Conference Co-Chairs

 

Diane Caldwell

 

Diane Caldwell has been a leader in the educational community for over twenty years serving dually as an Academic Support Administrator as well as a supervisor of the Title 1 program for Medford Public schools. She has studied elementary education at Boston State College as well as completing the masters program at Regis College in Special Education. Ms. Caldwell has an extensive background in education that has aided students from all walks of life in both primary and secondary levels of schooling. Throughout her career she has strove to better the learning experience of her students, always going the extra mile whether it was directing a school musical or implementing new reading programs.

 

Her successes have expanded well outside the traditional classroom. Ms. Caldwell has helped shape academic curriculums for large, as well as individual educational plans to meet the specific needs of students in both regular classrooms and special education programs. In addition to helping students, she has worked with institutions of higher learning such as Brown University, Fitchburg State, and Salem State College to help facilitate professional development for faculty and colleagues, the goal of which has always been to give teachers the best tools available in order to help students read and write more effectively and efficiently. Ms. Caldwell has been a leader in the Commonwealth in helping prepare students for MCAS testing, while simultaneously working to maintain a collaborative relationship with parents. Outside of the education arena, Diane Caldwell enjoys traveling, reading, and playing golf.

 

Karen A. McLaughlin

Human Trafficking and Victim Rights Expert

 

Karen McLaughlin is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in victim assistance and violence prevention. In the United States, Ms. McLaughlin has pioneered the development of victim service programs within the criminal justice system and community agencies at the state and national level.

 

Ms. McLaughlin served for five years from 2005-2010 as the director of the Massachusetts Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.  In that role, she coordinated over 50 federal, state and local law enforcement, prosecution and non-governmental partner agencies in their efforts to rescue victims, investigate and prosecute cases of those who engage in the growing domestic and international slave trade. She is a co-drafter of the pending Massachusetts state legislation that provides comprehensive rights and services to victims, mandates stringent criminal penalties for traffickers and requires initiatives related to stemming demand for sex and labor trafficking.

 

Presently, Ms. McLaughlin continues to serve the interests of crime victims by working to strengthen global efforts to combat human trafficking under a grant funded by the United States Department of State. This initiative is addressing the labor, organ and sex trafficking trade in China. In the domestic arena, she coauthored “Developing a National Campaign for Eliminating Sex Trafficking” as a consultant for Abt Associates, Inc. In her current role, she is a consultant for a ground breaking national initiative to end demand for human trafficking sponsored by Hunt Alternatives Fund.

 

In the international arena, Ms. McLaughlin was elected in 2008 to the International Scientific Professional and Advisory Council (ISPAC) of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. ISPAC’s international experts are charged with advising the United Nations on matters of worldwide crime policy. She currently chairs ISPAC’s Victim Assistance and Victimization Prevention Committee.

 

In other matters related to the United Nations, Ms. McLaughlin has been a long-standing member of the World Society of Victimology’s United Nations Liaison Committee. She assisted in the drafting of the United Nations Handbook on Justice for Victims and the United Nations Guide on Victims of Crime for Policymakers. Most recently, she was an active participant in an expert group that was convened to research, conceptualize and draft the United Nations Convention on Justice and Support for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. This initiative launched a global strategy for this proposed international instrument. For nearly a decade, much of Ms. McLaughlin’s work has focused on victims of transnational crime. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist strike, Ms. McLaughlin directed a national terrorism project which addressed the impact of the attack on thousands of victims and their families and evaluated the country’s response, recovery and preparedness in the aftermath of this national tragedy. Additionally, the United Nations Terrorism Prevention Branch sought her expertise as a result of her work in responding to the families of the victims of the Pan Am 103 terrorist attack over Lockerbie, Scotland.

 

In 1997, in recognition of her accomplishments at the state, national and international levels, she was presented with the National Crime Victim Service Award, the highest federal honor for service to victims. Bestowed by President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Attorney General Janet Reno, this prestigious acknowledgement was a tribute to Ms McLaughlin’s tireless efforts on behalf of underserved victim populations.

 

From 1989-1991, Ms. McLaughlin was president of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA).  She was instrumental in establishing the first state and national victim assistance crisis response teams to respond in the immediate aftermath of mass catastrophes, both in the U.S. and abroad. Her volunteer service to victims of crime and mass causalities has taken her to numerous countries consulting with governments and non-governmental organizations.

