The countdown to the 2026 CSBA Annual Education Conference and Trade Show (AEC) happening Dec. 3-5 in San Diego is on! AEC is one of the biggest education conferences in the state and brings together board members, superintendents, school business officials and support staff to learn and network. Attendees will leave AEC with practical ideas and strategies to better support board governance and student outcomes.

In addition to over 100 sessions related to the AEC strands — Empowering All Students and LEAs in a Digital World; Fostering Strong Community Partnerships; Health, Safety and Wellness; Pathways to College Career and Beyond; Strategic Governance for Organizational Success; and Strategies for Financial Resilience — the conference includes three General Sessions featuring inspiring keynote speakers.

A former foster youth, Josh Shipp’s work has been featured in a documentary series on A&E that followed his powerful interventions with youth and families. He’s authored three national bestsellers: “The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans” (winner of the Nautilus Gold Award), “The Teen’s Guide to World Domination” and “No Matter What: A Foster Care Tale.” Thanks to the support of teachers, counselors and loving foster parents, Shipp was named to Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” list and completed his postgraduate studies at Harvard.

Today, he’s a go-to expert for outlets like Oprah Winfrey, CNN, FOX, The New York Times, Good Morning America and 20/20. Shipp has delivered keynote speeches to over 2 million people and his viral videos have reached more than 50 million views online. He also trains emerging speakers through the Youth Speaker University and equips classrooms worldwide with his social-emotional curriculum. His free weekly newsletter offers research-backed, real-world strategies to over 200,000 educators, social workers and parents. Shipp’s story is living proof that change is possible when just one caring adult steps up. As Josh says, “Every kid is ONE caring adult away from being a success story.”

After spending 12 years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor became one of the world’s leading researchers on the connection between a positive brain and success. He has traveled to more than 50 countries studying how beliefs predict performance, resilience and well-being. Achor is a New York Times-bestselling author of multiple books, including “The Happiness Advantage,” which has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. His research has been featured on the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED Talk is among the most viewed of all time and his PBS program has reached millions of viewers.

In the field, Achor has worked with one-third of the Fortune 100, as well as the NFL, NASA and six battalions of U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton. He has been interviewed twice by Oprah Winfrey at her home and is one of only two external speakers ever invited to address the President’s staff at Camp David. Of all his work, Achor is most proud of his impact in low-income schools and being a father to his two young children.

Dr. Christopher Emdin is an internationally recognized scholar, author, speaker, creative strategist and educator whose work has transformed the global conversation around teaching, learning, culture, creativity and innovation. He is the Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Professor of Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as program director for science education. Emdin also serves as director of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for the STEAM Dream IdeaLab, where he leads initiatives that bring together science, technology, engineering, the arts, design thinking, entrepreneurship and radical imagination. Through this work, he has become a leading voice in helping schools and organizations rethink creativity as essential to human flourishing, innovation and transformation.

Known for bridging the worlds of hip hop, science, spirituality, pedagogy, design and social justice, Emdin challenges audiences to reimagine what education, leadership and creativity can look like in the modern world. His groundbreaking work on reality pedagogy, culturally sustaining education and creative engagement has influenced the education field internationally. Emdin is the author of numerous influential books, including the New York Times-bestselling “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too.”