Past Events

2011

DEF Executive Director Dave Lenowitz presents at American Museum of Natural History's BRAINfest

On January 15, Dave Lenowitz introduced DEF principles in the “Decision Making” focus area of “BRAINfest,” an event sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Dave presented the importance of decision education for today’s youth, and within the DEF model, the importance of combining Head (i.e., Brain) and Heart when making a good decision that “makes sense and feels right.”

2010

DEF At Palo Alto Lions' Club

In May, Carl Spetzler spoke at the Palo Alto chapter of the Lions Club International, where he presented the fundamentals of quality decision making, including the personality, biophysical, and societal challenges that make learning and practicing these skills valuable to us all. As part of his presentation, Carl introduced the attendees to DEF’s specific mission and vision. A lively Q&A followed the presentation.

On Saturday, March 28, DEF board member and World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke joined four of her WSOP colleagues—Howard Lederer, Eric Brooks, Andy Bloch, and Erik Seidel—in hosting a fundraiser poker tournament to benefit DEF’s Teacher Scholarship Fund.

Word spread of this first time-ever event that would bring together five poker champions plus leading tournament director, Matt Savage, and soon, two additional WSOP champs, Perry Friedman and Rafe Furst—members of a group calling itself The TiltBoys—had signed up to play. By the time we kicked off the evening at Dinah’s Garden Hotel in Palo Alto, we had 38 seat sponsors and 144 players and spectators.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail buffet provided by Trader Vic’s and competed to win a variety of great prizes including designer jewelry by Yvel, a Hawaiian vacation, a private plane ride over San Diego Bay to Catalina Island, a custom photo portrait, a pair of notebook computers, private poker lessons with Annie, a dinner at famous Bay area  restaurants and more.

2008

Stanford Certificate Programs
This summer, DEF partnered with the Stanford Center for Professional Development to offer a first-ever strategic decision and risk management certificate program designed for educators. Two 2½-day courses were offered: “Decision Quality for Educators,” attended by 37 teachers and administrators representing institutions and youth programs throughout the country, and “Teaching Decision Skills in the Humanities,” attended by 23 educators. Participants had the flexibility of taking individual courses within the program or earning a Strategic Decision and Risk Management Certificate with an Emphasis in Decision Education. Continuing education credits were available upon request.

See photos and read what participants had to say about the program.

2008 National Charter Schools Conference
June 22-25, 2008
DEF is hosting a breakout session at the 8th Annual National Charter Schools Conference, to be held this year in New Orleans, LA. We’ll also have a booth where teachers and administrators can learn more about our mission and current programs. We’ll be giving out our newest classroom posters for those interested in reminding their students to “Stop…Think…Decide.”

This conference is the only national gathering of the entire charter school community, with an expected attendance of more than 3,000 teachers, principals, policymakers, state leaders, funders, advocates, and researchers — in essence, every branch of the expanding charter-school family.



“Still We Rise: Achieving Academic Excellence at Scale” is the theme for the 2008 conference, reflecting the growth of quality public charter schools across America.  The theme has special resonance in New Orleans, whose charter schools (the city boasts the nation's largest percentage of public charter school enrollment) are providing a great boost to growth and recovery post-Hurricane Katrina.

It’s a party! . . . at the East Palo Alto Charter School

The Baylands “cyber-tracking” project that DEF and the Riekes Center for Human Enhancement have been working on with East Palo Alto fifth graders is wrapping up with a celebration on April 17 at the school. At this time, students will present the results of their environmental research and decision-making exercises to members of the Palo Alto and East Palo Alto city councils, Aspire board members, and others interested in the results of this year-long program.

Magnet Schools of America
2008 MSA Chattanooga Conference
April 28 – May 1, 2008

DEF is heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 26^th National Conference of Magnet Schools of America, hosted by Hamilton County Schools. Program Director Chris Spetzler is scheduled to present at a break-out session. We’ll also be hosting a booth in the Chattanooga Convention Center.

Small Boarding School Association
March 2008 Conference

DEF Program Director Chris Spetzler will join Dan Slack, Academic Dean, The Haverford School, in presenting “Decision Education and Curriculum Mapping at the Haverford School” at the 2008 Small Boarding School Association Conference. This year’s event will be held at The Rectory School in Pomfret, Connecticut.

Founded in 1987, the Small Boarding School Association (www.smallboardingschools.org) enables educators involved with small boarding schools (200 students or fewer) to address issues unique to their teaching environment. DEF looks forward to introducing this audience to the potential of decision skills training within a variety of classroom settings and sizes.

JobTrain Life Skills Course

DEF is joining with JobTrain (www.JobTrainworks.org) in offering Youth Decisions, a life skills course taking place this spring in East Palo Alto, California, through JobTrain's after-school vocational training program, known as School After School for Successful Youth (SASSY). Decision skills are the key focus of the 18-session course, with personal productivity and job search skills as areas of application. This project provides JobTrain participants, who are middle and high school students, with powerful and relevant skills through DEF’s interactive and innovative curriculum.

JobTrain is a Bay Area non-profit organization that works to change the lives of people in the communities of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto through education, attitude and job skills training, career placement, and youth and child development.


2007

DEF Presents “Teaching Decision Skills” at CLHS Conference

On January 12, DEF Managing Director Laurie Mandel and Program Director Meg Barrager presented an hour-long session, "Teaching Decision Skills to High School Students," at the annual conference of the California League of High Schools held in Monterey, California. The conference, which was co-sponsored by the California Teachers Association, focused on new methods and strategies for learning communities.

“We were pleased by the attendees’ keen interest in this topic,” said Laurie. “There was a general sense that training in how to make quality decisions is a vital skill that has been neglected in the high school curriculum.”



October 27 DEF Benefit: A “Full House” for Annie Duke

100+ Attend “An Evening with Annie Duke: Good Decision Making and Other Life Lessons Learned from Poker”

DEF hosted “An Evening with Annie Duke” to introduce Annie, a champion professional poker player and our newest board member. Attendees were fascinated by the parallels Annie drew between poker strategy and life-shaping decisions. Read more