Christian Educators Diversity Alliance Presents

Virtual Symposium

May 7 - June 30, 2020

An online symposium for Christian Educators for Diversity & Inclusion

Special Session

Panel Discussion

How will you respond?

You’ve seen the photos, the videos, and the cities on fire. The question now is how will you respond? Join us for a panel discussion Tuesday, June 2nd at 4:30 EST. This panel discussion is a free public event and everyone is invite to join and participate.

“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Amos 5:21-24

Panel Participants

Joel Hazard, Head of Upper School, Fort Bend Christian Academy
Jenny Brady, Director of Diversity, Prestonwood Christian Academy
Tia Gaines, Department Chair, Insight Pa Cyber Charter School
Mike Chen, Head of School, Pacific Bay Christian School
Joel Gaines, Interim Head of School, The City School
Antoinette Iroko, Christian School Alumna, Howard Law School student
David Robinson, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Grace Community School

Watch Panel Discussion Recording

Join the Live Stream

The first plenary is starting at 4:30PM EST. We are starting the live stream and opening the zoom rooms at 4:00PM EST. Please join us to a little bit early to get to know some of the other attendees.

Check your email for access code/passwords.

Join Live Stream

COVID-19 Update

The show must go on!

The health and safety of our attendees is our top priority. In light of the global spread of the COVID-19 virus, the CEDA Symposium 2020 will now take place as an eight-week online experience. If you’re registered for this event and haven’t heard from us about this change, please contact us.

An Online Symposium Reimagined

Efficient

No travel, no waits

Interactive

Real-time virtual interactions with speakers and fellow attendees

Flexible

Each plenary and workshop offered on two different days

Cost-effective

Discounted price, no travel and lodging costs

What is the Christian Educators Diversity Symposium?

The CEDA Symposium is a forum of learning and discussion for educators who strive to push Christian education to reflect the diversity of the Body of Christ.

Dialogue

Be ready not only to learn but also to actively engage in discussions.

Fellowship

We are all brothers and sisters; get to know people in our community.

Training

Our goal is to empower educators to enact tangible change.

Plenary Speakers

Mia MBroh

Licensed Counselor, Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

“Invested in causes that are bigger than herself yet driven by a deep motivation nurtured in changing individual lives...”

Mia has served as an educator, counselor, facilitator, and speaker for groups as large as 5,000 attendees on a local and national level addressing topics in the broad continuum of relational health concerns, as well as justice and fair treatment for humankind. She is a gifted speaker and moderator with schools, organizations, and churches, facilitating dialogue for even the most difficult personal and professional topics with grace, sensitivity, and truth. Mia’s professional discernment and intentional listening leaves each individual walking away with a piece of her compassion while feeling empowered and heard.

Dr. Michael Chen

Head of School, Pacific Bay Christian School

Dr. Michael Chen has been an educator for over 20 years in the San Francisco and Boston areas with experiences in urban education, international development, and organizational change. His experience includes serving as dean of faculty at Boston Trinity Academy, and the founding director of Trinity Institute for Leadership and Social Justice. Currently, he serves as the head of school at Pacific Bay Christian School. For his doctoral work, Michael developed a system-theory of resilience to further understand human development in the context of war-affected widows in Nepal. In addition, he also provided leadership and program evaluation consultative services to schools and organizations in South Korea, Nepal, and India. His writing includes Cracking the Code: Building Christian Leaders in a Turbulent World, a World Vision eBook about service, learning, and faith; “From White to Mosaic”, a chapter that he coauthored in Mindshift in Christian Education. He can be reached via email at mchen@pacbay.org.

Dr. Mack Hines

Author of White Teachers, Black Students

As CEO of Mack Hines Consulting, LLC, Dr. Mack Hines provides schools and other educational organizations with customized approaches to achieve equity and diversity. He is a visionary, an author, and a professional speaker with over 500 presentations under his belt, and has been dubbed a "Solid Voice for Students of Color." Hines earned his doctorate of education (Ed.D) from South Carolina State University in Educational Leadership.

Workshop Speakers

Hope Harris

Community Health Educator

Eleven years ago, Hope Harris rejected her life as an openly gay woman and activist in Seattle, WA to embrace Jesus as her Savior. She has waded through the muddy waters of sexual identity to resolve the conflict between her faith and sexuality and embrace a Biblical worldview. Serving as a lay leader at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, TX, Hope walks beside others who find themselves in this same conflict. She is an aspiring author; sharing her story regularly at churches and Christian schools and equipping church leaders to respond biblically to the issues surrounding gender, sexuality and marriage.

Joel Gaines

High School Principal of Upper Campus at The City School, Philadelphia

Joel R. Gaines serves as the principal of the Upper Campus at The City School in Philadelphia. He graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University (Cairn University) with a BS in education and biblical studies, and earned his MEd in education from Cabrini University. Joel has served in multiple roles over the past 10 years in both Christian and public education, and in both urban and suburban settings. Joel co-leads the Grace and Race Ministry at his church and is a well-regarded speaker and consultant on issues of race and diversity.

