From self-care experts and best-selling authors to a family member of a Marvel superhero, ACSA is sharing stories from speakers who will inform and inspire educational leaders this year.

Here are some of the visionary changemakers who will be speaking at ACSA’s upcoming events.

Nicole Steward After working two decades as a social worker and as a homeless and foster youth liaison in schools, Nicole Steward was burned out. She decided to take her own self-care seriously and found yoga and mindfulness as treatments for the secondary trauma she and many others in the education field experience while working with vulnerable populations.

Steward believes self-care is a “radical tendency” we must adopt to sustain ourselves. She wrote the book “Radical Self-Care for Helpers, Healers, and Changemakers” which was published this year. Steward will share her self-care strategies with attendees at the Women in School Leadership Forum.

Dr. Calvin Mackie Dr. Calvin Mackie graduated from high school with low test scores requiring him to take special remedial classes at Morehouse College. He went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and become an engineering professor, author, internationally renowned speaker, and successful entrepreneur.

A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Mackie founded STEM NOLA to ensure that more students of color are exposed, inspired and engaged in learning about STEM. Alongside his brother, actor Anthony Mackie (known as the first Black Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Mackie is working on developments that will revitalize education and economic opportunity in New Orleans.

Find out how he’s opening doors to STEM during his keynote at Leadership Summit.

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad When Dr. Gholdy Muhammad studied the Black literary societies of the 19th century, she found that literacy was more than just the skill of reading — it was a lever for social and political transformation. In her best-selling book “Cultivating Genius” Muhammad presents a four-part equity framework created for students of color that can cultivate genius in all students.

Currently a professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Muhammad’s Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Model has been adopted across thousands of U.S. schools and her work’s impact on policy and practice have placed her in the top 1 percent on EducationWeek’s Edu-Scholar Public Influencers list.

Learn how to cultivate genius in your students during her keynote at Leadership Summit.

Dr. Victor Rios As a high school student, Dr. Victor Rios was a convicted felon and gang member. Now a professor and expert on the school-to-prison pipeline, Rios partners with school districts and communities to address system inequities and promote prosperity, well-being, and educational achievement for at-promise students and their families.

Rios’s inspiring dropout-to-professor narrative was featured in the 2021 documentary “The Pushouts,” featuring stories of YO!Watts, a youth center. The Associate Dean of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Barbara, Rios has also written the book “My Teacher Believes in Me!: The Educator’s Guide to At-Promise Students.” Hear his inspiring story at Leadership Summit.

Jack Clarke Jack B. Clarke, Jr., is a partner in AALRR’s Student Services and Disabilities Practice Group. During his impressive career, he has made his mark on both the community and the profession.

Clarke handles litigation concerning education law and has successfully defended school districts and other education clients in student disciplinary matters, civil rights and Constitutional claims, and special education due process hearings.

His contributions as an attorney and human and civil rights advocate are celebrated by prestigious organizations, including the California Law Business magazine and the NAACP. Clarke will lead a law firm panel answering some of the top legal questions of the day during the Every Child Counts Symposium.