Tuesday, November 18, 2025 ~ 9 AM - 4 PM ~ Tulane University
Lavin-Bernick Center, 2nd Floor (map)
Schedule of the Day
9:00 – 9:30 Check-in/Breakfast
9:35 – 10:45 Welcome & Keynote
11:00 – 11:50 Breakout 1
12:00-12:50 Lunch
1:00 – 1:50 Breakout 2
2:00 – 2:50 Breakout 3
3:00 – 4:00 Happy Hour & Table Browse
Keynote Address -
“Dat Yoga Dude” James Woods
James Woods is a registered yoga instructor and is CEO of “Dat Yoga Dude,” a health and wellness organization based out of the Los Angeles metro area that provides social-emotional learning solutions for educators and students. For over a decade, he has helped staff, parents, and students transform their stress and help them go from yelling to yoga with powerful yoga skills. As a School Stress Strategist, it's his aim to forestall the burnout epidemic in education by addressing the mental and physical health crises affecting students and educators today.
James is the writer of “Timmy Tut,” a children’s book focused on wellness for youth, teaching them yoga skills to improve their focus and school performance. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, an M.S. in Marriage & Family Therapy from Mt. St. Mary’s University, and completion of a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training from Yogalution, Mr. Woods certainly has the credentials and experience to motivate this year’s attendees to lead and serve with a full heart. Get ready to learn powerful tools from James as he helps you master your stress and finally feel free!
2025 Sessions & Slide Decks:
Breakout One
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Panelists: Dr. Rachel Sam (DRS, LLC), Gretchen McKinney (IncHRement, LLC)
Organization: Career Immersion & Leadership Institute (CILI)
Moderator: Perry Sholes, Founder & CEO of CILI
Description: According to The Strada Report, a successful transition from postsecondary education into employment starts long before graduation. Education-to-career coaching that includes guidance, timely information, and support can be a game changer for students. This kind of quality coaching and guidance helps students identify their talents and interests, choose career goals, map education pathways, and navigate challenges. Since its inception Career Immersion & Leadership Institute has had a strong foundation in its commitment to coaching and having a high impact relationship with the Fellows in the Fellowship program. All of the CILI coaches (like the two panelists) are leaders within the industries they work in. Attendees serving both high school students and graduates will walk away with new skills for supporting students towards career readiness.
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Presenter: Justin Clarke
Organization: The Ivy In Color
Description: Since the Supreme Court's 2023 decision declaring race conscious admissions unconstitutional, the way we prepare, guide, and support our students in New Orleans has completely changed. Our students possess the drive, talent, and ability to succeed at a range of selective universities and campuses. However, from their academic progress, test prep, and their extracurricular activities, it has become even more important to start guiding students earlier in their academic journey to obtain success in this new landscape. In this session, I’ll cover best practices across academic, extracurricular, and application strategies to ensure our students are successful in their admission processes.
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Presenters: Aloysius Cunningham & Lizzy Smith of College Track New Orleans and Gene Olsen of KIPP New Orleans
Description: Artificial intelligence has the power to transform college counseling, opening new possibilities for access, affordability, and equity. This interactive session brings counselors and access partners together to explore how AI is currently being used in the national college access landscape. Through regional use cases and collective imagination, we’ll move past “how to prompt” into “how to partner”, such as using ChatGPT to streamline FAFSA support and spark authentic family communication across languages. Join us to reimagine counseling with equity at the center, reduce invisible labor, and discover how AI can amplify the human connection at the heart of our work!
Breakout Two
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Presenter: Dr. Chaka Felder-McEntire
Organization: Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Programs, Inc.
Description: Many students graduate without a clear plan for what’s next. Your Future, Your Choice: Charting the Path After High School empowers educators, families, and students with practical, hands-on tools for college and career success. This interactive session blends college access, financial literacy, and career exploration to help participants guide students in identifying their “why,” building college and career lists, and understanding affordability. Rooted in over 20 years of experience supporting first-generation and underserved youth, this session equips attendees with ready-to-use, culturally responsive strategies to make postsecondary planning engaging, relevant, and achievable—one choice at a time.
Dr. Chaka is bringing her expertise all the way from New Haven, Connecticut!
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Panelists: Frederick Johnson (College Academies), Brittney Y. Williams (New Orleans Career Center), Keshia Bishop (Propel America)
Moderator: Dr. Chantelle George, Founder & CEO of CG Consulting
Description: How do we guide students from “What should I be?” to “I got the job!”? This dynamic panel unites education leaders, industry partners, and workforce experts to explore what actually works. Discover cutting-edge career advising that resonates with today’s students, innovative work-based learning models that create real opportunities, and employer engagement strategies that open doors. Whether you’re a counselor, educator, or workforce professional, you’ll leave with actionable strategies to connect students with meaningful career experiences and employers with future talent. Let’s transform how we advise, engage, and empower the next generation!
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Presenters: Stephanie Sutton, Jessica Medlock, Gabrielle Jones
Organization: College Track New Orleans
Description: This session equips counseling professionals with strategies, resources, and collaborative practices to help first-generation students and their family's access and thrive at highly selective universities. By centering cultural competence, exposure opportunities, and financial aid empowerment, participants will gain practical tools to strengthen college readiness and confidence. The session emphasizes the assets, resilience, and determination these students bring to the college-going process, encouraging counselors to build upon those strengths. Attendees will leave with actionable approaches to expand access, nurture belonging, and open doors to transformative educational opportunities for students and families from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Breakout Three
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Presenter: Justin Allison
School: New Orleans Public Schools (NOLA-PS)
Description: Life After High School: Options & Opportunities for Students with Exceptionalities equips educators and community partners with strategies to better support students with disabilities as they transition through high school and beyond. The session highlights how transition planning, IEP teams, and community partnerships prepare students for success in college, careers, and independent living. Participants will explore how Industry-Based Credentials (IBCs), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), and other pathways can improve outcomes. Participants will reflect on their roles and leave with practical ideas to strengthen supports and expand opportunities for all students with disabilities.
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Presenter: Dr. Bernell Elzey, Jr, LPC, NCC, NCSC
Organization: Conscious Therapy and Wellness, LLC
Description: This interactive session reimagines the Portrait of a Professional School Counselor as an example of excellence rooted in identity, standards, and practice. Participants will explore how the NOLA-PS Portrait of a Graduate framework aligns with the mindsets and behaviors outlined in ASCA’s Professional Standards and the Louisiana Counselor Rubric. Through reflection and application, counselors will connect their evolving professional identity to leadership, advocacy, and student success. The session encourages participants to embody the qualities of resilience, integrity, and purpose that they aim to cultivate in every student.
Dr. Elzey is the immediate past president of the Louisiana School Counselor Association.
CollegeCraft.ai
In case you missed the big announcement at the convening, CollegeCraft.ai is making its AI College Counselor software available at no charge to ALL New Orleans area high school students (grades 9-12) though April 2026!
CollegeCraft.Ai brings professional, personalized college counseling to every student. Grounded in the expertise of leading counselors and college-access professionals, it delivers accurate, nuanced guidance that helps students navigate the entire process — from self-discovery and essays to college selection and financial aid — with confidence and clarity.
Built to support schools, not add work, CollegeCraft.Ai scales the reach of counselors and ensures that every student receives consistent, high-quality guidance. The result is equitable access to expert college advising for all — without increasing counselor caseloads or compromising individual care.
Contact co-founder Ben Wescott to get your students connected!