Meet the Speakers
Conference Opening Keynote
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 9:00 am – 10:15 am
Maurice A. Stinnett, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of transformative leadership, inclusion, and strategy. With two decades of experience across nonprofit, corporate, and education settings, he is a highly sought after keynote speaker and consultant. Known for his engaging and interactive style, Dr. Stinnett creates environments of authenticity, growth, connection, and excellence.
Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Dr. Stinnett’s career began in community organizing and nonprofits, working with organizations such as Prepare the Future Ohio, Esperanza, and CentroNia to advance equity in education. He later served as Dean of Students at Central State University, a historically Black college and university, and Vice President of University Engagement and DEI at Cleveland State University.
Academic Diversity Office (ADO) Track Keynote
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Amalia Daché, Ph.D., is an Afro-Cuban American scholar and Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A 1980 Mariel boatlift refugee, Dr. Daché’s educational journey through U.S. inner-city schools, community college, a state university, and a private research institution informs her research and public scholarship. Her work examines postcolonial geographic contexts of higher education, Afro–Latin American studies, and the antecedents of locally grounded college-going dispositions among African diasporic students and communities.
Dr. Daché conducts research within contested urban geographies, including Havana, Cuba; Cape Town, South Africa; Rochester, New York; Ferguson, Missouri; and hiladelphia, Pennsylvania. Her scholarship has been recognized with awards and fellowships from the National Academy of Education, the Spencer Foundation, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and the Rockefeller Institute.
Health Equity Track Keynote
Friday, March 27, 2026, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Esther Choo is an emergency physician, health policy researcher and Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Center for Policy & Research at Oregon Health & Science University. She studies the impact of policies and practices on health outcomes, including those related to substance use disorders, pain management, and reproductive health. She co-founded Equity Quotient, a company that supports organizational equity, is a board member of FemInEM, a non-profit advancing emergency reproductive healthcare. and has served as a columnist for The Lancet and MSNBC. She writes regularly on topics related to inequities in healthcare, public health, and improving equity in the workplace.
Conference Closing Keynote
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 10:30 am – 11:45 am
Michael Benitez Jr., Ph.D., is a nationally acclaimed educator, scholar, and strategist who brings critical insight and authentic perspective to conversations about leadership, culture, and change in higher education and workplaces. Known for his dynamic presence and ability to connect across lines of difference, Dr. Benitez draws from a lifetime of experience and a distinguished record of leadership at top institutions to help build environments where people feel seen, valued, and empowered.
Currently serving as Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Multicultural Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Dr. Benitez has led transformational initiatives across academic affairs, student affairs, faculty development, and institutional strategy. He is known for developing impactful frameworks such as the Diversity Monologues, campus climate community participatory models, and the NW5C Consortium supporting faculty of color.
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