General Session Speakers Announced for 2021 Joint Annual Conference
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Date PostedSeptember 2, 2021
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CategoryConference
Three keynote speakers have been selected to Educate, Inspire, and Lead attendees at the Joint Annual Conference November 19-21 in Chicago. Headlining a General Session each day, the keynoters will offer messages of inspiration and encouragement for school leaders while leading conversations on timely, meaningful issues impacting public education today.
Kicking off the First General Session on Friday afternoon will be Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski. Dombrowski is an international public speaker, stand-up comedian, and social media star, all while maintaining his full-time classroom duties as a fifth grade teacher in Seattle. He uses his comedic timing and improv skills in his approach to teaching to make material relatable and less intimidating.
Anthony Jack will headline the Second General Session on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Author of The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students, Jack is a sociologist and educator who works to transform the way organizations address diversity and inclusion in education. Jack is a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and serves as assistant professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Closing out the final day of Conference will be Gail Tolstoi-Miller, an award-winning speaker, author, career coach, and business strategist. Tolstoi-Miller utilizes 20-plus years of leadership and coaching experience in productivity, change management, leadership development, innovation, unconscious bias, and diversity and inclusion to inspire, motivate, and empower while being “100%, totally real.”
Check the Joint Annual Conference webpage for up-to-date information and follow along on social media using #ILjac21 for further notifications. IASB staff will continue to monitor state and local health conditions provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health agencies and notify members if there are changes to the event.
Kicking off the First General Session on Friday afternoon will be Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski. Dombrowski is an international public speaker, stand-up comedian, and social media star, all while maintaining his full-time classroom duties as a fifth grade teacher in Seattle. He uses his comedic timing and improv skills in his approach to teaching to make material relatable and less intimidating.
Anthony Jack will headline the Second General Session on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Author of The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students, Jack is a sociologist and educator who works to transform the way organizations address diversity and inclusion in education. Jack is a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and serves as assistant professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Closing out the final day of Conference will be Gail Tolstoi-Miller, an award-winning speaker, author, career coach, and business strategist. Tolstoi-Miller utilizes 20-plus years of leadership and coaching experience in productivity, change management, leadership development, innovation, unconscious bias, and diversity and inclusion to inspire, motivate, and empower while being “100%, totally real.”
Check the Joint Annual Conference webpage for up-to-date information and follow along on social media using #ILjac21 for further notifications. IASB staff will continue to monitor state and local health conditions provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health agencies and notify members if there are changes to the event.

