Bill Milliken, Founder and Vice Chairman of Communities In Schools, Inc., is one of the nation's foremost pioneers in the movement to give young people the help they need to graduate from high school and go on to rewarding lives.

Mr. Milliken's activism began in 1960 when he joined Young Life, an ecumenical youth organization. He helped initiate “street academies” for young people who had dropped out of school and wanted a chance to resume their education, as well as live-in programs for substance abusers and youth in need of shelter and support. His experiences led him to search for a comprehensive approach to helping young people. This search culminated in the 1970s with the development of a model program that repositioned existing community resources into schools — the Communities In Schools network, which Mr. Milliken led as President until May 2004.

Communities In Schools is the nation’s leading community-based organization helping students achieve in school and prepare for life. Currently, the organization directly serves more than 1.26 million students and their families each year in more than 2,700 schools in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Milliken has served three U.S. presidents and has received numerous honors for his commitment to young people.

Most recently, he was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for National Service. Prior to that, he received the Visionary Ambassador’s Award from Usher’s New Look Foundation and the National Jefferson Award for Public Service, which is widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize” for outstanding community and public service.

Mr. Milliken serves on the boards of Leadership Foundations of America, PathNorth, and Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia. He is the author of four books: So Long, Sweet Jesus; Tough Love; The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic!; and From the Rearview Mirror: Reflecting on Connecting the Dots. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 2007 from Bard College.

Eric Rowles is a nationally recognized trainer, speaker, and consultant whom has dazzled over 150,000 professionals since 2000. His presentations are legendary - by combining the energy and innovation of a master trainer, the music and media of a former DJ, and the real life innovation of a successful entrepreneur, youth worker, camp director, former teacher, leadership educator, & University professor.

He’s been a friend and trainer to Communities In Schools nationwide, has worked with over 400 school districts over the past 15 years, and most importantly - he is a proud father of two powerful and opinionated teenage girls. Get ready to laugh, learn, and walk away with transformative tools you can use immediately!

www.leadingtochange.com

Asheena Baez is an Internationally renowned Mindful leadership Coach, Curriculum Developer, and Educational Consultant. Asheena is one of two Contentment Foundation Emissaries to the United States, where she is committed to scaling the Four Pillars of Wellbeing across the country. After graduating from the Summer Principal Academy Administrative Graduate Program at Columbia University, she serves the program as a Leadership Coach and Summer Instructor.

Growing up in the South Bronx in New York City provided Asheena with the resilience and inspiration to transform global communities using the power of mindful awareness techniques. She is a mother of three and a passionate educator that believes indestructible wellbeing is the birthright of all humanity.

Internationally, Asheena provides Administrators and Directors with high-impact training in Mindful Leadership to promote whole-child increased learning outcomes globally. She is a former Special Education teacher, principal and Director of Pupil Personnel in New York, and she is currently finishing her dissertation centered on Mindful Leadership at Sage College.