Acerca de
Conference Keynotes
Thursday, December 7
Dee-1
David Augustine Jr, better known as Dee-1, has dedicated his entire life to changing the world for the better. Along the way, he has carved out a unique niche
in the business community as an acclaimed rapper, mathematics teacher, financial literacy expert, public speaker, and social influencer.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Dee combines the hustle of an independent business owner with heart of an educator and the lyricism of a hip hop heavyweight.
After graduating from Louisiana State University with a degree in marketing, Dee-1 began teaching middle school in Baton Rouge. But he wanted more. He devised
a strategy to transition out of his 9-5 job into being a full time artist. Eventually, he signed a major label recording contract with RCA Records. He has toured
the country for the last 10 years, moving crowds from coast to coast while becoming one of the industry’s most respected artists. His business mind allowed
him to get out of his deal and establish his own label, Mission Vision Music. Along the way, Dee-1 has also successfully expanded his enterprise to clothing, public
speaking, acting, personal finance, and more.
In 2020, Dee received the prestigious NAACP “Power of Influence” Award. Dee-1 is a frequent speaker at colleges, prisons, churches, and corporate events
around the United States. He was also appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to the “Louisiana Council on the Success of Black Men and Boys.” This made him
the first rapper in Louisiana history to become an appointee of the governor.
Friday, December 8
Dr. Rebecca Pianta
Dr. Rebecca Pianta is a dedicated advocate for educational equity and a fervent champion of the school counseling profession. With an impressive 18-year journey in education, she has played diverse roles, including serving as a school counselor at all grade levels, a district lead counselor, an administrator, an adjunct professor, and an accomplished author.
As the Coordinator of Counseling and Student Support in her former district, Dr. Pianta played a pivotal role in overseeing the district-wide comprehensive school counseling program and played a significant part in developing the District Cultural Proficiency Strategic Plan. Her diligent leadership led to the lowering of the students to counselor ratio and resulted in an impressive twelve schools earning the prestigious Recognized American School Counselors Association (ASCA) Model Program (RAMP) designation.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Dr. Pianta was honored with the California School Counselor Advocate of the Year award in 2019. Dr. Pianta's dedication to excellence extends to her role as an ASCA Lead RAMP Reviewer and her position as the Director of Equity and Diversity for the California Association of School Administrators Region 17. As a nationally renowned speaker, her unwavering dedication to advancing equity and fostering excellence in education serves as a beacon of inspiration for all.
ACT 48 Credits
This year's conference will offer 9 Act 48 credit hours if attending in person and up to 20 Act 48 credit hours of virtual content. A maximum of 29 hours can be claimed for this conference.
The recorded sessions will be available to ALL attendees after the conference. Virtual attendees will be able to access sessions as they go live AND after the conference on demand.
​
WAIT to complete the evaluation until after you have also viewed any recorded sessions.