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Taking action to build agency and belonging among high school students who want to make an impact in their communities
MORNING SPEAKER
David Thompson, Director of Equity and Inclusion
Trinity School, New York
David Thompson, Jr. has spent his career attempting to dismantle systems of racial and social injustice through his lens as a queer, Black, educator working for non-profits, in higher education and secondary schools.
David is from Philadelphia, PA, where he grew up the son of a retired city police officer and school secretary. He graduated from Lehigh University in 2006 and studied Psychology, Sociology, and Religion Studies. Upon graduation, he worked at a local Boys & Girls Club in Easton, PA as the director of a teen center and a program coordinator for gang-affiliated and at-risk youth. His passion for youth outreach and engagement grew through that work, and he entered the field of higher education admission. He is a part of the first cohort of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Online Master’s of Education Leadership program.
David believes that when people in positions of power have access to the stories and narratives of individuals in a community, they gain the agency to make change that benefits the often ignored. He is an activist who has opened doors for Black, Latin and Hispanic, Queer and Trans people in his community. He has served as an advocate for social justice as a consultant and board member for several organizations, including San Diego Pride, where he was Board of Directors Co-Chair from 2020-2023.
David currently resides in New York City, where he is a proud DEI practitioner; he is an avid reader, and a lover of James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and their contemporaries. A Black futurist who imagines a world where dreams guide decisions and communities, David enjoys being outside gardening, hiking, and camping; he also enjoys debating the role hip-hop plays for today’s youth and finding ways to affirm humans existing in their full humanity.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR
Jenna Chandler-Ward
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Jenna is the Co-Author of the book, Learning and Teaching While White, and the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Teaching While White, a podcast and blog professional development site. She has been an educator in non-profits, schools, and colleges for over 20 years, working with students from kindergarten to college level. Most recently, Jenna had been a middle school English and drama teacher outside of Boston. Jenna is also a founder and co-director of the Multicultural Teaching Institute, which produces workshops and a conference for educators on issues of equity in education. Jenna currently lives in Providence, RI on the Ancestral and Traditional land of the Nahaganset and the Wampanoag. She is an equity consultant, specializing in professional development for educators on issues of Whiteness and its impacts on teaching, curriculum and leadership, and has worked with over 150 schools and institutions across the country. She holds an M.Ed. from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree from Marlboro College.
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