SPEAKERS - 2026 IYI KIDS COUNT® Conference. Online registration by Cvent

Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University, and author of the best-selling book Permission to Feel, which has been translated into 27 languages. His latest book, Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want, was released in 2025.

An award-winning researcher for more than 25 years, Marc has published 175 scholarly articles on emotional intelligence and is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning adopted by more than 5,000 schools worldwide.

Marc is a frequent contributor to media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. He has delivered keynote presentations at more than 700 conferences around the world and regularly consults with organizations including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft on emotional intelligence in the workplace.

Anya Kamenetz is a futurist with a passion for the complexities of how we learn, work and live in a rapidly changing world. As the lead education reporter for NPR, Kamenetz coordinated the public broadcaster’s education coverage online and on-air, reporting on topics such as technology, the cost of higher education, career development, the future of work, post-pandemic life, and more.

Kamenetz co-hosts the podcast Life Kit for Parenting and is the author of four books. Her most recent, titled The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now, considers the pandemic’s impact on the lives of children and the burden on working parents trying to care for, educate, and keep children safe at home.

Since the coronavirus pandemic kicked off the largest distance learning experiment in history, Anya has been deluged with requests to unpack what the future might bring for colleges, the K-12 education system, and businesses that need to rethink training and recruitment. Her presentations draw people to think about their own experiences in a broader historical context and help students get excited for their role in shaping a better future. Anya brings an insightful perspective on the evolution of learning, and how to apply it all to advance one's purpose.

Anya grew up in Louisiana, in a family of writers and mystics, and graduated from Yale University in 2002. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Victor J. Glover, Jr. is an emeritus NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate. He piloted the Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft, callsign Resilience, to the International Space Station where he was a Flight Engineer for Expedition 64/65. Glover recently Piloted NASA’s Artemis II mission to and from the Moon. The crew launched on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, inside the Orion spacecraft, callsign Integrity, completing a nearly 10-day journey that took the crew 252,756 miles from home at their farthest distance from Earth. Glover spent a total of 178 days in space, completing 4 spacewalks, and several scientific, maintenance and outreach activities.

Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler and has flown over 45 aircraft. He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and NASA Space Exploration Medal. Victor and Dionna are the proud parents of four daughters. A native Californian Glover received his Bachelor of Science in General Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, his Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, and his Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Victor Glover has also been awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees from California Polytechnic State University and Howard University.