Meet the Authors at BOOST

2023 Meet the Authors

Arik Armstead
Athlete, Humanitarian, Entrepreneur, Armstead Academic Project, San Francisco, CA

AnnMarie Baines
Founder and Executive Director, The Practice Space, El Cerrito, CA 

Sheryl Evans Davis
Executive Director, San Francisco Human Rights Commission, San Francisco, CA

Dee Hankins
Inspirational Speaker, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Claudine James
NBCT Teacher and Community Liaison, #1 Educator on TikTok

Stu Semigran
President and Co-Founder, EduCare Foundation, Van Nuys, CA 

Principal Wayman
CEO, Principal Wayman Consulting, Founder of CurrentlyTrending, Speaker and Author, Philadelphia, PA

2022 Meet the Authors 

Shawn Ginwright, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

CEO, Flourish Agenda, Inc., Oakland, CA
Keynote Speaker

 

 

Pete Hall (he/him/his)

President, Strive Success Solutions, Post Falls, ID

 

 

Jason Lindsey (he/him/his)
STEM Certified Educator, Science Multimedia Journalist, Host, and Freelance Meteorologist, Hooked on Science, Paducah, KY

 

Dr. Bettina L. Love (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Educational Theory & Practice, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Keynote Speaker

 

Nathan Maynard (he/him/his)
CEO, Behavior Flip and Restorative Group, Restorative Group, Indianapolis, IN

 

 

Christian Moore (he/him/his)
Founder/Author, WhyTry Organization, Provo UT

 

 

Robert Murphy (he/him/his) 
President, Comprehensive Discipline Solutions, Fort Washington, MD 

 

 

Rosa Perez-Isiah, Ed.D.
Director of Elementary, Equity, and Access, Speaker, Author, Consultant, Los Angeles, CA

 

Stu Semigran (he/him/his)
President & Co-Founder, EduCare Foundation, Van Nuys, CA

 

 

Keren Taylor (she/her/hers)
Executive Director, WriteGirl, Los Angeles, CA

 

2021 Meet the Authors 

KishaLynn Elliott
Director, Program Evaluation and Restorative Practices Trainer, Monarch School, San Diego, CA

Dr. Andria "Andi" Fletcher
Consultant, Sacramento, CA

Justin McGlamery
Chief Locus Focuser, Focus Your Locus Teambuilding, Training & Development, Hartford, CT

Christian Moore
Founder, WhyTry Organization, Provo, UT

Stu Semigran
President & Co-Founder, EduCare, Van Nuys, CA

Dr. Kathleen Van Antwerp and Senta Greene
Dr. Kathleen Van Antwerp, Co-Executive Director; Senta Greene, Co-Executive Director, Full Circle Consulting Systems, Inc., Ventura, CA

2019 Meet the Authors

Dr. Bertice Berry
Sociologist, Award-winning Lecturer, Savannah, GA
Keynote Speaker

Dr. Shawn Ginwright
Founder & CEO, Flourish Agenda, Oakland, CA
Keynote Speaker

Jonathan Mooney
Author, Entrepreneur, Activist, Santa Monica, CA

Phil Brown
Lead Trainer, High 5 Adventure Learning Center, Brattleboro, VT

Matthew Emerzian
CEO/Founder/Author, Every Monday Matters, Burbank, CA
 

 

2018 Meet the Authors

Bryan Stevenson
Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative
Keynote Speaker

Jodie Knowles
Artist/Coach/Advocate, Luminous Minds Project
Keynote Speaker

Laura Abrams
Professor of Social Welfare and Department Chair, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Monica Burns
EdTech & Curriculum Consultant, Class Tech Tips, LLC 

Merryl Goldberg
Professor, California State University San Marcos

Mark Gonzales
Futurist, Author, Poet, Senior Technologist, The Department of the Future

Christian Moore
Founder, WhyTry Organization

Erika Petrelli
Senior Vice President of Leadership Development

 Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Founder, Asanas for Autism and Special Needs, ABLE Yoga, Yoga by Shawnee

