2018 Alpha Chi Omega National Convention Education Sessions

Friday, June 29, 2018

1 -3 p.m. Session

Local House Corporation Training Track Join the National Housing Corporation and housing department team for sessions specifically created for local house corporation board members.

Session topics to be covered during the LHC track will include budgeting, fundraising tips, update on chapter level employees and roundtable discussions.

8:30 -9:30 p.m. Volunteer Meetings

Chapter Advisors Meeting – for advisors from chapters with employees Join the human resources team to discuss chapter-level employees.

Province Collegiate Chair Volunteer Meeting Meeting for all province collegiate chairs.

Province Alumnae Chair Volunteer Meeting Meeting for all province alumnae chairs.

Collegiate Experience Volunteer Meeting Meeting for lead specialists serving in the collegiate experience volunteer structure.

Updated 4.18.18 Saturday, June 30, 2018

6:15 -7:15 a.m. Wellness Activity

Yoga Madeline Plesac Bring your yoga mat or a towel and spend time with Madeline Plesac, a newly trained yoga teacher and the associate director of advancement for the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation.

7 -8 a.m. Volunteer Meeting

PCC and Chapter Advisor Province Meetings PCCs and chapter advisors will spend time meeting with advisors from their province. Grab breakfast from one of the cash concessions or bring your own, find your province sign and join the conversation.

2:30 -3:30 p.m. General Session

How The World Sees You Sally Hogshead Attendees were invited to take the Fascination Personality Test® prior to attending convention to identify their personality archetype. Sally Hogshead has incorporated the results into her presentation to share the composition of attendees and the leading archetypes in the large group setting.

This session will equip you with the tools and resources to see how the world sees you and will guide you to consider your story and how you amplify yourself and Alpha Chi Omega. Sally will concentrate on developing you as an individual who in turn influences your team. Ultimately, all of our “teams” (chapters, volunteer teams, etc.) impact the greater Alpha Chi Omega.

By participating in this experience, you will learn to be a stronger leader, identify how you add value and consider how you can maximize performance. These concepts and lessons not only apply to the Real. Strong. Women. Experience, but also your individual personal growth.

Updated 4.18.18 Sally frequently appears in national media, including NBC’s Today show and The New York Times. A dynamic and engaging speaker, she has been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, the industry’s highest award for professionalism and speaking excellence, and is The New York Times bestselling author of How the World Sees You and Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist.

Sally is the creator of the Fascination Personality Test: the world’s first personality assessment that measures what makes someone fascinating. Unlike the Myers-Briggs type indicator or the StrengthsFinder test, this assessment is not about how you see the world– it's how the world sees you.

The science of fascination is based on a decade of research with more than a million participants, including dozens of Fortune 500 teams, hundreds of small businesses and more than a thousand C-level executives.

3:45-4:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions

iGen: Understanding the Smartphone Generation Dr. Jean Twenge Today’s students are iGen (born after 1995), the first generation to spend their adolescence with smartphones. iGen’ers are growing up more slowly as adolescents, spending more time online and spending less time hanging out with their friends in person. Perhaps as a result, they are more likely to experience unhappiness, anxiety and depression.

Dr. Jean M. Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and books. Two of her books include: iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy– and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood and Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before. Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and National Public Radio. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and a doctorate degree from the University of Michigan. She lives in San Diego with her husband and three daughters.

Engaging the New Volunteer Peggy M. Hoffman We are faced with a different volunteer with different demands, and with that comes a need to shift our volunteering practices to adapt. The traditional volunteer model frankly doesn’t

Updated 4.18.18 fit. It ignores generational differences, handcuffs decision making and limits involvement. How can we respond to today’s different volunteer with different demands? Research gives us hints, and from some innovative associations we have ideas. Let’s put those together for a conversation that begins with the trends and highlights where we can act.

Peggy M. Hoffman is president of Mariner Management & Marketing LLC, where she serves as the resident expert on communication, marketing and building community. In addition to managing organizations, Peggy has provided training and consultation on leadership development, component relations and strategic planning to more than a dozen national associations and many local groups over the past 30 years.

Peggy has been very involved in the American Society of Association Executives over the years, serving in a variety of roles including involvement in ASAE’s and The Center’s groundbreaking Decision to Volunteer research project and contributions to the book of the same name published in 2008.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in communications from American University, Peggy is a graduate of the association management curriculum of the Institute for Organization Management at Notre Dame and has worked in the nonprofit arena for more than 30 years.

