ADDventure Conference

Choose Your Own ADDventure Conference 2026

Since 2009, the LEP has partnered with other DU departments as well as community resources to host "Choose Your Own ADDventure" for learning differences (LD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) families and professionals. It's a FREE, half-day conference that explores and increases the understanding of the many nuances of ADHD and LD.

Event Information

Date: Saturday, April 25th, 2026

Time: 8:45am-3:00pm

Location: Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall, 1999 E. Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80208

Register for the Choose Your Own ADDventure Conference

2026 Keynote Speaker: Jesse Sanchez, President The Neurodiversity Alliance

2026 Conference Schedule:

• 8:45am: Welcome
• 9:00am: Keynote Introduction
• 9:30am-10:30am: Keynote Q&A
• 10:35am-11:35am: Breakout Session 1 with Q&A
• 11:40am-12:40pm: Breakout Session 2 with Q&A
• 12:40pm-1:40pm: Lunch Anthony's Pizza & Salad
• 1:40am-2:40pm: Breakout Session 3 with Q&A

Interested in Presenting?  Please contact Nathaniel Ellison at nathaniel.ellison@du.edu.

Conference Presenters for 2026 Breakout Sessions (Tentative):

• Jesse Sanchez 2026 ADDventure Conference Keynote
  

  Jesse is a dynamic leader and storyteller whose work and life embody the power of neurodiversity. From founding The Neurodiversity Alliance’s Eye to Eye Mentoring chapter as a UC Berkeley student to serving as President of The Neurodiversity Alliance, he has spent over a decade championing inclusion while navigating his own experiences with ADHD and learning differences. His journey spans building mentoring programs, leading in the tech sector, and guiding national initiatives that elevate neurodivergent voices. As a father of three, including a son on the spectrum, Jesse brings both professional expertise and personal insight to every stage, inspiring audiences to see the brilliance in every mind and rethink what leadership and success can look like.

• April 25th ADDventure Breakout Room Schedule (Tentative)

  Presenters and Breakout Room Schedule Coming Soon

• DU Project Eye To Eye Mentoring Coordinators

  Luke Pettigrew & Elisabeth Hoyen

  Students will discuss the process of working as mentoring coordinators for the past few years and the impact it has had on both mentors and mentees during this interactive session.

• Kendra Richard, MFA & Monterey Buchanan: Universal Design for Learning: Before, During, and After

  Kendra Richard, LEP Tutoring Coordinator 

  Kendra grew up in southern Maine and currently lives in Evergreen, Colorado with her Catahoula Leopard dog, Tala. She received her Interdisciplinary BA in Writing and Theatre from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, and an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder. She was also a Freelance Lighting Designer and Technician for 15 years— designing and operating lighting and sets for Theatre, concerts, and dance performances. She has been with the LEP since January 2022.  

  Monterey Buchanan 

  Monterey has ten years of tutoring experience, two of them spent supporting and learning from DU LEP students. She has also presented at several tutoring conferences, though this is her first con at DU. Monterey earned her BA in English from Earlham College in 2012, and her MFA in Creative Writing from Regis University in 2019. When she is not tutoring, Monterey enjoys reading YA novels, working on her own creative writing, attending plays, exercising, and playing with her dogs, Zorro and Cassie. She also has mild cerebral palsy. 

  UDL: Before, During, and After" where we discuss best practices and practical applications for utilizing UDL principles and what that looks like "before, during, and after" particularly in Tutoring Appointments, but could also translate to other academic settings, student meetings, in the classroom, or other areas. This will be an interactive presentation with built in activities for applied learning and tangible tools and takeaways that can be implemented in your next tutoring session, meeting, or classroom!

   

• L.E.P. Peer Leaders...

  Neurodiversity from a Student's Perspective

                Join a group of LEP Peer Leaders as they discuss what its like being a neurodiverse student in both K-12 and post-secondary education.

  LEP Peer Leaders are second through fourth year (sophomore through senior) LEP students. They lead and create social skills programming, support other LEP students, and guide a cohort of first year students through their transition into college. These Peer Leaders have a unique experience within the educational community, as they have both experienced neurodiversity as a student and as an advocate for other students.

  This will be a moderated panel focusing on the educational experience of neurodiverse students, the secondary (high school) to post-secondary (college or university) transition, and what they have learned throughout their time as a student, but we might get a little off tracked.

