreciation Day by President Obama, and in 2019 he was chosen as the Laureate for the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education. In 2021, he was selected to join the Board of Prevent Child Abuse America. Duncan-Andrade has also been ranked as one of the nation’s most influential scholars by EdWeek’s Public Influence Rankings.

Duncan-Andrade’s transformational work on the elements of effective teaching in schools is recognized throughout the U.S. and as far abroad as New Zealand. His research interests and publications span the areas of youth wellness, trauma responsiveness, curriculum change, teacher development and retention, critical pedagogy, and cultural and Ethnic Studies. He works closely with teachers, school site leaders, union leaders and school district officials to help them develop classroom practices and school cultures that foster self-confidence, esteem, and academic success among all students.

Duncan-Andrade holds a Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature, both from the University of California – Berkeley.

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at the University of Georgia. She is one of the field’s most esteemed educational researchers. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of education, abolition, and black joy. Dr. Love is concerned with how educators working with parents and communities can build communal, civically engaged schools rooted in Abolitionist Teaching with the goal of intersectional social justice for equitable classrooms that love and affirm Black and Brown children.

In 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN). ATN’s mission is to: develop and support teachers and parents to fight injustice within their schools and communities. In 2020, Dr. Love was also named a member of the Old 4th Ward Economic Security Task Force with the Atlanta City Council.

Dr. Love is a sought-after public speaker on a range of topics, including: Abolitionist Teaching, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, Hip Hop feminism, art-based education to foster youth civic engagement, and issues of diversity and inclusion. She is the creator of the Hip Hop civics curriculum GET FREE.

In 2014, she was invited to the White House Research Conference on Girls to discuss her work focused on the lives of Black girls. For her work in the field of Hip Hop education, in 2016, Dr. Love was named the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In April of 2017, Dr. Love participated in a one-on-one public lecture with bell hooks focused on the liberatory education practices of Black and Brown children. In 2018, Georgia’s House of Representatives presented Dr. Love with a resolution for her impact on the field of education. She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, Ed Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

She is the author of the books "We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom" and "Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South." Her work has appeared in numerous books and journals, including the English Journal, Urban Education, The Urban Review, and the Journal of LGBT Youth.

Dr. Joan E. Hughes is an Associate Professor of Learning Technologies and the Graduate Adviser for the Curriculum and Instruction department at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching examines how K-12 teachers and students use technologies in-and-outside the classroom for subject area learning and how school leaders support classroom technology integration. Her research takes her into educator preparation programs, K-12 schools and classrooms, and most recently into the edtech entrepreneurial ecosystem where she developed an intervention called “SlowPitch,” which is a design think tank meant to eliminate knowledge silos through cross-boundary dialogue among EdTech startups, PK-12 students, educators, school leaders, developers, researchers, and others. While she has published and presented widely, she is very proud to be the co-author of the text, Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: Transforming Learning Across Disciplines (8th edition), which is one of the most widely adopted interactive digital texts that assists in preparing novice and veteran teachers to integrate technology across content areas. She began her career in the EdTech field as an elementary and middle school computer teacher in Silicon Valley in the early 1990s, and working with teachers and students still invigorates her.

Dr. Eric Hall has nearly two decades of experience serving in executive leadership, with significant expertise in the fields of education, youth development and juvenile justice. In March 2019, he returned home to Florida and became the state’s Senior Chancellor at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
In his role at FDOE, he serves as a chief advisor to the Commissioner of Education and is instrumental in developing and implementing the state’s top education priorities. He is leading the Department’s efforts on Governor Ron DeSantis’ education-related executive orders, which are centered around having the best instructional standards, the safest schools and #1 workforce education in the nation. The agency has put forth an aggressive agenda to ensure that all Floridians have access to the world-class education they deserve, and Dr. Hall is making substantial contributions to transform these student-focused goals into reality.
Prior to this position, he led renowned education initiatives in a number of positions in North Carolina. Most recently, as Deputy State Superintendent for Innovation, he oversaw multiple divisions and initiatives within the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Eric was also the state’s founding Superintendent of North Carolina’s Innovative School District and, before that, the President and CEO of Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC). In all of these positions, he built strong partnerships with state and local education leaders, as well as the business community, to support and sustain services aimed at improving educational opportunities for students across the state.
Preceding his move to North Carolina, Eric served as the National Director of Educational Services for AMIkids, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing intervention services to youth in juvenile justice programs and non-traditional schools in nine states.
Eric’s other career experience includes successful board and community development; strategic planning; education innovation; educator and school leader development; and significant experience building and fostering partnerships across agencies and organizations to support common missions and visions. He began his career as a teacher, then later transitioned into school leadership, and soon after was promoted to lead the implementation of education and juvenile justice reforms in Florida and other states across the nation.
Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Science Education, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of South Florida. His research has been published in academic journals and books, with topics focused on student discipline, the school-to-prison pipeline, school leadership, and non-traditional schools.
Eric has been a member of many professional affiliations and is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his outstanding leadership and role in supporting legislative initiatives.
Eric is the son of two public school teachers, and his wife is a school social worker. Eric, his wife, and their two children live in Tallahassee.