Tia Gaines

Department Chair at Insight Pa Cyber Charter School

Tia Gaines has been teaching for 16 years, with 11 of those years spent in online education. She helped launch Pennsylvania's new online cyber charter school, Insight PA Cyber Charter School, where she is the English Department Chair and serves on the strategic planning committee. In addition, she has also taught in the SAIL (School for Applied and Innovative Learning) program at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, PA. Tia co-leads the Grace and Race Ministry at her church alongside her husband Joel. She has created curriculum and resource material on the topics of cultural humility, as well as intercultural competency, dialogue and reflection.

Dr. Kenneth Chapman

Executive Dean of Liberal Arts at North Lake College

Dr. Kenneth M. Chapman, Jr. currently serves as Executive Dean of Liberal Arts division at North Lake College in the Dallas County Community College System. Overseeing faculty in seven different disciplines, curriculum development, and student success initiatives. Previously, serving as Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Oklahoma. In that role, Chapman oversaw minority recruitment and retention initiatives, diversity and multicultural affairs, and minority faculty and staff training and development. Chapman also directed outreach which engaged and developed more partnerships between the university and the community. Additionally, Chapman was professor in the International Business and Management division in the Price College of Business. Prior to OU, Chapman served as Assistant Dean of Student Development and Diversity at Oklahoma Baptist University. In this role, he was tasked with enhancing the campus culture and instituting a diversity plan that ensured students, faculty, and staff understood what it means to embrace a diverse world.
Chapman earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations: mass communication from the University of Central Oklahoma (2007), a master’s of education from the University of Oklahoma (2012), and a doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oklahoma (2018). Chapman’s research interests are in school equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. Chapman has conducted research studies on Christianity and race, and he focuses on helping organizations embrace, employ, and engage in kingdom diversity practices. Chapman currently serves as Associate Pastor at LifeChanging Faith Christian Fellowship in Frisco, Texas. Chapman has been blessed to preach at churches and conferences at the national, state, and local levels. Chapman is married to Kimberley Kierra Chapman and resides in Frisco, Texas with their sons.

John Murray

President of Imago Dei Leadership Forum

With 25 years in education–17 years as Head of School–Imago Dei Leadership Forum President John Murray is a thought-leader in regard to equipping children and parents to impact modern culture for Jesus Christ. With a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College, John has extensive experience in impacting the broader public through speaking, writing, and filmmaking.
His award-winning articles addressing education, history, politics, media and youth culture have appeared in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Barna Group, The Washington Examiner, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Des Moines Register, The Atlanta Constitution, Citizen Magazine, Movieguide, and Fox News.com to name a few.
Through the help of a grant from the Maclellan Foundation, John converted his Imago Dei Leadership Forum curriculum into a new e-textbook entitled In Whose Image? Commissioning new research from The Barna Group on Gen Z, and over forty engaging short videos, John provides an amazing and much-needed resource for Christian educators, youth leaders and parents. In Whose Image? helps teens affirm their identity and faith in Jesus, and equips them to learn the importance of loving others as image-bearers—both in history and today—while sharing the Gospel and pursuing Christ-centered justice.

Joel Hazard

Head of Upper School, Fort Bend Christian Academy

Joel Hazard is in his fifteenth year as a Christian educator. He currently serves as the Head of Upper School at Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land, Texas. Joel is a member of the Profound Gentlemen organization, a community of male educators of color providing a profound impact for boys of color. Joel has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership, as well as, a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership for Learning from Kennesaw State University. Joel has a heart and passion for school leadership and is a champion of diversity within the private school sector. His efforts focus on curriculum development, building a learning environment that is inclusive, racially literate, and socially and emotionally proficient in preparing students to thrive in the 21st century. Joel is married to his bride of fifteen years and has four children.

David Robinson

Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Grace Community School

David Robinson serves as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Grace Community School in Tyler, Texas. David has a BS in Bible from Clarks Summit University and has spent his entire professional career working in Christian education. This has helped shape his passion for cultivating an environment in which all students have access to a Christ-centered education, while feeling appreciated and celebrated. David helped found the Christian Educators Diversity Alliance. The organization’s work centers around helping Christian schools develop a more diverse and inclusive environment. David is also a member of Profound Gentleman, a community that provides support to male educators of color around the country. Along with David’s diversity and inclusion work, he continues to invest in young people through the world of athletics as a basketball and football coach.

Schedule

Every plenary and workshop session are scheduled for 2 dates.

We know how busy you are during these uncertain times. The plenary and workshop speakers have graciously agreed to present their sessions twice to ensure that you’re able to attend.

Sessions will begin May 7th and occur every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 pm EST.

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Session

Title

Speaker

Dates

Plenary 1

Welcome to Diversity: Self-Assessment