 

In her former capacity working on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1992-2002, Ms. McLaughlin created several national model curricula and protocols for law enforcement, prosecutors and victim services and educators. For nearly a decade in the 1990s she directed the Justice Department’s National Center for Hate Crime Prevention, where she created the country’s first curriculum to respond to and prevent bias crime. She co-authored, “Healing the Hate,” the first national curriculum that dealt with hate crime prevention. She trained thousands of professionals to address crimes resulting from prejudice. Her groundbreaking work on bystanders, cooperative learning and peer education has won numerous awards from civil rights and human rights groups. Her teaching tools were disseminated to over 15,000 educational institutions in the U.S. as well as thousands of youth programs throughout the nation and internationally.

 

Since the mid-1970s, Ms. McLaughlin fought to establish rights and services for crime victims at the state and national level. In 1980, as the principal architect for the Massachusetts Victim Bill of Rights, she directed the lobbying effort to ensure the passage of this victim rights reform initiative. She served as the founding executive director of the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance from 1984-1991, the first independent state victim assistance agency in the United States.

 

Conference Staff

 

Rick Rendon

Founder, Empower Peace

 

Mr. Rendon is the founder of Empower Peace and Senior Partner of The Rendon Group, a Boston based communications firm that specializes in public affairs campaigns. Empower Peace was founded on the premise that young people, through communication and the promotion of cultural understanding, could help pave the way for peace. Mr. Rendon holds strong to the belief that our future generation has the ability to effect change and that they hold the key to breaking down the cultural barriers that threaten to divide the Western, Muslim and Arab worlds.

 

Throughout his career, Mr. Rendon has taken great pride in creating and developing innovative community-based initiatives and social campaigns. Working with community leaders and activists, Mr. Rendon helped create and organize the world’s largest school-based racial harmony campaign. For seven years “TEAM HARMONY” brought over 15,000 middle and high school students from throughout New England to discuss the issues of hatred and prejudice and to develop programs to promote diversity and harmony in schools and communities region wide. Team Harmony’s keynote speakers have included former United States President Bill Clinton, United States Senator and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, former United States Attorney General Janet Reno, and the Reverend Bernice King (daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.)

 

Mr. Rendon was also the creator and co-founder of the school-based program, “UNITED WE STAND FOR AMERICA”. This program was developed post 9/11 to provide youth with an opportunity to express their emotions and feelings in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Students from throughout Massachusetts were recruited to create individual messages of peace, hope, and patriotism on six-inch tiles of red, white and blue fabric. This fabric was then assembled to create a giant quilt of an American flag (nearly half the size of a football field). Over 700 schools and 50,000 students participated in this program.

 

Mr. Rendon, working with the Islamic Society of Boston, the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, and the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes, developed the “OUTNUMBER THE HATE” campaign. This Massachusetts school-based campaign encouraged students to rally against hate, prejudice and intolerance experienced by Muslim and Arabs in the United States post 9.11. In response to the 1,700 hate crimes reported against Muslims and Arabs living in America, Massachusetts’ students responded by creating OVER 1,700 messages of respect, diversity and tolerance.

 

In addition to over thirty years of experience as a senior communications consultant, Mr. Rendon served previously as a Public Information Officer for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as a member of United States President Jimmy Carter’s national political staff.

 

Tricia Raynard

Executive Director, Empower Peace

 

Tricia Raynard has recently been appointed the Executive Director of Empower Peace and brings to the table more than fourteen years experience in the ever-changing information world of public and media relations. She has navigated projects from the brainstorming and planning stages straight through to the implementation of special event coordination, media advertising, and public education campaigns. As the Vice President of Public Relations and Special Events at The Rendon Group, she was instrumental in developing effective communication and special event strategies for all TRG clients including Merck, Time Warner, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

 

Ms. Raynard specializes in developing large-scale public outreach campaigns at all levels from the local community upwards onto the international scene. As the Executive Director of Empower Peace, Ms. Raynard is responsible for further developing the educational programs currently offered, she oversees the broadcast media programs and works with the Empower Peace team to expand the footprint of this important program.

 

Before returning to TRG in 2000, Ms. Raynard was the Vice President of Public Relations at Hawthorne Associates, a public relations and marketing agency that specializes in the corporate training industry. While at Hawthorne Associates she was responsible for developing public relations programs, marketing events and promotional materials well-respected corporate clients including Arthur Andersen Virtual Learning Network, McGraw-Hill Lifetime Learning, The Gallup School of Management and PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning. She was also responsible for coordinating all trade show logistics for Hawthorne clients including booth design, securing show space, coordinating pre-show promotions and special events.

 

Women Making Change Panel:  Karen McLaughlin, Facilitator

 

Christina Bain

Director, Program on Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government

 

Christina Bain is the Director of the Program on Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. Prior to her time at the Kennedy School, Christina was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as the Executive Director of the Governor's Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence, a statewide commission of over 340 public and private sector partners. She previously served as the Public Affairs Liaison to Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey where she worked on domestic violence and criminal justice issues, including human trafficking and sex offender management. Since 2006, she has been a member of the Massachusetts Human Trafficking Task Force, one of the 42 statewide anti-trafficking task forces funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Christina also served as a Special Assistant to Governor Jane Swift of Massachusetts.

