July 2021 | Dr. Veronica Ivy is an interdisciplinary scholar who has published widely on topics of knowledge, language, gender, and issues of equity (particularly in sport). She is a world-leading expert on trans and intersex athlete rights and offers institutional diversity and inclusion training workshops. Veronica has penned articles for New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, NBC News, VICE, and many more. She has appeared on major TV, Radio, and Podcast interviews to discuss trans issues and particularly trans and intersex athlete rights. In addition to her academic work, she is a two-time masters track cycling world champion and previous masters world-record holder. Dr. Ivy also happens to be a queer trans woman. She is the first known trans woman to win a track cycling world championship. Veronica also engages in advocacy and activism for trans and intersex athletes. Her message is that #SportIsAHumanRight. Dr. Ivy brings a unique perspective of being an academic, an athlete, and an activist to her work.

May 2021 | Vichet Chhuon, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Education and Asian American Studies at the University of Minnesota. His teaching and scholarship focus on critical issues in education including the experiences of immigrant youth and families. His work has appeared in leading publications including American Educational Research Journal, The Urban Review, and Youth & Society. In 2015, Dr. Chhuon received the Presidential Research Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME). He received Early Career Awards from the American Educational Research Association and the Association of Asian American Studies. His writings have also appeared in the Star Tribune, Angry Asian Man, and the Huffington Post.

Additional guests included Verna Wong, KaYing Yang, Hsajune Dyan, Jenny Srey, and Damu Vang.

August 2020 | Raising Race Questions: A Virtual Learning Series for School Educators and Leaders About Addressing Race in Saint Paul Public Schools 

Ali Michael, Ph.D., is the co-founder and director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, and the author of Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and Education (Teachers College Press, 2015), winner of the 2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award.  She is co-editor of the bestselling Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories (2015, Stylus Press) and bestselling Guide for White Women who Teach Black Boys (2018, Corwin Press).  She also sits on the editorial board of the journal Whiteness and Education.  Ali’s article, What do White Children Need to Know About Race?, co-authored with Dr. Eleonora Bartoli in Independent Schools Magazine, won the Association and Media Publishing Gold Award for Best Feature Article in 2014.  Ali holds her Ph.D. from Penn, where she continues to be engaged with race and equity efforts on campus.  She spends the rest of the time raising two amazing human beings.

July 2020 | A Virtual Learning Series on Resiliency

dr. Saby Labor is a first-generation college student and fierce equity and inclusion advocate. She is the Founder & CEO of Resilient Campus, a leadership and inclusion consulting organization. Saby amplifies the voices and capacities of education leaders across the nation to live into inclusive leadership excellence. dr. Labor’s recent accomplishments include publishing a resilience planner titled “Stay Resilient” and two “Student Internship Success” workbooks focused on personal and career readiness for diverse college students. Saby is humbled to be the first in their family to earn a doctorate degree. When Saby isn’t supporting students and running her business, you can find her hanging with her spouse and two dogs in Saint Paul. Saby uses she/her and they/them gender pronouns. Connect with Resilient Campus on Instagram @ResilientCampus or online at www.resilientcampus.com.

June 2020 | Conversations with Chris: A Virtual Learning Series About Reality Pedagogy and Online Learning

Dr. Christopher Emdin is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. The creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement and Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S., author of the award-winning book Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation and the New York Times Best Seller,  For White Folks Who Teach In The Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll Too. Emdin was named the 2015 Multicultural Educator of the Year by the National Association of Multicultural Educators and has been honored as a STEM Access Champion of Change by the White House under President Obama. In addition to teaching, he served as a Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the US Department of Energy.

May 2020 | A Virtual Asian Amerian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Learning Series  

Naomi Ono LeBeau, EdD, is a multicultural and global strategist to improve productivity and efficiency in business, education and non-profit organizations. As a former entertainment reporter in Tokyo, Naomi has a great appreciation for the world of music, especially jazz and popular music. Since she came to the Midwest, she has been involved in diverse communities as a multicultural educator. As a doctoral student, she encountered jazz theory as applied to organizational studies. Naomi taught social justice at several universities in the Upper Midwest and presented Jazz Solution workshops at conferences. She is President and Co-Founder of Synapse Minnesota LLC. For more information, visit: www.jazzsolution.com 

Additional guests included Philip Xiao and Tou Ger Xiong

July Asynchronous Sessions with dr. Saby Labor