Community of Practice for School Belonging
Oct 30, 2025 10:00AM—May 07, 2026 11:30AM
Location
Virtual
Cost Early Bird Pricing for Members (Available until October 10) $1,395 members; $1,175 group-rate 3+; $2,205 non-members
Categories Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Ongoing Program, Online, School Leaders, Teachers
Community of Practice for School Belonging
SESSION 1: October 30, 2025 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 2: November 20, 2025 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 3: December 11, 2025 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 4: January 15, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 5: March 5, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 6: March 26, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 7: April 16, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:30am
SESSION 8: May 7, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:30am
Do you work at an independent school outside of California? Click here for a discount on our non-member registration!
ABOUT THIS ONLINE ONGOING PROGRAM
This ongoing program is designed to support and strengthen the efforts of educators and advocates working to cultivate belonging in their school communities. As a community of practice, we will share stories, reflect on our work, and exchange tools and resources—all in service of fostering deeper belonging in our schools. Together, we will also acknowledge the current climate surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, and explore how institutions and organizations are navigating these evolving dynamics.
The program consists of eight 90-minute sessions, each led by an expert facilitator and practitioner of belonging. Every session will focus on a different theme, offering participants the chance to engage in reflection, dialogue, and inquiry around essential questions and big ideas. Both facilitators and participants will contribute resources, tools, and strategies to advance our shared goals.
This space is intended to build a supportive network and help participants develop a sustainable practice of mutual support in this vital work. Our hope is that participants leave the series feeling connected, seen, equipped, and re-energized as leaders in creating school communities of belonging.
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Session 1
Facilitator:
Anthony Witte
What Do We Do Now? DEIB Strategies and the New Norm
In our opening session, we will reflect on the current context of DEIB and explore frameworks to consider how we continue this work in strategic and sustainable ways. We will discuss common issues and workshop those relevant to your school community, using practical tools to help your school stay proactive in reactive times.
Session 2
Facilitator:
Anthony Witte
with guest
Quise Rodriguez
Communities of Practice: Sustaining DEIB Work and Preventing Silos
In this session, we will examine how silos and competition can arise among schools and how we can instead shift toward valuing collective wisdom. Participants will learn different approaches toward creating a Community of Practice (CoP) while defining their own. Using a culture assessment tool and other strategies, we’ll reflect on the impact a CoP can have on advancing DEIB work
Sessions 3 & 4
Facilitator:
Nikkia Young
Integrity and Resilience in Turbulent Times: Grounding, Renewal, and Purpose
In the face of disruption and high-charge dynamics, we often disconnect, burn out, or rely on reactive coping. Through two sessions, we’ll explore resilient approaches to challenge, cultivate deeper integrity in relationship with ourselves and others, and apply systems-level thinking that sustains both our purpose and the quality of our work.
Sessions 5 & 6
Facilitator:
Liza Gleason
Mapping How We Show Up: Breaking Free from Performative Roles
In this two-part workshop, we’ll use somatic storytelling to explore how our socially constructed roles—shaped by our identities—can limit authentic connections. We’ll create space for individuals from all backgrounds to reflect on how understanding our true selves can foster stronger connections and genuine community belonging.
Session 7
Facilitator:
Michelle Holmes
Permission to Pause: Creating Sacred Moments in Your Daily Life
Discover how pausing can be a radical act of self-preservation and joy. Through guided reflection and hands-on activities, participants will explore the difference between rest that restores and rest that numbs, while developing personalized rituals that fit into their real lives and actual schedules.
Session 8
Facilitator:
Lauren Benjamin
Reflecting on Our Journey Together
In this closing session, we’ll take time to reflect on what we’ve learned throughout our time together, and envision how we can carry this work of belonging forward—sustaining it in our school communities and in ourselves.