2017 Meet the Authors

Barbara Boxer
Former U.S. Senator
Keynote Speaker & OSTI Award Winner

Brenda CampbellJones
CampbellJones & Associates, Ellicott City, MD

Karen Riley
SCRAP Gallery

Matthew Farber
Ed.D, Teacher & Author

Kyle Wagner
Transform Educational Consulting 

Erika Petrelli
Senior Vice President of Leadership Development

Alex Kajitani
Speaker, Writer, Teacher

2016 Meet the Authors

Father Gregory Boyle
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles

Jennifer Powers and Mark Tucker

Oh, shift! Oh, shift! for Teens

Monica Burns
Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality

Shawnee Thornton-Hardy
Asanas for Autism

Suzie Boss
Bringing Innovation to School
 

Christian Moore
The Resilience Breakthrough

2015 Meet the Authors

 
   Thomas Crane
   The Heart of Coaching 

Carolyn Hudman
Finding Funding for Youth Programs: Fund-Raising and Friend-Raising Secrets that Are Right Under Your Nose
What Wealthy Women Know: The Unspoken Rule and Everyday Investments of the Upper Class

Justin McGlamery
Focus Your Locus

Chris Ortiz
UBUNTU Activity Guide

Jennifer Powers and Mark Tucker
Oh, shift!  
Oh, shift! for Teens 

Shawnee Thornton Hardy 
Asanas for Autism and Special Needs

Matthew Farber
Gamify Your Classroom: A Field Guide to Game-Based Learning 

Martin Grunburg
The Habit Factor

 

Suzie Boss
Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World
Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age

Simon Sinek
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

2014 Meet the Authors

Justin McGlamery
Focus Your Locus

Rich Keegan
Global Games for Diversity Education

Christopher Ortiz
UBUNTU Activity Guide

Thomas G. Crane
The Heart of Coaching

Mark Tucker
Oh, shift! for Teens

John Hunter
World Peace and Other Fourth Grade Achievements
  

Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined

Roberto Rivera
Youth Voice Nation

Alex Kajitani

Owning It: Proven Strategies for Success in ALL of Your Roles as a Teacher Today

2013 Meet the Authors

Paul Tough
Bestselling Author of How Children Succeed, New York, NY

Jonathan Mooney
Author, Public Speaker, Different

Justin McGlamery, Coordinator of Adventure Education, University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, CT
Focus Your Locus

Christopher Emdin, Professor of Science Education, Columbia University, New York, NY
Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation

Darrell "Coach D"Andrews, Career-Life Coach, Speaker, Author, Darrell Andrews Enterprises, Bear, DE
Believing the Hype
The Purpose-Living Teen

2012 Meet the Authors

 

Sir Ken Robinson, Educator, Writer, Activist, Los Angeles, CA

Out of Our Minds

The Element 

Milton Chen, Senior Fellow and Executive Director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), San Rafael, CA
Education Nation

JC Pohl, Co-Creator, Teen Truth Live, Los Angeles, CA
Teen Truth-Why Youth Have Something to Hide

2011 Meet the Authors

Jonathan Kozol, Educator, Writer, Activist,
Amazing Grace
Savage Inequalities
  

Taylor Mali, Educator, Poet, New York, NY
What Learning Leaves
The Last Time As We Are

Justin McGlamery, The Adventure Education Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty Member at Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT
Focus Your Locus: Activities that Focus the Power of Individuals and Groups

Scott Arizala, Founder and CEO of The Camp Counselor, Ann Arbor, MI
S’more Than Camp: A Guide for Camp Counselors and the Rest of the World About Kids, Camp, and Working with Each Other 

Andi Fletcher Ph.D., Consultant, Center for Collaborative Solutions, Sacramento, CA
Changing Lives, Saving Lives
CCS Afterschool Expand & Excel
Lessons in Leadership   

Tim Scheidt, Vice President of Development for Action Math Group, Ltd, San Diego, CA
Fantasy Baseball: An Integrated Math Program 

Nathan Eklund, Senior Education Consultant, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN
How Was Your Day at School?

Matthew Emerizan, Co-Author and Co-Founder, Every Monday Matters, Los Angeles, CA
Every Monday Matters  

2010 Meet the Authors

Adora Svitak, Writer, Poet, Humanitarian, Redmond, WA
Flying Fingers
Dancing Fingers

Nathan Eklund, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN
How Was Your Day at School?: Improving Dialogue about Teacher Job Satisfaction

Andre Lewis, Abutech, Memphis, TN
I Want to Fly
Alexander and Renee versus Dr. DeCay
I Want to be Saved
We Want Computers!
The Fitness Challenge 

Dianna Cleveland, Playbooks, Inc., Reader's Theatre Author, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Mini, the Super Watermelon
Soccer Stars
Behind the Waterfall

