Fall 2020 Closing Keynote – Tiffany D. Jackson & Julia E. Torres

She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV/Film experience. The Brooklyn native is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves, most likely multitasking.

Tiffany grew up in Brooklyn Heights but also count places like Fort Greene, Far Rockaway, East New York, and Kingston, Jamaica as her home. She attended Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose, NY, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, and her master of arts in media studies from the New School University. She has over a decade of experience in the television industry, working for various networks and media companies including National Geographic (focused on documentaries such as Lockdown, a prison subculture series) Roc Nation, BET, FUSE, BBC AMERICA, and EPIX.  From managing live events, concerts, festival showcases such as BET AWARDS and SXSW Music Show Case, to TV series, specials, and pilots such as FUSE: TOP 20 Countdown, Trending 10, The Hustle: After Party Live and in-studio concert series to producing hip-hop documentaries and artist promotional spots. In 2009, she wrote and directed the short horror film, The Field Trip, receiving praise in the film festival circuit. Follow her on Twitter @WriteinBK.[/su_row]

[su_row]Julia E. Torres is a member of The Educator Collaborative network & grades 6-12 TheEdCollab Book Ambassador.  Read her full bio here or request her for consulting or a speaking engagement. 

Julia is an expert in secondary writing and reading instruction, including accelerated reading and writing instruction for multilingual students and those learning in urban environments.  Currently, Julia is a teacher librarian for five schools on the Montbello Campus within the Far Northeast region of Denver Public schools. Across over a decade in education, Julia has taught in small, medium, and large districts, across the Western United States. Her high school teaching career has included teaching freshman English up through advanced courses including World Literature and AP English Literacy and Composition. In 2014, Julia began teaching in the largest (and only urban district in Colorado)—Denver Public Schools. As a teacher at Denver Center for International Studies at Montbello, Julia taught Concurrent Enrollment English classes partnering with Aurora Community College. Julia has also taught Creative Writing and African-American Literature through University of Colorado Denver’s Upward Bound pre-collegiate summer academic institute.  You can follow her on Twitter @juliaerin80. [/su_row]