LEAD conference
A CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATION LEADERSJoin us July 29-31
The 2025 Leading in Equity, Action, and Diversity (LEAD) conference supports education leaders in improving PreK-12 school systems to disrupt pervasive racial inequities. It offers actionable insights, tools, and strategies for creating more equitable education systems that eliminate racial harm and disparities in students’ opportunities, experiences, and outcomes. All are welcome.
Adding a third day: Be@School
This year, we’re expanding to a three-day format, building on the two-day structure held since 2022. The third day, in partnership with Hennepin County’s Be@School, will focus on addressing barriers to school attendance for K-12 students and their families through collaborative, family-focused early interventions.
Registration now open!
Registration is now open for this year’s LEAD Conference: Leading in Equity, Action, and Diversity for PreK-12 System Development!
- LEAD Conference (July 29-30): $495
- Be@School (July 31): $175
- Save $75 on Be@School when you register for all three days
Please note: If you register for both days of LEAD first, your receipt will include a discount code for the Be@School registration.
Submit a breakout session proposal for LEAD or Be@School by May 9
Presentations and breakout sessions are intended to focus on PreK-12 system improvement with areas of emphasis in: academic engagement, community engagement, student and staff wellbeing, and student attendance. We welcome your proposals, and any and all of your ideas that focus on equity, action and diversity for PreK-12 system improvement are welcome! Submit your presentation proposal, using the form below, by May 9, 2025.
2025 keynote speakers
Dena Simmons
Dena Simmons, EdD, is the founder of LiberatED, a collective developing school-based resources at the intersection of social-emotional learning (SEL), racial justice, and healing. Formerly the assistant director of Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence, she has been an educator, teacher educator, diversity facilitator, and curriculum developer. A prominent voice on social justice and liberatory pedagogy, Simmons has spoken at the White House, the Obama Foundation Summit, the United Nations, and multiple TED events.
Her work has been featured in Education Week, HuffPost, NPR, and PBS’s MAKERS: Women Who Make America. A recipient of numerous fellowships, including Truman, Fulbright, Soros, and Pahara-Aspen, she earned her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on teacher preparedness, culturally responsive pedagogy, and the intersection of equity and SEL to foster justice and safe learning environments.
Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, PhD, is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies and the Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor in Wayne State University’s College of Education. Lenhoff began her career as a New York City public school teacher, and she led the research and policy division of the non-profit The Education Trust-Midwest for four years. Her research focuses on education policy implementation and access to equitable educational opportunities, with a focus on how collaborative research with practitioners and community members can facilitate systemic improvement. Her recent research has examined district and school infrastructure to support school improvement; the effects of school choice policy on equitable opportunities for students; and the causes of and practices to reduce student absenteeism. She currently co-leads a study on the educational impact of neighborhood transformation through Detroit's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in Corktown. She is the faculty director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (Detroit PEER), a research-practice partnership with Detroit schools and community-based organizations working to equitably improve student attendance and engagement in Detroit.
Sarah Winchell Lenhoff
Non-discrimination statement
This event is open to all. The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
Land acknowledgement
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is built within the traditional homelands of the Dakota people. It is important to acknowledge the peoples on whose land we live, learn, and work as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with our tribal nations. We also acknowledge that words are not enough. We must ensure that our institution provides support, resources, and programs that increase access to all aspects of higher education for our American Indian students, staff, faculty, and community members.