This is the Big Change: The Future of High School Graduates and Implications for Alpha Chi Omega Colleen Falkenstern & members of the Diversity and Inclusion Study Group For 40 years, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has produced Knocking at the College Door, projections of high school graduates. The 9th edition provides projections of high school graduates through the class of 2032. WICHE projects that the U.S. is expected to face a period of limited growth in the overall number of high school graduates, fueled by a decline in the number of white graduates and an increase in Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander graduates. This session will include an overview of how these projected trends will affect higher education and Panhellenic demand, access, and attainment. The session will be led by Colleen Falkenstern, research coordinator at WICHE.

Further, members of the Alpha Chi Omega Diversity and Inclusion Study Group will discuss findings from their research related to diversity and inclusion in the sorority experience.

Colleen Falkenstern serves as a research coordinator in WICHE’s policy analysis and research unit. In her role, she supports the development of WICHE’s annual data resources – Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, Benchmarks of access and success, and Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West. She also provides analytical support for WICHE’s quadrennial projections of high school graduates, Knocking at the College Door. She received her bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina – Columbia and her master’s degree in higher education from the University of Denver.

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Alpha Chi Omega formed a volunteer team, the Diversity and Inclusion Study Group, in 2017 to engage in open dialogue about what it means to provide an inclusive membership experience and what it means to be a sorority member on a campus and/or an alumna in the community. The study group seeks to pursue opportunities for education, policy development and/or programming to address the needs of our collegians and alumnae in this complex area. Members of the study group have vast backgrounds and experiences ranging from higher education, policy development, public relations, STEM education, training and development, and law and project management – and most volunteer for Alpha Chi Omega in other capacities.

Our History: Panel Discussion with Past National Presidents Past National Presidents There is no group of women that has amplified the Alpha Chi Omega experience more than our Past National Presidents. During this panel discussion, our Past National Presidents will discuss major accomplishments and changes in the Fraternity during their tenure, favorite memories of their service and most challenging experiences. Learn how our Alpha Chi Omega experience has been amplified by the service of these real strong, women.

Past National Presidents will serve as panelists, and the discussion will be moderated by our current National President.

5-6 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Becoming Unstoppable Jessica Pettitt Let’s face it; there are people and topics that at some point are just off limits. You just can’t do it right now. Even worse, often it is a difficult topic that you have to bring up with a difficult person. What if you could engage in these conversations with more confidence, humor and ease? No matter the person or topic, you are your best tool for conversations that matter. Understanding yourself and others as differently right gives you the tools to intentionally design teams, groups and partnerships that can bring value to a single project or topic. We are all frustrating to someone, and at times even to ourselves. Once you know who and how you are, you can reclaim responsibility for these behavior response patterns and leave room for others to do the same. Before you know it, you are having better conversations and fuller relationships with those around you. I promise – it is that easy.

Jessica Pettitt, M.Ed., CSP, pulls together her standup comedy experience with 15+ years of diversity trainings in a wide range of organizations to guide groups to move from abstract

Updated 4.18.18 fears to actionable habits that lead teams to want to work together. Through her work as a college administrator in student affairs in South Carolina, Oregon, New York and Arizona, Jessica realized her love for the conversations across difference. As a returned Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria, a Social Justice Training Institute alumna and a Certified Speaking Professional, Jessica has taken the typical diversity talks to the next level of social justice conversations.

Practical Mindfulness to Sustain (and Enjoy) Success Rina Deshpande Mindfulness and yoga are buzzing in the media, but they’ve endured as practices of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual care for thousands of years. As our careers become more demanding, as technology connects us with more avenues of communication, as we maintain our relationships in families and with friends, we may lose sight of joy under pressure and find little space for rest. In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn the history, philosophy and basics of science research in mindfulness and yoga with Rina Deshpande, E- RYT 500 teacher and researcher. And you’ll engage in the simplest forms of practice that you can do to feel better, right now. At the end of this workshop, you’ll receive free audio practices you can continue on your own.

Rina Deshpande, Ed.M., RYT 500 believes in the beauty of cycles. She grew up with yoga philosophy shared by her parents in her own Florida home, rediscovering it again in her adult life when she began as a New York City public school teacher in 2004. Getting to know her students’ identities and cultures, she was inspired to reconnect with her own roots in India.

Forevermore, she practices yoga and meditation, completing her 500-hr yoga training at Ishta Yoga in New York City and earning her master’s degree in the Mind, Brain and Education program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied the psychological, physiological and academic effects of yoga and mindfulness. A lover of academics and arts since childhood, Rina helped found an elementary teaching master’s program in New York City – Relay GSE – and recently wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Cupcake, along with mindful, whimsical poetry @RinaThePoet on Facebook and Instagram.

