Birth of Brilliance 2024

BoB is turning 5!! Celebrate our 5th year on 2/27/25!!


Birth of Brilliance 2025: Theme coming....

Virtual Conference - ZOOM

Thursday, February 27, 2025 PST


Birth of Brilliance Cultural Fair

 Friday, February 28, 2025 - 4pm-7pm PST

The Brick Point Loma

2863 Historic Decatur Rd

San Diego, CA 92106

Questions? email: birthofbrilliance@gmail.com



All Children are born with BRILLIANCE, which according to Webster's Dictionary means:

intense brightness of light; vividness of color; & exceptional talent or intelligence.

Imagine a world where every child's brilliance is acknowledged and nurtured from birth.

Racial inequity flies in the face of brilliance and it is our responsibility to rewrite the narrative and break down the barriers that limit our children's potential.

The Birth of Brilliance Conference was conceived to raise the collective consciousness around the effects of racial disparities and implicit bias in mental health, social services, developmental services, early childhood education, and medical care. For the last FOUR years, this virtual conference has brought together critical voices in order to have long-overdue courageous conversations. Together we've created brave space to challenge the norm and honor the brilliance of every child.


As a Conference Committee, we started out with the spirit of "if we get a couple of our friends together...and our mamas, we'll make some tiny ripples of change through our little community." Four years later and having had an average of 400 attendees annually, we have reached farther than we'd ever imagined possible and the BoB community has only grown. 


We can't wait to celebrate BoB's 5th year with you and continue this effort toward real systems change for our San Diego community and beyond.

Wanna know what we are all about...you can still take a glance at our 2024 Speakers and Previous Keynotes below!!




Questions? email: birthofbrilliance@gmail.com


Featured Speakers

Hannah Kenny, ASW
Hannah Kenny, ASW
Social Worker
Kelly Curtis-Hughes, LMFT
Kelly Curtis-Hughes, LMFT
Early Childhood Mental Health Therapist
Michelle Mojica, LCSW
Michelle Mojica, LCSW
Ancestral Practitioner & Ceremonialist
Laura Salas SantaCruz, TMHP, RPF.
Laura Salas SantaCruz, TMHP, RPF.
Mental and Behavioral Health Program Manager
Carly Tolbert, LCSW, IFECMHS, RPFII
Carly Tolbert, LCSW, IFECMHS, RPFII
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Jesse Bernal, LMFT
Jesse Bernal, LMFT
Mental Health Consultant and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Felisha M. Burleson, MA, CFLE
Felisha M. Burleson, MA, CFLE
Certified Family Life Educator| Professional Development Director
Kendra B. Ferguson, MD, MPH
Kendra B. Ferguson, MD, MPH
Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist
Vangie Akridge, LEP, PsyD
Vangie Akridge, LEP, PsyD
Licensed Educational Psychologist
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
Mod Squad
Nisa K. Williams, M.Ed, MBA
Nisa K. Williams, M.Ed, MBA
Emotional Intelligence Consultant
Ariane Porras
Ariane Porras
Somatic Educator
Joshua D Feder MD
Joshua D Feder MD
Editor in Chief, the Carlat Child Psychiatry Report
Armand L King
Armand L King
Director of Program Development
Thema Bryant, PhD
Thema Bryant, PhD
2023 President of the American Psychological Association
Simone Hidds-Monroe
Simone Hidds-Monroe
Lived Expert and Advocate for Systems Change
Jeff Duncan-Andrade, PhD
Jeff Duncan-Andrade, PhD
Founder and Board Chair, Roses in Concrete Community School. Department Chair, San Francisco State University, College of Ethnic Studies, Latina/o Studies Department

Sponsors