Building Connection Across Divides
November 11-12, 2026 • NYC
A ConnectED conference featuring:
Mónica Guzmán
Mohammed Al Samawi
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin
Dr. Noam Weissman
Avi
Posen
Sara
Himeles
Join fellow ConnectED Cohort members for a not-to-be missed two-day conference in New York City (Manhattan) this November.
Each school is invited to send up to five educators (administrators and/or faculty members).*
Featuring Mónica Guzmán
Author of “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times,” Founder & CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, and host of the podcast, “A Braver Way”
About the conference
Join fellow cohort members for the ConnectED Annual Conference in New York City. After such strong feedback on last year’s New York and LA gatherings, we’ve expanded to a two-day format this year, giving our community more space to connect, collaborate, and go deeper into ConnectED’s core topics together.
Through interactive sessions, role-specific breakouts for administrators and faculty members, and powerful “ConnecTED Talks” from colleagues, you’ll walk away with practical approaches to teaching the Israeli-Palestinian story, antisemitism and the Holocaust, and media literacy, along with tools for facilitating dialogue across difference in your own community.
The conference will feature keynote speaker Mónica Guzmán, author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times and founder & CEO of Reclaim Curiosity. Guzmán’s work offers practical tools for staying curious across disagreement — replacing “why” with “how,” and certainty with curiosity.
Our central goal is for participants to experience, in person, the sense of community that defines ConnectED. By the end, you’ll leave with new insights, resources, and partnerships that will strengthen your leadership and teaching for years to come — 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
| DAY 1 | Wednesday, November 11th |
| 8:15am - 9:00am | Arrival & Check-in: Breakfast & Mingling The program will start promptly at 9:00 AM. Please plan accordingly to ensure there is enough time to check in. |
| 9:00am - 9:15am | Welcome remarks Avi Posen |
| 9:15am - 10:15am | Heads of School Panel 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 |
Breakout Options: In-Person PD Tracks (5 sessions available) Breakout options
If you're enrolled in a PD track, join your track's in-person session. If you're not currently enrolled in a track, you're welcome to join any of the sessions below, except for Dialogue Across Difference, which is reserved for course facilitators.
|
| 12:50pm - 1:25pm | 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, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A each. |
| 2:05pm - 3:05pm |
Breakout Options: In-Person PD Tracks Block 2 (5 sessions available) Breakout options
If you're enrolled in a PD track, join your track's in-person session. If you're not currently enrolled in a track, you're welcome to join any of the sessions below, except for Dialogue Across Difference, which is reserved for course facilitators.
|
| 3:05pm - 3:20pm | BREAK |
| 3:20pm - 4:20pm | Debate vs. Dialogue: Exploring Two Approaches to Difficult Conversations Kelly Fives, Sara Himeles, and Megan Nevels |
| 4:20pm - 4:30pm | Reflection and Takeaways Avi Posen and Sara Himeles |
| 4:30pm - 5:30pm | Optional: Networking Reception Connect with colleagues, new and old, over light snacks and refreshments. |
| DAY 2 | Thursday, November 12th |
| 8:15am - 9:00am | Arrival & Check-in: Breakfast & Mingling The program will start promptly at 9:00 AM. Please plan accordingly to ensure there is enough time to check in. |
| 9:00am - 9:15am | Welcome remarks Avi Posen |
| 9:15am - 10:15am | Lessons in Bridge Building Mohammed Al Samawi in conversation with Avi Posen |
| 10:15am - 10:30am | BREAK |
| 10:30am - 12:00pm |
Navigating Challenges Surrounding Complex Issues as Educators (5 sessions available) Breakout groups
Yoni Romick will open with core dialogue principles for navigating complex issues, followed by role-specific breakout conversations facilitated by a representative from each cohort:
Heads of School
|
| 12:00pm - 12:45pm | Lunch Grab your lunch from the main meeting area and mingle with colleagues. |
| 12:50pm - 1:40pm | Applying ConnectED: Reflection & Planning |
| 1:40pm - 2:00pm | BREAK |
| 2:05pm - 3:05pm | Keynote Address Reclaiming Curiosity in School Communities Mónica Guzmán in conversation with Sara Himeles In this moment of political polarization, generational shifts, and evolving conversations around identity and belonging, school communities are looking for practical ways to engage across difference, navigate misunderstanding, and transform moments of tension into opportunities for students, faculty, and parents to connect, learn, and grow. In this session, Mónica Guzmán draws on the ideas in her book I Never Thought of It That Way — including how reframing "why" into "how" and asking "What am I missing?" can turn disagreement into real understanding. Audience Q&A follows, leaving educators with concrete tools to bring back to their school communities. |
| 3:15pm - 3:30pm | Reflection and Final Takeaways Avi Posen and Sara Himeles |
| 3:30pm - 4:30pm | ConnectED Happy Hour Join colleagues and the ConnectED team to unwind and keep the conversations going over drinks. |
Registration
Your school’s membership with ConnectED includes five spots for administrators and/or faculty members at the Annual Conference.
