uLead2026 - The Summit of Educational Leadership: Full Schedule

This is the Sched site for the uLead 2026.

Welcome to uLead 2026. We are thrilled you will be joining us at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for our annual school leadership conference hosted by the Council for School Leadership of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.

If you have any questions during the event, we will have uLead team members throughout the venue wearing red and black plaid. The registration desk will also have our team available throughout the conference. This table can be found just outside of the Van Horne Ballroom, where all of our keynote presentations are taking place.

If you need a digital map of the facilities, you can click here

In order for our team to best determine room allocations for breakout sessions would ask that delegates log in (top right corner of this page) and select sessions that they are interested in attending.

Finally, if you are interested in earning University credits for attending uLead, please visit the uLead website

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9:00am MDT

Keynote - Bubbling Up

Tuesday April 21, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MDT

Van Horne Ballroom (Conference Centre)

Dr. Sean Lessard shares stories from a life spent working with young people in and beyond school communities. Bubbling Up, a reflection on the feeling of possibility, identity, and belief that lives inside us, serves as the opening for a broader conversation about how we support youth.
Drawing from his experience as a youth worker, teacher, counsellor, administrator, and professor, Dr. Lessard explores his approach to working alongside young people through community, relationship, and what he describes as a pedagogy of tea. He reflects on the importance of presence, trust, and consistently showing up for youth - academically, socially, and emotionally.
With honesty, warmth, and humour, Dr. Lessard highlights the role educators and leaders play as advocates and allies, and the impact of holding an unwavering belief in young people, even when they struggle to find their voice.
Bubbling Up is both a reflection and a call to action, reminding us that when youth are supported through relationship and community, powerful things can rise to the surface

Speakers

Sean Lessard

Professor of Indigenous Education and Core Studies, University of Alberta

Dr Sean Lessard is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation he is a former youth worker, teacher and counsellor. He is currently a Full Professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education. He is an award winning researcher, writer and speaks internationally about his approach... Read More →

Tuesday April 21, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MDT
Van Horne Ballroom (Conference Centre)

Keynote

12:00pm MDT

Keynote and Conference Closing: Reflections on my Journey to the United Nations Highest Humanitarian Prize - the UN Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize

Tuesday April 21, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm MDT

Van Horne Ballroom (Conference Centre)

in this talk, I share the personal and professional journey that led to receiving the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize, reflecting on decades of work grounded in Indigenous knowledge, trauma-informed practice, and human rights advocacy. I trace this path from frontline counselling at an Indian residential school to community-based healing initiatives to national and international efforts addressing the intergenerational impacts of cultural genocide, systemic violence, and displacement. Central to this journey are the teachings of responsibility, collective care, and truth-telling—values that shaped my work with Indigenous survivors, families, and communities, and later informed policy and global advocacy. The presentation emphasises that this recognition is not an individual achievement, but a collective one, honouring the resilience, leadership, and wisdom of Indigenous peoples whose stories, strength, and insistence on justice continue to guide the work forward, in the spirit of Nelson Mandela and the human rights commitments of the United Nations.

Speakers

Dr. Brenda Reynolds

BISW, RSW, Master of Arts Counseling Psychology, Psy.D. (ABA)United Nations Nelson Mandela Laureate Brenda Reynolds is Saulteaux from Fishing Lake First Nation, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is known for her development of the trauma-informed and culturally sensitive Indian Residential... Read More →

Tuesday April 21, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm MDT
Van Horne Ballroom (Conference Centre)

Keynote

uLead2026 - The Summit of Educational Leadership

9:00am MDT

Sean Lessard

12:00pm MDT

Dr. Brenda Reynolds

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