2025 Summer Conference

2025 Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice

June 23 - 25, 2025

In-Person at the California Endowment Center, Los Angeles, California

Hosted by the California Endowment
Sponsored by the UCR School of Education and the California Endowment
ITOC is an on-going professional development space designed to support wellbeing, strengthen racial literacy, and cultivate racial justice leadership capacities of teachers of Color and teacher educators of Color. A unique collaboration between the disciplines of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Ethnic Studies, this national conference rigorously selects and supports ITOC Fellows across the U.S. and beyond each year.

Applications are now open until March 8th, 2025 for the 2025 in-person convening and/or 2025-2026 virtual programming.

Apply Here

ITOC Fellows Selection Criteria:

Fellows are selected based on the following criteria:
ITOC Fellows and Teacher Educator Fellows:

Identify as a Black, Indigenous, or person of Color (BIPOC) educator(pre-service teachers are eligible) or in a related capacity within K-12 schools
Work (or will work) in a K-12 public schools serving majority BIPOC students
Demonstrate an advanced level of racial literacy
Have an asset framing of communities of Color
Commit to critical and theoretically driven approaches to transforming schools
ITOC Teacher Educator Fellows work in a university setting training K-12classroom educators

2025 Summer Conference Includes:

4 Keynote Talks
4 Workshop Sessions
2 Racial Justice Action Plan Working Group Sessions
Health, Wellness, and Creative Arts Programming
Femtorship Program
Breakfast and Lunch Daily
Welcome Dinner

2025 Summer Conference Keynote Speakers:

Dr. William A. Smith
Distinguished Professor, The University of Utah

Dr. William A. Smith carries the title of Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah while holding the rank of Full Professor. His roles span the Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Education, Culture, & Society, and the Ethnic Studies Program (African American Studies division). As the Chief Executive Administrator for Strategic Initiatives and Mental Health Justice at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI), Dr. Smith leads efforts in institutional development and oversees national programs to normalize mental health. His initiatives include the Stop Stigma Together and Love Your Mind national campaigns to reduce mental health stigma and promote wellness across diverse communities.
Internationally renowned for his pioneering work on Racial Battle Fatigue, a concept he coined in 2003, Dr. Smith’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of how systemic racism and racial aggressions—both micro and macro—affect the mental and physical well-being of racially minoritized individuals. He describes Racial Battle Fatigue as a systemic, race-related repetitive stress injury, emphasizing the profound and cumulative impact of racial aggressions on those targeted by racism.

Dr. Miyoshi Juergensen
Assistant Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Miyoshi Juergensen is an assistant professor of educational leadership. Previously she served as an assistant professor of teacher leadership at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on historical African-American teacher leadership and current teacher-leaders beliefs and practices about improving schooling for all students. Dr. Juergensen earned her PhD in Educational Administration and Supervision from Emory University in 2016.

Dr. Leslie Quintanilla
Assistant Professor, San Francisco State University

Dr. Leslie Quintanilla is an assistant professor and undergraduate advisor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University. She earned her PhD in Ethnic Studies and Certificate in Critical Gender Studies from UC San Diego. Her grassroots organizing and research praxis focuses on contemporary issues related to transnational borderland activisms, including women-of-color feminist artivism, environmental justice and climate change activism, and cross-diasporic solidarities. Broadly, her long-term interests include: Zapatismo, US///Mexico border(s), Italian & Mediterranean border(s), climate change, and movement organizing.  
She is a co-founder of the Center for Interdisciplinary Environmental Justice (CIEJ), a collective of activists, academics, scientists, and artists working for decolonial environmental justice efforts trans-locally. Currently, the CIEJ is working alongside Indigenous communities to combat lithium mining driven by electrification economies. Prior to joining SF State, Dr. Quintanilla taught in Chicanx Studies at San Diego City College.

2025-2026 Virtual Programming Includes:

Online programming throughout the school year including community building, speakers, and mini-sessions
2 Public Talks in Collaboration with UCR's K-12 Ethnic Studies Speaker Series
Femtorship Program (quarterly meetings and pairings of femtors/femtees for independent meetings)
Well-Being Collective

Registration Fees for Selected Fellows

Registration Rates
Please note that we offer financial hardship pricing. However, if this is still inaccessible, please email us at [email protected].
Early Bird Pricing (April 3rd - May 10th):
Summer Conference Registration:

$400 Registration Rate
$200 Financial Hardship Registration (cannot be sponsored by employer)

2025-26 Virtual Yearlong ONLY:

$200 Registration Rate
$100 Financial Hardship Registration (cannot be sponsored by employer)

Combined 2025 Summer and 2025-26 Virtual Programming:

$500 Registration Rate
$275 Financial Hardship Registration (cannot be sponsored by employee)

Standard Registration Rates (May 11th - June 3rd):
2025 Summer Conference Registration:

$450 Registration Rate
$250 Financial Hardship Registration (cannot be sponsored by employer)