Educational Leadership Summit set for Nov. 13 at CSUSB

Equity and social justice will be the focus of the 2025 Educational Leadership Summit at Cal State San Bernardino, set to take place beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, at the university’s Santos Manuel Student Union North.

Presented by the James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education and sponsored by SchoolsFirst Credit Union, the theme of the fifth annual summit is “Education in the Balance: Advancing Equity and Social Justice in Today’s America.” Online registration for the summit is free and can be done on the Eventbrite webpage.

The 2025 gathering takes place against a backdrop of widening social divides, evolving education policies and questions about the role of education in a democratic society.

Through presentations and breakout sessions, participants will explore how data, leadership and policy can be leveraged to identify persistent inequities and drive systemic improvement in the current political landscape.

Four keynote speakers will present their ideas:

• Robin Avelar La Salle, founder and president of Orenda Education, “Naming the Equity and Addressing the Challenges of the Educational Settings of 21st Century America,” at 9:20 a.m.
• Ashish Vaidya, president of Growing Inland Achievement. “The Impacts of Equity Measures on Educational Attainment in the Inland Greater Empire: Allowing Data to Speak,” at 10:25 a.m.
• Tony Thurmond, California superintendent of public instruction, state Department of Education, “Leveraging the Engine of Government to Address Equity Challenges in the Educational Setting,” at 1:30 p.m.
• Gordon Amerson, superintendent of Val Verde Unified School District and a CSUSB alumnus, “Leading Equity Measures in a Polarized Society: The Role of Educational Leaders,” at 2 p.m.

Breakout sessions for participants will take place at 10:55 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., facilitated by faculty from the Watson College of Education.