Thursday’s Keynote Speaker: Molly Hudgens

9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom

On September 28, 2016, an eighth grader armed with a semi-automatic handgun and a plan to kill people on campus went to the counseling department at Sycamore Middle School in Pleasant View, Tennessee, to find his school counselor, Molly Hudgens.

After ninety minutes of talking with the young man and praying beside him on her knees, the counselor was able to convince him to relinquish the weapon to her with no shots fired and no lives lost. 

For her efforts, she became a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor’s Citizens Honor for a single act of heroism.  In her twenty-fifth year in education, she remains the school counselor at Sycamore Middle School and is joining us here today to share her story of “The School Shooting that Never Happened.”

Friday’s Keynote Speaker: Sean Buchanan

8:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom

Sean Buchanan is an author, international speaker, consultant, and public school superintendent. 

He has become a leading expert in forming connections with and motivating educators through leveraging the power of human connection. His student first philosophies have been presented to, and implemented by, thousands of educators both nationally and internationally.

Mr. Buchanan was born and raised in Oklahoma, and has dedicated his life to inspiring educators and driving student achievement.