December 10, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Gwinnett County Public Schools and the National Center for Youth Issues (NCYI) are excited to announce we are co-hosting the first annual Atlanta Area District Leadership Symposium! This event is being launched to serve as a networking forum for the Directors of Student Services and Counseling for ATL metro area school districts. You are invited to attend this exciting new event. We hope you and the team members from your district office will plan to attend.
Click the sponsor logo to learn more about that sponsor.
We’re finalizing an exciting lineup of educators and thought leaders to create a meaningful conference experience. Check back soon for speak annoucements.
Please join us as we hear from Leigh Bagwell. Session information will be provided soon.
Dr. Leigh Bagwell is a member of the School Counseling Core Faculty in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Capella University. Bagwell joined Capella in the spring of 2022 shortly after completing her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Tennessee. She began her career as an elementary and middle school counselor before moving to leadership and supervisory roles in school counseling for preK-12 education in both urban and suburban school districts then ultimately serving as the Director of School Counseling Services for the Tennessee Department of Education. As a school counseling educator and leader, her mission is to provide school counselors and administrators with the training and resources needed to deliver high quality, student driven, data informed comprehensive school counseling programs to all students. She believes when school counselors and school leaders work together to all students have access to the opportunities and supports they need to successfully move through their elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education into their chosen career.
In addition to her work in Tennessee, Bagwell partners with school counselors and school counseling leaders throughout the country using her experiences and knowledge to build their capacity to more effectively serve students. She has authored multiple books in the 15 Minute Focus Series: Self-Harm and Self-Injury: When Emotional Pain Becomes Physical and Anxiety: Worry, Stress, and Fear and an accompanying workbook, along with 30-Minute Groups: Anxiety Managment. Leigh has also served as a consultant on several SEL children’s books. She has conducted research on mental health supports for students and families and is a consultant with an international organization developing tools and materials that help school counselors deliver effective school counseling programs to all students. Dr. Bagwell’s hope is to equip and empower school counselors to use their unique knowledge and skills to advocate and support all students to reach their potential and achieve their dreams.
Franciene Sabens, M.S. Ed., LPC, NCC, is a litigation paralegal turned school counselor with nearly two decades of experience. She serves as a board member for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and is a member of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethics Committee and the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics (a special NASDTEC Committee). A two-time Illinois High School Counselor of the Year (2014, 2025), Franciene was recognized by the American School Counselor Association at the White House in 2016 as Illinois’ representative for the School Counselor of the Year program and received an Illinois School Counselor Association IMPACT Award in 2025 for Key Contributor in recognition of her contributions at the state and national levels.
She is co-author of A Survival Guide for Rural School Counselors and Solo Practitioners, contributed to the current Developmental Counseling Model for Illinois Schools, co-edited the second edition of the School Career Development Advisor Curriculum for the National Career Development Association, and is a frequent ASCA presenter and publication contributor.
Franciene is passionate about enhancing the counseling profession by helping school counselors implement ethically aligned, comprehensive programs that maintain the highest standards of integrity, leadership, and professionalism while supporting students as they strive to reach their greatest potential.
Student services professionals have a unique and ethically obligated role in facilitating collaborative relationships with parents/guardians. This session will focus on the student services professionals’ ethical responsibility to parents/guardians, as outlined by relevant ethical standards. Specific examples and best practices to help student services professionals navigate the legal and inherent rights of parents/guardians to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives, and creative ways to foster collaborative relationships with parents/guardians, will be discussed.
Additional speakers will be announced soon.
Tentative
8:30 am – 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Greetings and Opening Remarks
9:30 am – 10:45 am
Workshop led by Dr. Leigh Bagwell
10:45 am – 11:00 am
Coffee Break
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Workshop continued
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Networking Luncheon
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Networking Activities for District Directors
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Closing remarks
See the Full Schedule for more details, including available breakout sessions and speakers.
All Symposium activities, including lunch, the training sessions, and parking are FREE OF CHARGE, compliments of NCYI. Please register below to attend.
Registration Deadline: December 4, 2026
Please Note: If we are forced to cancel the Symposium because of a “force majeure” event, such as a government restriction on large gatherings that cover the intended size of the event, then we will issue full refunds of the registrations. On social distancing and other health and safety measures, the regulations/guidelines that apply to large gathering centers may change. We will conform to all necessary regulations/guidelines that are in place as of the date of the Symposium.
All School Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists who register by November 24th receive a COMPLIMENTARY BOOKSTORE VOUCHER to shop the NCYI Resource Fair at the Summit!
This is an opportunity for you to personally review and choose curriculum, activity and small group manuals, books, videos, DVDs and CDs. NCYI has the newest and best counseling resource materials available from America’s foremost publishers in Classroom Guidance, Character Education, Bullying Prevention / Intervention, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Separation Issues, Grief Recovery, Learning Disabilities and Social Skills Training.
National Center for Youth Issues, or NCYI, is a national non-profit organization that publishes and distributes counseling resource materials for schools. In addition to publishing its own publications, NCYI represents over 40 different publishers of educational resources. They also provide training opportunities for educators through on-site training services, as well as regional and state-wide conferences.
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