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San Diego Equity Conference

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May 28-30, 2025
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina

~ Registration Now Open~

The San Diego County Office of Education's annual conference is designed for educators, community leaders, parents, students, advocates, and policymakers to grow education equity for every young person in our schools. 

 

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Accommodations

We have arranged discounted room rates at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. Book your room directly with the hotel by May 5.

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
Map | Driving Directions

 

 

Equity Conference 2025: Equity is Love in Action

Join hundreds of educators, parents, students, policymakers, advocates, and community members to advance educational equity for all students at the 2025 Equity Conference.

The Equity Conference will be an opportunity to grow and learn as we work to make our campuses safe spaces for all students, staff members, and families, where they feel honored and valued.

We look forward to coming together with a renewed sense of purpose to transform our individual and collective equity work and create places of exceptional vision, hope, and opportunity for every student.

 

Keynote Speakers

We are excited to welcome a diverse and dynamic variety of keynote speakers, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and unique perspective:

Fireside Chat

2025 California Teacher of the Year Kristen LoPrell will moderate a discussion with San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gloria E. Ciriza and San Diego Unified School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Fabiola Bagula.

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Dr. Glora E. Ciriza

Dr. Ciriza was appointed as San Diego County superintendent of schools in July 2024. She previously served as the assistant superintendent of Student Services and Programs at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE), which includes the Juvenile Court and Community Schools, Special Education, Student Support, Student Wellness and School Culture, Whole Child and Community Design, and Outdoor Education departments. She joined SDCOE in March 2021 and has been instrumental in advancing SDCOE’s North Star goal to reduce poverty through public education. The organization is committed to making sure every child feels a sense of belonging in our schools and removing barriers that prevent students from thriving. Read more.

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Dr. Fabiola Bagula

Fabiola Bagula, Ph.D. grew up navigating the hyphen of Mexican-American identity, born and raised in San Diego with frequent ties to Tijuana. A self-proclaimed pocha bilingual (y qué?), she earned her bachelor's from UC San Diego and her master's and doctorate from the University of San Diego. Dr. Bagula is currently the interim superintendent of San Diego Unified School District, the second-largest district in California, and proudly serves as its inaugural Latina superintendent(a).

Her career spans roles as teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent, and deputy superintendent, with a focus on transforming educational systems into equitable, high-quality spaces for all students. As a Latina leader in predominantly Latinx communities, she’s been a trailblazer, honored as the 2013 César Chávez Visionary Leader and known for becoming a madrina to many of her students.

Dr. Bagula’s scholarly work centers on Latina leadership and identity formation, including her dissertation and a chapter in Latinas Leading Schools titled Belonging and Being Enough, which explores the complexities of Latina leadership in predominantly white spaces. Through her writing at conchitasconatole.com, she creates healing spaces for the Latina soul, reflecting on the cultural tensions of tradition and modernity.

Photo of Kristen LoPrell

Mrs. Kristen LoPrell

Kristen LoPrell is a high school mathematics teacher and department chair at Grossmont High School in the Grossmont Union High School District. 

One of Kristen’s greatest strengths lies in her philosophy around student success, particularly, her emphasis on providing multiple opportunities for intervention to support grade improvement within the classroom. Kristen developed a grade repair system for integrated math classes which has had a profound impact on student achievement and engagement. Through her thoughtful implementation of essential learning standards and her dedication to inclusive education, she has facilitated access to honors-level learning for a diverse range of students, thereby enriching the academic experience for all. Her tireless efforts to empower students to reach their full potential exemplify her dedication to fostering a culture of academic excellence. Kristen advocates for student centered teaching practices that promote student discourse and class community to encourage belonging for all students.
 

 



 

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Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu is the current Ambassador of Culture for The Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement and engages both the Kanaka (Hawaiian) and larger (non-Hawaiian) community as an educator and spokesperson for matters of Hawaiian language, history, and culture.  She is a staunch advocate and leader for her people and currently has ongoing classes teaching Hawaiian men in the Hawaiʻi incarceration system.  

