Equity by Design: Reimagining Research, Policy, and Practice
Building Systems Where Every Learner Has a Fair Chance to Succeed.
November 4-6, 2026
Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa
Palm Desert
*Registration is non-refundable but is transferable
Conference Keynotes
Dr. Michelle Pledger
Dr. Michelle Pledger is the Founder of Living for Liberation and serves as the Director of Liberation at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. A nationally recognized educator, author, and speaker, she partners with schools, districts, and organizations to cultivate liberatory, equitable, and human-centered learning environments. Drawing on her expertise in culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, project-based learning, and systems transformation, Dr. Pledger empowers educators to disrupt inequity while honoring the lived experiences of students and communities. She is the author of LIBERATE! Pocket-Sized Paradigms for Liberatory Learning, an accessible guide to creating classrooms where all learners can thrive. Through her engaging keynotes and professional learning, Dr. Pledger inspires educators to lead with courage, empathy, and purpose in pursuit of educational justice and liberation.
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
Julian Vasquez Heilig serves as a Professor of Educational Leadership, Research, and Technology at Western Michigan University. He has nearly 80 scholarly works, has presented at more than 20 distinct professional conferences, and in eight countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. For a decade, Education Week ranked him among the top 200 U.S. education scholars.
Julian Vasquez Heilig challenges educators and researchers to examine the public curriculum embedded in our institutions: the policies, practices, technologies, incentives, and everyday decisions that teach students who belongs, whose knowledge matters, and who gets a genuine opportunity to succeed.
As our closing keynote Dr. Vasquez Heilig will be presenting Equity Is Not an Accident: Designing Institutions Worthy of Our Students.
At a moment when education is confronting political pressure, technological disruption, and growing distrust of institutions, this keynote asks us to move beyond simply documenting inequity.