 

Elizabeth Cafferty

Associate Director at the Division For Global

Health and Human Rights

 

Elizabeth Cafferty, MSc, has managed human rights projects and undertaken advocacy and awareness raising work on international development and refugee and women's rights issues in both the U.S. and the U.K. She is currently Associate Director at the Division for Global Health and Human Rights, Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She oversees the Division’s trafficking program, which recently completed a major international research study examining sex trafficking of women and girls from a public health perspective.

Before joining the Division, Ms. Cafferty established and headed up the U.K. office of Women for Women International. At WFW, she spearheaded partnerships with government and diplomatic officials, the business sector, universities, major philanthropists, and NGOs and women’s rights organizations. She also worked closely with WFW's Kosovo office on the extension of their rights based training and small business skills classes for local women. Previously, Ms. Cafferty was deputy director at the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics where she oversaw the expansion of a grant program for academics with refugee status in the UK and undertook advocacy work on their behalf with governments and universities. She also has experience designing and managing human rights and development projects in the Balkans and Nicaragua and supporting advocacy efforts at the UN. She holds a master’s degree in women studies and international development and has completed master's degree courses in nonprofit management. She has spoken at various academic and health care conferences as well as at the United Nations.

 

Lynn Regan

Encouraging Young Women in their Quest for Hope, Joy and Success

 

Lynn Regan has developed and facilitated over 100 training programs for schools, agencies, and colleges regarding multicultural awareness and family support. She has also worked with 40 Head Start Programs facilitating programs that collaborate with families of young children. Lynn has also collaborated with state policy makers to enhance training and disseminate information throughout the Commonwealth regarding school and family connections.  Chosen as member of the Governor’s Commission for School Readiness, she received Commendation from the Governor for evaluating and establishing guidelines for teacher trainings.

 

Throughout her career, Lynn has also worked with victims of domestic violence and their families and has collaborated with New Hope in Attleboro, Massachusetts to provide self-defense classes for young women entering college. She previously volunteered in the Boston area, working closely with women who are victims of abuse.

 

In her own community, Lynn co-founded The Cupboard of Kindness, a food pantry located in Norton, Massachusetts and Little Wiffles Challanger League, a T-ball and recreation program that provides children who are differently-abled the opportunity to engage in sports with one-to-one support. Lynn is also Founder of the Norton High School Grant writing program, instructing students on the grant writing process. Lynn served in the past as a Deacon at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Norton. For her work within the community, Lynn received the President's Volunteer Service Award through Endicott College, which awarded her the opportunity to attend Harvard University psychology classes through a cross-campus program.

 

Lynn currently serves as a Family Liaison for families in need of food, shelter and other necessary resources in the greater Bristol County area.

 

The Leader in You

 

Louis DeGeorge

Vice President of Marketing & Business Relations, The Rendon Group

 

Louis DeGeorge has over twenty years of experience in training business professionals both here in the United States and Internationally. He has worked for several international “Fortune 500” corporations with the responsibility of educating business professionals in leadership, marketing and communication techniques. He was the founder and CEO of International Training Corporation from 1991-1997. He is currently the Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for The Rendon Group.

Claim Your Seat at the Table

 

Victoria Budson

Executive Director, Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School of Government

 

Victoria A. Budson is the founding Executive Director of the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  WAPPP analyzes cutting-edge issues as they impact women’s roles and lives. WAPPP conducts research, develops curriculum, and publishes materials focused on women and public policy.  While at the Kennedy School, Budson was founding Executive Director of the Council of Women World Leaders, a group of current and former presidents and prime ministers. From 1999-2004, Budson served as a Kennedy School Ombudsperson.

 

Governor Patrick appointed Budson to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and she serves as Chair of that body.   The commission is an independent state agency that was legislatively created in 1998 to advance women of the Commonwealth to full equality in all areas of life and to promote their rights and opportunities. The Commission provides a permanent, effective voice for Massachusetts' women and is comprised of 19 diverse members who are appointed by the Governor, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Caucus of Women Legislators.

 

Currently, Budson serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW). The mission of NCRW is to harness the resources of its network to ensure fully informed debate, policies and practices to build a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls.  iVillage Cares, a national advocacy program designed to build awareness and support for causes of concern to women through iVillage, at present is a frequent destination site for 27 million women. Budson has been a member of numerous other Boards of Directors including: the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Massachusetts National Abortion Rights Action League, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, Women’s Legislative Network and Alliance, Massachusetts Coalition of Democratic Women, the Wellesley College Hillel Alumnae Board. Budson has served on the Steering Committee for the Massachusetts State Treasury’s Women and Money conference.

