Keynote Presenter Biographies

Nancy Carlsson-Paige
Nancy Carlsson-Paige is Professor Emerita at Lesley University where she taught teachers for more than 30 years and was a founder of the University’s Center for Peaceable Schools.  Nancy has written and spoken extensively about the impact of violence, especially in the media, on children’s lives and social development, and how children learn the skills for caring relationships and positive conflict resolution.  She is the author and co-author of five books and has written numerous articles on media violence, play, conflict resolution, and peaceable classrooms.  Her most recent book is called Taking Back Childhood.  Nancy has received numerous awards for her leadership and advocacy in peace and early childhood education. 

Patti Digh
"If the Buddha had two kids, a dog named Blue, a Southern accent, and a huge crush on Johnny Depp, his name would be Patti Digh," wrote one reviewer after Digh's grassroots bestseller, Life Is a Verb, was published. Patti is a Southern-born master storyteller whose stories are full of humor, poignancy, surprise, pain, and knowing. Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, was one of five finalists for the prestigious Books for a Better Life award and a nominee for a Book of the Year award from the Southern Independent Booksellers Association. Her award-winning blog on which it was based, 37days.com, brings together readers from ages 12 through 95 across the globe. Since Life is a Verb was published, Patti has written Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives, Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive, You're Creative, and What I Wish For You: Simple Wisdom for a Happy Life. Her smart, funny, and moving stories will touch your heart deeply. Audiences come away from her speeches both laughing and crying, and with a clearer sense of what's important in their own lives.

In addition to her writing, Patti is a co-founder of The Circle Project, an international consulting firm focused on re-imagining K-12 education. Patti’s comments on diversity, global leadership, and learning have appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The London Financial Times, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as in leading professional journals. She is a co-author of Global Literacies: Lessons on Business Leadership and National Cultures (Simon & Schuster 2000) and The Global Diversity Desk Reference (Wiley 2003), as well as the author of more than 100 published articles on global business and diversity.

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