Rina shares research through her articles for practical wellbeing at Headspace, The Huffington Post, Sonima.com and Learning & the Brain. She also serves as clinical research coordinator for Dr. Sara Lazar at Harvard Medical School, where she designs yoga-based interventions for scientific research. She currently holds a fellowship with HGSE Research Schools International under Dr. Christina Hinton, where she is training preschool principals and administrators in mindful practice.

Preserving the Sorority Experience through Government Relations Julie Cain Burkhard and Donna Smith Chereck

Updated 4.18.18 Advocating for the fraternal experience and the rights and benefits of our members is critical to our very existence. The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), along with partners at the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC) and the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC), work to engage individuals in grassroots efforts to support the advancement of key legislative priorities. The central areas of focus for legislative and policy priorities include the preservation of the fraternity/sorority experience, financial parity and college affordability, and student and campus safety. Join Alpha Chi Omega sisters who are leaders of the advocacy work of the NIC and NPC to learn more about how you can get involved to preserve the sorority experience for future generations.

Julie Cain Burkhard is an initiate of the Beta Sigma chapter at the University of Georgia. She is an Alpha Chi Omega Past National President and a past chairman for the National Panhellenic Conference. Julie currently serves as director of development for the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee and the Chief Legislative Officer for the North- American Interfraternity Conference, where she produces advocacy programs that strengthen higher education partnerships and utilize government and legal affairs.

Donna Smith Chereck is an initiate of the Alpha Phi chapter at the University of Texas- Austin. She is an Alpha Chi Omega Past National President and past Foundation board member. Donna currently serves as the advocacy chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference and is responsible for discerning and assessing issues on which an NPC stance is needed, and preparing and recommending statements, strategies and courses of actions for consideration by the NPC Board of Directors.

The Journey to an Award of Achievement Dr. Susan S. Fiorito, Toni Marwitz, Valerie Morrison, Judge Joanna Tabit An entrepreneur, a former US diplomat, a Navy captain and a judge will share their successes and lessons learned throughout their careers while talking about the lifelong impact of Alpha Chi Omega on their lives. Dr. Susan S. Fiorito, Toni Marwitz, Valerie Morrison and Judge Joanna Tabit are the 2017 and 2018 Award of Achievement recipients. The Award of Achievement recognizes outstanding Alpha Chi Omegas that have made significant contributions resulting in national and regional recognition in their chosen professional fields.

Dr. Susan S. Fiorito, initiate of Beta Eta chapter at Florida State University, is the director of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship, the Jim Moran Professor of Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur in Residence. Dr. Fiorito has been a faculty member at FSU since 1990. She was the owner of four apparel, leather goods and turquoise jewelry stores in Atlanta, GA, and owner of a wholesale leather goods company until 1980. In addition to teaching at FSU she has also taught and conducted research at the University of Iowa, Florida International University and the University of Stirling in Scotland, where she taught graduate level courses and developed a module for their Executive MBA program. Dr. Fiorito’s research focuses on

Updated 4.18.18 retailing, small business management and buying and has been featured in a variety of academic journals, including the International Journal of Research and Distribution Management, the Journal of Retailing, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. She has received research grants totaling nearly $170,000. In addition, she taught summer study abroad courses in Milan, Paris and London for six years and spent one year on sabbatical at the University of Stirling in Scotland. She has received three university teaching awards and was selected to be one of three inaugural Jim Moran Institute Faculty Fellows in 2010. She was the first female president from 1992-94 of the American Collegiate Retailing Association since the association’s inception in 1949, and she is currently the treasurer, also a first for a woman to hold this position for two consecutive terms. She was appointed to the board for the Florida Retail Federation in 2003 and has served faithfully since that time.

Toni Marwitz, initiate of Delta chapter at Allegheny College, was offered a position with the U.S. Department of State upon graduation in 1966 and soon moved to the Dominican Republic, where she worked for the U.S. Embassy and taught at the American School. She went on to serve as one of the chief public affairs officers promoting the Panama Canal treaties before joining the diplomatic corps. Toni advanced in the Foreign Service at a time when women were desperately trying to make strides in the workplace at home and abroad. Toni held assignments in Panama, Liberia, Barbados, Canada and Washington D.C. During her tenure in our nation’s capital, she was a member of the first negotiating team to go to Cuba since the end of diplomat relations there. While on detail to Senator Kennedy’s staff she drafted immigration legislation and obtained special refugee status for Liberians who had fled the civil war in that country. Toni advanced into the senior ranks of the Foreign Service before retiring in 2004 as the American consul general in Toronto, Canada.

