- 2024 -
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LEADERSHIP AND HAPPINESS SYMPOSIUM
Exclusive Event for District and Community Leaders, Including Superintendents, Executive Leadership Teams, and Board Members
Monday August 5, 2024
10:00am – 2:00pm
Hosted by Cold Spring School District
Santa Barbara, CA
You’re invited to this exclusive leadership event in Santa Barbara focused specifically on the needs of District and Community Leaders, including District Superintendents, Executive Leadership Teams, and Board Members.
Why Happiness?
Happiness is an essential investment for leaders as a cornerstone of professional success and personal fulfillment.
Happiness enhances resilience, decision-making and ethical grounding, equipping you to face the challenges of leadership with grace and effectiveness.
Happiness directly impacts productivity, creativity and loyalty–all of which contribute to a positive and dynamic workplace culture and builds a more connected community.
Registration fee ($500) is covered by the Cook Center for Human Connection through our commitment to support school superintendents, school administrators and community leaders.
This One-Day Event Will Provide:
- Understanding of the neuroscience behind the most effective leadership skills
- Strategies to build a culture of happiness in your schools.
- Immediately impactful applications, resources, and best practices
Additional Highlights Include:
- Connecting and networking with Superintendent peers
- Discussing innovative solutions for employee retention and recruitment
- Learning crucial skills to cultivate thriving schools, contented staff, and successful students
Lunch will be provided.
Dr. Amy Alzina
Superintendent/Principal,
Cold Spring School District
Amy (Yamamoto) Callahan
Director of Advocacy, School and Community Impact,
Cook Center for Human Connection
Amy proudly serves as the school and community advocacy director for California and Hawai’i at the Cook Center for Human Connection to lead and foster the foundation’s mission to eradicate suicide by serving and assisting with mental health professional learnings and coaching support for parents, caregivers, healers, helpers and their staff. https://parentguidance.org/school-coaching/
Additional background information about Amy:
Mother. Wife. Education consultant. Equity advocate. Former teacher and administrator. First Asian American Board Trustee for Ventura USD. Dr. Amy Cranston’s SEL4CA Steering Committee Leader. Inaugural Renaissance DEI Inclusion Council and Employee Resource Group Leader. Inaugural McKinsey Asian Executive Leader Member. Dr. Ken Magdaleno’s CLEAR Advisory Board Member. 2023 American Heart Association Leaders of Impact and Women of Impact Awardee for “Rallying for Awareness.” Experience as a high-performing Business Executive and Leader with a private-equity-held (Blackstone/Francisco Partners) global educational technology company.
Working at the intersection of family, education and community, Amy excels at high-level business development and strategic decision making. She is recognized for her advocacy and outreach in the areas of early childhood/school readiness, leveling the literacy playing field, suicide eradication and mental health, social emotional learning and the whole child, DEI, parent engagement, and community partnerships in education. With more than 27 years of experience, she understands the needs of educators, parents and children alike having produced high-quality programming for Pre-K through the university level.
Amy was a classroom teacher in California, Texas and Hawaii. Today, she is the mother of two daughters, serves as a volunteer for two education-and-equity based nonprofit organizations, and is a frequent presenter at regional and national education conferences.
Yuri Calderon , J.D.
Executive Director,
Small School Districts' Association
Jennifer Miller
Trustee
Cold Spring School Board
Jennifer Miller is currently serving her third term as a Trustee on the Cold Spring School Board. During her tenure, she has had the pleasure of serving as President, Vice President, and Treasurer. As a dedicated volunteer, she passionately supports the Cold Spring School Board’s mission to provide a quality educational program in a secure, family-oriented atmosphere. At Cold Spring, she met Dr. Alzina, who convinced her to join an amazing community running group, Montecito Masters Running.
In addition to her volunteer work, Jen has enjoyed a successful 25-year career in pharmaceutical sales, earning multiple awards for her achievements in anti-infectives, surgical anesthesia, and oncology. Her professional enthusiasm is matched by her love and devotion to her family, her husband and their three sons. She holds a BS in Biological Science and an MA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from UCSB, as well as an MBA from UCLA.
Alysia Hendricks
Community Specialist lululemon Santa Barbara, Ambassador Program
As a community specialist at lululemon, Alysia is passionate about creating and nurturing authentic connections with people who share a love for fitness and wellness. Previous roles have equipped her with valuable skills in marketing communications and brand leadership in the golf industry as well as valuable B2B skills at Apple. Alysia has successfully promoted and managed various nationwide events, programs, and campaigns that increased awareness, engagement, and retention among diverse audiences. Alysia is always eager to learn new tools and strategies to enhance her impact and reach in the community.
Amy Jamieson
Senior Lecturer, Faculty, Exercise & Sports Studies UC Santa Barbara
Amy Jamieson is a professor and industry leader in the promotion of health, wellness and exercise prescription. She currently serves as Chair and Program Advisor for the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. Professor Jamieson is Board certified in the areas of Nutrition by the AASDN; Personal Training and Performance by NASM and Fitness Instruction by Schwinn, AFAA and IDEA. She is also a Certified ACE Health Coach and an ACE master instructor for the accredited program. Amy has become a leader in the growth and development of online education at UC Santa Barbara and the UC system. Professor Jamieson is well recognized as innovative and forward thinking, and therefore is the recipient of numerous educational grants. Most recently she received a grant through UC Santa Barbara summer sessions to develop and implement one of the first fully online summer courses at UCSB and was most recently awarded an ILTI (Innovative Learning Technology Initiative) grant from the University of California, Office of the President to begin the development of one of the first hybrid and online courses in health and wellness that will be offered on UCSB campus and as a cross-campus course offered within the University of California systemwide. In addition to course development and lecturing at UC Santa Barbara, Amy is responsible for the re-development and current management of the Wellness and Fitness Institute, a health-fitness assessment center that serves as a laboratory and center for student well-being at UCSB.