 

Budson speaks on various topics such as the future of feminism, gender and public policy, electoral politics and political action at institutions including Carnegie Mellon, Harvard University, Tufts University, Wellesley College, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val- Kill, and the Center for Women’s Policy Studies.  In 2002, she served as an advisor for the development of the United Nations’ University for Peace Masters degree program in International Peace Studies with specialization in Gender and Peace Building. Budson presented at the United Nations Beijing and Beyond International Women’s Conference. She is a frequent commentator for news publications, television, and radio programs.  Appearances include: Fox News Live, the Boston Globe, WGBH Boston, WSBK Boston, and Talk of the Nation and The Connection on National Public Radio.  She reviewed and edited the childbirth chapter for the 2005 edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves.

 

Before coming to Harvard, Budson was the Political and Community Affairs Director for Steve Grossman, President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  Budson has also worked extensively in Massachusetts’ politics, both as an activist and an elected official on the state and local levels.  As the elected Chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for a Democratic Future, the official statewide organization of young political activists affiliated with the Democratic Party, Budson grew the organization to over 2,000 members. She has held a seat on the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, which is the governing body for the state Democratic Party.  She served as Chair of the Wellesley Democratic Town Committee and as a member of the Wellesley Town Meeting.

 

In addition to her grassroots and electoral work, Budson is an active political consultant.  As Finance Director for Massachusetts State Senator Cheryl Jacques, she established one of the largest campaign accounts in the Massachusetts State Senate.  She also served as Finance Director for Massachusetts State Representative Rachel Kaprielian, and has worked with EMILY’s List, an organization that raises money for pro-choice, democratic women candidates.

 

Awards Budson has received include: the “Rising Star” award for her outstanding work to advance the political education of women from the Network for Women in Politics and Government at UMASS Boston, the Carol Moseley Braun Award from Mass Choice, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence at the Kennedy School.  Budson graduated Magna Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors from Wellesley College with a joint degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies.  As a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration Program, she received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellow award for her distinction in academics at the Kennedy School, her contribution to the Kennedy School and the greater Harvard community, and her potential for continuing leadership excellence.

 

Using Social Media

 

Christopher Tunnard

Professor of International Business,

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

 

Christopher (Rusty) Tunnard teaches International Business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and has recently been appointed the Hitachi Fellow for Technology and International Affairs.   For many years, he was a Principal at Arthur D. Little (ADL) in their Travel and Technology management consulting practice in Brussels and London.   He is a recognized expert on innovation and technology-led change in the international communications, travel, and financial service industries. In addition, Tunnard was a senior member of ADL’s Professional Development staff, and he created and/ or delivered a full range of skills courses in consulting and related business skills.  Prior to joining ADL, he directed worldwide strategy and technology partnerships for the Travel Division of American Express TRS Co. He has also run his own consulting firm and has owned and operated a hotel barge company in southern France.

 

His consulting background led to a particular interest in research at the nexus of resistance movements, new technologies, and social network analysis. His doctoral dissertation focused on the use of technology in the formation of resistance networks that eventually led to peaceful regime change in Serbia in the 1990s.  Currently, he is looking at the roles that social networks and social media can play in building up institutions and civil society in countries that have used them effectively in bringing down long-time democratic dictatorships, most recently in Tunisia and Egypt. In addition, he is developing analytical methods to examine public and private social networks and their impact on organizations.

 

Dr. Tunnard holds MA, MALD and PhD degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and he received his AB from Harvard.

 

Further information can be found at: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/faculty/tunnard/default.shtml

The Art of Negotiation

 

Susan Hackley

Managing Director of the Program on Negotiation,

Harvard Law School

 

The Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School is a world-renowned interdisciplinary research center dedicated to improving the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. As Managing Director, Susan Hackley oversees all of PON's activities, which include research projects, conferences, special events, and educational programs. She also manages the publication of a variety of books and teaching materials, including the monthly Negotiation newsletter and the quarterly Negotiation Journal. Susan has taught negotiation seminars in China, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain and Italy. Before joining PON, she worked in politics as a policy analyst and served as communications director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. As a writer/photographer, she has had work published in National Geographic Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and many other publications. She also co-founded an Internet company, an e-philanthropy site dedicated to helping people connect to causes they care about. Susan has a Masters Degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School and served three years as chair of the board of directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding.

