September 5 - 6, 2012 - Texas Council on Family Violence

Moving Forward - <strong>2012</strong> Statewide ConferenceKeynote SpeakersGloria SteinemGloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, editor, and feminist activist. She travelsinternationally as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswomanon issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex andrace caste systems, gender roles, child abuse, roots of violence, non-violent conflictresolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries forpeace and justice.In 1968, Steinem became a political columnist and feature writer for New Yorkmagazine. In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine and served as an editor for 15 years. She continues to serve asa consulting editor for Ms. magazine. Steinem’s books include the bestsellers Revolution from Within: A Book ofSelf-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean, on thelife of Marilyn Monroe.Steinem co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance, a pioneer national information center that specialized innonsexist, multiracial children’s education, and the National Women’s Political Caucus, an organization seekingto advance the numbers of pro-choice women in elected and appointed offices at a state and national level. Sheco-founded and serves on the board of Choice USA, a national organization that supports young pro-choiceleadership and works to preserve comprehensive sex education in schools. She was the founding president of theMs. Foundation for Women, a national multiracial, multi-issue fund that supports grassroots projects to empowerwomen and girls, and also a founder of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, the first national day devoted to girlsthat has now become an institution around the world. She also co-founded the Women’s Media Center in 2004,which works to ensure women have equal opportunities in the media as sources, subjects and professionals.Steinem currently works with the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College on a project to document thegrassroots origins of the U.S. women’s movement.Steinem has received the Penney-Missouri Journalism Award, the Front Page and Clarion Awards, NationalMagazine Awards, an Emmy Citation for excellence in television writing, the Women’s Sports Journalism Award,the Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of WritersAward from the United Nations, and most recently, the University of Missouri School of Journalism Award forDistinguished Service in Journalism. Steinem is currently at work on Road to the Heart: America As if EveryoneMattered, a book about her more than 30 years on the road as a feminist organizer.Gary BarkerGary Barker, Ph.D., is International Director of Promundo-DC, the U.S. office of InstitutoPromundo, a Brazilian NGO, based in Rio de Janeiro, that works locally, nationallyand internationally to promote gender equity and to reduce violence against children,women and youth. He was founding Executive Director of Promundo in Brazil, wherehe lived for 15 years. He has carried out research on men, violence, gender, health,and conflict in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. Barker has co-authorednumerous training materials, including the Program H series for working with youngmen to promote gender equality and reduce violence against women. He has served as a consultant to the WorldBank, the International Rescue Committee, UNDP, WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, the UN Commissionon the Status of Women, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Brazilian government on issuesrelated to gender, engaging men, health promotion and violence prevention. Barker holds a Master of PublicPolicy and a Ph.D. in Child Development and is an Ashoka Fellow.Rachel Alicia GriffinRachel Alicia Griffin holds a Ph.D. in Human Communication Studies from the Universityof Denver, an M.A. in Communication and a B.S. in Communication and Sociology fromCentral Michigan University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of SpeechCommunication at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Her research interestsspan gendered violence, performance, black masculinity, and critical race theory. Allher current research projects speak strongly to notions of power, privilege, and voice,which she has presented at national conferences, social justice events, diversity trainingsessions, and as keynote addresses.Griffin has been actively involved in the movement to end violence against women for eight years. Griffin hasspoken coast to coast in front of audiences ranging from 10 attendees up to audiences as large as 1,500. As apresenter, her ability to relate to her audience is astounding. Her warm demeanor accompanied by her strongvoice welcomes students, administrators, and staff to personally engage with gender violence as a tragic issue.Having been assaulted herself, she understands the fear, pain, and denial that often accompanies discussionssurrounding the issue. However, with compassion and courage, Griffin gives voice to these issues. She says, “Asa daughter, friend, activist, and professor, I often speak to survive. It is my way of struggling against oppression.”Taking an intersectional approach to her presentations, Griffin inspires critical thought and deep reflection on howsystems of oppression interlock to maintain the status quo.David R. ThomasDavid R. Thomas, M.S. retired from the Montgomery County Department of Police inDecember of 2000 after 15 years of service. He completed his final assignment withthe department with the Domestic Violence Unit (DVU), which he helped found. Inaddition to helping found the DVU, he was responsible for the department’s curriculumdevelopment for domestic violence training, as well as policy development on domesticviolence related issues. Upon retirement, Thomas was honored to be the secondhighestdecorated officer in the history of the department to receive both the silverand bronze medals of valor. Thomas additionally received the Women’s Alliance ofMaryland Domestic Violence Advocacy Award, the Montgomery County Executive’s Award, the Johns HopkinsUniversity 21 st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Services Award, and was honored at the White Houseas a Champion of Change. Thomas works on violence against women curriculum and policy development, andprovides technical assistance and training at the local, state, federal, and international level. Presently, Thomasserves as the Program Administrator of the Domestic Violence Education Program and as a faculty member inthe Division of Public Safety Leadership at Johns Hopkins University. Thomas considers fighting violence againstwomen to be his calling in life.6 7