AUDIENCE
DEIB Directors, Deans of Students, Division Heads, Affinity Moderators, SEL Directors, Classroom Teachers, and anyone who works at a school who is committed to a culture of belonging.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Anthony Witte is the founder of Witte's End Consulting, LLC, a DEIB firm. He brings 20+ years of experience as an educator, from teaching to leading diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts. His graduate studies in Education: Equity and Social Justice from San Francisco State University ignited a passion for helping people from all backgrounds move from awareness to social action. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Equity Leaders diversity consortium, a board member of 18Doors, and an ex-officio board member of People of Color in Independent Schools (POCIS). He has presented nationally at educational conferences and co-authored Diversity Work in Independent Schools: The Practice and the Practitioner and Belonging: Assessing the ‘B’ in DEIB Work.
Nikkia Young, PhD brings embodied playfulness, and a grounded sense of purpose to her work as an educator, consultant and licensed clinical psychologist. Her early career experiences as a gymnastics and martial arts instructor turned Kindergarten teacher (Park Day School!) taught her to improvise and listen; move and play; and, keep her heart open during conflict. Currently, Nikkia is the Director of Counseling at The Bay School of San Francisco. In her independent consulting practice, Nikkia brings compassion, containment, and shared purpose to high-stakes, high-charge, and high-conflict challenges within organizations. She’s also chipping away (very slowly, but hopefully, surely) at a book integrating a structural power analysis into the Interpersonal Neurobiology framework. Nikkia brings together science, play, storytelling, and original lo-fi illustrations to address the heart, body, and soul of the work toward healing justice—striving to honor the weight and complexity of our most difficult truths without weighing us down.
Liza Gleason has been an educator in the Bay Area for more than 25 years. She recently completed her Educational Doctorate at Mills College, where her research focused on white women teachers. Liza has taught in both public and independent schools at the elementary and middle school levels. She is passionate about the intersection of building inclusive schools and white educator identity development. Liza uses vulnerability, care, and emergent thinking to ground her work with educators. She currently coaches individual teachers and teaching teams on curriculum and instruction and facilitates dialogue groups for white-identifying educators. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, teenage son, and two rescue dogs, Sammy and Cali.
Michelle Holmes is the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Crane Country Day School. She has been teaching in public and private institutions for 22 years. Prior to teaching, she was a teaching artist and museum educator in New York City. Michelle obtained her bachelor’s degree in International Political Science from Queens College and her Masters of Science in Museum and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education. Additionally, she has completed studies in Language-Based Learning Disorders at Windward’s Teacher Institute. She has completed facilitation training with Lion's Story and National SEED Project.
Lauren Benjamin has cultivated a thriving career as a multidisciplinary artist and educator for over 20 years. Lauren earned her BFA in painting and photography and holds a Master’s in Education. She is an alum of dance epicenter Jacob’s Pillow and CATDC’s Leadership Fellows. She worked as a supervisor to student teachers at Mills College Graduate School of Education, where she was able to mentor and coach new teachers as well as experienced professionals new to the field of education. Lauren believes in sharing the power of identity development through the lens of the arts and has published her curriculum with Frameline Organization and presented at educational conferences, including conferences held by the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE) and Project Zero of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. During Lauren's eight-year tenure at Sacred Heart Schools Atherton, she held multiple roles including Dance Program Director and Fine Arts Department Chair. Her most recent position was Assistant Principal of Mission & Culture, where she centered belonging in the school’s adult onboarding and school-wide student programs. In 2023, Lauren joined the CATDC team as the Northern California Director, bringing her extensive experience in education and leadership to facilitate professional growth and collaboration among teachers in the region. She identifies as a love practitioner who aims to build community through her teaching practice and leadership.
GUEST SPEAKER
Quise Rodriguez holds an administrative credential as well as a Master’s Degree in Social Justice and Equity in Education from UC, Berkeley. She brings over 18 years of experience working as both a teacher and administrator in independent and public schools.
Cancellation Policy
Life happens. We understand that there will be times when you cannot attend a workshop that you have registered and paid for. We strive to be as helpful and flexible as possible when things out of your control happen. Please visit our FAQ page for detailed information about our cancellation policy and answers to frequently asked questions about enrollment and membership.