*Note: If you would like to send more than five educators, please email Megan Nevels 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 submit if you’re that single point of contact for your school.
Please note: travel and overnight accommodations are not included.
5 Conference Passes
November 11-12, 2026
$400pp FREE
through October 23
Your conference pass includes admission to the two-day conference, breakfast, lunch, snacks, happy hour, and ConnectED swag.
Location
The conference will take place in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Exact location provided upon registration.
Breakfast and lunch included.
Speakers
Mohammed Al Samawi
Mohammed Al Samawi is an interfaith activist from Yemen and the author of the best-selling autobiography The Fox Hunt: A Refugee's Memoir of Coming to America. His path to interfaith work ultimately saved his life when four American strangers helped rescue him from extremist groups in Yemen ten years ago. Today, Mohammed remains dedicated to exchanging the core values that define religious traditions while combating extremism and stereotypes. He advances this work through his nonprofit organization, Abrahamic House, which builds sustainable interfaith learning and action across Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i communities by fostering environments of respect and social change. Mohammed speaks internationally on faith, courage, and the shared humanity that connects us all.
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin is a globally recognized leader in media literacy education. She works as a senior advisor for the National Association for Media Literacy Education, and is an Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College where she teaches Media Literacy. Michelle works as an independent contractor creating curricular materials, resources, and conducting workshops. Michelle worked as Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education from 2012-2025, helping NAMLE grow to be the preeminent media literacy education association in the U.S. Michelle was the recipient of the 2020 Global Media and Information Literacy Award given by UNESCO and holds her undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University.
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.
Dr. Jonathan Golden
Dr. Jonathan Golden is the Founder of HeartStance Education Consulting. He teaches at Hebrew College in Boston and for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Previously, he served as the Israel Curriculum Coordinator and a history teacher at Gann Academy, a pluralistic Jewish high school in Waltham, MA. A graduate of Princeton University, Jonathan received his M.J.Ed. from Hebrew College and Ph.D. from Brandeis University, where he studied American Jewish history. At ConnectED, Jonathan leads professional development for educators and schools, helping teachers at all grade levels and subject areas approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with confidence and nuance.
Mónica Guzmán
Mónica Guzmán is a bridge builder, journalist, and author who lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. Her bestselling book, “I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times,” has been featured in The New York Times, The Glenn Beck Podcast, and Reader's Digest; has been a popular selection for common read programs at schools across the country; and was named one of the 10 best books to read before college by U.S. News. Mónica is founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, where she works to build a world that sees itself. She is host of “A Braver Way,” a podcast that equips people to navigate challenging divides in their everyday lives. She is both an advisor and a debate chair at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest crosspartisan grassroots organization working to depolarize America, and also advises Disagree Better, The Viewpoints Project, and Courageous Conversations About Our Schools. Mónica received an honorary doctorate from Wheaton College and completed study and research fellowships on braver ways to navigate division at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and the University of Florida. A Mexican immigrant and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids, plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties’ Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.
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.
Becca Kalamaro
Becca Kalamaro is a passionate educator with 6 years of experience facilitating and developing Holocaust and Israel Studies curricula at TvT Community Day School. Before that, she spent several years in Los Angeles working in a variety of educational settings, including experiential education, day schools, and supplemental learning initiatives. Her students and colleagues know her for fostering thoughtful conversations, encouraging nuance, and creating engaging learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Becca holds a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona and an M.A.Ed. from American Jewish University. She is passionate about inspiring curiosity and a love of lifelong learning through her teaching, curriculum design, and presentations.
Megan Nevels
Megan Nevels is the Program and Partnerships Manager at ConnectED, where she manages relationships with partner schools, and supports the implementation of impactful programming for students, educators, and school leaders. In her prior role at ADL, Megan supported K-12 schools through incident response, anti-bias and antisemitism programs, and education summits. Her earlier experience includes designing year-long professional development programs for educators at the Skirball Cultural Center, and leading theater initiatives in juvenile justice facilities, youth reentry programs, and under-resourced schools in severely underserved communities. Megan holds a B.A. in Theater Performance from Pitzer College and an M.F.A in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from the University of Texas at Austin. Megan is an alumna of Marlborough School in Los Angeles.
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 15,000 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.
Yoni Romick
Yoni Romick 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.
Dr. Noam Weissman
Dr. Noam Weissman is Executive Vice President at ConnectED. He leads the program’s educational vision and overall strategy. Noam holds a doctorate in educational psychology from USC with a focus on curriculum design and wrote his dissertation on identity development and Israel education. He is a member of the Aspen Institute and a Civil Society Fellow. Noam is also the host of the popular Unpacking Israeli History podcast and co-host of the Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam podcast.