This annual event brings school leaders from around the state together for an invaluable two and a half days of professional learning, networking and advocacy. This is the best time to look at the governor’s budget and for superintendents to get together to review the state-of-the-state and the state-of-the-district.

More than ever before it is time for superintendents to lead a movement to restore California schools to their once-held rank of the best in the nation. A focus will be on integrating technology into curriculum and professional development in a digital world.

Jan. 29 - Feb. 1, 2019
Monterey Conference Center

Registration Fees:

Superintendent:
ACSA Member: $650 | Non-Member: $999
Retired Superintendent:
ACSA Member: $325 | Non-Member: $525

Registration Fees Include:

• Attendance to all educational activities, Wednesday through Friday
• Lunch and Reception on Wednesday and Thursday
• Breakfast on Friday

Upcoming Dates & Locations

2020: Jan. 22-24 | Hyatt Regency, Indian Wells, CA

Monterey Conference Center

1 Portola Plaza
Monterey, CA 93940

Discounted rooms are available for the Symposium. Book online.

Adam Steltzner

With a rock star's presence, a storyteller's gift and a PhD in engineering physics, award-winning rocket scientist, Adam Steltzner is simultaneously recognized as one of NASA’s most brilliant engineers and most unique individuals.

At 20, he was an aspiring rock star, on his way home from a gig, when he noticed that the constellation of Orion had shifted from where it was hours before. That was all it took to spark his curiosity and desire to know everything about the laws that govern the universe, leading him to return to school, earn a PhD, and by 35, he was an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories.

For 10 years, Steltzner led a team of engineers inventing, designing, testing and retesting the revolutionary “sky crane” landing system that successfully placed the Mars rover, Curiosity on the Martian surface in 2012. Five times heavier than its predecessors, Curiosity required an entirely new landing system for the perilous 7-minute phase when the one-ton rover—entering Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph—must stop fully on the surface. Since then, he’s been awarded honors ranging from the Smithsonian’s American Ingenuity Award in technology, to GQ magazine’s Spaceman of the Year.

With a unique, exciting and inspiring narrative, Steltzner discusses the power of human curiosity, the importance of fostering a culture of collaborative innovation and proves that with the Right Kind of Crazy, we can significantly expand boundaries and achieve the impossible.

Colonel Athens

Colonel Athens is the Director of the Naval Academy’s Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and a member of the Academy’s Senior Leadership Team.

Colonel Athens retired from the Marine Corps in July 2008 with over 30 years of service.As a Marine Officer, he commanded units in the 3^rd and 4^th Marine Aircraft Wings, served with the U.S. Space Command and instructed at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, the Marine Corps’ equivalent of the Navy’s Top Gun School.Additionally, he was a White House Fellow under President Ronald Reagan; the Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator following the Space Shuttle Challenger accident; the Executive Director of OCF, a worldwide non-profit organization helping military personnel integrate their faith and profession; the Commandant of the United States Merchant Marine Academy; and the Naval Academy’s first Distinguished Military Professor of Leadership.

Colonel Athens holds a bachelor’s degree in operations research from the Naval Academy where he lettered in lacrosse and served as the Brigade Commander, the senior ranking midshipman at the Academy.He also earned masters’ degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and the Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies.He is married to the former Mistina Root of Williamsburg, Virginia and they have ten children.

Sabba Quidwai

Sabba wants to live in a world driven by empathy. In working with schools and organizations to reimagine teaching and learning in a mobile-driven world, the greatest lesson she’s learned is that when we begin with empathy, what we think is challenged by what we learn.

Sabba’s experience in education spans across K-12 and higher education. Her career began as a high school social science teacher and over the years she has led 1:1 iPad initiatives across K-12 and higher education institutions, notably Fairmont Private Schools and the University of Southern California. In 2015 she was named an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Sabba is currently an Education Development Executive with Apple, working with leadership groups to transform teaching and learning environments. Sabba is a Global Executive Doctor of Education student at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. A program focused on examining educational issues in a global context.

Sabba is a national and international presenter and has had the pleasure of speaking at conferences such as ISTE, SxSWEdu, ASCD, FETC, CUE and EdTechTeacher.

When not talking about teaching and learning you can find Sabba flying her Mavic Pro drone, exploring coffee shops, interviewing people and traveling across the globe, all of which she captures in her daily stories on Instagram and Snapchat @AskMsQ

Ken Wesson

Kenneth Wesson is a former higher education faculty member and administrator. He delivers keynote addresses on the neuroscience of learning for educational organizations and institutions throughout the United States and overseas. His audiences range from early childhood specialists to university-level educators. Wesson’s international audiences have included educators and administrative officers from six of the world’s seven continents.His research is frequently published and referenced in Parents Magazine, HealthNet, and the journal Brain World.

Wesson regularly addresses educational organizations, counseling associations, school districts and parenting organizations on the subject of “brain-considerate” learning environments. In addition to his speeches on the neuroscience of learning, Wesson speaks on the subjects of early brain development, design and engineering, STEM and ST2REAM, social-emotional learning, and curriculum development. Wesson also serves on the advisory boards for the Korean Institute of Brain Science, Kids at Science, and the International Association of STEM Leaders. He is an active member of Scientists without Borders and he can be seen on PBS specials on human learning and the teenage brain. In 2017, Wesson was nominated to receive the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wednesday, January 30

Thursday, January 31

Registration: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Women's Breakfast: 7:00 - 8:15am
Keynote Speaker: 8:30 - 10:00am
Breakout Sessions: 10:15am - 11:45am
Retirement Luncheon: 12:00 - 1:30pm
Keynote Speaker: 1:30 - 2:15pm
Breakout Sessions: 2:45 - 5:00pm
Reception: 5:30 - 6:30pm

Friday, February 1

Breakfast Keynote: 8:30 -10:00am
Breakout Sessions: 10:00 - 11:00am