Alliance for Community and Equity (ACE) Summit

The University of Mount Union will host the Alliance for Community and Equity (ACE) Summit. This Summit focuses on building an inclusive community by overcoming inequities. The Summit provides an opportunity to discuss strategies, frameworks, and programs that can be implemented into action to enhance the climate and culture of institutions and organizations.

The ACE Summit is open to any institution or organization that is striving to be an inclusive community – one  that is culturally aware, confronts bias, and critically reflects on practices, procedures, and policies toward identifying and changing existing inequities.  The ACE Summit will provide institutions and organizations with sessions that are grounded in equity and inclusion and provide learning strategies and tools that address the compelling issues we face as a democracy and as a global community.  Participants in the ACE Summit will leave with strategies for developing an environment that recognizes, navigates, and bridges gaps of inequities and creates opportunities to enhance diversity toward a more inclusive institution or organization where all constituents can belong.

The Alliance for Community and Equity Summit will create space for conversations among educators, students, administrators, policymakers, and community members. We invite open dialogues that are civil and respectful and that promote the free exchange of ideas and practices that support diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. ACE will inform us of our shared responsibility and commitment to develop systems, structures, and policies that are centered on building inclusive communities.

If you want to sponsor or support the Alliance for Equity and Community Summit, please click the link below. Please include any sponsorship details in the “additional comments/special instructions” section.

SPONSOR AND SUPPORT

Sessions selected for the summit will be organized into three concurrent tracks. 

Student Track: Empowering Action for Inclusive Change in Co-curricular and Extra-curricular Activities (Athletics and Student Organizations)

Educator Track: Building Inclusive Learning Environments (P-12 and Higher Education)

Community Track: Focusing on Non-Profit/For Profit, Civic, and Healthcare Organizations Implementing Inclusive Policies, Procedures, and Practices

Lobby, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Join us in the Giese Center for the Performing Arts for summit registration. Grab a bite to eat for breakfast before our keynote address.

Community Track

What Are We Teaching the Next Generation About Masculinity?
Room 107, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Glen Harris, Director of Prevention, Ohio Domestic Violence Network 
Jeff Puster, Engaging Men and Boys Specialist, Ohio Domestic Violence Network 

Masculinity in our society overemphasizes ideals such as physical strength, aggression, sexual conquest, and the dominance of men. There are abundant examples and research of how hypermasculinity has devastating effects on women and children. However, much less attention and discussion has focused on how hypermasculinity affects other men. We will highlight some of the characteristics of how forms of masculinity are connected to violence (power/control) and how that connection can lead to violence against others and populations/communities viewed as "less than."  

The Sixth Level: Using the Power of Women's Psychology to Lead Change
Room 114, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Elaine Russell Reolfi, CEO, CommQuest Services
Anne Richards, CEO, Goodwill

Many organizations have good intentions to drive positive change and build an inclusive workplace and community but overcoming obstacles and aligning people can be difficult. The Sixth Level of Leadership is a model derived from the narratives of 16 women (including the two presenters) who practice Self-in-Relation theory, which defines the psychology of women as oriented to connection and care. This model supersedes Maslow’s fifth level, self-actualization, which is based on men’s psychology and is consequently incomplete. Its four differentiators – mutuality, ingenuity, justness, and intrinsic motivation – redesign leadership and promote collective interest to create healthy social dynamics that, in turn, optimize results.

Educator Track

7 Secrets For Beating Educator Burnout
Room 109, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Kenny "Coach Jo Jo" Smith, Educational Coach, I-AM Possible Enterprise

The 7 Secrets for Beating Educator Burnout Professional Development Workshop is a highly interactive and engaging session designed to empower educators with effective tools and strategies to combat burnout and foster professional wellness. Through group activities, reflection exercises, and practical action planning, this workshop aims to help participants cultivate a positive mindset, build resilience, and establish sustainable wellness habits.

Supplemental Advising: A Foundation for Colleges to Retain Diverse Students
Room 180, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Darnell Tucker, Student Diversity and Equity Outreach Coordinator, Stark State College

As we've reached a crucial time within education, we saw that the number of Ohio public high school graduates enrolling in Ohio public colleges and universities decreased by about 14%. As diversity practitioners, a key role that we can play in this equation is not looking at the recruitment numbers but looking at how our work in inclusion can impact the retention numbers.Join me as I go over my current work of establishing a supplemental advising program at Stark State College for our various populations on campus such as those who are academically underprepared and other underserved populations.

