Navigating Complexity in Challenging Times
February 10, 2026 • Los Angeles
A ConnectED conference featuring:
Amanda Ripley
Dr. Noam Weissman
Sara
Himeles
Avi
Posen
Join fellow ConnectED Cohort members for a not-to-be missed conference in LA this February. Each school is invited to send up to five educators.
Featuring Amanda Ripley
NYT Bestselling author of High Conflict and co-founder of the organization Good Conflict
About the conference
Join us and fellow ConnectED cohort schools for our ConnectED Conference, a one-day gathering in Los Angeles designed to build our cohort community, engage in courageous conversations, and explore strategies for engaging students in our core topics. Through interactive sessions, role-specific breakouts for administrators and faculty members, and powerful “ConnecTED Talks” from peers in the field, you’ll walk away with practical approaches to teaching the Israeli-Palestinian story, antisemitism and the Holocaust, media literacy, and dialogue across differences.
The day will feature keynote speaker Amanda Ripley, the NYT bestselling author of High Conflict and co-founder of the organization Good Conflict. Ripley’s work offers powerful frameworks for moving from binary, emotionally charged conflict toward healthier, more constructive engagement.
Our primary goal is for participants to experience the sense of community that defines the ConnectED experience in person. By the end of the day, you’ll leave with insights, resources, and partnerships that will strengthen your leadership and teaching long into the future — and help prepare your students for life in and beyond the classroom.
Event schedule
January 13-14 2025 • 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Please note, the address will be sent upon receipt of application due to security measures
FULL SCHEDULE COMING SOON
| Tuesday, February 10th | |
| 8:15am - 9:00am | Arrival & Check-in Breakfast & mingling |
| 9:00am - 9:15am | Welcome Remarks Avi Posen |
| 9:15am - 10:15am | Navigating Complexity: School Leadership in Challenging Times Panel discussion with Heads of School, moderated by Dr. Noam Weissman, Executive Vice President at ConnectED |
| 10:15am - 10:30am | BREAK |
| 10:30am - 11:30am |
Role-Specific Conversations (5 sessions available) Breakout groups
Heads of School
|
| 11:30am - 11:50am | BREAK |
| 11:50am - 12:50pm |
Tools for Today Block 1 (4 sessions available) Breakout options
Avi Posen: "Navigating Complexities in Current Events"
|
| 12:50pm - 1:30pm | Lunch Grab your lunch and mingle with colleagues. |
| 1:30pm - 2:00pm | ConnecTED Talks: Insights from the Field Continue enjoying your lunch, while three educators share powerful practices or success stories in 5-minute bursts. |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm |
Tools for Today Block 2 (4 sessions available) Breakout options
Avi Posen: "Navigating Complexities in Current Events"
|
| 3:00pm - 3:15pm | BREAK |
| 3:15pm - 4:15pm |
Keynote Presentation - Amanda Ripley Breaking the Spell of High Conflict
Conflict, whether political or personal, can escalate into what's known as “high conflict,” where we divide the world into good and evil, us and them. Our brains exaggerate differences and convince us the other side can’t change, causing everyone to suffer. To understand how people fall into and escape high conflict, Amanda spent four years following a California politician, a former gang leader in Chicago, and a divided New York synagogue. She found that conflict itself can be healthy—it’s high conflict that’s destructive. Through stories and science, Amanda reveals the forces that ignite high conflict and the surprising, hopeful principles of “good conflict.” |
| 4:15pm - 4:30pm | Reflection & Final Takeaways Avi Posen and Sara Himeles |
Registration
Your school’s membership with ConnectED includes five spots for administrators and/or educators at the LA Conference. *Note: If you would like to send more than five educators, please email Sydney Levine (slevine@connecteducation.org) with the number of additional participants, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
One representative per school should complete the registration form on behalf of their five colleagues. Please ONLY complete the registration form if you are the single administrator registering on behalf of your school community.
Please note: Travel and overnight accommodations are not included. We will offer a hotel block with special rates near the conference venue for out-of-town participants, and that information will be shared upon registration.
5 conference passes
February 10, 2026
$150pp FREE
through January 20
Your conference pass includes admission to the one-day conference, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and ConnectED swag.
Location
The conference will be in Los Angeles, in the Brentwood area. Exact location provided upon registration.