Valerie Morrison, initiate of Theta Sigma chapter at University of North Florida, is a captain in the U.S. Navy. Valerie is the Chief Nursing Officer at the world’s largest military medical facility, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She has helped train thousands of America’s nurses and has served as the assistant director for career plans, executing leadership development programs for more than 5,000 nurses. She met a 100 percent recruitment goal while presiding over applications to the Navy Nurse Corps, and every single nurse she oversaw in the Nurse Residency Program passed their boards. She was also the assistant director of healthcare operations and the department head of medical management at the National Naval Medical Center. Valerie was the officer-in-charge at the troop medical clinic at Camp Beuhring in Kuwait, where all troops arrive before deployment to Iraq. Previously, she was a labor and delivery nurse at Naval Hospital Rota in Spain.

Judge Joanna Tabit, initiate of Gamma Omicron chapter at Marshall University, began her career as in 1986 as a personal law clerk to former Supreme Court Justice Thomas McHugh. From 1989 to 1992, she served as Assistant and then Deputy Attorney General of the Appellate Division in the Office of the Attorney General in West Virgina. She practiced privately until 2016 when she was appointed to the Kanawha County bench. Judge Tabit has also worked as an adjunct lecturer for the West Virginia University College of Law and was

Updated 4.18.18 appointed to the State of West Virginia’s Business Court Division in March 2016. She is active in professional and civic organizations including for the Juvenile Justice Commission, as a board member of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WV, for Literacy Volunteers of America and for Daymark, Inc. She volunteers for the Salvation Army, the Kanawha County Read-Aloud Program, Project Teach and the Lawyer Information Service. Judge Tabit also served as a commissioner on the City of Charleston Human Rights Commission and as the co-chairman of the Campaign for Legal Aid of WV.

Amplify Our Music: Alpha Chi Omega Songs Sing-A-Long! The Alpha Chi Omega Convention Choir Bring your songbook and join us to sing through favorite Alpha Chi Omega songs! We’ll learn new and old songs from Alpha Chi Omega songbooks since 1904. This session will cover traditional tunes sung throughout the years and across the country, as well as recruitment songs and chants. Come get reacquainted with the songs of our sisterhood and our love for music!

Sunday, July 1, 2018

6:15 -7:15 a.m. Wellness Activity

Restore, Energize and Balance: A Yoga Class for Self Study Rina Deshpande Yoga is not just a physical but also a philosophical practice that offers insight into oneself. It allows us to embrace the present and make small changes over time for healthier, happier living. In this 1-hour yoga class, you’ll be guided to recognize your own habits of resting and productivity through physical asana (posture and movement) and learn how to rebalance. This class is friendly for all levels of practitioners, from “never-done-it” to “I’m a regular.” Rina Deshpande, E-RYT 500 teacher and researcher, offers modifications for the individual throughout the practice. Please dress in comfortable, supportive clothing for physical movement, and bring a mat if you have one.

Updated 4.18.18 Forevermore, she practices yoga and meditation, completing her 500-hr yoga training at Ishta Yoga in New York City and earning her master’s degree in the Mind, Brain, and Education program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she studied the psychological, physiological and academic effects of yoga and mindfulness. A lover of academics and arts since childhood, Rina helped found an elementary teaching master’s program in New York City – Relay GSE – and recently wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Cupcake, along with mindful, whimsical poetry @RinaThePoet on Facebook and Instagram.

2 -3 p.m. General Session

Dr. Mari Ann Callais Dr. Mari Ann Callais has worked in higher education for 17 years and most recently served as an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. Professionally, she serves as the senior director of special initiatives for Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and as a speaker for The Catalyst Agency. She has also held the position of NPC delegate and national president for her sorority, Theta Phi Alpha.

Mari Ann has presented hundreds of workshops on fraternity and sorority values, student leadership and team building. She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from Loyola University New Orleans, and a master’s of education and a doctorate in educational leadership and research from Louisiana State University, where she wrote her dissertation on sorority rituals and behavior.