Justin McGlamery, Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT
Focus Your Locus - Activities That Focus the Power of Individuals and Groups  

Dr. Cathy Vatterott, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Rethinking Homework - Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs

Matthew Emerzian, Every Monday Matters, Los Angeles, CA
Every Monday Matters, 52 Ways to Make a Difference

2009 Meet the Authors

Yvonne and Rich Dutra- St. John, Challenge the Day and Be the Change Movement Founders, Concord, CA
Be The Hero You've Been Waiting For

Jonathan Mooney, Author, Public Speaker, Different, Santa Monica, CA
The Short Bus

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., New York, NY
The Trouble With BlackBoys and Other Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education 

Dr. Andi Fletcher, Consultant, Center for Collaborative Solutions, Sacramento, CA
Lessons in Leadership

Douglas E. Luffborough III, Chief Managing Consultant, Turning the Hearts Center, San Diego, CA
Rising to the Top

Nathan Eklund, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN
How Was Your Day at School?: Improving Dialogue about Teacher Job Satisfaction

2008 Meet the Authors

Yvonne and Rich Dutra- St. John, Challenge the Day and Be the Change Movement Founders, Concord, CA
Be The Hero You've Been Waiting For

Meet the Authors

Each year, we are pleased to welcome many talented authors to the BOOST Conference. Attendees will have an opportunity to pre-purchase keynote speaker books at the time of online registration and have them signed in the exhibit hall during the conference. Due to high demand, we are oftentimes unable to guarantee the availability of books on-site. Additional authors will be selling their books at exhibit booths throughout the Exhibit Hall during the conference. 

Please click on the image above to submit your Meet the Authors application. 

Wednesday, May 1

9:45AM-10:15AM

Hamish Brewer
Award-Winning Educator and Principal, Author, International Speaker
Booth 0101 & 0105

Relentless - Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm

Hamish Brewer (aka the Tattooed Skateboarding Principal) grew up in a home disrupted by poverty, addiction, and family dysfunction. He understands the feelings of fear, lostness, and desperation that overwhelm too many children today—because that was his life. That experience is what drives him to work relentlessly to empower people living in the toughest areas to envision and create a better future for themselves.

Disrupt the norm. That is the challenge Hamish, a Nationally Distinguished Principal, calls educators, students, families, and communities to accept. And as he authentically shares his life experiences and adventures in this book, you, too, will be inspired to . . .

• Believe that something bigger and better is possible.
• Pursue your best, whatever it takes.
• Transform your school.
• Become the educator you always dreamed of being.
• Leave a legacy that pushes others to achieve their best!

Relentless is more than a motto. It’s a mission of total passion and purpose. And it’s the only way to win at work and at life.

Are you ready to take your life and work to the next level? Be Relentless!

Read more about Hamish Brewer here.

1:30PM-2:30PM

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP
Founder of Center for Youth Wellness & Former Surgeon General of California 
Booth 0101 & 0105

The Deepest Well

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diego—a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual assault—who galvanized her journey to uncover the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses.

The stunning news of Burke Harris’s research is just how deeply our bodies can be imprinted by ACEs—adverse childhood experiences like abuse, neglect, parental addiction, mental illness, and divorce. Childhood adversity changes our biological systems and lasts a lifetime. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the fascinating scientific insight and innovative, acclaimed health interventions in The Deepest Well represent vitally important hope for preventing lifelong illness for those we love and for generations to come​.

Read more about Dr. Nadine Burke Harris here. 

Thursday, May 2

12:00PM-1:00PM 

Dominique Smith
Chief of Educational Services and Teacher Support, Health Sciences High and Middle College, San Diego, CA
Booth 0101 & 0105

Belonging in Schools
Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay--An Illustrated Playbook

Belonging is an instinctual feeling: you know when you feel it—and you really know when you don’t. Creating a sense of belonging in the classroom has a significant impact on student learning and well-being; it serves as a gatekeeper for other aspects of learning to take root. But how do we create classrooms and schools where every student knows they belong?

This easy-to-use, illustrated playbook has you covered. 11 evidence-based modules feature actions and strategies that teachers can apply to help students feel more included. Interactive features such as essential questions and reflective prompts are designed to engage educators and deepen their understanding of the importance of connection and belonging in a student's educational experience.

Learn more about Dominique Smith here.

2:30PM-3:30PM

Meet the Authors Contact

If you have any questions about our Meet the Authors event, please contact:

 Marketing & Special Events Associate
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