Keynote And INvited Speakers
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia
Keynote Speaker
Professor, Berkeley School of Education
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a professor in the Berkeley School of Education whose work centers on asset-based research about Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and organizational change in postsecondary education. A leading public scholar and advocate for new HSI futures, she provides practical guidance for serving Latine/x students and challenges institutions to examine their practices for racially and economically minoritized learners. She is the author of four books, host of the podcast ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?, director of the HEART Lab, and UC Berkeley’s inaugural Faculty Director of Latinx Thriving Initiatives. A longtime supporter of AHSIE, Dr. Garcia has offered invited talks and keynote addresses at the conference since 2016.
Dr. Miguel Cardona
Keynote Speaker
Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Founder, Cardona Solutions
Miguel Cardona spent nearly 30 years serving communities as a teacher, award-winning principal, district leader, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education, and ultimately the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education. In Washington, he led efforts to safely reopen and reimagine schools, strengthen higher-education accountability, expand access and affordability, and improve economic mobility for students nationwide. Miguel currently serves on the boards of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, is a Resident Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and will join Yale’s School of Management as a fellow in 2026.
Invited Speakers
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Dr. Yves S. Fernandez
President
Urban College of BostonDr. Yves Salomon-Fernández is the President of Urban College of Boston, where she champions servingness and expands opportunity for first-generation, immigrant, multilingual, and working-adult learners. A nationally respected scholar-practitioner, she blends data-driven leadership with a deep focus on belonging, psychological safety, and equity. Her work spans innovation in higher education, immigrant success, and community and workforce development, supported by service on multiple national boards. An immigrant from Haiti, she brings personal purpose to her mission of using education to advance mobility and transform communities.
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Dr. G.T. Reyes
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
CalState East BayDr. G. Reyes is a nationally recognized scholar, artist, and organizer whose work centers on racially just, decolonial, and culturally sustaining leadership and learning. As an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Educational Leadership for Social Justice Ed.D. and credential programs at Cal State East Bay, he brings deep experience from K–12 classrooms, youth development, and higher education. He also coaches school leaders and helped design The FREEdom School of Homies Empowerment, supporting youth impacted by incarceration, gangs, and school marginalization. Known widely as “Dr. G,” he brings a grounded, community-rooted voice to educational justice and leadership.
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Dr. Orlando Carreón
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership
CalState SonomaDr. Orlando Carreón is an Assistant Professor at Sonoma State University whose work focuses on language, literacy, culture, and social justice in education. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Davis and a Master’s in Applied Linguistics from UMass Boston, with research grounded in decolonial and equity-focused approaches that address how race, language, and power shape the experiences of BIPOC communities.
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Dr. Pedro Nava
Director of Educational Leadership and Associate Professor
Santa Clara UniversityPedro E. Nava is an Associate Professor of Education at Santa Clara University whose work centers on schooling inequality, immigration and education, critical race theory, and family-school engagement. He earned his Ph.D. in Urban Schooling from UCLA, where his award-supported dissertation examined (im)migrant parental engagement in California’s Central Valley. His research has been published across leading education journals, and he brings additional training from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno.
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Dr. Melissa Salazar
Founder / CEO
ESCALA Educational Services IncDr. Salazar is the founder and CEO of ESCALA Educational Services, a professional development school dedicated to improving teaching and leadership in racially and culturally diverse educational settings. With 30 years of experience across K–12 and higher education, she has trained tens of thousands of practitioners and built ESCALA into the only national organization focused specifically on supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions. A longtime educator and researcher, she continues to study institutional transformation and equity-centered professional development in partnership with leading scholars and national MSI organizations.