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July 16th, 2026

IBE Education Conference

Each year, we host one of the nation’s largest and most thorough educational conferences in Indiana. The Indiana Black Expo Education Conference focuses on exploring the theme of academic excellence, advancing teaching practices, and highlighting the importance of collective work and impact.

This conference is more than just a learning experience—it’s an opportunity to recharge, reconnect with your passion for education, and leave equipped to bring your A-game to every classroom. Don’t miss out on this exciting event—register today and get ready to lead with purpose, inspire with intention, and engage with excellence!

Where: Indiana Convention Center
Registration Is Now Open

Individual Registration
Group Registration

2026 THEME

Restore & Reimagine: Reclaiming Joy, Balance, and Purpose in Teaching

Hosted in the spirit of Indiana Black Expo, Inc., Restore & Reimagine is more than a conference — it is a movement to strengthen educators so they can continue transforming lives and communities. Rooted in our commitment to education, equity, and empowerment, this experience creates space for educators to renew their passion, reclaim their balance, and reconnect with the purpose that called them to the profession.

Conference Description:

This conference centers educator wellness as a critical strategy for student success and community impact. Through dynamic keynote speakers, interactive workshops, and authentic conversations, participants will explore sustainable teaching practices, boundary-setting strategies, collaborative leadership models, and culturally responsive approaches that honor both educator and student voices.

Restore & Reimagine affirms that when educators are supported, schools thrive and communities rise. Together, we will celebrate the impact of teaching, strengthen professional identity, and build a network of leaders committed to creating joyful, balanced, and purpose-driven learning environments across Indiana and beyond.

What to Expect:

Interactive Workshops: Hands-on sessions that explore cutting-edge teaching techniques, student engagement strategies, and leadership development.

Expert Speakers: Hear from renowned educators and thought leaders who will share insights on current trends and best practices in education.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow educators, exchange ideas, and collaborate on strategies to take your teaching to the next level.

2026 Conference Schedule

Presenter: Dr. Lori Desautels, Assistant Professor, Butler University’s College of Education
Location: 500 Ballroom
Description: Across schools and communities, adults are emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, overstimulated, and operating from nervous systems shaped by chronic stress and survival. While we often focus on the well-being of children, we rarely pause to recognize the biological burden carried by the adults entrusted to lead, nurture, teach, and protect them.

In this opening plenary, participants will explore the adult nervous system through the lens of Applied Educational Neuroscience and the Biology of Hope. Together we will examine how stress, adversity, and internal narratives shape our perceptions, behaviors, relationships, and capacity for connection. Through embodied awareness, intentional focus, reflective practices, and the transformative power of imagination, adults can begin to rewrite the subconscious stories held within the nervous system.

This experience is an invitation to move beyond burnout and toward possibility,  recognizing that healing, steadiness, ease, and hope are not abstract ideas, but lived biological experiences that can change the trajectory of children, youth, adults,  schools, and communities.

Speaker: Lauren Rush, Program Director, Lilly Endowment Inc.
Location: 500 Ballroom
Description: The TCFP supports K-12 educators throughout Indiana by providing resources for them to take time for meaningful renewal. The Lilly Endowment believes that through new experiences, exploration and reflection educators can generate renewed energy in their careers, innovative approaches to teaching and educational leadership, and thoughtful ways to encourage students’ creative thinking. The application deadline is September 8, 2026, and approximately 150 grants, each totaling up to $15,000, will be awarded in 2027.

Speaker: Niki Spears, Author, Expert Eduprenuer, and Chief Culture Cre8or
Location: 500 Ballroom

In today’s educational landscape, many educators are carrying more than lesson plans — they are carrying stress, pressure, emotional exhaustion, and the weight of trying to meet everyone’s needs while often neglecting their own. In this powerful and energizing keynote, Niki Spears challenges educators to pause, breathe, and reset with the heart of why they began this journey in the first place.

Blending real-life storytelling, humor, mindset shifts, and practical strategies, Niki takes audiences on a transformational journey focused on reclaiming personal energy, restoring balance, and reimagining what is possible in education and in life. Drawing from her experience as a former principal, founder of Culture Cre8ion, and owner of Spark in Motion Delivery, an Amazon DSP company built on culture and leadership, Niki shares how the same principles that transform schools can also transform teams, workplaces, and communities.

Through her signature framework, The Energy Map, educators will explore how their mindset, emotions, and personal energy impact not only their classrooms, but also their relationships, leadership, and overall well-being. Participants will leave inspired to move from survival mode to intentional living — understanding that restoring education begins with restoring the people inside it.

