Program

Keynote Speakers

The Pollyanna National Conference 2027 features keynote speakers whose work explores some of the most important questions facing schools and communities today: How do we build understanding across differences? How do we strengthen belonging? How do we prepare young people to lead with empathy, courage, and purpose?

Through perspectives shaped by journalism, civic leadership, faith, and global experience, our keynote speakers will offer insights that help schools build stronger communities and prepare students to thrive in a complex world.

Atia Abawi

Atia Abawi is a journalist, author, and international affairs analyst. She began her career at CNN, rising from production assistant to foreign correspondent covering major global events. She later served as a Kabul-based correspondent and bureau chief and was subsequently based in Jerusalem for NBC News, reporting on the Middle East and Africa. Atia is the author of several books, including The Secret Sky and A Land of Permanent Goodbyes, and currently speaks nationwide on diversity, equity, and global affairs.

DeNora Getachew

DeNora Getachew, Esq. is the CEO of DoSomething, a leading platform for youth-driven leadership and service engaging more than one million young people. A democracy lawyer with more than two decades of experience, she has worked to advance free elections and a multiracial democracy across government and the nonprofit sector. DeNora has served on the New York State Public Campaign Financing Commission and as an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Professional Studies, and continues to lead nationally on civic engagement and social impact.

Dr. Simran Jeet Singh

Simran Jeet Singh, PhD is the Assistant Professor of Interreligious Histories at Union Theological Seminary and Senior Advisor for the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program. He is an award-winning author of multiple books with Penguin Random House and Oxford University Press, including the national bestseller, The Light We Give. Simran also hosts Undivided, the new docuseries on race and religion in American history.