Keynotes & Speakers
Dr. Adolph Brown
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Adolph Brown, III works with schools and corporations around the world to implement best practices that support peak performance and educational excellence. His honest, humorous and helpful keynotes and workshops have been commonly described as "delightfully different." He has more than 30 years of experience working with issues of mental wellness, social justice, equity, education and diversity. Dr. Brown’s solid content and multiple takeaways, insightful humor and parables are appreciated and recognized by business leaders, teachers, administrators, students and parents all over the world. From extremely humble beginnings, he was the first in his family of five to graduate high school and go on to become a critically acclaimed clinical psychologist, university professor & dean, teacher educator, businessman, investor, research scientist and recovering middle school special education teacher. Dr. Brown considers his greatest accomplishments to be the joyfully married husband of Marla, father of 8 kind-hearted children and grandpa of Aiden.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Knickerbocker Winner
Andrea Davis Pinkney is The New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King award-winning author of numerous books for children and young adults. She is a four-time NAACP Image Award nominee, and recipient of both the Regina Medal and the Arbuthnot Honor Award, for her singular body of work and distinguished contribution to the field of children’s literature. Ms. Pinkney has been inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and has served on the creative and curatorial teams for several theatrical productions and museum exhibitions, including those drawn from her acclaimed books. Ms. Pinkney and her work are the subject of the Emmy-nominated short film, Andrea Davis Pinkney: National Author Engagement.
NYLA SSL is honored to present her with the Knickerbocker award.
Perry Ground
Perry Ground is a Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. He has been telling stories for over 30 years as a means of educating people about the culture, beliefs and history of the Haudenosaunee. Perry learned many of the stories he shares from elders of Native American communities and feels that practicing and perpetuating the oral traditions of Native people is an important responsibility. Professionally, Perry has worked in several museums including The Children’s Museum of Houston, Sainte Marie among the Iroquois, and Ganondagan State Historic Site. He has shared stories at countless museums, libraries, classrooms, and festivals throughout the northeast and has guest lectured at numerous colleges. Perry is the former Project Director of the Native American Resource Center within the Rochester (NY) City School District and will serve as the Frederick H. Minett Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for the 2021-22 academic year.
Victoria Jamieson
Keynote Speaker
Victoria Jamieson is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of books for children. Her graphic novel ROLLER GIRL was awarded a 2016 Newbery Honor. Her newest graphic novel, WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED, co-written with Omar Mohamed, is a National Book Award finalist. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania.
Malinda Lo
Keynote Speaker
Malinda Lo is the National Book Award-winning, bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which was named by Oprah Magazine as one of the 50 Best LGBTQ Books That Will Heat Up the Literary Landscape in 2021. Her debut novel Ash, a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.
Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or visit her website at malindalo.com.