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Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Cedric Dale Hoard
Day One Opening Keynote
Cedric Dale Hoard's vision is of a world where people have discovered their true and purposeful identity. By doing so, he hopes individuals are able to move from pain to healing and recognize the uniqueness and immense worth God has given them.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor and national spoken word artist, Cedric possesses a unique ability to help others effectively address and navigate complex aspects of life. As a result, he aims to normalize conversations regarding mental health and remove barriers caused by stigma, shame, and misunderstanding.
Cedric discovered his gift for poetry while taking a speech class in college. He is thankful for the opportunities to travel throughout the United States, performing on college campuses, in churches, youth groups and schools. He is honored to have written for and performed at several weddings, and he has written and performed for several events and organizations.
He is a native of Milwaukee. He is a happy husband and father to his wife Tierra and his daughter Cianna Joy.
Visit Cedric Dale Hoard at https://www.cdhspeaks.com/ and on Instagram at @cedricdalehoard.
Dr. Laura Minero
Day Two Opening Keynote
Dr. Laura Minero (She/Her/Ella) is a Latinx, queer, gender expansive and formerly undocumented, bilingual and bicultural, immigrant licensed psychologist who specializes in working with BIPOC, 2SQT+, Spanish-speaking and immigrant youth and adults via her labor of love, Yolotl Libre Therapy, Training, and Consulting. As founder of Yolotl Libre, she serves as an anti-racist, community healing, liberation, 2SQT+ and trauma-informed, culture of health consultant and has given over 150 keynote speeches and trainings for international and national audiences. Dr. Minero earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison in August 2020. She is a peer-reviewed scientific author and her scholarly work has included contributing to scientific consensus studies used to inform national policy as a 2019 Christine Mirzayan Science Policy and Technology Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her research with undocumented and asylum-seeking transgender immigrants and the intersections of transphobia, racism, and trauma was supported by prestigious Ford Foundation Predoctoral and Dissertation Fellowship awards. Her dissertation critiqued U.S. Detention and Asylum-seeking processes for incurring trauma and psychological sequela on Latinx, transgender immigrants and earned APA’s Division 44’s (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity) 2020 Transgender People and Gender Diversity Research Award, the National Latinx Psychological Association’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, Association for Hispanics in Higher Education 1st Place Dissertation Award, and the 2022 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Committee for Global Psychology, American Psychological Association.
Dr. Minero has received several state and national awards in recognition of her reforming and re-imagining oppressive systems that primarily and adversely impact communities of color, immigrants, and 2SQT+/LGBTQ+ folx via community healing and love centered approaches. Dr. Minero was featured by Our Live’s Magazine as an influential leader on their Queer People of Color 2017 Pride List and received the 2017 Alix Olson Award for the Promotion of a Tolerant and Just Community and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s 2020 Outstanding Woman of Color Award in recognition of her advocacy. She has also received awards from the National Latinx Psychological Association and American Psychological Association’s Division for Counseling Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race.
Visit Dr. Laura Minero at https://lauraminerophd.com/ and on Instagram @yolotllibre.
Tony DelaRosa
Day One Closing Keynote
Tony DelaRosa (he/siya) is an award winning Filipino American Anti-Bias & Anti-Racist Educator, Motivational Speaker, Spoken Word Poet, Racial Equity Strategist, and Researcher. He holds a BA in Asian Studies at the University of Cincinnati, a M.Ed with a focus on Arts Education and Non-Profit Management from Harvard University, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin Madison as an Education Graduate Research Scholar. He received the 2021 INSPIRE Award from the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and the 2023 Community Trailblazer Award from The Asian American Foundation where he was featured on the special Heritage Heroes airing now on Hulu.
His work has been featured in NPR, Harvard Ed Magazine, the Smithsonian, Columbia University's Hechinger Report, Hyphen Magazine: Asian American Unabridged and elsewhere. He has co-founded NYC's first Asian American teacher support, development, and retention initiative called AATEND under NYC Men Teach, the NYC DOE, and Office of the Mayor. He served as a Director of Leadership Development at Teach for America coaching teachers and leading racial equity strategy. Today, he coaches CEOs and Principals on crafting and refining their short-term and long-term racial equity strategy. Lastly, he is writing a book with Jossey-Bass Publishing (WILEY) called "Teaching the Invisible Race," which will provide practical ways on embodying a pro-Asian American lens, while combating anti-Asian American violence, racism, and hate for PK-12 educators.
Visit Tony DelaRosa at https://www.tonyrosaspeaks.com/about-1 and on Instagram and Twitter at @TonyRosaSpeaks.
Christopher Gilbert
Day Two Closing Keynote
Christopher Gilbert is from the north side of Milwaukee and began teaching his own dance classes by the age of 14. His first introduction to the industry was acting and dancing with the Nickelodeon show Yo Gabba Gabba which helped instill in him a new perspective on life. After touring and working on the T.V. show in LA, he transitioned back to Milwaukee so that he could invest back into the community. In 2013, Christopher went full-time as a choreographer, educator, musician, and motivational speaker. Since then he has choreographed for Black Arts MKE, First Stage, Wisconsin Lottery and has coached the Grand Dancers for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has also collaborated with the Milwaukee Brewers Packers Badgers and has been directing his own motivational dance show called Elevation at Dominican High School for the past six years!
