Cut the Jargon: What We Actually Want for All Students

John Bridgeland is Founder & CEO of Civic, a social enterprise firm in Washington, D.C. He is also Executive Chairman of the Office of American Possibilities, a moonshot factory to tap the entrepreneurial talent of Americans to solve public challenges together across divides. In that capacity, he is Co-Founder and CEO of the COVID Collaborative, a national platform to combat COVID-19; Co-Founder of ACT NOW, a ground-up effort to re-envision policing and public safety; Co-Chairman of Welcome.US to inspire, educate and engage Americans in supporting the resettlement of our Afghan allies; and Co-Founder of the Partnership for American Democracy.

Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel takes the helm at CASEL during a time of unprecedented growth for the field of social emotional learning (SEL), spearheading initiatives alongside other educators, researchers, and policy leaders to expand SEL nationwide and serving as a leading voice for children’s education. Dr. Samuel previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Local, State and National Engagement at the U.S. Department of Education, as a Senior Fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and former Executive Vice President of Government Affairs & Partnerships at NWEA.

Karen has made a career of starting organizations and initiatives that promote youth development – including the Forum for Youth Investment, which she co-founded with Merita Irby in 1998. After serving as the President & CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment until February 2021, Karen stepped away from organizational management to dedicate her time to galvanizing the growing interest in using science informed strategies to truly change the odds that all children and youth can be successful.