Audience Takeaways

  • Reclaim joy and purpose in the midst of educational challenges
  • Recognize how personal energy and mindset shape culture and climate
  • Learn practical strategies to restore balance and prevent burnout
  • Strengthen self-awareness, resilience, and emotional ownership
  • Leave energized, inspired, and equipped to create positive impact in schools and communities

Concurrent Workshops 10:45 AM and 1:15 PM

Presenter:  Jane Kim, Founder and CEO, KindEd
Location: ICC Room 234
Moderator: Lauren I. Peterson, Vice President of Community Engagement, The Mind Trust
Description: Educators are seeing the effects of social media on student attention, behavior, and mental health. Yet common response-phone bans and monitoring software fail to address the root cause: engagement technologies designed to capture attention. This session explores how these systems shape student behavior and how counselors can support by focusing on prevention and behavior change, building student agency to develop healthier habits from within.

Presenter: Dr. Tijana Davis,  Director of Equitable School Supports, Indianapolis Public Schools
Location: ICC Room 235
Moderator: Dr. Jamyce Curtis-Banks, Founder & CEO, Whatever It Takes Consulting
Description: Educational leaders are navigating increasing demands that often lead to chronic stress and burnout. This session reframes wellness as a leadership competency and explores how sustainable leadership practices strengthen decision-making, school culture, and long-term effectiveness. Participants will learn practical mind-body regulation strategies and leadership tools designed to reduce stress and improve resilience. Through guided reflection and planning, leaders will develop a personalized Sustainable Leadership Plan to help them lead effectively without sacrificing their health, purpose, or well-being.

Presenter: Cassandra Williams, President, Educational Innovation 360
Location: ICC Room 236
Moderator: James Taylor, Director of Student & Social Services, McKinney-Vento Liaison MSD of Warren Township, Warn Township Trustee
Description: This workshop explores how educators can combine evidence-based teaching practices with practical AI strategies to create more sustainable and efficient classrooms. Participants will learn how AI can support lesson planning, differentiation, assessment creation, and feedback while maintaining strong pedagogical foundations. The session will also examine collaborative leadership models and instructional systems that reduce teacher workload and address burnout. Through real classroom examples and interactive discussion, educators will leave with practical tools and repeatable strategies they can immediately apply to improve efficiency and support student learning.

Presenter: Ebonique Gaines, Goodwill Education Initiatives
Location: ICC Room 237
Moderator: Denita Harris, Ph.D., Assistant Superintendent for Exceptional Learners, MSD of Wayne Township Education Center
Description: This workshop explores how to turn struggle into a powerful tool for student learning rather than something to avoid. Participants will learn how to design rigorous, student-centered tasks that push thinking while still providing the right level of support for all learners. Through hands-on activities and real classroom examples, educators will walk away with practical strategies they can implement immediately. The session focuses on building student persistence, increasing engagement, and creating more equitable learning environments where all students can succeed.

Presenter: Dr. Brian Dinkins, CEO, Center for Empowering Education
Location: ICC Room 238
Moderator: Dr. Gwen Kelley, Chair, NAACP Education Committee 
Description: Educator burnout doesn’t just harm adults—it reshapes the emotional climate students experience every day. This interactive workshop introduces the Emotionally Inclusive Schools™ framework, a proven system that equips educators with the emotional intelligence mindset, skills, and strategies needed to restore personal wellness while reimagining school culture by design, not by default. Participants will explore practical tools from the Five Anchors of Emotionally Inclusive Leadership™ and the Emotionally Inclusive Educator™ framework to set sustainable boundaries, reclaim emotional balance, and build classrooms where both adults and students thrive. Educators will leave with actionable strategies they can implement immediately to foster healthier, more joyful learning communities.

Presenter: Daniel Mills, Founder, L.I.T. University
Location: ICC Room 239
Moderator: Evelyn Hicks, President, National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc., – Tau Chapter
Description: This interactive workshop challenges educators and youth serving professionals to move beyond surface level engagement and help Black youth build lives with clarity, direction, and intention. Grounded in the LIT framework, Learning Intentional Transfiguration, the session shows how identity, agency, reflection, and repeated practice can turn untapped potential into purposeful progress. Participants will experience practical strategies that help young people illuminate pathways, position their potential, and develop habits that support both academic and personal growth. Attendees will leave with usable tools to create stronger cultures of belonging, vision, and action in classrooms, mentoring spaces, and youth programs.

Presenters: Anthony Bronaugh Sr., M.Ed., BCBA, COBA and Shy-Quon Ely II, MBA, ABD
Location: ICC Room 240
Moderator: Annette Johnson, Pike Township Trustee
Description: This presentation is designed for educators, mental health professionals, and community leaders and explores trauma-informed care (TIC) through a multi-generational lens focused on Black males. It examines how socio-historical factors such as systemic oppression, racial disparities, and cultural stigmas influence trauma across generations. Participants will gain insight into intergenerational trauma and how it impacts behavioral and emotional responses. The session emphasizes culturally responsive practices that promote resilience, healing, and empowerment. Attendees will also leave with practical strategies to support Black males while honoring their lived experiences and cultural strengths.

