Youth Justice: "Young and in Trouble"

Presenters

Dr. Kelvin R. Adams

Dr. Kelvin Adams is in his fourth year as Superintendent of Schools for the St. Louis Public School District. He oversees more than 25,000 students in grades Pre K – 12 and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district’s nearly 4,000 employees and $270 Million budget. “Creating Great Options” for the children of St. Louis is Dr. Adams’ focus. His vision has helped create single-gender classroom schools, an African-Centered curriculum school, a nationally recognized International Welcome School for new Americans, and the expansion of early childhood classrooms by nearly 50%. The results speak volumes. Under Dr. Adams’ guidance, St. Louis Public Schools has increased its graduation rate every year, improved state test scores each year and improved attendance rates each year. Prior to joining St. Louis Public Schools Dr. Adams held positions as Chief of Staff, Associate Dean/Interim Dean and Charter School Liaison, High School Principal, Middle School Principal and Executive Director of Middle Schools. Dr. Adams received a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in Administration from the University of New Orleans in 2005. He earned a M.A. in Elementary Education from Xavier University in 1991 and a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education from Northeast Louisiana University in 1978.

Barbara A. Fedders

Before joining the University of North Carolina School of Law faculty in January 2008, Barbara Fedders was a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Criminal Justice Institute for four years. Prior to that, she worked for the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services as a Soros Justice Fellow and staff attorney. As a law student, she was a Root-Tilden-Snow scholar, and she co-founded the NYU Prisoners' Rights and Education Project. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Prison Policy Initiative, the Equity Project, and Carolina Student Legal Services. Her research interests include children in conflict with the law, criminal procedure, and critical race theory. Barbara received a J.D. (cum laude) from New York University Law School in 1997 and a B.A. (magna cum laude) from the University of Dayton in 1987.

Jason Langberg

Jason Langberg is an Equal Justice Works Fellow/Attorney at Advocates for Children's Services, a statewide project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. He joined ACS in 2009 as a Clifton W. Everett, Sr. Community Lawyer Fellow. His work at ACS focuses on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline in Wake County. During fall 2011, he was also an Adjunct Professor in the North Carolina Central University School of Law, Juvenile Law Clinic. Langberg earned his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Boston College Law School where he was a Public Service Scholar, Champy Fellow, and Pitcoff Scholar. During law school he: volunteered for the New England Innocence Project and ACLU of Massachusetts; interned for the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia; was a student attorney in the Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project and the Boston College Public Defenders clinics; started BC Law's Pro Bono Program; and helped lead the Criminal Justice Law Project and the Children's Rights and Education Law Group. Prior to law school, Langberg worked as a Development Associate at Advocates for Children and Youth in Baltimore, MD and as a Program Specialist at Ramapo for Children, a camp for youth with behavioral, emotional, and learning disabilities in Rhinebeck, NY. He also interned at the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, DC and volunteered with youth in low-wealth communities as a tutor, guardian ad litem, and mentor. Langberg earned his B.A. in Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa, with a minor in Social and Economic Justice, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. Langberg serves on the Board of Directors of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence and the Leadership Council of the North Carolina Bar Association, Juvenile Justice and Children's Rights Section.

Dr. La Vonne I. Neal

La Vonne Neal is Dean of the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. She previously served as dean of the College of Education at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Neal describes herself as a person who enjoys challenges that require her to move quickly and traverse difficult obstacles. Indeed, her record of accomplishments as an athlete, businesswoman, educator and leader proves her to be a woman of her word. Neal is a teacher-educator whose work in the design and implementation of culturally responsive teaching methods has earned wide recognition both among educators and in the popular press. For example, her research on the correlation between African American male students’ walking styles and their placement in special education courses has been featured in USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DiversityInc.Com, and radio and television stations across the country. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Neal was 16 years old when she set an American record for the 80-meter hurdles. This accomplishment, along with many others, would lead to her induction into the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. Track and field afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union, igniting her intellectual curiosity and giving her visceral appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the world and its people. That curiosity, coupled with success in both the academic and athletic arenas reinforced her understanding of the value of multiple intelligences. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from LaSalle University in Political Science, Neal entered the United States Army as a 2nd lieutenant and later earned the rank of captain, specializing in military intelligence. There she gained experience in leadership and strategic planning and that she successfully applied as a manager for such leading corporations as Johnson and Johnson Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., and Miller Brewing Company Inc. Neal’s professional experiences and personal commitment to the development of human potential converged when she decided to become an educator. She enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin and received a Master of Education degree, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Education with an emphasis in multicultural education. Neal served five years as a secondary level public school social studies teacher for Round Rock Independent School District in Texas and was grade-level academic team leader for four years. Neal became a teacher-educator when she joined the faculty at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and was the director of the university’s secondary education teacher certification program. She has also served as a consultant to several schools and school districts in Texas and around the country seeking to institute culturally responsive curricula and teaching methods.