Clinical Psychologist, Bestselling Author, & Scientific Consultant for Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out 2

Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and internationally recognized expert on adolescent development and student mental health. For more than two decades, she has worked directly with young people and families while translating psychological research into practical, accessible guidance for the adults who support them.

She is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, which have become essential resources for parents, educators, and clinicians seeking to better understand anxiety, stress, and the emotional complexity of adolescence.

Dr. Damour is also the host of the podcast Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Teens and Tweens, where she offers clear, steady psychological insight into everyday parenting, helping adults respond thoughtfully rather than reactively to young people’s emotions and behavior.

As a consultant on Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Dr. Damour helped shape the film’s portrayal of adolescent emotional development and contributed research-informed insight to one of the most visible cultural conversations about teen mental health in recent years. Her ability to bridge rigorous science with mainstream storytelling reflects her broader commitment: bringing accurate, compassionate psychological knowledge into everyday life.

A frequent contributor to national media, including The New York Times and CBS News, Dr. Damour is known for her calm, evidence-based voice during moments of heightened concern about youth mental health. Rather than amplifying panic, she offers grounded perspective, helping adults distinguish between healthy, developmentally appropriate stress and signs that a young person may need additional support.

For district leaders, school mental health professionals, counselors, and educators, her insights are both practical and urgent. As schools continue navigating rising youth mental health needs and building sustainable, integrated systems of care, Dr. Damour’s perspective provides a roadmap rooted in science, developmental understanding, and deep respect for young people’s emotional lives.

At the 10th Annual Wellness Together Conference, Dr. Damour will bring research, clarity, and actionable insight to a national audience committed to strengthening student mental health.

New host of Reading Rainbow and Resident Librarian for PBS

Mychal Threets is a librarian, mental health advocate, and, by his own admission, the library’s number-one fan.

A lifelong lover of libraries, Mychal was homeschooled and raised among the stacks, receiving his first library card at the age of five.

He began his career as a library shelver at the same library he grew up in, eventually working his way up to become its Supervising Librarian. Mychal is open and honest about his mental health, sharing his experiences in hopes of helping others on their own journeys. He’s known for reminding people—again and again—that he’s genuinely happy they’re here.

He considers it an honor to the library people who influence and inspire him that he is a recipient of the 2024 I Love My Librarian Award from the American Library Association, inclusion in School Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers, TIME Magazine’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders, a 2024 Webby Award for Social Impact, and a spot on TIME’s inaugural 2025 list of 100 Creators.

Mychal is the author of I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy (Random House Children’s Books), illustrated by Lorraine Nam. He currently serves as Resident Librarian for PBS and PBS Kids—and still can’t quite believe he’s the host of the revival of Reading Rainbow.

Sociologist and Author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Three Mothers

Anna Malaika Tubbs is a New York Times bestselling author and multidisciplinary expert on current and historical understandings of race, gender, and equity. With a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University, Anna translates her academic knowledge into stories that are clear and engaging. Her articles have been published by TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, CNN, Motherly, the Huffington Post, For Harriet, The Guardian, Darling Magazine, and Blavity. Anna’s storytelling also takes form in her talks, including her TED Talk that has been viewed 2 million times, as well as the scripted and unscripted screen projects she has in development. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three kids.

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 190 scientific publications and seven books, including 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World and Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She writes the Generation Tech Substack.

Author, comedian, and host of TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast

Chris Duffy is a stand-up comedian who has worked as a television writer (Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas on HBO, National Geographic Explorer) and is currently host of TED’s hit podcast How to Be a Better Human, winner of the 2025 Webby Award for Advice & How-To Podcasts. He has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News, and NPR.

Superintendent, San Diego Unified School District

Dr. Fabi Bagula, Superintendent for the San Diego Unified School District, advances dynamic, large-scale change initiatives that improve outcomes for students and educators in public TK-12 systems. Her bicultural upbringing and experiences on the San Diego border have informed and guided her widely respected and visionary work.

As a teacher, teacher coach, principal, assistant superintendent, executive leadership coach, senior director of equity, deputy superintendent –– and now as superintendent –– Dr. Bagula consistently gains and maintains the trust of her students, colleagues, and community.

Dr. Bagula was adjunct faculty for the Graduate Program in Educational Leadership and Emancipatory School Leadership at California State University San Jose, the School of Leadership and Educational Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego (USD), and RISE San Diego, an organization that teaches adaptive leadership and equity action research to aspiring leaders in the community. Dr. Bagula was faculty for school administrator credential programs for both San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and USD- teaching classes for future principals such as Finance, Budgets and Taxpayer Stewardship, Ethical Decision Making, Family and Community Engagement and Evaluation and Assessment.

Her work at SDCOE allowed her to coach county superintendents and their cabinets on leadership, education, equity, and group dynamics. She worked closely with the following districts and superintendents: Poway, Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Ramona, Coronado, Lakeside. Dr. Bagula also led learning for Superintendents across the state of California.

As a leadership scholar, Dr. Bagula also launches and delivers keynote presentations across our county (Chula Vista School District, Coronado School District, San Ysidro School District, to name a few), state and some international locations such as Verona Italy, Vienna Austria, and Zurich Switzerland for the International Leadership Association (ILA).

She has been the recipient of the 2024 Finalist for the Matusak Award for Courageous Leadership, a 2023 “Cool Woman” Finalist from the Girl Scouts Organization, the 2023 California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) Central Office Administrator of the Year, the 2013 César Chávez Visionary leader award, a nominee for San Diego’s 79th district Educational Leadership Award from Representative Dr. Shirley Weber, and a former National Equity Project fellow.

Dr. Bagula is currently a Yale-Broad Leadership fellow. Additionally, Dr. Bagula has served as a founding member of Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) and Board member of the Social Publishers Foundation (SPF), which supports practitioner-researcher projects and the democratization of knowledge around the world.

Dr. Bagula is a recent Yale-Broad Leadership fellow. She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. Her research areas include leadership and identity formation. She has published both academic and literary works, including a chapter in the 2021 book, Latinas Leading Schools, two chapters in the 2022 book Recipes to Combat the ‘isms and one chapter in the newest 2024 publication, Hispanic Perspectives on Student Support and Community Empowerment. Likewise, she is certificated in Stakeholder Centered Coaching with The Marshall Goldsmith Group and certified in Leading Dialogue through Conflict with Public Conversations Project. Dr. Bagula frequently facilitates seminars on topics of educational and systemic equity, dialogue facilitation, authenticity, improvement science, and adaptive leadership.