We had an incredible day full of speakers and special contributors. Please take a look at the below (in order of appearance) for more information on each part of the day and who was involved in helping us deliver an extraordinary, hands-on educational experience for LSA 49.

• Robert Salcido, Privilege Walk Moderator
  Robert Salcido, Jr. is a prominent social justice advocate based in San Antonio, Texas, known for his extensive work around topics of inclusion, acceptance, and belonging within marginalized communities with emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community. He currently serves as the Program Director at Texas Pride Community Foundation, formerly Texas Pride Impact Funds, where his focus is prioritizing grantmaking in historically under-resourced communities.
  
  Throughout his career, Salcido has been involved in numerous organizations and initiatives including the former executive director of Pride Center San Antonio and the past Engagement and Advocacy Manager at Equality Texas. He serves on the board of directors with Planned Parenthood South Texas, and on the DEI advisory boards with the Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio and the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program at the University of Minnesota. 
  
  Salcido’s contributions have been widely recognized. He has received several awards, including Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers of Texas and CenterLink’s Lorri L. Jean Leadership Award, a National recognition of leaders who have significantly impacted the advancement of the LGBTQ movement. His advocacy work has also earned him recognition and inclusion in ‘The Honor 41 List’ honoring Latinx role models across the globe. 
  
  Originally from Roswell, New Mexico and raised in Amarillo, Texas, he has made San Antonio his home since 2001. He and his husband, Mike, enjoy traveling and playing competitive darts during their spare time. 

K-12 Education

Girls Inc Panel

• Shari Albright, Ed.D, President of the Charles Butt Foundation, where she works to further the mission of pursuing a more equitable and prosperous future for all Texans through public education and community partnerships. 
  
  Prior to her foundation leadership she served as the Murchison Distinguished Professor of Practice in Education and Chair of the Department of Education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.  Before joining Trinity University, she was the Executive Director of Education at the Asia Society and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Society International Studies Schools Network in New York. She also served as the principal of a public magnet school in San Antonio, Texas – the International School of the Americas – and was named the Texas High School Principal of the Year for 2004 by the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.  In 2004, her school was awarded the Goldman Sachs Prize in International Education. Her background also includes service as an elementary teacher and administrator as well as teaching on the MAT faculty of Trinity University. 
  
  Currently, in the community, she serves on the municipal board for Pre-K 4 SA, a citywide early childhood initiative for San Antonio, and is a board member of the CAST Network of career-themed high schools in San Antonio. She is also a member of the Governing Board of the Holdsworth Center, a statewide educational leadership center for Texas, serves on the Board of Trustees of Trinity University, and as the past chair of the board of the San Antonio ISD Education Foundation.  Additionally, she supports, through board membership, Early Matters – San Antonio, the UP Partnership Leadership Council, the Industry Advisory Council for SA Works for Greater SATX, the Leadership Committee for Philanthropy Advocates Texas, Youth Orchestra San Antonio, and the Region 14 Comprehensive Center for public education representing a seven state region.
  
  In 2022, Albright was the recipient of the San Antonio Education Champion Award presented by the San Antonio Report Education Forum and was presented the Headliner Award for Education in 2016 presented by the Association for Women in Communication.

• Christina Martinez, SAISD Board President, has served in this capacity since 2021. She has represented the SAISD District 6 community since April 10, 2017. On May 5, 2023 she won her second election and is serving a term that will expire in 2027. She has spent her entire career serving multiple non-profits as a youth development professional. Christina is trained in Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma Informed Care, and is a trainer for The Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships.
  
  Christina and her husband are lifelong residents of SAISD. Their two older children graduated from SAISD schools and they have one more in the district.  In March 2024, Christina joined the team of UP Partnership and is their Managing Director of Public Engagement.  She is a member of the Executive Committee of The Council of Great City Schools and will join the San Antonio Housing Trust in June 2025.
  
  Christina is the daughter of two urban public school educators.  She believes that our public schools are the lifeline of democracy and that all families should be afforded the opportunity to find a best-fit school.  Christina and her family spend their free time with their many pets and can often be found biking or hiking one of the many urban trails in San Antonio
  
  
• Lea Rosenauer, President and CEO of the nonprofit Girls Inc. of San Antonio. Through programming, mentorship and the creation of safe spaces, Girls Inc. of San Antonio equips girls to be healthy, educated, and independent. Instilled with a focus on learning by her parents, Lea attended the University of Oklahoma and fell in love with youth leadership as a resident assistant. Having met fellow girls along the way who were told they weren’t smart enough to attend college, she became motivated to provide access and opportunity to young women.
  