 

Human Rights, A New Agenda

 

Charlie Clements

Carr Center Executive Director,

Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

 

Charlie Clements serves as the Carr Center's Executive Director. Prior to coming to the Carr Center, Mr. Clements, a widely respected human rights activist and public health physician, served as president of Unitarian Universalist Service Committee from August 2003 until February 2010. Prior to taking the position at UUSC, he served as executive director of Border WaterWorks, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the El Paso Community Foundation, which assisted small U.S. communities along the border without running water or sewers to construct such desperately needed infrastructure.

 

Throughout the years, Mr. Clements has faced several moral dilemmas that shaped his life. As a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy who had flown more than 50 missions in the Vietnam War, he decided the war was immoral and refused to fly missions in support of the invasion of Cambodia. Later, as a newly trained physician, he chose to work in the midst of El Salvador's civil war where the villages he served were bombed, rocketed, or strafed by some of the same aircraft in which he had previously trained. For two years in the late 1980s, Mr. Clements served as director of human rights education at UUSC, leading a number of congressional fact-finding delegations to Central America. In 1997, as president of Physicians for Human Rights, he participated both in the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the treaty signing for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. He is author of Witness to War and the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary of the same title.

Community Harvest Project - Community Service

 

Interfaith Discussion

 

Barbara Sahli

Executive Director, Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus

 

Barbara Sahli is an educational outreach consultant and the outreach coordinator for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury. She frequently speaks to diverse audiences and serves as a resource to teachers seeking greater understanding of Islam and Muslims. She recently co-authored a chapter in Muslim Voices in School: Narratives of Identity and Pluralism, winner of the National Association for Multicultural Education’s Philip C. Chinn multicultural book award in 2010. Another co-authored chapter is included in Educating the Muslims of America and documents the educational encounters she has coordinated between Muslim and non-Muslim students. She is a former middle school language arts teacher.

Al Arabiya Broadcast

 

Women2Women Delegates will be featured in an electronic town meeting discussing the issues that impact women around the world. This program will be taped and later broadcast on Al Arabiya, one of the largest television networks in the Middle East.

Keynote Speaker

 

Saran Kaba Jones

Founder and Executive Director, FACE Africa

 

The path that led me to FACE Africa started really when I was a young child. I have always had a strong concern and compassion for others, and have always strived to help whenever possible. From a very young age, I was exposed to a world of diplomacy, travel and community service (my father was a public servant and career diplomat).

 

Born in Liberia, my experiences traveling the world, as well as my time spent living in four different countries (Ivory Coast, Egypt, France and Cyprus), made me certain I wanted to do something internationally that would help people, and specifically my native Liberia – I just never knew what. One thing I did believe was that the most effective way to bring about positive change in Africa and end the cycle of poverty was to invest in the education of its young children.

 

In 2005, I began sending funds back to Liberia to help a young family friend with his school fees. After two years, he went on to complete high school and enrolled at the University of Liberia. When I realized just how much of an impact my rather small support had made, I decided to scale up my efforts and dedicated myself to improving the lives of those less fortunate.

 

In early 2008, I launched FACE Africa with the goal of providing educational opportunities to children and young adults in Liberia and other war-torn countries. In October 2008, during my first visit to Liberia in nearly 20 years, I was faced with the harsh realities of a post-conflict Liberia and the enormous challenges facing the country. My visits to various communities, orphanages, markets, clinics, etc exposed me to a cycle of poverty for which I was woefully and naively unprepared. The long and devastating civil war had left Liberia’s infrastructures in ruins – roads, buildings, health clinics, communications networks, schools, farms and factories were almost totally destroyed. With one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, extreme poverty with average earnings of $1 a day, no electricity, no running water or sewage system, and an inadequate education system, the country had enormous needs.

 

I left Liberia somewhat depressed and disheartened but also had a new found understanding of the needs and challenges as well as ways in which I could contribute to the rebuilding efforts. One of the areas that I felt needed immediate attention was the water and sanitation issue. The war destroyed major water points and water systems, forcing millions of Liberians to go without access to clean and safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.

 

In October 2009, with a $10,000 grant from the Davis Project for Peace and in partnership with Clean Water for Kids, we began implementing our first clean water project in Barnesville, Liberia. The project involved the installation of a water purification system capable of producing up to 20,000 liters of drinking water per day.

 

Exactly one year later, we broke ground on a water and sanitation project in a small rural community called Joezohn with no access to safe drinking water or sanitation facilities. The project was implemented in partnership with Concern Liberia and funded with the help of a $20,000 grant from the Chase Community Giving Program.

