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Keynote Speaker
Dr. Talithia Williams
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Talithia Williams
Big Data Expert, Math Professor & Host of NOVA Wonders
Statistician Talithia Williams is an innovative, award-winning college professor, a co-host of the PBS NOVA series NOVA Wonders and a speaker whose popular TED Talk, “Own Your Body’s Data,” extols the value of statistics in quantifying personal health information. She demystifies the mathematical process in amusing and insightful ways to excite students, parents, educators and the larger community about STEM education and its possibilities.
In 2015, she won the Mathematical Association of America’s Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member, which honors faculty members whose teaching is effective and extraordinary, and extends its influence beyond the classroom. It is this excellence that attracted the attention of online educational company The Great Courses, which selected Williams to produce “Learning Statistics: Concepts and Applications in R,” a series of lectures in which she provides tools to evaluate statistical data and determine if it’s used appropriately.
She is the author of Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics, a full-color book highlighting the influence of women in the mathematical sciences in the last two millennia and has narrated several science documentary films including; Hindenburg: The New Evidence, Our Beautiful Planet, Secrets in our DNA, and the joint BBC and NOVA 5-part series, The Universe Revealed.
Williams is a proud graduate of Spelman College (B.A., mathematics), Howard University (M.S., mathematics) and Rice University (M.A., Ph.D., statistics). Her research involves developing statistical models that emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data and applying them to problems in the environment. She’s worked at NASA, National Security Agency and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and has partnered with the World Health Organization on research regarding cataract surgical rates in African countries.
Faith and family round out a busy life that she shares with her husband and three amazing boys. Through her research and work in the community at large, she is helping change the collective mindset regarding STEM in general and math in particular, rebranding the field of mathematics as anything but dry, technical or male-dominated but, instead, a logical, productive career path that is crucial to the future of the country.
Keynote Session: Owning the Narrative: Data-Driven Leadership for the Future of Education
Keynote Session: Owning the Narrative: Data-Driven Leadership for the Future of Education
Abstract: In an era of rapid change, leaders must look beyond traditional metrics to find the human stories within the numbers. Leadership through change requires unlearning habits formed in traditional systems and adopting a "STEM mindset" that embraces bold possibilities. This keynote sets the stage for the conference journey by examining how data storytelling can bridge the gap between where our schools are and where our students need them to be. By "owning our school’s data," we can challenge traditional narratives and answer the grounding question: What do our students truly deserve? This session will inspire you to use your data to honor the roots of your mission while cultivating a more inclusive future for every learner.
Workshop: The Leadership Lab: Crafting Your School's Unique Story for Success
Workshop: The Leadership Lab: Crafting Your School's Unique Story for Success
Abstract: Every school has a story, but who is telling yours? This workshop provides a deep dive into "responsible and ethical data storytelling". Participants will reflect on their own leadership journey and learn how to use evidence, both traditional and non-traditional, to craft a narrative that resonates with students, parents, and community members. We will explore how to align your school's unique story with the core values that serve as your North Star.
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