Conference keynote speakers

The Capital Conference consistently features an outstanding lineup of keynote speakers that will inspire, inform and enlighten attendees. Keynote speakers are featured at all three General Sessions during the conference as well as during the following ticketed events: the Early Bird Workshop, OSBA Black Caucus dinner and two Conference Luncheons.

Monday General Session, Nov. 10 – Dr. Adam Sáenz

SaenzBWClinical psychologist and author

How did he go from handcuffs to Harvard University? Dr. Adam Sáenz will tell you: it was the power of a teacher. His story begins like a lot of stories of troubled kids — drugs, jail, discipline problems at school and on down the spiral to what could have been a very bad end. Instead, two teachers helped him realize he had potential and he used that encouragement to change the trajectory of his life forever.

Sáenz earned his doctorate from Texas A&M Univeristy and studied at Harvard and Oxford universities. He is a featured blogger for The Huffington Post Education Page and currently serves as the clinical director of the Oakwood Collaborative, the counseling and assessment clinic he founded in 2003. He also is the author of The Power of a Teacher: Restoring Hope and Well-being to Change Lives.

Monday’s General Session is sponsored by Pepple & Waggoner Ltd.; Ross, Sinclaire & Associates LLC; and Walter Haverfield LLP.

Tuesday General Session, Nov. 11 – Dan Thurmon

Inspirational speaker and performer

Dan Thurmon is an author, renowned speaker and recognized expert in delivering peak performances — on stage and in the workplace. He began his performance career at age 11, crafting a one-man show incorporating comedy, juggling and acrobatics. This enabled him to, at a very early age, develop a strong work ethic and learn fundamental lessons about performance excellence.

Thurmon delivers experiences that go beyond motivation, teaching concepts and skills in a highly engaging manner. His philosophy can be summarized by the title of his book, Off Balance On Purpose. He believes that we will never achieve “perfect balance” and should embrace uncertainty and initiate positive changes that lead to growth. He also believes we should go beyond the pursuit of “success” and enhance our life experiences and professional endeavors with purposeful contributions.

Peck, Shaffer & Williams, a division of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Scott, Scriven & Wahoff LLP; and Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP.

Wednesday General Session, Nov. 12 – Jeffrey Tambor

Veteran stage and screen actor

For more than 40 years, audiences have laughed and been entertained by the unforgettable roles created by Jeffrey Tambor. A veteran of television, film and the Broadway stage, he is one of the most iconic and respected character actors of his generation.

Most people know of Tambor’s stellar TV and feature film career, including unforgettable roles in the popular programs “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Arrested Development,” as well as the movies “And Justice for All” and “Meet Joe Black.” These roles and others display his unique acting gifts, for which he has received numerous honors, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, six Emmy nominations and a Television Critics Association Award nomination.

He has been a teacher for more than 40 years, educating everyone from actors to corporations to DreamWorks animators and more. He passionately empowers his students through lessons they cannot gather from textbooks.

Wednesday’s General Session is sponsored by CompManagement Inc.

Early Bird Workshop, Nov. 9 – Simon T. Bailey

Leadership expert

Simon T. Bailey is a leadership catalyst whose expertise equips emerging leaders with tips, tools and techniques on how to unleash potential in the world’s most important asset — people. He is the former leader of the world-renowned Disney Institute and founder of the Brilliance Institute Inc. Harrison College in Indianapolis has partnered with him to launch the Simon T. Bailey Emerging Leaders Certificate for individuals, corporations and organizations.

Bailey is the author of seven books, including Release Your Brilliance. His most recent book, The Vuja De Moment! — Shift from Average to Brilliant, is receiving rave reviews.

Britton, Smith, Peters & Kalail Co. LPA is sponsoring this session.

Note: This is a ticketed event. Registration is $95. Attendees should notify their school district treasurer to register.

Monday Conference Luncheon, Nov. 10 – Dr. Tracey Wilen

Technology specialist

Dr. Tracey Wilen is a prominent leader on the impact of technology on society, work and careers. A former visiting scholar at Stanford University, she has held leadership positions at Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Cisco Systems Inc.

The author of Employed for Life: 21st Century Career Trends and Society 3.0: How Technology Is Reshaping Education, Work and Society, Wilen has appeared on CNN, Fox and CBS News and in The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and USA Today. She contributes to the The Huffington Post and is a guest expert on radio shows across the U.S.

Monday’s Conference Luncheon sponsors are CompManagement Inc. and FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.

Note: This is a ticketed event. Registration is $55. Attendees should notify their school district treasurer to register.

Tuesday Conference Luncheon, Nov. 11 – Katie Smith

Ohio basketball legend

One of the most decorated professional basketball players of all time, Katie Smith was a star basketball player at Logan-Hocking Local’s (Hocking) Logan High School, Ohio State University and in the WNBA, where she is the all-time leading scorer in women’s professional basketball. In 2011, fans voted to recognize her as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Smith recently completed her master’s degree in medical dietetics at Ohio State and is an assistant coach for the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

Tuesday’s sponsors are CompManagement Health Systems Inc.; NaviGate Prepared; and OSBA Insurance Agency in partnership with Assurant Employee Benefits.

Note: This is a ticketed event. Registration is $55. Attendees should notify their school district treasurer to register.

OSBA Black Caucus dinner, Nov. 9 – Dr. Brian K. Perkins

Expert on urban schools

Dr. Brian K. Perkins — a former school board member and an expert on urban schools— is no stranger to public education leadership. He was president of the New Haven (Connecticut) Public Schools Board of Education, where he served for 11 years. Perkins also served for four years on the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Board of Directors; two terms as the national chair for NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE); and as chair of NSBA’s National Black Council of School Board Members. He was the principal author of CUBE’s “Where We Learn,” “Where We Teach” and “What We Think” — the largest studies on urban school climate in the history of public education.

Currently the director of the Urban Education Leadership Program at Columbia University Teachers College, he has served as a consultant to school districts throughout the U.S., China and South Africa, and is a visiting professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. A distinguished Yale alumnus, Perkins was named a Timothy Dwight Fellow at Yale in 2004 and was a member of the research faculty at the university’s School of Medicine.

This annual event helps raise funds for the Leo Lucas Stipend, a program that provides graduating African-American seniors funds for college. The program is named for the late Leo Lucas, a Dayton City school board member and educator who founded the Ohio Black Caucus, the forerunner of the OSBA Black Caucus.

Music and networking begin at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Note: This is a ticketed event. Registration is $70; a limited number of tickets will be sold at the door for $75. The reservation deadline is Oct. 31. Attendees should notify their school district treasurer to register or indicate your request on your conference registration form. Please indicate any special accommodations needed. All conference attendees are invited.

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