 

The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time, causing 2 million deaths every year. In Liberia alone, millions of people do not have access to clean water and sanitation facilities. At FACE Africa, we believe that providing clean and safe drinking water is the first step to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty. We have an ambitious yet simple goal: clean, safe drinking water for EVERY SINGLE person in Liberia!

 

Art of the Difficult Conversation

 

Selena Sermeno

 

Dr. Sermeno is a native of El Salvador who came to the United States in 1977 for her college education. Dr. Sermeno is committed wholeheartedly to the creation of a safer world through the fostering of a human rights perspective and through the respectful management of conflict. She is a consultant to groups addressing the impact of sociopolitical conflict and traumatic events in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and the U.S./Mexican border. She has received Special Service Awards from the Ministries of Justice and Education in El Salvador and Costa Rica. She had the honor to be a student and translator of the late Virginia Satir, a pioneer in the fields of family therapy and communication.

 

In addition to being a faculty member for the Conflict Resolution Graduate Program at Antioch University Midwest, Dr. Sermeno holds faculty appointments for the following institutions: The Bartos Institute for the Constructive Engagement of Conflict of the United World College of the West, Avanta, The Virginia Satir Network (honored with the 'Living Treasure' Award in 2003), and The United World College of the West.

 

Dr. Sermeno resides in the Tesuque area with her husband, Jim Kavanaugh, Ph.D. and their seven year-old daughter, Marialexa.

 

Specialization

  • Constructive engagement of conflict in cross-cultural settings;

  • Fostering a human rights perspective and critical thinking processes in conflict engagement;

  • Helping youth cope with conflict resulting from violent trauma in a transformative way.

 

Keynote Speaker

 

Charlie Rose

Senior Vice President and Dean, City Year

 

Charlie Rose has been a youth worker, organizer and entrepreneur in Boston for nearly 30 years.  As a founding board member of City Year and then staff member who has played myriad roles, Charlie has helped build the organization into a national model for youth community service organizations.  In addition, Charlie has also been a founding board member for seven other organizations including YouthBuild Boston and has served the community through his work with organizations such as Youth Outreach Program, Citizens for Safety, National Toxics Campaign, United Labor Unions Local, Urban Edge and as a VISTA volunteer.  Prior to joining City Year’s staff, he was the Director of Youth Services for the City of Boston’s Community Centers.

Keynote Speaker

 

Todd Patkin

 

After graduating from Tufts University in 1987, Todd entered the family automotive parts business. For over 18 years, he along with his brother Roger and his father Steve (founder) worked together and grew Foreign Autopart/Autopart International into one of the premiere wholesale automobile parts businesses in the country. The company was sold in September of 2005 to Advance Autoparts enabling Todd to leave the company and put all of his time and energy into what he loves most… spending time each day trying to help as many people as he can. Today Todd runs the Todd G. Patkin Companies with investments in several different businesses many of which were started by friends who needed a little bit of help. In terms of Todd’s charities, he focuses on inner city children, the State of Israel and how to facilitate more open dialogue through out America concerning the topic of depression. Todd is a cofounder of the Operatunity Performing Arts Center in Foxboro, MA. He funded Gary Marino’s Million Calorie March from Florida to Boston and is now the executive producer along with Gary for Million Calorie March the movie. Todd also sits on many for profit as well as not for profit boards including the executive committee boards for both the Jewish National Fund locally and nationally, the New England Board of the Anti-Defamation League and The American Friends Board for Yemin Orde. Todd has been married to and in love with Yadira since October 1991 and Todd and Yadira have Joshua an amazing teenager.

 

Kerry Healey

 

Kerry Healey served as the 70th Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 2003-2007. As Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Healey lead successful efforts to combat drunken driving, address homelessness, increase penalties for perpetrators of child abuse, gang violence, sexual assault and domestic violence.

 

After leaving office in 2007, she was a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and Center for Public Leadership. In 2008, Dr. Healey served as a Senior Advisor for the Romney for President campaign. In 2008, Dr. Healey was appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Executive Committee of the US Department of State’s Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan (PPP), and is currently President of the Friends of the PPP, a non-profit that supports PPP programs to provide scholarships and training to Afghan lawyers. Since 2009, Ambassador Swanee Hunt and Dr. Healey have co-chaired the Parity Project, a bi-partisan effort to increase women’s representation in high-level State and Federal offices. Dr. Healey also serves on the Advisory Boards of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Institute of State and Local Government and the MIT Collaborative’s Healthcare Visionary Council. She serves on numerous non-profit boards, including the Pioneer Institute, Milton Academy, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Caritas Cubana.

