Dr. Vincent Pompei is a renowned expert on the safety and inclusion of LGBTQ youth in K-12 schools. He has worked as an education consultant providing school districts with professional development and technical assistance. He also directed the Youth Well-Being Project and the annual Time to THRIVE conference for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality. He is currently an assistant professor for the educational leadership doctoral program at San Diego State University.
Previously, he was the Project Director for the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership, served as President for the California Association of School Counselors, was on the LGBTQ Issues Advisory Committee for the California Teachers Association, and was a National Cadre Trainer for the National Education Association. While Pompei was working as a teacher and school counselor, he served as a Chapter President for PFLAG, an organization dedicated to supporting parents who have an LGBTQ child, and was an Ambassador for The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth.
Over the years, Pompei has authored numerous resources, including the LGBTQ section of the American School Counselor Association’s National Model, a guide on creating affirming spaces for LGBTQ students for the American Counseling Association, and most recently, the California LGBTQ Youth Report highlighting the most pressing challenges facing LGBTQ students with guidance on what educators can do to help.
Pompei’s work as an advocate for safe and inclusive schools has been nationally recognized. He was selected by the National Education Association as a Classroom Superhero, honored by Equality California, and named the Advocate Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40. Pompei has earned a California teaching credential, a Master’s Degree in School Counseling, a second Master’s Degree in School Administration, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
To find out how you can address bullying of LGBT students and bullying in all forms, please visit http://www.nea.org/neabullyfree and take the pledge to be one caring adult who will help put an end to bullying.