She has been presented several awards through the years, which include the Sigma Sigma Sigma Greek Advisor of the Year, Theta Chi Outstanding Greek Affairs Professional Award, Alpha Sigma Tau’s McCrory Order of Interfraternity Excellence, the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference Advisor of the Year Award (twice) and the Fraternity Communications Association’s Varner Award. Mari Ann was awarded the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Distinguished Service Award, the National Diversity Council’s 2011 Most Influential and Powerful Women in Louisiana award and the highest award that Theta Phi Alpha bestows on a member, The Guard of Honor.

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This session will focus on inspiring members to share their sorority experience. Mari Ann incorporates interactive music components while inviting sisters to share their Alpha Chi Omega story. Participants will be both inspired and equipped with the tools to Amplify Alpha Chi by reflecting on their Alpha Chi Omega story, framing their experience and feeling encouraged to share their sorority experience beyond convention.

3:15-4:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Collegiate Track: Panel on Higher Education & the Fraternity/Sorority Landscape Chapter presidents, chapter advisors, province collegiate chairs and collegiate experience volunteers should plan to attend the collegiate-focused track.

Throughout 2017 the fraternity/sorority community experienced many major incidents throughout the country that received national attention. These incidents of hazing, alcohol and student deaths started many conversations about the relevancy of fraternities and sororities on today’s college campus. Several campuses have experienced chapter closures, social event moratoriums, formation of task forces to evaluate safety in fraternities and sororities, and campus-wide suspensions for chapters. In this session, attendees will engage in a discussion with a panel of experts to discuss the landscape fraternities and sororities are currently facing and what chapters can do to best partner with their campus and Alpha Chi Omega headquarters to be a part of the movement toward a safer, healthier and stronger fraternity and sorority community.

Panel members will include experts in higher education and risk prevention.

Alumnae Chapter Officer and Lifetime Engagement Volunteers Track In this track, designed for alumnae chapter officers and lifetime engagement volunteers, attendees will learn the basics of alumnae chapter operations and leave with the essential tools and resources needed for a thriving, successful alumnae chapter. Some possible topics include membership recruitment, retention of current members and Lyre Links.

Join the lifetime engagement department staff and our volunteer directors to review pertinent information.

Local House Corporation Track Session topics to be covered during the LHC track will include budgeting, fundraising tips, update on chapter level employees and roundtable discussions.

Updated 4.18.18 Join the National Housing Corporation and housing department team for continued sessions specifically created for local house corporation board members.

Understanding Healthy Financial Relationships, sponsored by The Allstate Foundation Jennifer Crotty Made possible by The Allstate Foundation, developed by WE and customized for Alpha Chi Omega, Understanding Healthy Financial Relationships guides discussion about financial abuse and its connection to domestic violence to educate on the impact of financial empowerment and positive relationships.

Jennifer Crotty is the director of human resources and training at Yankee Leisure Group, where she is responsible for recruiting, retention and employee development across the company’s three offices. She has a bachelor’s in sports management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a certificate in servant leadership and a master’s in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, and is currently completing an Ed.D. in organizational leadership at Northeastern University with a thesis topic focused on bystander accountability and sorority women in cases of sexual assault. Jennifer is an initiate of the Delta Mu chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Throughout her membership she has served in various volunteer roles for Alpha Chi Omega, including as a Let’s Talk Love facilitator.

From Ritual to Reality Dr. Mari Ann Callais During this session, participants will learn how to put the concepts shared in Ritual ceremonies into practice, discuss how to challenge members to create experiences that are aligned with the promises and values expressed in the creeds, Ritual ceremonies and educational programs of our organization, and understand that our Founders created a foundation to live a life of values and purpose and that they are better members because of their involvement in a sorority.

Dr. Mari Ann Callais has worked in higher education for 17 years and most recently served as an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. Professionally, she serves as the senior director of special initiatives for Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and as a speaker for The Catalyst Agency. She has also held the position of NPC delegate and national president for her sorority, Theta Phi Alpha.

Mari Ann has presented hundreds of workshops on fraternity and sorority values, student leadership and team building. Mari Ann holds an undergraduate degree in political science from Loyola University New Orleans, and a master’s of education and a doctorate in educational leadership and research from Louisiana State University, where she wrote her dissertation on sorority rituals and behavior.

Updated 4.18.18 She has been presented several awards through the years, which include the Sigma Sigma Sigma Greek Advisor of the Year, Theta Chi Outstanding Greek Affairs Professional Award, Alpha Sigma Tau’s McCrory Order of Interfraternity Excellence, the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference Advisor of the Year Award (twice) and the Fraternity Communications Association’s Varner Award. Mari Ann was awarded the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Distinguished Service Award, the National Diversity Council’s 2011 Most Influential and Powerful Women in Louisiana award and the highest award that Theta Phi Alpha bestows on a member, The Guard of Honor.

