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Equity Summit 2022

Speakers

Dr. William Blake
Josh Cocker
Shelly Reggiani, ED.D.
Carmen Gelman
Danielle Triplett M.Ed.
Maria Santiago-Rosario Ph.D
Gene Tagaban/Guy Yaau
Theda New Breast, M.P.H
LoVina Louie

Dr. William Blake

Dr. William Blake

Dr. William Blake currently serves as the Assistant Director, Redesign for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In this role, Dr. Blake ensures systems and structures are in place to support the development of the whole child. Over the span of 15 years in urban education, Dr. Blake has served as a Classroom Teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal and District-level Administrator. Dr. Blake believes that educators must strategically focus on closing the access gap for students furthest from opportunity, which is why he is dedicated to using social emotional learning in the district as a lever to create equitable outcomes for students, especially for students of color

Dr. Blake earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University. He later attended Trinity University to earn his Master’s in Curriculum in Instruction. Lastly, he earned his Doctorate Degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Dr. Blake is a devoted member Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc


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Josh Cocker

Josh Cocker
Josh is from the Kiowa, or Ka’igwu people in Oklahoma, and the kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. He is a certified outdoor instructor and facilitator, with an associate’s degree from Whitireia Polytechnic in Wellington, New Zealand. He has traveled extensively in the South Pacific for work and service including: Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Australia. Most recently he has worked in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona as a trail walker, coordinator, and trainer for an outdoor behavioral healthcare foundation. From the age of 14, Josh was given a position in a military society of his tribe, and trained as a youth leader to preserve and share traditional knowledge with his generation. He seeks to honor and share that knowledge with everyone. “My hope is that I can help reintroduce people from all walks of life to our First Mother in all her wisdom and beauty. I hope to inspire healing, harmony, and connection through the use and passing of traditional skills in the outdoors.”

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Shelly Reggiani, ED.D.

Shelly Reggiani, ED.D.

Shelly Reggiani, ED.D. is the Senior Director of Learning, Equity, and Communications for COSA and has served in public education for over 25 years.

She is dedicated to the success of each student and the growth and development of staff. In her previous roles, Reggiani has supported federal Title programs, Talented and Gifted Education, Bilingual Education, Counseling and Social Services, Title IX coordination, culturally specific community engagement, inclusion and equity initiatives, educator professional development, and communications. Serving those who are members of historically underserved communities is a passion for Shelly and is what she has dedicated as the focus of her career.

Reggiani earned her Bachelor’s and Masters from Oregon State University and her Educational Doctorate from George Fox University. She was recognized with the AASA Women in School Leadership Award in 2020.  Reggiani believes that education has the power to open doors, transform lives, and uplift individuals, and their communities.


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Carmen Gelman

Carmen Gelman
Director of Professional Learning for COSA
Carmen Gelman was born and raised in Southern California (she also spent part of her elementary years in Mexico) and was part of an education system that pushed her out of the system and to the streets of South Central. As a 29-year-old single mother of three living in Eugene, Carmen found herself working fulltime and going to college not knowing that one day she would find herself leading change in schools and communities specific to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Carmen has had a significant, positive impact on student outcomes and is recognized throughout the state as a school change agent with expertise in culturally relevant and sustaining practices and unwavering commitment to student and family voice. Carmen is the Director of Professional Learning with COSA. Prior to moving into her new role at COSA, Carmen was the principal at Milwaukie High and was a school administrator in both the Beaverton and Springfield School Districts. Prior to moving into her role in Milwaukie, Carmen worked with schools and districts throughout California and in Oregon as the school partnership director and consultant at Inflexion. Carmen was at Inflexion for three years. In addition, Carmen has served on several boards, is the recipient of the Distinguished Latino Educator award through OALA, the Pearl M. Hill Award, celebrating freedom and the Human Rights Alliance award through SAFER and the 2021 COSA President’s Award for Excellence in Education.

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Danielle Triplett M.Ed.

Danielle Triplett M.Ed.
Danielle Triplett, M.Ed., is a Senior Research Assistant at the University of Oregon. She started her career in education as a middle school language arts teacher in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Now, as a researcher, Ms. Triplett applies her on the ground experience in the classroom and at the district-level to shape and inform research related to making schools intentionally inviting, positive environments for students and staff. Her work has contributed to the development of training materials, tools, and interventions being used in schools throughout the country including materials for implementation that focus on systems, evidence-based practices, and the use of data specifically at the secondary level. Most recently, Ms. Triplett’s research focuses on developing an instructional alternative to exclusionary discipline that substantially changes why a student is removed from the classroom, what happens when a student is sent to the office, and what happens when the student returns to the classroom.