 

Prior to her election, Dr. Healey was elected Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. For more than a decade, Dr. Healey worked as a public policy researcher for the Cambridge-based think tank, Abt Associates, Inc., on contracts with the US Department of Justice. She is the author of numerous publications on criminal justice policy. Healey holds an AB from Harvard College (Government( and a PhD from Trinity College, Dublin (Law and Political Science). She was a Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School and a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Ireland. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

Women2Women Listening Panel Members

 

Sarah Baldiga

Co-Founder & Board of Directors, Rise Above

Development Associate, Jumpstart for Young Children

 

Sarah Baldiga has a Masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Worcester State College and received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Saint Anselm College.  She has experience with grant writing, marketing, fundraising, and volunteer management, and is currently in the development department at Jumpstart for Young Children in Boston. In 2009 she co-founded the nonprofit organization, Rise Above Foundation, which is dedicated to providing Massachusetts children in foster care with enriching activities, opportunities and experiences. Ms. Baldiga is also an active volunteer with her church’s Haitian outreach, having participated in several service trips to Haiti.

 

Elizabeth Cafferty

Associate Director at the Division For Global

Health and Human Rights

 

Elizabeth Cafferty, MSc, has managed human rights projects and undertaken advocacy and awareness raising work on international development and refugee and women's rights issues in both the U.S. and the U.K. She is currently Associate Director at the Division for Global Health and Human Rights, Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She oversees the Division’s trafficking program, which recently completed a major international research study examining sex trafficking of women and girls from a public health perspective.

 

Before joining the Division, Ms. Cafferty established and headed up the U.K. office of Women for Women International. At WFW, she spearheaded partnerships with government and diplomatic officials, the business sector, universities, major philanthropists, and NGOs and women’s rights organizations. She also worked closely with WFW's Kosovo office on the extension of their rights based training and small business skills classes for local women. Previously, Ms. Cafferty was deputy director at the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics where she oversaw the expansion of a grant program for academics with refugee status in the UK and undertook advocacy work on their behalf with governments and universities. She also has experience designing and managing human rights and development projects in the Balkans and Nicaragua and supporting advocacy efforts at the UN. She holds a master’s degree in women studies and international development and has completed master's degree courses in nonprofit management. She has spoken at various academic and health care conferences as well as at the United Nations.

 

Diane Caldwell

Conference Co-Chair

 

Diane Caldwell has been a leader in the educational community for over twenty years serving dually as an Academic Support Administrator as well as a supervisor of the Title 1 program for Medford Public schools. She has studied elementary education at Boston State College as well as completing the masters program at Regis College in Special Education. Ms. Caldwell has an extensive background in education that has aided students from all walks of life in both primary and secondary levels of schooling. Throughout her career she has strove to better the learning experience of her students, always going the extra mile whether it was directing a school musical or implementing new reading programs.

 

Her successes have expanded well outside the traditional classroom. Ms. Caldwell has helped shape academic curriculums for large, as well as individual educational plans to meet the specific needs of students in both regular classrooms and special education programs. In addition to helping students, she has worked with institutions of higher learning such as Brown University, Fitchburg State, and Salem State College to help facilitate professional development for faculty and colleagues, the goal of which has always been to give teachers the best tools available in order to help students read and write more effectively and efficiently. Ms. Caldwell has been a leader in the Commonwealth in helping prepare students for MCAS testing, while simultaneously working to maintain a collaborative relationship with parents. Outside of the education arena, Diane Caldwell enjoys traveling, reading, and playing golf.

 

Karen Campos

Photographer and Marketing Director, CamposHomes

 

Karen Campos is a member of the RE/MAX Real Estate CamposHomes Team. She works as a photographer and develops marketing strategies for the real estate team that was named number one in Massachusetts and number two in New England. Karen was born in Massachusetts and attended Forsyth School for Dental Hygiene of Northeastern University. She worked as a dental hygienist for 15 years until she obtained her real estate license and joined CamposHomes Team. Karen is the mother of two and enjoys both being outdoors and traveling.

 

Kathy Crane-Spier

Vice President, Maystar Realty Corporations

 

Kathryn Crane-Spier is Vice President of Maystar Realty Corporation based in Foxboro, MA.   Kathy is a builder and interior designer of custom homes along with renovation of commercial office space and updating older homes.  Her husband Greg founded the company 25 years ago.  Maystar has successfully specialized in development of both building and managing commercial and residential properties throughout the NE Region.  Kathy joined her husband 14 years ago upon the start of their 38-lot subdivision on 100 acres of land.   They received builder of the year through the Home Builders Association in 2000 and numerous Prism Awards for their homes in their Stonehurst Subdivision located in Foxboro, MA.

