Delivering high-tier intervention without falling into reactionary discipline is a critical equity challenge. This session introduces the EBRAG model (Educator Mindset, Build Relationships, Reasons for School, Ability Development, Growth/Contribution). Combining neuroscience, CBT, and positive behavioral supports, this framework shifts students facing trauma or attendance challenges into empowered, service-minded leaders.
October 3, 2026
Meet the Presenters
Summit San Bernardino
Discover the featured educational leaders, researchers, and practitioners guiding our session strands.
Dr. Alina Vehuni
Founder and CEO, Wholeness Education
(Los Angeles, CA)
Dr. Alina Vehuni has built a career on the conviction that education reaches its highest purpose when it tends to the whole student: mind, heart, and essence. As Founder and CEO of Wholeness Education, she partners with educators and leaders to shape learning environments grounded in presence and human connection. She has served as a teacher, specialist, school leader, educational consultant to Los Angeles USD, and Fulbright Specialist in Croatia training on systemic Social-Emotional Learning.
The Neuroscience of Belonging: Building Nervous-System Safety Into School Culture
Intended Audience: Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Counselors, Support Staff
Belonging is a biological need. Drawing on Interpersonal Neurobiology and Polyvagal Theory, this session explores how the nervous system detects safety, connection, and threat within school environments, and how these cues shape a student’s capacity to regulate, relate, and learn. Participants will examine co-regulation, predictable relational rhythms, and trauma-responsive practices to weave belonging into everyday school culture.
Jason Hill
Deputy Superintendent & Chief AI Officer, Redlands Unified School District (Redlands, CA)
Jason Hill brings over 27 years in public education, serving as a teacher, instructional technology leader, special services administrator, and cabinet-level executive. At Redlands USD, he leads operations, technology, compliance, and districtwide AI strategy, including the Responsible AI in Schools and Education initiative. His work centers on helping educational leaders navigate change with clarity, curiosity, and ethical innovation.
Leading What’s Next: Building Trust, Empowering People, and Navigating AI-Driven Change
Intended Audience: Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Higher Education
Drawing from principles in Fans First, The Speed of Trust, and Multipliers, this session explores how educational leaders can eliminate friction, build trust, and empower teams through rapid technological and cultural shifts. AI serves as a practical case study for navigating uncertainty, balancing innovation with sound judgment, and moving organizations from passive compliance to shared ownership.
Tracy Stayton
Founder & Principal Human Architect, Tracy Stayton Consulting (Lake Forest, CA)
Tracy Stayton is an ICF-certified coach and Human Architect with a Master’s in Communication and 20+ years of leadership experience spanning municipal government, the NBA, Disney on Ice, and Broadway. Her background pairs professional organizational renovation with personal depth from completing multiple Ironman competitions and philanthropic work worldwide.
Mold Grows Where Conversations Die: From Avoidance to Action
Intended Audience: Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Counselors, Support Staff, Higher Education
Research indicates that 70% of people are uncomfortable with difficult conversations, leading to avoidance patterns that erode trust and team cohesion. This session provides actionable tools to shine light on unspoken issues and build psychological safety through three core competencies: understanding resistance, observing without absorbing emotion, and separating emotion from action.
Dr. La-Trice Johnson
CEO & Strategic Leadership Coach, Levels and Mindset, LLC (Riverside, CA)
Dr. La-Trice Johnson is an award-winning former principal with 30+ years in education, currently serving as an executive coach, university supervisor, and program coordinator. Trained through iPEC, she developed the proprietary V.I.A. Strategic Leadership Framework (Vision, Impact, Advantage) and authors The Middle Mindset Leadership Playbook.
Leading in the Middle Shouldn't Mean Leading Alone
Intended Audience: Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Higher Education
Middle leaders carry organizational weight—translating vision into action and absorbing pressures from both above and below. This workshop addresses the distinct pressures mid-level leaders face and introduces the V.I.A. framework to cultivate psychological safety, lead through pressure with emotional intelligence, and build lasting cultures of trust without burning out.
Ma. Christina Fernandez
Educational Strategist/Leadership Practitioner, Edison Consultant (Oxnard, CA)
Christina Fernandez brings 15+ years of educational leadership shaped by personal self-healing, emotional intelligence, and trauma-responsive practices. Together with ShaKenya Edison, she specializes in creating safe, equity-centered, and supportive environments that balance academic achievement with community emotional well-being.
ShaKenya Edison
Educational Strategist/Leadership Practitioner, Edison Consulting
Leading with Awareness: Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Practices
Intended Audience: Teacher Leaders, School Administrators, District Leaders
Effective leadership requires self-awareness, intentionality, and an understanding of systemic dynamics. Utilizing the Person–Role–System (PRS) framework and the principles of Targeted Universalism, this session prepares leaders to analyze school decisions through an equity lens, integrate trauma-responsive practices, and move from reactive management to transformational leadership.
Chris McDonald
Principal, The Giving Tree
(Riverside, CA)
Chris McDonald has served more than 26 years in K–12 public education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal across elementary, middle, high school, and alternative settings. Holding a Master’s in Cross-Cultural Education, Chris is dedicated to trauma-informed systems, collaborative professional learning communities, and restorative practices.
Leading a Proactive Culture: Building the Conditions for Restorative Practices
Intended Audience: School Administrators
Restorative cultures are built long before conflict occurs. This session invites leaders to move beyond viewing restorative practices merely as post-incident disciplinary tools. Participants will explore how consistent adult communication, emotional tone, and proactive relationship-building establish the trust necessary for true accountability and healing.
Gerard Vargas
Cofounder & Chief Academic Officer, Legacy Mastery Academy (Hawthorne, CA)
Gerard Vargas is the co-founder of The Legacy Mastery Academy and Level 10 Learning. With extensive background as a high school science teacher, instructional coach, Loyola Marymount University professor, and recipient of the Sigma Xi Teacher of the Year award, he specializes in hands-on mindset makeovers and SEL curricula for high-need scholars.
Jose Hernandez
Cofounder & Chief Operating Officer, Legacy Mastery Academy
From Tier 3 Support to High-Achieving Mindsets: A Transformation Model
Intended Audience: Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Counselors, Support Staff, Higher Education
Dr. Darryl S. Adams
Founder & CEO, Dr. Adams Global™
(Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
Recognized by the Obama Administration as one of America’s Top 100 Innovative Superintendents, Dr. Darryl S. Adams has spent over 30 years in education advancing digital access and equity. He is an executive leadership coach and Generative AI consultant focusing on Human-Directed AI™ and sustainable instructional technology.
Human-Directed AI™ Meets UDL: Personalizing Learning Without Losing the Human Connection
Intended Audience: Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Instructional Coaches, School Administrators, District Leaders, Higher Education
AI expands personalized learning opportunities, but technology alone does not guarantee equity. This workshop bridges Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with Human-Directed AI™, ensuring educator judgment, human relationships, and student agency remain central. Participants will learn how generative AI can enhance engagement, representation, and action/expression while mitigating bias, privacy concerns, and workload.
Ready to Join Us in San Bernardino?
Reserve your spot today and select your breakout sessions.