She also teaches cultural sensitivity and awareness sessions, that are inclusive of Hawaiian history and perspectives from a distinctly Kanaka point of view, to different branches of the U.S. American military onboarding to their Hawaiʻi post assignments.

Hinaleimoana is also a Hawaiian composer and is credited for having written the song (Ku Haʻaheo E Kuʻu Hawaiʻi) that unites her people in the pursuit of justice for land struggles in Hawaiʻi.  Her fllmwork earned American Oscar award Top 10 Nomination for Best Animated Short Film and has featured/produced/directed other award-winning films such as Kumu Hina, A Place In the Middle, Leitis in Waiting, Lady Eva, and now Kapaemahu animated short and full-length documentary.  

Hinaleimoana is a caregiver for her mother, and remains active in Hawaiian circles, and in the Tongan Community as a member of the Siasi o Tonga Tauataina (Free Church of Tonga).  Hinaleimoana is also a founding member and Board President for Kulia Na Mamo NGO serving Mahu/LGBTQI+ and People of Color in Hawaiʻi.  
 

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Dr. Pedro Noguera

Pedro Noguera is the dean of the Rossier School of Education, and Distinguished Professor of Education at USC. He is one of the nation’s leading scholars on issues related to race, inequality, and education.  Prior to coming to USC he held endowed chairs at UCLA, NYU, Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of 15 books.

His most recent book A Search for Common Ground with Rick Hess was the winner of the American Association of Publishers Prose Award in 2021. Noguera serves as an advisor to several states, school districts, foundations, NGOs and nonprofits. In 2014 he was elected to the National Academy of Education and Phi Delta Kappa honor society, and in 2020 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Noguera has received eight honorary doctorates from American universities, most recently from his Alma Mater, Brown University.  He has received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and from the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty.  In 2023 he was ranked 1st in the nation for influence and impact in the field of education, by Education Week.  

Born in NY City to Caribbean immigrants, Noguera is the father of five children, and grandfather to five.

Photo of Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur

Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur 

Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur, founder of Sumun Pendakur Consulting, is a seasoned, national expert and sought-after speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has served as a thought partner, capacity-building trainer, and speaker for over 300 higher education institutions, associations, and corporations. 

Sumi's work and research over the last two decades focus on helping organizations build capacity for social justice and racial equity by empowering individuals at all levels to be transformational agents of change in their spheres of influence. A former board member of NADOHE, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Sumi has been recognized as one of the top 35 women in higher education by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine

Sumi is the multilingual daughter of immigrants, a wife and a mommy of two little firecrackers, was raised in the Midwest, and now calls Los Angeles, CA, home.

Photo of Helena Donato-Sapp

Helena Donato-Sapp

Helena Donato-Sapp, age 15, has won numerous global awards for her activism, including The Global Youth Award for Educational Leadership, The Judy Heumann-Elijah Armstrong Award for Disability Activism, and the Yes, I Can Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. She is in her third year of partnership with the National Education Association as the co-founder of their national campaign on “Become a Champion for Disability Rights and Inclusion” – a campaign that seeks to reach every educator in America. She is a gifted scholar that has been well published and is the Youth Poet Laureate of Long Beach, California. Find out more about Helena at www.helenalourdes.com. 

 

Sponsorship

The conference will bring together educators and equity champions with renowned keynote speakers and an even greater variety of topics of equity. As a 2025 Equity Conference sponsor, you will have front-row access to connect your business or organization to efforts that work toward a bright future for all students, regardless of their race or ZIP code.  

View/download sponsorship prospectus. For questions, contact Jorge Cuevas Antillón at jorge.cuevasantillon@sdcoe.net

 

Sponsors

Thank you to our generous sponsors. We appreciate your commitment to equity.

 

Innovate Sponsors

Benchmark Education

 

 

Elevo

 

 

Inform Sponsors

Curriculum Associates

 

 

 

Wayfinder

 

Right at School

 

Summit K12

 

Alliant International University

 

Kelvin Education