Keynote Speakers
Morning Keynote:
A. Keith Young
A coach, trainer, and writer. Keith was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of northern Alabama. His mother was a bank teller, and his father farmed cotton and silage and sold used farm equipment. He completed university as a first-generation college graduate and studied to be an English teacher. He taught English and math to secondary students for the US government in Germany. In his first years of teaching, he developed a knack for leading and training colleagues. Eventually, he shifted full-time to training teachers and leading school improvement efforts at the school district level. Later, he became a principal, leading school turnaround efforts and regularly improving student outcomes by double digits in Colorado, Puerto Rico, and Arizona.
Along the way, he picked up all the advanced education degrees available. Nowadays, he trains and coaches administrators, school leadership teams, and teacher coaches. Keith developed an accessible
coaching style that leaders quickly grasp. The schools he coaches at, nationwide and internationally, produce significant improvements in student outcomes, both academically and affectively. Keith is the author of The Instructional Coaching Handbook (2023); Training Design, Delivery, and Diplomacy (2023); Confident Classroom Management Moves – QuickWins! (2025); and The Teaching Strategy Handbook: 200+ Solutions for Common Classroom Challenges (April, 2026). Additionally, he published articles in Education Leadership, Kappan, and The Learning Professional.
Afternoon Keynote:
Demian LaPointe
Demian LaPointe serves as a Professional Learning Specialist with West40, partnering with schools and districts to design trauma-responsive, restorative, and inclusive systems of support. With a background as a special education teacher, building and district leader, and regional coach, Demian brings a blend of research, real-world classroom experience, and deep respect for educators’ daily realities. His work focuses on helping adults understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), strengthen co-regulation and relationships, and build school cultures where students and staff feel seen, safe, and capable of growth. Demian is known for his warm, engaging facilitation style and his commitment to providing practical strategies teams can use the very next day
DITCHED Con is the Lake County ROE's annual conference focused on providing instructional coaches, tech coaches, teacher leaders, educators, and administrators with a platform to learn about the most innovative practices to move coaching forward.
This conference provides an opportunity to connect with other coaches about timely topics and dive into creative ways to grow as a coach.