Keynotes
Keynote Speaker: Daniela Anino
Experiencing the Loss of Place:
From Tragedy to Resilience, Connection and Hope for the Aveson School Community
Thursday, November 13, 9–10am
EMU Student Center Grand Ballroom
Daniela Anino is a bilingual educator and principal with more than 20 years of experience leading schools, founding innovative programs, and advancing equity in education. She currently serves as Site Director of Aveson School of Leaders in Pasadena, California, where she is dedicated to creating joyful, rigorous, and inclusive learning environments rooted in place, project-based learning, outdoor education, environmental consciousness, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
On January 7, 2025, the Aveson School community experienced a life-altering tragedy as the Eaton Fire, fueled by the Santa Ana winds, tore through Altadena, destroying the Aveson School buildings, campus, and the homes of 67 students and 15 staff members.
As the Aveson School community describes that day, “In what felt like the blink of an eye, 18 years of the physical representation of our passion for learning was gone. Children’s artwork, the library filled with dog-eared favorites, and years of lesson plans, all turned to ash. Our beloved butterfly garden and chicken coop along with our brand new playground, a labor of love built and fully funded by our PTO, was destroyed. Desks—etched with names carved deep—computers, furniture, and our brand new buses, destroyed. Grief, shock, and disbelief radiated through our community.”
But the story doesn’t end there. Daniela joins the National PBE Conference to share reflections and insights from her school community’s processing and grieving of the physical loss of place and sense of place, the struggles of displacement and essential response role of school-community partnerships, and the power of activated hope through sustained place connection, community resilience, and the forging of a new way forward.
Keynote Artist: May Erlewine
Thursday, November 13, 7:30–8:30(ish)pm
EMU Student Center Grand Ballroom
May Erlewine has dedicated her life to writing songs for the human heart’s existence. These songs have the relentless ability to find the tender places within us. Her body of work stands as a reminder that our greatest strengths come from allowing ourselves to be courageously vulnerable.
It’s evident that May’s career in the music industry has been service-oriented. She uses her platform to fight for positive change. Stressing the important, necessary work of advocacy, justice and empowerment in our world. This community-building message has touched people all across the globe.
May’s calling is to share this music. Her words have held solace for weary hearts. They offer a light in the darkness and leave space for the pain and joy of being alive. When she starts to sing, everyone is invited, come as you are.
Explore May’s music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kyle Whyte
Friday, November 14, 9–10am
EMU Student Center Grand Ballroom
Kyle Whyte is George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Kyle’s research addresses moral and political issues concerning climate policy and indigenous peoples, the ethics of cooperative relationships between Indigenous peoples and science organizations, and problems of Indigenous justice in public and academic discussions of food sovereignty, environmental justice, and the anthropocene. He is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
Kyle formerly served on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and has also served as an author for the U.S. Global Change Research Program. He is a former member of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science in the U.S. Department of Interior and of two environmental justice work groups convened by past state governors of Michigan.
Kyle is involved with a number organizations that advance Indigenous research and education methodologies and environmental justice, including the Climate and Traditional Knowledges Workgroup, the Sustainable Development Institute of the College of Menominee Nation, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, Pesticide Action Network, and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence.
Kyle’s work has received the Bunyan Bryant Award for Academic Excellence from Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Michigan State University’s Distinguished Partnership and Engaged Scholarship awards, and grants from the National Science Foundation.
Young Leaders Keynote Panel:
Finding Purpose and Developing Career Pathways through PBE
Friday, November 14, 3:15 pm — 4:15pm
EMU Student Center Grand Ballroom
Willie King, III, a proud Detroit Westsider, is dedicated to empowering youth through education, activism, and community engagement. In his role with the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition, he developed and facilitated place-based initiatives that amplify youth voices, promote civic action, and integrate the arts into education. In 2025, Willie decided to continue his path as a place-based educator by making the transition to the classroom as a full-time teacher with Legacy Academy in Detroit. Willie holds a degree in History with a minor in Political Science from Eastern Michigan University.
Annabelle Barnes is a 17-year-old student with a strong passion for photography and marine sciences. She recently participated in the Alaska Tides to Tongass Science and Arts Academy (ATTSAA), a place-based learning experience in remote Alaska. Annabelle engaged in hands-on learning that included foraging and creating natural salves, exploring the intertidal zone, and learning about Native Alaskan culture and art. She also had the opportunity to fish, study marine ecosystems, and create artwork inspired by Indigenous traditions. The experience allowed her to disconnect from social media and reconnect with nature, strengthening her commitment to combining science and art in her future studies.
Liz Thomson is an early-career science teacher with Alcona Middle School in Northeast Michigan. Growing up immersed in PBE with GLSI’s Northeast Michigan GLSI Hub as a student and the daughter of a teacher with a passion for PBE, Liz describes herself as a “Farm-to-Table” PBE educator. Liz’s PBE approach to teaching was recently recognized as she received the Michigan Science Teacher Association’s “Science Teacher of Promise” award and the Frederick W. Case, Jr. Environmental Educator Award from the Michigan Nature Association.
Bryan Lewis is a Detroit-based sustainability and community-engagement strategist who brings more than a decade of experience bridging community, environment and equitable opportunity. As a facilitator and consultant, he supports organizations and communities in designing collaborative frameworks for place-based learning, civic activation and just climate resilience. He previously served as Manager of the Trellis Emerging Leaders Program, where he cultivated national networks of diverse young professionals in clean-energy and sustainability. Previously, Bryan led the Youth Energy Squad and grew place-based sustainability education initiatives in Detroit, engaging young people in understanding and leading meaningful systems change.
Thank you to our sponsors and supporters for making these keynote sessions possible!
