As part of the school’s commitment to anti-racism work, Williston will host several trainings for students, faculty, and administrators at the start of the school year—a focus that will continue throughout the year.
On August 21, student leaders—admission interns, international student leaders, proctors, student council members, and student mentors—will gather for online leadership trainings with Dr. Liza Talusan. The training session is meant to help student leaders better understand how to structure and create more inclusive environments that focus on a sense of belonging and engagement. Talusan is also scheduled to address the entire Williston community in person in April 2021.
An educator, speaker, leader, and coach, Talusan facilitates conversations about diversity, anti-racism, bias, privilege, and power, and creates environments that allow people to discuss these difficult topics openly.
Director of Inclusion and Community Life Erin Davey called Talusan one of her “DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] heroes.”
Talusan earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Connecticut College, a master’s degree in higher education administration from New York University, and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her certified coaching credentials are from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.
Her scholarship has been published in peer reviewed journals, edited collections, and online platforms, and she has been featured on a number of podcasts and interviews related to education, identity, and inclusion. She serves in a number of national organizations focused on education and equity, and she has consulted with more than 150 schools, organizations, and corporations across the country.
Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson will conduct a two-day training for faculty on August 24 and 25, and will return for a third day in September to reflect on faculty’s growth. The president and co-founder of Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), Amante-Jackson’s organization works with clients with the aim of creating a more equitable organizational culture and infrastructure. The program provides participants experiences that are designed to bring together intergenerational groups of people whose purpose is to dismantle inequities and build deeper connections to humanity.
Amante-Jackson is an educational and racial equity strategist that is deeply committed to the study of culture, innovation, and adult development. Since earning her master’s degree in anthropology from Brandeis University, and her doctorate in educational leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Amante-Jackson has honed her knowledge of culture and adult development to transform organizations, nonprofits, and school cultures on issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee will speak to students, faculty, and senior administrators on September 29. The outreach coordinator at the Seattle Girls’ School, Lee also teaches subjects such as science, math, technology, art, ethics, and social justice. As a professional outreach specialist, she designs and delivers trainings for all constituencies of the school community, as well as the local and national educational and nonprofit sectors.
Since 2004, Lee has been a diversity speaker and trainer on a variety of topics, including cross cultural communication, identity development, implicit and unconscious bias, gender and sexuality diversity, facilitation skills, and bullying in schools. Lee has presented at numerous conferences and nonprofit organizations, such as the White Privilege Conference, Junior League, and City Year. She has also worked with more than 200 K-12 public and independent schools throughout the country, as well as a number of colleges and universities. She has served for several years on the faculty of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Diversity Leadership Institute, as well as NAIS’ diversity think-tank cadre, Call to Action.