Events

Turbulent Times in Education: The Art and Science of Trade-Offs

Event Series: The Roslyn Z. Wolf Lecture in Urban Education
Date: Tuesday Afternoon, September 23, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Overview

Attention Educators! Join Us for Our Fall 2025 Roslyn Z. Wolf Lecture in Education with Faiza M. Jamil, PhD, and Javaid Siddiqi, PhD, who wrote the insightful book Public Education in Turbulent Times: Innovative Strategies for Leadership and Learning. They bring a wealth of experience from the education sector (K-12 and higher ed) and state education policy and governance. All attendees will receive a free copy of their book.

This event is presented by CSU’s Center for Educational Leadership in partnership with the Greater Cleveland School Superintendents’ Association (GCSSA).

Speakers

Faiza Jamil, PhD, is Associate Professor of Education and Human Development in the College of Education at Clemson University

Javaid Siddiqi, PhD, is the former Secretary of Education for the State of Virginia, and President and CEO of The Hunt Institute, USA

See full bios here.

Agenda

12:15 p.m. Doors open

1:00-2:30 p.m. Speakers’ Remarks

A Moderated Panel Discussion with Eric Gordon, Chief Executive Officer for Positive Education Program (PEP)
Audience Q&A

2:30-4:00 p.m. Network Gathering (including light food and refreshments)

4:00-4:30 p.m. Planetarium Show (Optional)

Registration

Event Registration

Complete this form to register for this event.

Registration Fee

The event is $30; parking $5 (to be paid at the museum). While there, take some time to see the beautifully renovated Cleveland Museum of Natural History!

How to Purchase Tickets

To purchase tickets for the Roslyn Z. Wolf Lecture in Urban Education, please follow the steps below:

Visit the Levin College Cashnet Storefront.
From the list of categories, click on Center for Educational Leadership.
Then select Roslyn Z. Wolf Lecture in Urban Education.
Follow the prompts to complete your ticket purchase.

If you have any questions or encounter issues, please contact us at center_edleadership@csuohio.edu or 216.875.9932.

About the RZW Lecture

Each fall and spring semester, the Center for Educational Leadership at Cleveland State University, in partnership with the Greater Cleveland School Superintendents' Association, invites a national or international thought leader to speak to a diverse audience of civic leaders, school leaders, university faculty, and other invited guests. The endowed lecture focuses on urban issues in honor of the late Roslyn Z. Wolf, whose civic-minded work in the Greater Cleveland community is legendary.

About Roslyn Z. Wolf

The late Roslyn Z. Wolf was active in academic, fine arts, and community organizations throughout her adult life. A Cleveland native, she served on the board of trustees of Cleveland State University from 1990 until 1999. She also served on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Great Lakes Science Center, The Cleveland Orchestra, and was active in many other organizations. Mrs. Wolf was married to The Honorable Milton A. Wolf, United States Ambassador to Austria.

In 2004, Ambassador Wolf established The Roslyn Z. Wolf Endowed Chair in Urban Educational Leadership, in loving memory of his wife, to provide support to CSU’s College of Education and Public Affairs [today known as the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education] to build upon its strong reputation as a thought-leader in the field of Urban Education.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Faiza M. Jamil: Faiza M. Jamil (Ph.D., Educational Psychology-Applied Developmental Science, University of Virginia) is a tenured associate professor and Associate Chair in Education and Human Development department at Clemson University’s College of Education. Her courses include a strong focus on how social, economic, cultural, and historical contexts influence human development, and how developing humans influence their environment. She also brings her own experiences as a K-12 teacher in three countries to her university courses.

Faiza is the founder and director of the Contexts of Learning and Development (CLAD) Lab, where she conducts interdisciplinary research in collaboration with a team of faculty members and doctoral students. With over 2500 citations, her research follows two complementary strands, with a particular focus on issues of educational equity: 1) understanding the underlying psychological processes – cognitive, social, and emotional – that influence teachers’ classroom behaviors and career decisions, and 2) understanding the ways in which teacher-child interactions influence children’s learning and development. Her current research projects are applying both strands of research in support of strengthening the teacher pipeline in the United States to support more equitable student learning and development outcomes.

Dr. Javaid Siddiqi: Former Virginia Secretary of Education, Dr. Javaid Siddiqi is the President and CEO of The Hunt Institute. During his tenure The Institute has more than tripled its staff and has expanded its scope of work beyond K-12 to include the entire education continuum from early childhood to postsecondary and the workforce. Javaid works with the leadership team to guide the strategic plan for The Institute and develops The Institute’s relationships with partners and funders across the nation. He works with senior-level elected officials across the political aisle to help design strategy, shape policy, and drive educational improvements on the national and state levels.

Javaid’s career spans more than 20 years in education and education reform and policy. He began his professional career as a high school teacher, assistant principal, and as a principal in Chesterfield, Virginia, where he led the implementation of Expeditionary Learning – a nationally recognized school reform model. As secretary of education in Governor Bob McDonnell’s Cabinet, Javaid assisted in the development and implementation of the Commonwealth’s education policy; and provided guidance to 16 public universities, the Virginia Community College System, five higher education and research centers, the Department of Education, and state-supported museums. Prior to his appointment, he served as deputy secretary of education where he focused his efforts on teacher quality and improving educational outcomes for all students.