  Her career in nonprofits drew her to lead Girls Inc. of San Antonio in 2014, bringing her commitment to creating opportunity and access to fruition. Lea has empowered the organization to increase the number of girls served from fewer than 2,000 to more than 5,000.
  
  As President and CEO, Lea has overseen revenue growth of 300%, which has enabled Girls Inc. of San Antonio to increase its services for local girls, including programming for behavioral health and wellness, college and career readiness, and mentorship.
  
  By raising more than $8 million from community supporters, Lea has enabled the nonprofit to renovate a massive building into a safe environment for girls to flourish; explore careers; gain encouragement from mentors; and live strong, smart and bold lives.
  
  President and CEO of Girls Inc of San Antonio, Lea Rosenauer has more than twenty years of progressive philanthropic, development, and management experience. Prior to working with Girls Inc., Rosenauer has had a broad career in Nonprofit Management including working with Project MEND, the Girls Scouts both here and in St. Louis, MO and with the National MS Society.
  
  Named the 2024 Community Leader  – All in for Kids Award – by Communities in Schools San Antonio, she received the 2018 Nonprofit Senior Manager of the Year by the San Antonio Business Journal, Rosenauer is a graduate of Leadership San Antonio Class 44, The City South Leadership Academy, and the Women’s Chamber Level 5 Leadership Class.
  
  Active in the San Antonio community, she volunteers with various community agencies and serves on numerous city-wide initiatives including, The Digital Inclusion Alliance San Antonio, STEM Learning Ecosystem, and the Excel Beyond the Bell Leadership Team. A sought-after speaker, Rosenauer often shares her message of girl empowerment at local, state, and national meetings and conferences. She received her Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
  

CAST Tech

• Jeanne Russell is a passionate advocate for student voice. She began her career as a middle and high school teacher in East Harlem, Tokyo and Guatemala, where through listening to students she learned to share power and ownership of learning. She spent a decade as a reporter and editor examining education before joining two San Antonio Mayors to lead their education policy agenda. She led the conception and design of many signature San Antonio education initiatives, including Café College, PreK4SA, Upgrade and SA Works. She is the founding executive director of CAST Schools, a nonprofit school network dedicated to economic mobility and nurturing San Antonio’s homegrown talent. Co-created as a regional partnership between independent school districts, higher education institutions, and local employers, CAST offers a new model of teaching and learning alongside industry professionals committed to connecting students with high-demand, high-growth, high wage jobs. “We believe that all students have gifts; our job is to unlock them,” she said.

Game Show Host

• Eddie Rodriguez, KIPP Educator

• Carina Vlaun, St. Mary’s University, CAST Tech Alum
  Carina Vlaun is a native of the Southside of San Antonio, TX, and a proud alumna of CAST Tech High School, where she was part of the inaugural graduating class. She is currently completing her bachelor’s degree at St. Mary’s University, majoring in Computer Science with minors in Mathematics and Bioinformatics. In an exciting development, Vlaun has recently been accepted into St. Mary’s University master’s

program, where she will be pursuing a degree in Cybersecurity.

• Andrew Flores, CAST Tech Senior, Cybersecurity Pathway
  Andrew Flores is a senior at CAST Tech High School, specializing in the Cybersecurity Pathway. He is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Technology at St. Philips. With extensive experience in the cybersecurity field, Andrew has participated in CyberPatriots for 7 years. His professional development includes internships at SAMSAT (Summer 2022), SAISD IT (Summer 2023), and Accenture (Summer 2024). Through these experiences, Andrew has built a strong foundation in cybersecurity principles and practices while preparing for his future career in the technology sector.