Student Track

Allyship: Moving Beyond Passive Exclusion
Gallaher Theatre, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Shilpa Kenjale, Director of Programs, SHIFT Consulting

“Good allyship is a willingness to not center yourself and your own experiences, ​but to instead listen to, trust, act on, and amplify the feelings and experiences of the people around you.” (Sherryl Knepp 2021). This workshop serves to build on the conversations that members of the Ohio Athletic Conference had in the fall where they examine some privileged and oppressed identities that lead to power differentials and inequity. Participants in this workshop will learn the concept of allyship and the various types of allyship that one can learn and use to stand up for teammates in tough situations, even when it's uncomfortable. This workshop is a space for you to know and learn how you can truly support your teammates this season.

Educator Track

Unapologetically Black: Will You Listen to Me Now?
Room 107, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Tadarrelle Lett, Coordinator/Academic Diversity Outreach, Kent State University

This interactive workshop is designed to equip participants with the tools necessary to thrive in an increasingly diverse society by adopting culturally sustaining pedagogies and an asset-based approach to identity development. The purpose of this workshop is to provide culturally appropriate affirmations as well as an understanding of the importance of centering marginalized voices in all spaces. 

The Winners Circle: Racing into a New Day....Transforming Trauma into Trophies
Room 114, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Marcus Bentley, CEO, L.A.V.A. Athletics 
Delone Carter , Coach, Grit Fit 

The session will give the participants tools and exercises on ways to utilize traumatic experiences as learning opportunities that may be transformed into fuel for success in sports, academics, professional work places, and everyday life. 

Culturally Sustaining Practices for Teaching about Native Americans
Gallaher Theatre, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Mary Beth Henning, Professor of Education, University of Mount Union
John Bennett, Partnership Coordinator,The Lippman School of Akron
Maggie Davis, Student, University of Mount Union
Miya Gotto, Student, University of Mount Union

Looking for more authentic, engaging, and contemporary ways to teach about Native American culture? Come see lesson plans, primary sources, augmented reality, music, and artifacts that can make learning with Indigenous people come alive. Cooperative learning stations and conceptual teaching will be demonstrated. Join this interactive session with UMU preservice teachers who developed and taught ethnobotany and music lessons to 4th graders in Alliance City Schools. All resources will be made available to participants through ahtove.org.

Student Track

You Are Who You Think You Are
Room 109, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Ace Epps, Vice President/Community Manager, JP Morgan Chase

This session is about understanding who you are and how learning to understand others will lead to a more impactful life and career.

Macaroni at Midnight
Room 180, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Don Bartlette, Public Speaker, Bartlette & Associates

This session focuses on the presenter's journey as a Native American child with a speech disability and struggles in facing racism in a small white community in North Dakota. It tells of struggles to be included in that community and how diversity was not respected. The presenter will share how a white woman intervened to help integrate the presenter into that community and to succeed academically, then to graduate from three universities in spite of problems with inclusivity.

Community Track

DEI in Healthcare Coverage
Room 107, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Josey Johnson, Student, Otterbein University

Healthcare coverage has systemic indifferences among different groups, sometimes marginalized, that plagues healthcare coverage for patients, limiting their treatment and provider access. 

The Sixth Level: Using the Power of Women's Psychology to Lead Change
Room 114, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Elaine Russell Reolfi, CEO, CommQuest Services
Anne Richards, CEO, Goodwill

Many organizations have good intentions to drive positive change and build an inclusive workplace and community but overcoming obstacles and aligning people can be difficult. The Sixth Level of Leadership is a model derived from the narratives of 16 women (including the two presenters) who practice Self-in-Relation theory, which defines the psychology of women as oriented to connection and care. This model supersedes Maslow’s fifth level, self-actualization, which is based on men’s psychology and is consequently incomplete. Its four differentiators – mutuality, ingenuity, justness, and intrinsic motivation – redesign leadership and promote collective interest to create healthy social dynamics that, in turn, optimize results.

Educator Track

Courageous Conversations to Honor Diversity of Thought and Experiences
Room 109, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Nyree Wilkerson, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator, Hudson City Schools

This interactive session will demonstrate an adaptation of the Courageous Conversation practice Hudson City Schools uses to meet our mission of maximizing the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of each child in a safe, nurturing, and diverse environment. Teaching staff have received professional development in several areas related to the successful implementation of courageous conversations including building community agreements, the why and how of proactive circles built around specific themes, and specific strategies for successful classroom implementation. Through experiential learning, participants will leave the session with practical strategies for building inclusivity by honoring diversity of thought and experience.

