LUNCHEON SESSIONS

Each day of NPC27 includes a ticketed luncheon session, an hour and a half with a featured speaker over lunch. It’s a chance to hear directly from leaders shaping the field and talk with peers working on the same challenges you are.

Luncheon tickets can be purchased as you register for the conference.  

Cornelious Minor
Child-Centered Leadership in a World That Wants Us to Center Everything Else 

Data matters, but the most meaningful data walks in with students every morning. Their actions and responses offer daily insight into what your building needs. Yet teachers are often asked to grow inside systems built for compliance rather than responsiveness. This luncheon session offers practical tools for supporting teacher growth in ways that keep young people at the center. 

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Merlyna Valentine
Prove What’s Possible: Rise On Purpose and Lead With the Courage Today Demands 

Women leaders are often expected to carry immense weight and rarely asked what that actually requires. This session examines how rising after significant adversity, rather than simply returning to where you were, shapes authentic leadership. Grounded in possibilities, perseverance, and perspective, it challenges the assumption that leadership must feel heavy to make an impact.