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Maria Santiago-Rosario Ph.D

Maria Santiago-Rosario Ph.D
Maria Santiago-Rosario Ph.D.,NCSP, is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Educational and Community Supports, a research unit at the University of Oregon. She brings a great deal of clinical expertise providing direct services to school- and college-age students with identified learning and mental health disabilities, and training of teachers and administrators on behavior support plans that increase access to individualized instruction. Her research focuses on teacher expectations for student outcomes, racial equity in school discipline, and measuring culturally responsive classroom management. Her expertise is in PBIS and system-level change in schools, having served as a school and district coach for diverse districts across different states. She is also an implementation partner providing technical assistance to school districts and school-level teams on effective classroom behavior management and strategic planning for school discipline equity through the OSEP-funded National TA Center on PBIS.

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Gene Tagaban/Guy Yaau

Gene Tagaban/Guy Yaau
Cherokee, Tlingit, Filipino For over 30 years Gene has worked nationally and internationally creating a world in which we want to belong. Gene's passion is mentoring, speaking, performing, facilitation and healing. Gene is a board member and trainer with the Native Wellness Institute. A trainer for ANDVSA, facilitating COMPASS: Choose Respect, a male engagement and mentorship program to end Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Hurt and Harm. Gene has also been featured at storytelling festivals nationally and internationally and is a specialty instructor and honorary uncle with the Wilderness Awareness School. Gene performs with Khu'eex, a Native Funk band based out of Seattle. Gene is always open to share stories, spirit and inspiration with people of all ages. In the words of one participant,  "Gene has the ability to make the audience feel safe while holding our hearts in his hands."

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Theda New Breast, M.P.H

Theda New Breast, M.P.H

Montana Blackfeet

Theda (Makoyohsokovi - Blackfoot name) was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, with a Relocation experience in the SF Bay area during the Civil rights Movement, entering UC Berkeley at 17 years old and receiving her B.S.W & M.P.H. in Health Promotion and Prevention.  Theda is a founding board member and master trainer/facilitator for the Native Wellness Institute (NWI) 1988-present. She is also a board member of the Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI), launched in 2019, builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into healing on gender, sexual violence against Indigenous people and MMIWG (Missing Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls). Theda has been a leading authority on Indigenous Cultural Resilience Internationally in Canada, Lower 48, Alaska, Australia, and New Zealand on Proactive healing from Historical Trauma, Post Traumatic Growth, Mental Health Healing and Sobriety/Recovery/Adult Children of Alcoholic (ACOA). She is co-founder and Co-writer of the GONA (Gathering of Native Americans) curriculum, one of the Ten Effective Practices and Models in Communities of Color. Theda is a Khan-nat-tso-miitah (Crazy Dog) Society member and Kaamipoisaamiiksi (owner of a Standup Headdress) Blackfoot Women’s Society. She Sundanced with the late Buster Yellow Kidney’s bundle for 10 years.  In 2013, The Red Nations Film Festival Honored Theda with a Humanitarian Award for her lifetime of healing work with Tribes and with a Red Nations statuette for her documentary short called, “Why The Women in My Family Don’t Drink Whiskey” (Free on YouTube).  The Blackfeet Tribal Council has recognized her Leadership skills and appointed her unanimously to The Board of Trustees for the Blackfeet Community College for years 2014-2017. She is currently certifying Healthy Relationship Trainers for NWI, which is a curriculum identified as “Best Practice” from ANA (Administration for Native Americans).


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LoVina Louie

LoVina Louie

LoVina Louie is schitsu'umsh (Coeur d’ Alene) Tribe, nselxcin snay7ckstx (Okanogan/Lakes) of Colville Tribes, Nimipu (Nez Perce) she is a descendant of Chief Morris Antelope of the schitsu'umsh and Chief Manuel Louie of the Inkaneep Band in Oliver BC Canada.   She is a graduate of the University of Idaho where she received her Bachelors in Organizational Sciences with an emphasis in Community and Tribal Wellness. She was recently featured on Lifetime Movie Network 50 Women in 50 States and a speaker at the TEDx Coeur d’Alene event.  LoVina is a board member for the Native Wellness Institute, a national trainer and facilitator in youth leadership development, strategic planning, family constellations and community healing and wellness planning. LoVina is the visionary behind the newly developed and revolutionary exercise series “Powwow Sweat” and co-directed the American Indian Film Festival and Red Nation Film Festival award winning music video “We Shall Remain.” As a former Miss Indian World she travelled to hundreds of tribal communities and this experience expanded her world view and desire to help all Indigenous people. LoVina is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend and an amazing human being. Her passion and zest for life is infectious.

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