Navigating Complexity in Challenging Times

November 3, 2025 • Manhattan, New York

A ConnectED conference featuring:

Join fellow ConnectED Cohort members for a not-to-be missed conference in NYC this November. 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 the inaugural ConnectED Conference, a one-day gathering in New York City designed to build our cohort community, engage in courageous conversations, and explore strategies for engaging students in our core topics. Through interactive sessions, breakouts for both role-specific cohorts 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 more.

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

Monday, November 3rd
8:15am - 9:00am	Arrival & Check-in Breakfast & mingling
9:00am - 9:15am	Welcome remarks Avi Posen and Sara Himeles
9:15am - 10:15am	Navigating Complexity: School Leadership in Challenging Times Panel discussion with Dr. Noam Weissman, Executive Vice President at ConnectED, Bodie Brizendine, Head of Collegiate School, Laura Danforth, Head of The Masters School, and Dr. Tom Kelly, Head of Horace Mann School
10:15am - 10:30am	BREAK
10:30am - 11:30am	Role-Specific Conversations (5 sessions available) Breakout groups Heads of School Asst. Heads of School DEIB Heads Key Leaders Dept. Chair & Faculty
11:30am - 11:45am	BREAK
11:45am - 12:45pm	Tools for Today Block 1 (5 sessions available) Breakout options Sarah Gordon: "The Complex History of 1948" Ira: "Who Are the Jewish People?" Avi Posen: "Navigating Complexities in Current Events" Kelly Fives: "Teaching the Holocaust in a Post Oct. 7 World" Keren Horn: "Media Literacy: Teaching Critical Thinking in a Digital Age" Yoni Buckman: "When Does Criticism of Israel Cross the Line into Antisemitism?"
12:45pm - 1:45pm	Lunch & ConnecTED Talks: Insights from the Field Five educators share powerful practices or success stories in 5-minute bursts, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A each.
1:45pm - 2:30pm	Tools for Today Block 2 (5 sessions available) Breakout options Sarah Gordon: "The Complex History of 1948" Ira: "Who Are the Jewish People?" Avi Posen: "Navigating Complexities in Current Events" Kelly Fives: "Teaching the Holocaust in a Post Oct. 7 World" Keren Horn: "Media Literacy: Teaching Critical Thinking in a Digital Age" Yoni Buckman: "When Does Criticism of Israel Cross the Line into Antisemitism?"
2:00pm - 2:30pm	ConnectED 101 Session for New Educators Educators from non-cohort schools are invited to a 101 session to learn about our resources and program.
2:30pm - 2:45pm	BREAK
2:45pm - 3:45pm	Keynote presentation - Amanda Ripley Breaking the Spell of High Conflict Conflict, whether political or personal, can escalate and become toxic, as we keep seeing in the news, on social media, in politics. At this level, known as "high conflict," we start sorting the world into good and evil, us and them. Things become suddenly very clear. Our brains behave differently. We tend to exaggerate the differences between ourselves and the other political party or racial or religious group (or sibling or co-worker), without realizing we are doing it. We believe the other side cannot change, even when it can. Eventually, everyone suffers, to varying degrees. To try to understand how people get bewitched by high conflict--and how they get out--Amanda spent four years following a politician in California, a former gang leader in Chicago, a divided synagogue in New York City and other conflict survivors all over the world. She discovered that the secret is not to get out of conflict; conflict itself is essential, and it can be healthy and good. The key is to get out of high conflict. From the stories and the science of conflict, Amanda has identified the "fire-starter" forces that tend to cause high conflict--as well as the practical but counterintuitive rules of "good conflict." This work is surprising and ultimately hopeful, and it has transformed how Amanda operates as a journalist.
3:45pm - 4:00pm	Reflection & final takeaways Avi Posen

Registration

Your school’s membership with ConnectED includes five spots for administrators and/or educators across both upcoming regional conferences (New York and Los Angeles).

One administrator 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.

5 conference passes
November 3, 2025

~~$150pp~~ FREE
through October 27

Your conference pass includes admission to the one-day conference, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and ConnectED swag.

Location

The conference will be in Manhattan. 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, where she manages school partnerships, designs programs, and facilitates role-specific webinars. 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.

Ira Glasser

Ira Glasser is the Director, K-12 Education, NY at American Jewish Committee (AJC). In this capacity, Ira supports independent school leadership to ensure their school communities refuse to normalize antisemitism in any form, are inclusive of Jews and Jewish identity, and are rooted in democratic values. Ira comes to AJC after an extensive career in Jewish educational leadership, most recently serving as the CEO of Hillel at Binghamton. Previously, he was the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Rodeph Sholom School in New York City, where he also taught middle school history and Jewish Studies. He has published and presented at national conferences on Israel and Jewish education. Ira holds a Master’s Degree in Adolescent Education in Social Studies from Hunter College and a second Master’s Degree in Israel Education from The iCenter Graduate Program at The George Washington University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Judaic Studies from Binghamton University. He lives on Long Island with his family and is a licensed New York City sightseeing guide.

Sarah Gordon

Sarah Gordon is Vice President, UED, where she leads the education team and supports educators around the world in teaching about Israel and Judaism with nuance and confidence. A dynamic presenter, she has led UED conferences across North America and spoken to diverse audiences of educators, teens, and parents. Her writing on Israel education has appeared in HaYidion, Jewish Educational Leadership, and other journals.

Previously, Sarah was Director of Israel Guidance and Experiential Education at Ma’ayanot High School, where she taught Talmud, chaired a Contemporary Israel course, and led innovative programming. She studied in Yeshiva University’s GPATS program and holds dual Master’s degrees in Jewish Education and Modern Jewish History. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. as a Wexner Fellow, researching the support educators need to teach Israel effectively.

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.

Keren Horn

Keren Horn is a passionate Jewish educator with expertise in curriculum development, with a focus on Israel and Holocaust education. She is an experienced classroom teacher who, during her time at Yavneh Academy, created and facilitated a comprehensive, multi-year Israel education program that remains a cornerstone of the school’s middle school curriculum. Keren has presented widely on Israel and Zionism to educators, teens, and parents across the U.S., and holds a Master’s in Education in Learning, Cognition, and Development from Rutgers University.

Avi Posen

Avi Posen is Vice President, ConnectED, where he oversees curriculum development, content creation, and manages our team of speakers and educators. Over the past five years, Avi has led and developed Unpacked for Educators, a curriculum platform and community with over 11,000 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.

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.

Dr. Noam Weissman

Dr. Noam Weissman is Executive Vice President at OpenDor Media. He leads the education 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 Dr. Mijal Bitton.