Breakfast and lunch included.
Speakers
Yoni Buckman
Yoni Buckman is the Senior Educator at ConnectED, leading student sessions and professional development for both private and public independent schools. Yoni has been instrumental in designing interdisciplinary curricula and spearheading educational initiatives for schools and organizations across the country. He is committed to lifelong learning and is dedicated to cultivating curiosity, creating inclusive learning environments, and integrating meaningful content into the education landscape.
Allison Draizin
Allison Draizin is a Program and Partnerships Manager at ConnectED. With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, leader, advisor, and coach, she is passionate about creating interactive, experiential, and developmentally appropriate curricula that nurture the whole student. She also values fostering deep relational trust across diverse communities. Guided by empathy and a strengths-based approach, Allison believes significance and belonging are essential to learning, connection, and growth, bringing gratitude, courage, and purpose to her work with children, parents, and schools. Allison is fluent in Spanish and an alumna of Union College and Rye Country Day School.
Kelly Fives
Kelly Fives is a passionate and creative educator. She spent nine years as an upper school English teacher at The Churchill School and four years as a learning specialist and English teacher at Dwight New York. Kelly specializes in curriculum design and Holocaust and genocide education, and has participated in several prestigious professional development programs, including the Spector Warren Fellowship (2011), the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers Program (2016), Defiant Requiem (2024), and most recently, the Sousa Mendes Foundation’s Educator Institute (2025). Through her work, Kelly empowers students to forge meaningful connections with historical narratives, develop empathy, and embrace intellectual risk-taking. She holds a B.A. and M.S. from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Holocaust education at Yeshiva University.
Sara Himeles
Sara Himeles is the Program Director of ConnectED, where she leads the program’s growth and execution, including school partnerships, programs, and stakeholder collaboration. With a strong background in content creation and strategic communications, Sara previously served as the editor-in-chief of the Unpacked website, developing content for Gen Z audiences. Her earlier experience includes working in the chief of staff’s office of former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, creating digital content for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and managing communications at a tech company in the Bay Area. Sara holds a BA in communications and public service from the University of Pennsylvania and is an alum of Fieldston School in New York City.
Avi Posen
Avi Posen is Vice President of ConnectED, where he directs the organization’s overall vision, strategy, and execution. He oversees curriculum development and content creation, manages the ConnectED team, and leads the program’s continued growth across schools and communities. Over the past six years, Avi has led and developed Unpacked for Educators, a curriculum platform and community with 14,000 users. A creative and forward-thinking educator, Avi has designed and led numerous impactful educational programs throughout his career. He brings a wealth of expertise as a former classroom teacher, campus educator, and camp director. Avi has trained educators and spoken to audiences worldwide on topics such as Jewish history, Israel, and antisemitism. He holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University and has been published in various educational journals along with Ynet and The Times of Israel.
Sarah Rapaport
Sarah Rapaport serves as the Coordinator for Jewish Life and Community Engagement at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, where she fosters vibrant Jewish community, supports student belonging, and advances diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In this role, she also helps shape curricula on antisemitism and the history of Israel/Palestine, encouraging thoughtful learning and dialogue. She has taught courses on Jewish history, Holocaust studies, and religion at the University of Southern California and Santa Monica College. Sarah holds degrees in Jewish Studies and Middle Eastern Studies from Tufts University and a master’s in Jewish Studies and History from Hebrew Union College.
Amanda Ripley
Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author and an investigative journalist. Her projects combine storytelling with data to help illuminate hard problems—and solutions. Her books include High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way, and The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why. Ripley also spent a decade writing about human behavior for Time magazine in New York, Washington, and Paris, helping Time win two National Magazine Awards. She has reported from Colombia, South Korea, Finland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Oman, and France. Ripley is also a trained conflict mediator and a (less well-trained) soccer coach. She lives with her family in Washington, DC.
Noam Weissman
Dr. Noam Weissman is Executive Vice President at ConnectED. He leads the program’s educational vision and implementation with a special focus on the development of meaningful content and resources for students and educators. He holds a doctorate in educational psychology from USC with a focus on curriculum design. Noam is the host of the popular Unpacking Israeli History podcast and co-host of the Wondering Jews podcast with Mijal Bitton.