PRESENTER PROFILES

2020 BOOST Conference Speakers & Presenters

Bryn Drescher
Bryn Drescher is an Expert in Transformational Speaking and Facilitation. She has been using her unique brand of electric energy, humor, and insight to empower audiences and individuals to move toward their dreams and goals despite the obstacles in their path. She has spoken in the arenas of large and small business, education, and personal development. Bryn believes that we all have what is necessary to achieve anything once we move beyond self-imposed limitations and blocks. Her most recent engagement was at Inbound, HubSpot's annual marketing conference in Boston, where she had the privilege of being a featured speaking alongside, Gary Vaynerchuk, Alec Baldwin, and Serena Williams. The topics she is most passionate about are Leadership, Self Empowerment, and Limitless Living. Bryn is also passionate about youth and has devoted the last 6 years to speaking all over the Los Angeles Unified School District for EduCare Foundation to high school students regarding being their best selves while pursuing their goals.

Dr. Ruby Payne
Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. is the founder of aha! Process and an author, speaker, publisher, and career educator. Recognized internationally for A Framework for Understanding Poverty, her foundational book and workshop, Dr. Ruby Payne has helped students and adults of all economic backgrounds achieve academic, professional, and personal success. As an expert on the mindsets of economic classes and overcoming the hurdles of poverty, she has trained hundreds of thousands of professionals, from educators and school administrators to community, church, and business leaders. Payne founded aha! Process in 1996 to offer a broad range of training solutions–workshops, consulting, books, and trainings for K–12, higher education, and communities—with a focus on creating sustainable success for everyone.

Dr. Vincent Pompei
Dr. Vincent Pompei is the Director of the Youth Well-Being Project at the Human Rights Campaign. One of his primary roles at HRC is to direct Time to THRIVE, an annual national conference for educators to promote safety, inclusion, and well-being for LGBTQ youth. Previously, Pompei served as President for the California Association of School Counselors and spent over ten years as a teacher and school counselor. He was also an LGBTQ cadre trainer for the National Education Association and authored the LGBTQ section of the American School Counselor Association’s National Model.

Stu Semigran
Stu has more than thirty years of experience as an educator, developing and facilitating training programs for youth and adults in educational settings worldwide. He has trained thousands of youth, professionals, educators and parents in leadership development, dropout prevention, conflict resolution, violence prevention, teambuilding, self-esteem, and service learning programs. Mr. Semigran holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a California Lifetime Teaching Credential and Master’s Degrees in Theology and Psychology. Mr. Semigran has developed an education curriculum, including Making the Best of Me: A Handbook for Student Excellence and Self-Esteem. From 1995-2000, in his position as EduCare’s President, Stu was instrumental in implementing school reform at over 70 schools and children’s centers through the Annenberg Project; LEARN Reform of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mr. Semigran also currently serves on LAUSD Beyond The Bell’s Take Action Campaign steering committee. Under his leadership, EduCare has grown to serve over 25,000 students each year. Stu was a 2012 Humanitarian Award recipient, recognized by the David Chow Humanitarian Award Foundation for his service to youth.

David Tong
David Tong is the Director of TGR EDU: Create, TGR Foundation’s educator training program dedicated to broadening access to high-quality learning environments and unlocking student potential. Our educator opportunities incorporate interdisciplinary approaches with content focused on STEM, college access and career connections. Continuous learning through in-person training and a collaborative online digital community will allow educators to adapt effective inquiry-based, student-centered pedagogy to emphasize positive youth development and student empowerment.

Welcome to the BOOST Conference!

PRESENTER PROFILES

2020 BOOST Conference Speakers & Presenters