Michigan State Summit

Andy Costanzo

Andy Costanzo is a veteran educator and student activity adviser. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. An advocate for leadership education for more than 35 years, he has been recognized nationally as Student Council Adviser of the Year as well as Workshop Director of the Year. As a speaker, presenter, and trainer in more than 35 states and China, Costanzo works with students and activity advisers to make a difference in their schools and communities.

Bertrand Perdomo-Ucles

Bertrand Perdomo-Ucles is passionate about developing poverty-fighting solutions. As an educator, organizer, and manager, he has taught students across different grade levels, built capacity for education and public safety programs, and trained teams to improve family engagement initiatives. As a board member for the California School Based Health Alliance, he oversees the nonprofit’s strategies to support 257 school-based health centers. Perdomo-Ucles was re-elected as delegate for California’s Democratic Party and is founder of the South Los Angeles Democratic Club. Bertrand is from Los Angeles, a graduate of University of Southern California’s School of Public Policy, studied abroad in Greece and served in Honduras through Global Water Brigades.

Brandon Lee Stuart

Brandon Lee Stuart is the founder of ideaLogic LLc, a think-tank style start-up company that operates as an incubator and curator of compelling interdisciplinary ideas intended to yield innovative strategies, technologies, systems, products and practices. He has served in the Episcopal Service Corps in Los Angeles and helped to pilot the Collegiate Identity and Participation Model (CIPM), a college-readiness initiative created to address the educational needs of local underserved charter schools, which solidified his passion for educating students on the power of self-authorship. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Biology and East Asian Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Liberal Arts for intellectual freedom from the University of Chicago.

Felix Yerace, PhD

Felix Yerace, PhD, is a student government co-adviser, interact co-adviser, link crew co-coordinator, and graduation project coordinator at South Fayette High School in Pennsylvania. Among the courses he teaches is a College in High School (CHS) class on leadership, and he is a graduate of the International Leadership Association Leadership Education Academy. Yerace is also the assistant executive director and Advanced Gold Summer Camp co-director for the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils. He previously served on the NASSP Student Leadership Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Global Switchboard and Pennsylvania ASCD and is an adjunct faculty member of Jesuit Worldwide Learning—Higher Education at the Margins. He is a proud alum of the University of Pittsburgh, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Gonzaga University.

Keesha L. Coleman

Keesha L. Coleman is a project manager at Georgia State University where she manages high-level initiatives centered around the university’s strategic plan as well as special projects for the office of the provost. Her current role allows her to engage with several of the university’s key working groups and programs, including the Council for the Progress of Cities; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Women Lead, an undergraduate leadership program. Keesha is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all through public service and social engagement and considers herself a champion of bridging the gap.

Hear from Keesha as she breaks down some of the points she covered in her competency presentation.

Leonel A. Diaz, Jr.

Leonel A. Diaz Jr. is a research coordinator at The University of New Mexico’s Center for Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions. His academic and professional background is interdisciplinary: fine arts, digital arts, social media, academic advisement, student leadership, academic support, marketing, organizational development, and social justice. Diaz Jr. enjoys learning several disciplines to find ways to merge ideas, bridge gaps, problem-solve, and develop new perspectives. He began his career as a photographer and digital media artist, only to follow his interest in helping mentor and support college students.

Nhi Truong

Nhi Truong is currently a 9th grade advisor at MetWest High School, a small district school in Oakland, California. Additionally, she teaches a college course to English teachers at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. She is an Advisory Board Member for AYPAL, a leadership development, community organizing and coalition building organization seeking to empower Oakland’s low-income, immigrant and refugee families to be leaders for school reform and neighborhood change. She is also a member of H.E.L.L.A., a collective that centers intersectional healing praxis in order to sustain critical organizers and educators of color throughout the Bay Area.

Hear from Nhi as she breaks down some of the points she covered in her competency presentation.

Quinton Lampkin

Quinton Lampkin is the founder and CEO of a capacity-building education consulting firm that works with K–12 schools, community-based organizations, and postsecondary institutions to help students complete critical milestones on their journey towards college and career success. Lampkin holds a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in business administration specializing in international business from the American University; a Master of Arts in sociology and education from Columbia University’s Teachers College; and a Master of Philosophy in politics, development, democratic education from University of Cambridge.

Tom Heethuis

Tom Heethuis has been involved in advising student activities for more than 40 years. He has been a student council adviser, activity director, leadership camp director, and building principal. Heethuis is an award-winning adviser and adviser trainer and has presented at conferences and workshops across the United States and Canada. He has served on the executive boards of four national student leadership and adviser organizations. Through his workshops, attendees discover hands-on, practical leadership activities they can take back to their schools and use with their fellow student leaders as soon as they return.