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ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 14, 2015 – Education Minnesota announced Wednesday a change in the lineup of speakers for the Minnesota Educator Academy conference scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.

“Our keynote speaker, Pedro Noguera, has experienced a family emergency and will be unable to give the keynote speech Thursday morning,” said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. “We wish Pedro and his loved ones all the best in this difficult time.”

“Fortunately, we have another great speaker on issues of race, class and the future of public education. He’s Jose’ Luis Vilson, an author, blogger and working middle-school math teacher in New York,” Specht said. “Jose’ was scheduled to lead a workshop at the conference, but graciously accepted our invitation to give the keynote.”

Education Minnesota announced it has also added a speaker for Thursday afternoon. Jonathan Friesen will speak at 1 p.m. Thursday. Friesen is an international speaker and award-winning author, whose personal experience with Tourette syndrome and epilepsy inspired him to write the highly acclaimed novel, “Jerk, California.” Friesen’s presentations on literacy and mental health have been extremely popular at previous Education Minnesota professional conferences.

About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.