Jen Brown, Esq.
Retired Attorney
Jen Brown is a retired attorney whose legal work included high-profile litigation spanning multiple continents. A graduate of University of Washington and Gonzaga University School of Law, Jen went on to become a partner at the global law firm Cozen O’Connor, and later served as Associate General Counsel for Patriot National Insurance Group, where she oversaw London market and U.S. insurance coverage matters, including the NFL concussion lawsuits. In recent years, she has supported education-based nonprofits locally in Santa Barbara, including the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, and in Munich, Cape Town, and Seattle. Jen is an avid runner having competed in cross country and road races across multiple continents and medaling in three USATF Masters Championship races.
Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin
Educator/Author; National Education Leadership Executive Manager
Dr. Jacqueline L. Sanderlin has over 30 years of K-12 education. She holds a B.A. in Communications (Cal State University Dominguez Hills); M.A. in Special Education (Cal State University Dominguez Hills); Ed.D. in Education, Leadership, Administration and Policy (Pepperdine University). Additionally, she has been awarded certifications from Harvard University and ACSA Superintendent’s Academy, just to name a few. She has worked as a Special Education teacher, Literacy Curriculum Specialist, Assistant Principal, Principal, After-school Director, Inclusion/Diversity coordinator, College Professor, and Executive Director of School-Community Engagement. She is an Executive Board Member for the Goldie Hawn Foundation – Mind Up and SEL4CA (Social Emotional Learning Alliance for California). She is the author of The Why Not Challenge: Say Yes to Success with School-Community Partnerships. Dr. Sanderlin is a sought-after empowerment speaker and author who focuses on building community, capacity, connection and collaboration. Her passion has led to cultivating more than 350 community partnerships and dramatic school improvements. These efforts led to the birth of the NBC reality show, School Pride which focused on remodeling dilapidated schools around the country.
Dr. Amy Cranston
Educator/Author; Executive Director/Co-Founder, SEL4CA
A 20+ year veteran educator with a passion for treating students as whole people by prioritizing their social and emotional learning and development. She has dedicated her career to making culturally responsive Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) a priority in all schools for all students, serving as a classroom teacher, school site administrator, county office director, and state representative for a four-county region under the direction of the California Department of Education (CDE). Dr. Cranston holds an Ed.D. in K-12 Education Leadership, having conducted her doctoral research on SEL, she has lent her passion and expertise at the local, state, and national levels and authored numerous articles in addition to her book, Creating Social and Emotional Learning Environments.
Grace Brown
Sr. Manager of Impact & Curriculum,
Cook Center for Human Connection
Grace Brown, a dedicated advocate for nationwide mental health, joined the Cook Center for Human Connection with extensive expertise in implementing strategies for student achievement. As an Implementation and professional development expert, she’s coached educators in over 800 classrooms across the US.
Grace seamlessly combines deep expertise with a talent for simplifying and making complex concepts compelling. Grace crafted the curriculum for “My Life Is Worth Living” mental health web series and offers innovation that countless educators and administrators have implemented. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a Graduate Certificate in Early Educational Leadership from Harvard.
Michelle Bartsch
Vice President of Education,
Cook Center for Human Connection
Michelle Bartsch is the Vice President of Education with the Cook Center for Human Connection. In this role, Michelle works with community partners, foundations, and educators to cultivate awareness and support in the area of mental wellness, suicide prevention and family engagement.
Her experience includes over 25 years in the education and edtech space in the areas of teaching, curriculum development, implementation, relationship building, strategic partnerships, management and leadership.
Michelle holds a MS Edu and BBA from Texas Wesleyan University. Michelle lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Symposium Partners
Agenda
Monday
August 5, 2024
Santa Barbara, California
9:30 - 10:00 AM - Continental Breakfast (provided)
Registration and Check-in
Meet and Greet
10:00 - 10:15 AM
Welcome and Introductions – Dr. Amy Alzina, Superintendent/Principal, Cold Spring School District
Symposium Overview – Amy Yamamoto Callahan, Director of Advocacy, School and Community Impact, Cook Center for Human Connection
10:15 - 11:30 AM
Science of Leadership and Happiness – Michelle Bartsch, Vice President, Cook Center for Human Connection
The Positive and Negative Affect – Grace Brown, Sr. Manager of Impact & Curriculum, Cook Center for Human Connection
11:30 - 12:00 PM - Working Lunch (provided)
Mission for Mental Wellness – Dr. Amy Alzina, Superintendent/Principal, Cold Spring School District and Amy Yamamoto Callahan, Director of Advocacy, School and Community Impact, Cook Center for Human Connection
12:00 - 1:00 PM
The Leader IS Me panel discussion led by Dr. Amy Alzina, Superintendent/Principal, Cold Spring School District featuring:
- Jennifer Miller, Trustee, Cold Spring School Board
- Alysia Hendricks, Community Specialist, Lululemon Santa Barbara, Ambassador Program
- Amy Jamieson, Senior Lecturer, Faculty, Exercise & Sports Studies UC Santa Barbara
- Jen Brown, Esq., Retired Attorney
- Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin, Educator/Author, National Education Leadership Executive Manager
- Dr. Amy Cranston, Educator/Author; Executive Director/Co-Founder, SEL4CA
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Harvard Happiness Equation – Grace Brown, Sr. Manager of Impact & Curriculum, Cook Center for Human Connection
Neuroscience’s Four Secrets Revealed – Michelle Bartsch, Vice President, Cook Center for Human Connection
2:00 PM
Closing Remarks – Amy Yamamoto Callahan, Director of Advocacy, School and Community Impact, Cook Center for Human Connection