Presenters: Robert Jackson, National speaker, consultant and award winning author
Location: ICC Room 241
Moderator: Peggy Surbey, Director of Operations, Youth Development Project
Description: In this powerful 1-hour workshop based on his book Leading Through Pain: Transform Your Wounds into Wisdom, Mr. Robert Jackson reveals how your greatest pain can become your greatest preparation for transformational leadership. Drawing from his own journey from childhood trauma and poverty to becoming an award-winning educator and author, Mr. Jackson equips school leaders with practical strategies to break the cycle of “hurt leaders hurting people” and instead become healed leaders who heal others. Participants will discover the four core principles of pain-to-purpose leadership, learn to create psychologically safe environments where staff and students thrive, and develop a personalized action plan to transform their wounds into wisdom. This is not a theoretical presentation, it’s a life-changing experience that will fundamentally shift how you lead, inspire, and create lasting impact in your school community.

Speaker: Dr. Hill Harper, humanitarian, an award-winning actor, best-selling author, entrepreneur, health and wellness ambassador and educator, and philanthropist
Location: 500 Ballroom
Description: This dynamic keynote challenges participants to rethink the role energy plays in personal performance, leadership, and workplace success. Drawing from principles of physics and a compelling analogy around the transfer and preservation of energy, Harper examines how stress, negativity, workplace pressure, and external distractions can quietly drain creativity, motivation, and productivity. Through powerful storytelling and practical insight, attendees will explore why so many professionals experience burnout, disengagement, and “energy blocks” that limit their ability to operate at their highest potential.

At the core of the session is a transformative message: while we may not always control what is happening around us, we can control what is happening within us. Harper encourages participants to become more intentional about protecting their mindset, managing their emotional energy, and maintaining focus in environments that often demand constant adaptation and resilience. The keynote highlights how personal energy directly influences workplace culture, collaboration, innovation, and the ability to lead effectively under pressure.

Participants will leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies to reset their thinking, sustain positive momentum, and remain aligned with their purpose and goals. Harper provides practical methods for staying grounded, overcoming internal barriers, maximizing creativity, and showing up with confidence and clarity even during challenging times. This engaging and empowering presentation serves as both a motivational experience and a professional development opportunity designed to help individuals unlock greater performance, fulfillment, and impact in their personal and professional lives.

2026 Keynote Speakers

Hill Harper

Award-winning Actor, Best-selling Author, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian

Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Dr. Hill Harper

Hill Harper is an award-winning actor, best-selling author, entrepreneur, health and wellness ambassador, educator, and philanthropist. Harper is best known for his starring role in the CBS hit television drama “CSI: NY,” for which he won three NAACP Image Awards for “Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series.” He also starred in ABC’s #1 television drama “The Good Doctor,” hosted “How It Really Happened with Hill Harper” on HLN, appeared in the podcast “Legal Wars," starred in Showtime’s award-winning drama “Homeland," and appeared in numerous film projects. In addition to his performing career, Harper has authored four New York Times bestsellers, including “The Wealth Cure,” which chronicles his thyroid cancer diagnosis and his journey to health. He has received seven NAACP Image Awards, four for his writing. His acclaimed 2007 book, “Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny,” won the American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults award. As an extension of his empowerment books, he established The Pierce and Hill Harper Arts Foundation. Harper is also the founder of the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering underserved youth through mentorship, scholarships, and grants. Harper graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from Brown University, and he also graduated cum laude with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and earned a master's degree with honors from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He holds eleven honorary doctoral degrees and is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Niki Spears

Educator, entrepreneur, and founder of Culture Cre8ion

Morning Keynote Speaker: Niki Spears

Niki Spears is an educator, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of Culture Cre8ion who is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations transform culture through mindset, self-awareness, leadership, and accountability. A former school principal, she is known for her engaging storytelling, practical leadership strategies, and ability to inspire people to move from simply surviving environments to intentionally shaping them. In addition to her work in education and leadership development, Niki owns Spark in Motion Delivery, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner, where she applies her people-first leadership philosophy to build high-performing teams centered on safety, collaboration, and purpose. Through her work across education, business, healthcare, and community sectors, Niki empowers others to lead with intention, elevate culture, and create lasting impact.

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2026 Partners & Sponsors

Anthony Bronaugh Sr.
Anthony Bronaugh Sr. is an experienced educator, licensed behavior analyst, and educational consultant with over 20 years of service as a principal, assistant principal, dean of students, and special education teacher specializing in severe behaviors. He is the founder of AB Education & Behavior Consulting LLC, where he partners with schools, childcare centers, and organizations to provide behavior-focused training, coaching, and strategic consulting.