   

• Christina Crow, Executive Functioning Specialist
  

  Christina Crow, Executive Functioning Specialist

  Remind Brain Training www.remindbraintraining.com

  The Answer is in the Question 

  How to Use Questioning to Enhance Executive Functioning 

  
  Research has identified specific lines of questioning that have the ability to: increase motivation and creativity, enhance goal-directed persistence, and improve all of the other thinking, reasoning, and problem solving abilities that we refer to as executive functions. So why is this extremely effective strategy so underutilized? Now, that’s an excellent question! Join us for this session as we explore how to use effective questioning strategies to target and enhance executive functioning skill development. 

  
  Christina Crow is an Executive Functioning Coach and the founder and CEO of ReMind Brain Training. Christina specializes in executive functioning, brain development, learning differences, disabilities, types of neurodiversity, and how to use research-based strategies to intentionally target and effectively enhance intentional neurological development. Through her work with ReMind Brain Training, Christina provides executive functioning coaching and consulting services for students, families, educators, and professionals of all ages.

• Jessie Ruderman, Rethinking Time: ADHD, Time Perception, and Sustainable Strategies
   

   

  

  Jesse Ruderman, M.A,

  Executive Functioning Specialist 
   

  Rethinking Time: ADHD, Time Perception, and Sustainable Strategies 

  This session examines how societal constructs of time—productivity norms, urgency culture, and rigid scheduling—often clash with the way ADHD brains naturally perceive and experience time. We’ll explore how these pressures shape planning, motivation, emotional regulation, and follow‑through, and why traditional time‑management tools frequently fall short in neurodivergent contexts. Participants will learn both philosophical and practical strategies to reset their relationship with time, make time more visible, reduce overwhelm, and build sustainable routines that align with individual rhythms. By rethinking time itself, attendees will gain more compassionate and effective pathways to time management. 

   

  Jesse's Bio:

  Jesse Ruderman is the Executive Functioning Specialist in the Learning Effectiveness Program (L.E.P.) at the University of Denver. In this role, Jesse supports students in strengthening the cognitive, behavioral, and organizational strategies essential for navigating the academic, social, and personal demands of university life. He also designs and facilitates professional development on executive functioning for L.E.P. staff, for departments across campus, and the Denver community. 

  Jesse has worked in higher education for more than twenty years. Before joining the L.E.P., he served as Director of College Living Experience and spent fourteen years as an English professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he taught writing. Across all roles, Jesse’s work centers on helping learners build the skills, confidence, and self-understanding needed to thrive both in and beyond the classroom. 

  
   

• Nathaniel Ellison, MA - Is 'Focus' actually a Proxy of Success, the Realities and Strengths of ADHD

   

  The common wisdom that if we just focus or apply ourselves, is addressed in this interactive forum designed to reframe ADHD. The ability to recognize our skillsets and optimize strategies appropriate to each person with ADHD is what allows the opportunity to access success.

  In this interactive session we will look at the strengths of ADHD and work to enhance our understanding of "focus" to provide a template for positive experiences for future success.

• Donald Maloy, MA "Tools For Success: Thoughts From a Green Beret."

   

  Captain Donald Maloy has received three Bronze Stars, a Unit Valorous Medal, and several duty awards for his service in the Army. Over the course of five years in the Infantry and the last five years in Special Forces Captain Maloy has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan serving over 32 months in a combat environment. During Captain Maloy’s career he has struggled with an LD but was able to maintain his competitive nature with the help of personal commitment, and empathy. Captain Maloy explains his strategy   toward maintaining positive self image and self esteem while in adverse conditions.

• Mike Villareal, Knippenberg

  In this session, we will dive into the 

• Philippe & Ryder Ernewein, Denver Academy, The Role of AI in Our Classrooms

   

  

  Philippe Ernewein, Director of Education, Denver Academy

  

  Ryder Ernewein, 10th Grader, Denver Academy

   Ways To Remember: The Role of AI in Our Classrooms
  Presented by Philippe Ernewein, Director of Education, Denver Academy, with 10th-grade student, Ryder Ernewein
  
  We are at a critical crossroads around the role of memory. How we respond, manage, and design for it matters. This workshop will provide an overview of the three significant parts of memory, highlight memory strategies, and explain how we can partner with artificial intelligence to support our organic memory systems.