 

Prior to working with her husband, Kathy was a registered nurse for 25 years.  She worked for the Veteran Administration Hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts specializing in neurology, cardiology and research.  She continued her career in Cardiac Catheterization Labs, helping to open the first catheterization labs in the suburbs outside of Boston. She left her career in nursing to work side by side with her husband to build the family business. She became an integral part of the building business, assisting customers through the complex building process to ensure that the new homes became the customers dream homes.  The husband and wife team approach to building homes has enabled Maystar to become one of the premier builders in the area.  Kathy has expanded her talents into the designs of the homes both from the interior as well as exterior.

 

Jean Fitzpatrick

 

Jean Fitzpatrick has been an educator for more than twenty years.  She holds a master’s degree in education and retains special education certification for children in nursery school through grade 9.  She has taught in the private school sector, schools with religious affiliation, and public schools.  Jean is presently a second grade teacher in Douglas, Massachusetts.

 

The Honorable Kate Hogan

Massachusetts State Representative

 

State Representative Kate Hogan came to public life with 25 years of experience in the publishing and print industry. Elected in 2008 to serve the 3rd Middlesex District in the legislature, Kate is currently vice-chair of Telecommunications, Utility and Energy, chair of the Public Library Caucus, and co-chairs the Elder Caucus. As a legislator, Rep. Hogan has been a tireless advocate for building our local economy, a steward of our public libraries, and a voice for our elders and most vulnerable. Rep. Hogan believes her job is to create consensus, build alliances, and work toward solutions that will benefit her district & improve the quality of life for all citizens in this great Commonwealth.

 

Priti Rao

Executive Director, Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus

 

Priti Rao currently serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, a multi-partisan, non-profit organization committed to maximizing the participation of women of all ages in the political process and to increasing the number of women appointed and elected to public office and public policy positions. Rao previously served as the organization's Associate Director and most recently as Acting Executive Director. Rao is a Cum Laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in Politics and Spanish. She has coordinated field activities for Congressional and City Council races in New York. Here in Massachusetts she worked in the successful campaign of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, the first woman elected to Congress in 25 years. As Acting Executive Director and Associate Director, Rao worked to design and execute strategic political and field support that helped fuel the successful election of 5 MWPC endorsed women to the MA House of Representatives in 2008, and the 2009 election of Ayanna Pressley to the Boston City Council, the first woman of color ever to serve on the Council in its 100 year history. Originally from upstate New York, Rao currently lives in Boston.

 

Tara Rendon

 

For over 25 years, Tara Rendon worked in a variety of rolls for the Massachusetts State Government. Most recently, Tara served as Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts State Legislative Committee of Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, where she drafted, filed and tracked legislation and monitored House and Senate budgets. Additionally, she developed and ran “Committee On the Road” forums held across the state.

 

Previously, Tara worked as Deputy Director of the VIP Department for the 2004 Democratic National Convention and International Marketing Manager for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism from 1995-2003. Additionally, for 15 years, Tara worked for the Office of the Secretary of State in various capacities. She began her career working as Assistant to the State Director of the Office of US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Scheduling Assistant for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. She also has a broad range of international travel experience.

 

 

Rachel Spekman

Program Manager; Strong Women, Strong Girls

 

Rachel Spekman joined Strong Women, Strong Girls as a Boston Program Manager in 2010. Rachel works closely with Strong Women, Strong Girls partners to implement excellent programming, provide appropriate trainings, cultivate community partnerships and provide ongoing support to mentors and chapter leaders. Prior to joining Strong Women, Strong Girls, Rachel helped launch a KIPP school in New Orleans.  She is an AmeriCorps alumna, having served at the Match Charter School in Boston.  Rachel has helped start two after school programs in the Boston area and is an active member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in History from Rutgers University, Douglass College. She also holds a Master’s degree in Education from Lesley University and is pursuing an MBA at Simmons with a concentration in Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

Also featuring the Following Women2Women Alumni:

 

Brenna Gloudemans – USA, W2W 2009

 

Diba Feroz – Afghanistan, W2W 2010

 

Kabila Gana – Cameroon, W2W 2010

 

Molly Quinlan – USA, W2W 2010

 

Women2Women Farewell Reception

 

FAIRHAVEN

 

Described as “A band whose talent matches the moneymakers that are tucked away in our respective iTunes playlists,” Fairhaven has emerged as one of the strongest up and coming bands in pop music today. Combining intricate, melodic vocals with driving piano and guitar, their live show is a spectacle that is certainly something to experience. Opening up for bands such as Dashboard Confessional, Jack’s Mannequin, Neon Trees, OK Go, Guster and We The Kings, to name a few, their fan base grows larger every day. With their debut album behind them, radio play on major stations in the Northeast, and an upcoming tour schedule, Fairhaven only looks to take their music and their career to the next level. This will be Fairhaven’s third show with Women2Women!