4:30-5:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Collegiate Track: Behind Happy Faces: Mental Health Programming Ross Szabo Chapter presidents, chapter advisors, province collegiate chairs and collegiate experience volunteers should plan to attend the collegiate-focused track.

Twenty to twenty-five percent of students experience a mental health disorder. Outside of diagnosable disorders, students are dealing with lack of sleep, stress and substance abuse. This program will focus specifically on how individuals can achieve positive mental health by learning about their coping mechanisms. Ross uses tasteful humor and insights to help participants understand common mental health conditions and individual differences. Warning signs individuals can look for in friends and peers, as well as resources that can provide guidance in these sensitive situations, will be covered.

Further, Alpha Chi Omega will share details about the new Behind Happy Faces curriculum, created through a partnership with Ross Szabo, designed for advisors and collegiate members that will encourage dialogue regarding mental health, launching this fall.

Ross Szabo is a social innovator who pioneered the youth mental health movement. He is the wellness director at Geffen Academy at UCLA. Ross is also an award-winning speaker, an author and the CEO of Human Power Project, a company that designs mental health curriculum.

Ross turned a diagnosis of bipolar disorder with anger control problems and psychotic features at age 16 into an opportunity to educate others. His natural ability to make mental health approachable for large groups of people has led to countless media appearances.

During his eight years as director of outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, he created the first national youth mental health speakers bureau in the country that is now a part of Active Minds. He has trained over 50 mental health advocates who have

Updated 4.18.18 spoken to millions of people. Ross is the co-author of Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health and a blogger for The Huffington Post. His tremendous efforts in the mental health field have led to him receiving the 2010 Didi Hirsch Removing the Stigma Leadership Award and the 2012 Changing Minds Award, and his advocacy work was entered into the Congressional Record by Congressman Patrick Kennedy.

Join the lifetime engagement department staff and our volunteer directors to review pertinent information.

Local House Corporation Track: MJ Insurance Cindy Stellhorn This session will focus on updates and limiting insurance risks from our insurance partner, MJ Insurance Sorority Division.

Cindy H. Stellhorn is the executive vice president of MJ’s Sorority Division. She has nearly four decades of insurance experience with adept knowledge in the field of sororities and fraternal organizations and risk management. Past experience includes her role as chief operating officer and sorority department manager at Conseco. Cindy is a firm believer in giving back to the community and participates in several philanthropic organizations. She has served on the board for the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville and as a past president for the Independent Insurance Agents of Central Indiana.

Amplify Awareness – Domestic Violence & Digital Abuse, sponsored by Mary Kay Katie Ray-Jones and Kirsten Gappelberg Mary Kay’s recent Truth About Abuse Survey uncovered startling statistics in the growing epidemic of digital dating abuse among American youth. While the problem is widespread, it is also underreported, increasing the need for intervention and education. As national experts in domestic violence and dating abuse, loveisrespect works closely with Mary Kay to provide resources and tools that engage, educate and empower young people to prevent and end abusive relationships. Join Kirsten Gappelberg, director of corporate social responsibility and sustainability with Mary Kay Inc., and Katie Ray-Jones, Chief Executive Officer with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, as they share important findings from the 2018 Truth About Abuse Survey, as well as helpful resources for anyone effected by domestic violence and dating abuse.

Katie Ray-Jones is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, where she provides the strategic vision and leadership for the only hotline in the nation that

Updated 4.18.18 links victims and survivors to more than 4,500 shelters and domestic violence programs across the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Currently, Katie is a member of the National Task Force to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. She is well known on Capitol Hill for her work in domestic violence prevention, and was chosen by Congress to deliver testimony to the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriation Committee. She also serves as the treasurer on the Board of Directors for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Kirsten Gappelberg leads corporate social responsibility and sustainability at global cosmetics giant Mary Kay Inc. She is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of the company’s global philanthropic giving programs, conservation efforts and domestic violence portfolio of programs. Kirsten leads the day-to-day operations, fundraising, communications and engagement strategy of the public nonprofit named in honor of company founder Mary Kay Ash - The Mary Kay FoundationSM. Kirsten develops and implements highly creative and effective programs to engage and excite 5,000 corporate employees, 3 million independent sales force members and countless nonprofits around the world. Kirsten received her bachelor’s in corporate communications and public affairs from Southern Methodist University and professional certification in corporate social responsibility from Boston College.

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