March 6, 2021
Teach For America RGV Alumni Summit
Virtual Summit
A virtual summit bringing community members, alumni, and current corps members of the Rio Grande Valley together to learn more about the importance of checking in ourselves and our passions. In addition, we will be hosting sessions over our cultural history as well as an advanced teacher development session.
The goal of this event is to help each participant leave our summit with a better understanding of the importance of checking in with themselves and their community.
The Speakers
Dr. Lorea Martínez
Dr. Lorea Martínez is the award-winning founder of HEART in Mind Consulting, a company dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate Social Emotional Learning in their practices, products, and learning communities. An educator who has worked with children and adults internationally, Dr. Martínez is a faculty member at Columbia University Teachers College, educating aspiring principals in Emotional Intelligence. Previously, she was a special education teacher and administrator. Her new book, Teaching with the HEART in Mind, will be available on February 17, 2021. Learn more and get the first chapter free at loreamartinez.com
Colleen E. Lowry, MA
An accomplished and dynamic leader, Colleen Lowry has more than 14 years of experience guiding the transformation of individuals and teams in diverse educational settings. She serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University where she teaches graduate students leadership acuity through transformative self-exploration. Colleen is the Founder, Director and Head Mindfulness Coach at Mindful Heights, an organization that works to bring mindfulness into workplaces and schools as a support for greater well-being, fulfillment and resiliency.
Deborah Levitzky
Deborah Levitzky is the Chief Program Officer for WPS, a newly launched institute of professional learning based outside of Boston. Deborah leads the design and delivery of inductive, peer-to-peer learning for educators aimed at deepening their practice both in and outside the classroom. Deborah served for eight years as the Chief Program Officer and Founding Director of the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE). She was an architect of the Effective Practice Incentive Community, a professional learning platform launched by New Leaders.
Dr. Dagoberto Ramirez
Presently, Dr. Ramirez is a UTRGV UNIV 1301 Learning Framework lecturer housed in University College. He also teaches MASC 2301- Introduction to Mexican American Studies and EDBE 3323 -Development of Bilingualism in summer semesters. His current research agenda includes documenting and studying the classroom implications of safe-space translanguaging efforts in his classroom, as well as examining the literacy practices that stem from the everyday experiences of living on the border of Texas with Mexico in a housing program in a local U.S. Housing and Urban Development housing authority.