Keynote Speakers
CASC is fortunate to have three renowned individuals who have revolutionized the lives of others through their unique work and life's calling at this year's conference!
Pedro Anthony Noguera, Ph.D
Pedro Noguera is the Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA he served as a tenured professor and holder of endowed chairs at New York University (2003 – 2015) Harvard University (2000 – 2003) and the University of California, Berkeley (1990 – 2000). He is the author of eleven books and over 200 articles and monographs. He serves on the boards of numerous national and local organizations and appears as a regular commentator on educational issues on CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and other national news outlets. His most recent books are Excellence Through Equity” (Corwin 2015) with Alan Blankstein, “School for Resilience: Improving the Life Trajectory of African American and Latino Boys” with E. Fergus and M. Martin (Harvard Education Press 2014), and “Creating the Opportunity to Learn” with A. Wade Boykin (ASCD, 2011). Dr. Noguera appears as a regular commentator on educational issues on CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and other national news outlets. From 2009 - 2012 he served as a Trustee for the State University of New York (SUNY) as an appointee of the Governor. He serves on the boards of numerous national and local organizations including the Economic Policy Institute, the Young Women’s Leadership Institute, The After School Corporation and The Nation Magazine. In 2013 he was appointed to the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society and in 2014 he was appointed to the National Academy of Education. Noguera recently received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences/Sage for outstanding achievement in advancing the understanding of the behavioral and social sciences as they are applied to pressing social issues, the National Association of Secondary Principals for distinguished service to the field of education, and from the McSilver Institute at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty.
Vincent "Vinnie" Pompei, Ed.D.
LGBTQ Students in California – A Youth Panel Discussion on Safety and Inclusion
ASCA’s Ethical Standards state that school counselors should advocate and affirm LGBTQ students, yet only 27% of LGBTQ students in California feel comfortable talking to their school counselor about their LGBTQ identity. Additionally, only 10% of LGBTQ students in our state say that all of their school staff are supportive of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Showing up to school each day ready and able to learn is a challenging task for students who don’t feel seen, valued, safe or included. These challenges are even worse for LGBTQ students of color or LGBTQ students with other marginalized identities who often experience multiple forms of oppression in a single day. Join us for an urgent conversation with a panel of LGBTQ teens from California who will share their experiences, challenges and valuable suggestions on how school counselors can make a positive difference.
Dr. Vincent Pompei is the Director of the Youth Well-Being Project at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality. Previously, he was the Project Director for the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership, served as President for the California Association of School Counselors and was a National Cadre Trainer for the National Education Association. He also worked as a middle school teacher and high school counselor for ten years. In addition, Pompei authored the LGBTQ section of the American School Counselor Association’s National Model, testified at a congressional hearing on school safety in Washington D.C. and was one of four public educators invited to the Obama White House for their first anti-bullying summit. Recently, he was named one of the Advocate Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, selected by the National Education Association as a Classroom Superhero and honored by the California PTA for his advocacy work on school safety and inclusion.
Brian Coleman, LCPC
2019 ASCA School Counselor of the Year
As school counselors, we recognize strengths and gifts in our students that they may not see in themselves. When we are authentic in our own unique gifts, we can create a safe and accountable space for students to shine a light on their own. Brian Coleman, 2019 ASCA School Counselor of the Year, will share how you can use counseling interventions to help students connect their passions and interests to their goals.
Mr. Coleman is in his second year as Department Chair for the counseling team at Jones College Prep High School in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). He supports a variety of other functions at JCP including (but limited to) JonesPride (our LGBTQA+ student support/discussion club) and Eagle Leaders (our school mentorship program that pairs 9th graders with junior and senior mentors.)
Mr. Coleman was named the “Illinois High School Counselor of the Year” and “Illinois School Counselor of the Year” by the Illinois School Counselors Association in 2018. He was later named the "2019 National School Counselor of the Year" by the American School Counselor Association, and he is extremely excited to represent the counseling profession in this capacity! Most recently, Mr. Coleman won an "Upstander Award" from the Human Rights Campaign for his LGBTQA+ youth advocacy work.
Mr. Coleman has been actively involved in supporting and advocating on behalf of LGBTQA+ youth for many years. During his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, he worked at the campus LGBTQA+ student center in support of inclusive programming for students, staff professional development, and peer counsel to new/prospective students on school policy, resources, climate, and culture. As a college student, he also worked with Chicago's LGBTQA+ About Face Theatre. With About Face Theatre's touring youth theatre program, Mr. Coleman traveled to high schools in the Chicagoland area performing pieces related to LGBTQA+ youth homelessness in the city. (It was during these touring experiences that he realized his passion for education and youth development.)
Later, while pursuing his Master's of Education in School Counseling, Mr. Coleman began volunteering and consulting for the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (ISSA), a non-profit focused on LGBTQA+ legislative advocacy and the development of Gay/Straight Alliances throughout the state. In recent years, Mr. Coleman is very proud to have been able to connect multiple youth leaders to ISSA's student-led advocacy efforts in the Chicagoland area. Most recently, Mr. Coleman has supported inclusive LGBTQA+ supports at Jones College Prep. In addition to sponsoring JonesPride, Mr. Coleman has helped oversee the implementation of CPS district guidelines related to transgender and gender non-conforming youth. This has included the designation and support of inclusive bathroom spaces at the school and the facilitation and oversight of student/staff/family communication, resource provision, and advocacy on behalf of transgender, gender non-conforming/non-binary students. He has also recently partnered with student leaders and staff to expand the comprehensive sexual health education offerings at the school in order to provide students with more inclusive education on gender and sexual identity, healthy relationships, and pertinent policies/laws/supports related to dating violence.
Mr. Coleman believes that school counseling is all about relationships and authenticity. He strives to keep it as real (with care) as possible with his students and families and hopes that they will do the same! His work is not possible without the support and collaboration of students and families, so he hopes that they will engage in the counseling work fully and intentionally. In his free time, Mr. Coleman enjoys personal fitness, theatre, dance, most things superhero/superheroine-related, video games and professional wrestling (yes, like "World Wrestling Entertainment".)