Westport Together To Host Discussion With Author Christina Cipriano This Month

WESTPORT, CT — Westport Together will host scholar and author Christina Cipriano for a discussion Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Trefz Forum at the Westport Library.

Cipriano will discuss her book, "Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things."

The event is part of Westport Together’s work to support the health and well-being of young people through families, schools and community networks. The organization said the program is intended to provide local families and educators with research-based information and strategies.

Cipriano is the inaugural Joseph W. and Alma W. Keilty Endowed Chair in Education and a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she directs the Education Collaboratory at the College of Education. She also maintains a secondary appointment at the Yale Child Study Center, where she conducted research for a decade.

Her work focuses on inclusive and equitable social and emotional learning research, practice and policy.

Cipriano has published more than 130 papers, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and PBS. She is a first-generation high school graduate and mother of four.

"Westport Together is thrilled to host Dr. Cipriano for what promises to be an inspiring program," Westport Youth Services Director Kevin Godburn said. "Her message of urgency, equity, and evidence-based support for youth fits seamlessly with our vision for a connected, resilient community."

Space is limited. Registration is available at https://bit.ly/unapologeticallyimpatient.

About Dr. Cipriano:

Christina Cipriano, PhD, is the inaugural Joseph W. and Alma W. Keilty Endowed Chair in Education and Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she directs the Education Collaboratory at the College of Education. Drawing on her decade of research at the Yale Child Study Center, where she maintains a secondary appointment, Dr. Cipriano's work advances inclusive and equitable social and emotional learning research, practice, and policy with students and schools worldwide. She is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and Boston College Law School.

An award-winning scholar and internationally regarded expert in the science of learning and development, Dr. Cipriano has been recognized with the Distinguished Contributions to Human Development Research Award from the American Educational Research Association (2025), the Exceptional Achievement in Educational Measurement Award from the National Council on Measurement in Education (2025), the National Voice of Change in Public Education from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2023), and the Joseph A. Zins Award for Career Contributions to Action Research (2022), among others. She has published over 130 papers, commentaries, and reports in top-tier journals including Child Development and the Review of Educational Research, and media outlets including The Washington Post, NPR, The New York Times, PBS, and Education Week.

Her award-winning, best-selling book, Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things (2025), is essential reading for educators, providers, parents, and anyone committed to improving the lives of children and families. A prolific public scholar and speaker, Dr. Cipriano brings to her science her lived experience as a first-generation high school graduate and mother of four. Learn more at drchriscip.com.

About Westport Together

Westport Together is an alliance that unites Westport by strengthening the health and well-being of youth within our families, schools and community and nurtures positive youth development through advocacy, education, and enhanced community connections.

• Advocacy for Resilient Youth, Healthy Families, and Strong Communities
• Education through Programs, Presentations and Resources
• Enhanced Connections among Families, Schools and the Greater Westport Community