Exclusively INCLUSIVE or Inclusively EXCLUSIVE? The Oxymoronic Nature of American Schools
Room 180, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Peter Schneller, Emeritus Professor, University of Mount Union
Darese Sparkman, Student, University of Mount Union
Andrew Datz, Student, University of Mount Union

This presentation will offer an interactive discussion of American schools for pre-K to 12th grade, as well as undergraduate and graduate school. Areas for consideration include academics, curriculum, students with exceptionalities, athletics, classroom activities, disciplinary concerns, school-to-prison pipeline, social activities, school culture, admissions, zero tolerance, expulsions, Greek life, extracurriculars, gifted/talented programs, microaggressions, DEI, etc. The focus of the conversation will be “Can our schools be truly inclusive?” Come equipped to discuss difficult issues and questions such as, “Is grouping students by age inclusive?” “How could school sports include all who want to participate?” “How could grades be considered inclusive rather than divisive?” 

We all Want to Thrive: Cultivating Communities of Safety and Belonging 
Gallaher Theatre, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Erica Booker, Founder, Disrupter University

This session, a continuation of the morning's keynote address, focuses on creating inclusive communities where every individual feels safe, valued, and empowered. Participants will explore the importance of critical self-reflection, awareness of others, and the integration of 21st-century skills. The session emphasizes culturally responsive practices and equity, providing actionable strategies for fostering environments that prioritize belonging. Attendees will leave with insights into building stronger, more supportive communities and the tools needed to drive meaningful change in today’s diverse world.

Community Track

Catalysts for Change: Advocating for Inclusive Play and Child Development Beyond the Classroom
Room 107, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Sanampreet Gill, Research Assistant/Educator, Kent State University

This session emphasizes how teachers' roles extend far beyond the classroom and into the community, positioning them as vital advocates for civic and social change. Drawing from the philosophies of educational theorists, including George Counts and John Dewey, the presentation highlights the teacher's responsibility in fostering democratic engagement and promoting holistic development of students. The focus is on the development of Summit County’s first fully inclusive playground, a project led by a collaborative committee of parents, teachers, and medical professionals. This session explores how partnerships – school districts, city council, and legislators – supported the mission of outdoor play for all!

Educator Track

7 Secrets For Beating Educator Burnout
Room 114, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Kenny "Coach Jo Jo" Smith, Educational Coach, I-AM Possible Enterprise

The 7 Secrets for Beating Educator Burnout Professional Development Workshop is a highly interactive and engaging session designed to empower educators with effective tools and strategies to combat burnout and foster professional wellness. Through group activities, reflection exercises, and practical action planning, this workshop aims to help participants cultivate a positive mindset, build resilience, and establish sustainable wellness habits.

Courageous Conversations to Honor Diversity of Thought and Experiences
Room 109, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Nyree Wilkerson, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator, Hudson City Schools

This interactive session will demonstrate an adaptation of the Courageous Conversation practice Hudson City Schools uses to meet our mission of maximizing the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of each child in a safe, nurturing, and diverse environment. Teaching staff have received professional development in several areas related to the successful implementation of courageous conversations including building community agreements, the why and how of proactive circles built around specific themes, and specific strategies for successful classroom implementation. Through experiential learning, participants will leave the session with practical strategies for building inclusivity by honoring diversity of thought and experience.

Build It and They Will Come: Creating an Equitable and Inclusive School Environment through Student Programming
Room 180, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
William Warren, Program Coordinator of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Shaker Heights Schools

This session will provide information on how educators can build a framework to create student programming dedicated to fostering an equitable and inclusive school environment where everyone feels valued and represented. Using existing student programming in the Shaker Heights City School district as a model,  these long-standing clubs and programs have contributed greatly to student academic achievement, more equitable access, and providing inclusive spaces for students to find affinity and their sense of belonging. 

Student Track

We Belong Together
Gallaher Theatre, Giese Center for the Performing Arts
Andrea Ramsey, Director of the Office of Multicultural Services, Malone University

This session will focus on student empowerment in developing collaborative equity-focused experiential learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff on the topics of equity, belonging, and inclusion. We will explore how students, faculty, and staff can collaborate to create spaces for genuine dialogue and and intentional interaction to enhance understanding and growth among all stakeholders.