Post-Secondary

AI Panel

• Mr. Mario Vela (Head of Careers Services, UTSA) AI Panel Moderator)
  • Dr. Claudia Acrolin (UTSA), teaching with AI 
  • Dr. Henry Griffith (SAC), research with AI (bio in post-2ndary google drive directory)
  • Dr. Heena Rathore (Texas State), research with AI
  • Mr. Nassos Galiopoulos (UTSA CTO and deputy CIO), AI in an industrial 

Presidential Host/Welcome Remarks

• President Taylor Eighmy

Digital Twin Presenter

• Dr. Paul Rad

Presidential Fireside Chat

• President Dr. Vanessa Beasley (Trinity University):
  Vanessa B. Beasley is the 20th president of Trinity University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Vanderbilt University and a master’s and doctorate in Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Beasley’s vision for Trinity is centered on reinventing the liberal arts education for the 21st century and beyond – to demonstrate the lifelong impact of learning how to learn and why discovery matters. Trinity’s curriculum blends the liberal arts and sciences with business and pre-professional programs to enrich students’ writing, speaking, and problem-solving skills. The University is home to 2,700 students and focuses on experiential learning, undergraduate research, and international engagement, equipping them to be global stewards for change. Beasley and her husband, Trey, a community volunteer, are parents to two adult sons: Adam and Charlie.
• President Dr. Robert Garza (Palo Alto College): 
  Dr. Robert Garza is the seventh president of Alamo Colleges District-Palo Alto College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin. Palo Alto College is committed to building a college-going culture in south Bexar County through existing programming and developing new and innovative ideas. Dr. Garza is a big supporter of the San Antonio community and a firm believer that education starts at birth. With community events like Eggstravaganza, a free egg hunt for south San Antonio families, and PACfest 2019, an official Fiesta® San Antonio event, Palo Alto is committed to creating opportunities for the community to come together. He is married to Dr. Esther Garza, an associate professor at Texas A&M University San Antonio, and they have two children, Victoria and Robert.

Workforce Development

• Fire Hydrant Hysteria Team: Summer Felan, Mary Valdez (Gino Valdez, Jr., Coach)
  
• Pipe Tapping Team: Joslyn Martinez, Cathryn Carey, Rose Castillo (Yolanda Garcia, Coach)
  
• Mike Ramsey – Executive Director of Workforce Development at the City of San Antonio
  
• Dan Norris, Vice President of Talent Development at HOLT CAT
  Dan Norris is a lively, energetic, and effective presenter who specializes in the science of ethical influence. One of only a few individuals worldwide who currently hold the CMCT designation (a specialization in the psychology of persuasion–earned directly from Dr. Robert Cialdini, the leading authority on the subject), Dan helps organizations take the latest scientific research out of the laboratory and apply it in their own day-to-day sales, leadership, and customer service applications. 
  
  His entertaining presentation style weaves humor, stories, and science together in a way that quickly involves the audience and leaves them with ideas they can apply immediately. Dan has worked with a wide variety of client industries for more than a decade, contributing to large measurable increases in performance, customer and employee satisfaction, gross profit, and millions in additional revenue. 
  
  Dan has a philosophy that focuses on employee development—investing only in tools, training, coaching, and outcome assessments that have been shown to positively change behavior. When not speaking and training, Dan is responsible for furthering Holt’s highly successful Values Based Leadership© programs. These programs evolved from over a decade of effective application within Holt companies and other client organizations, and Dan continues to play an integral role in its design and growth. Leadership experts including Dr. Kenneth Blanchard, Dr. Michael O’Connor and others have applauded this program. Holt’s Values Based Leadership© tools & processes have frequently been cited in textbooks and articles as an example of ethical and lasting organizational development.
  
  Specialties: Psychology of Ethical Influence, Organizational Development, Implementing Values Based Leadership Cultures, Training, and Relationship Building
  
• Dan Geddes, Group Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost Bank. Previously, Dan served as region president in Frost Bank’s San Antonio area. In that position, he oversaw all aspects of banking operations in the region.
  
  Dan has been with Frost Bank since January 1997, starting as a credit analyst in the Credit Department before working in the Commercial Real Estate Lending Group in San Antonio. He moved to Houston in December 1999 as a commercial lender and later became a production credit officer, sales manager, and led the Commercial Real Estate Group.
  
  Dan is active in the community, serving as chair of the Finance Committee of The Remember the Alamo Foundation, board member of SA Digital Connects, an advisory board member of UT Health San Antonio Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, committee member of the Public Policy and Workforce and Education Councils for the Greater San Antonio Chamber, and advisory board member of San Antonio Sports. He is a 2022 alumnus of Leadership San Antonio.
  
  Dan graduated from Trinity University in 1996, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in accounting and finance.