Breakout Session Speakers
(Listed in alphabetical order)
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Dr. Aruna Jha
Dr. Aruna Jha is a well-known suicide prevention specialist in the US. She has been active in suicide prevention for 25 years and is an expert on culturally specific risk and protective factors for suicide among cultural minorities and veterans. She is fluent in several languages (English, Hindi, Urdu, German, Swedish), and has lived in India, Germany and Sweden prior to migrating to the US in 1984. This rich international experience informs Dr. Jha's insights on the intersection of cultural values, external context, mental illness and suicidal ideation and behavior.
Dr. Jha has a Ph.D. in Social Work and graduate degrees in Child Development, Mental Health Counseling, and Social Work. Her research focuses on acculturation and life transitions as risk factors for suicide among Asian Americans. Dr. Jha is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater in the Social Work department. Prior to this position, she worked for 6 years at the Veterans Administration of which three years were as Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Aruna is passionate about suicide prevention and helped establish an NGO called Connecting in Pune, India, in 2006. Connecting NGO is now in its 17th year of providing suicide prevention services and awareness programs in schools.
Dr. Heather Kind-Keppel
Dr. Heather Kind-Keppel is the Executive Director of Equity, Education, and Outreach at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. In her role at RFUMS, Kind-Keppel is engaged in the development of training, education, and curricular initiatives for students, faculty. At RFUMS Kind-Keppel is also an Assistant Professor in the Chicago Medical School but has also taught undergraduate courses in Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, History, and Communication. Kind-Keppel has always been passionate about actively advocating for, the creation of, and sustaining inclusive environments in higher education both in and outside of the classroom through her diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Her research and scholarship has focused on the experience of Natives in higher education and how institutions can more effectively create spaces that are Indigenous versus the continued use of education as a way to assimilate Natives.
Jasmine Johnikin
Jasmine Johnikin is a Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Community Outreach nurse. She is passionate about community health, mentoring, and the well-being of others. She is a Cardinal Stritch University alumna where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. It has always been her passion to serve the community, as well as being a teen mentor. Jasmine is the founder/CEO of As I Am Mentoring Inc. which she officially launched in 2022. Jasmine is a firm believer that the youth will make a great impact on society, and she is determined to help young people find their purpose in life. She has had 8 years of mentoring experience and it is her goal to create a safe space for youth to thrive and discover their purpose.
Visit Jasmine Johnikin on Facebook at As I Am Mentoring Inc. or on Instagram at @nursejas_rn.
Kadeesha Duncan
Throughout my educational journey I have been an active member and/or executive board member of various organizations including the Black Student Union, Association for Graduate Students of Color, SMILE, Ignite IMPACT, MU Mayo Clinic Research Team, and athletic teams. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Culture, Media, and Gender Studies and a Master of Social Work with an Advance Practice License. I am working towards obtaining a License in Clinical Social Work. Currently I practice group and individual psychotherapy with veterans. I am a high school boys basketball coach. I am a proud UW-Whitewater alumni.
Leanne Delsart
Leanne Delsart, MS, is the Integrated Services Manager of Strategic Initiatives for Wraparound Milwaukee and Owner of LND Consulting, LLC. For the last 19 years, Leanne has worked with children and families affected by trauma, adversity, mental health and behavioral health challenges. She has collaborated with the Youth Justice, Child Welfare and Education systems as an advocate for children and families, and as a trainer in the fields of Trauma Informed Care, Systems of Care, Crisis Intervention, Suicide Intervention, ACEs, and Wraparound philosophy and process. Leanne has been certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics through the Child Trauma Academy, is a Master ACE trainer for the state of WI, and a certified ASIST Suicide Intervention trainer. Leanne has a long history with Wraparound, starting her career as a Care Coordinator for Wraparound Milwaukee before moving into supervisory, program development, and administrative roles in human services.
Molly Grodey
Molly Grodey, MSE is the Disability Services and Assistive Technology Coordinator of the Center for Students with Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has her Masters in Special Education from UWW, where she focused on behavioral sciences in the K-12 system. She was formally a Special Education Teacher in a self-contained classroom.
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Sara Vogt
Sara Vogt, PhD is the Associate Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has her PhD in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she focused on the history of disability. She coordinates various transition programs for college-bound students with disabilities.
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Dr. Steven Dykstra
Dr. Steven Dykstra is a Psychologist with Milwaukee County with over 30 years experience working with children and families. During that time he has worked in hospital, day treatment and community settings, including over 15 years providing mobile crisis services. He has provided expert consultation to the courts, and provided training and professional development to thousands of clinicians, teachers, service workers, and police officers. Currently, he is the clinical director of Milwaukee County's CORE program, a specialized service for adolescents and young adults experiencing psychosis, as well as a consultant to the Milwaukee County Wraparound program. Over those 30 years, Dr. Dykstra has been graced by the trust children and their families placed in him and all he had the opportunity to learn because of it.
Panelist and Guests
CHOICES Panel
The CHOICES team provides coordinated specialty care services to those individuals with first experiences of psychosis in Western Wisconsin counties of Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, and Washburn. This innovative and compassionate team includes six certified peer specialists of Milkweed Connections, one psychiatric nurse, and county-based providers of two therapists, two educational and employment specialists, and two social workers. These individual, family, and group services are provided through Comprehensive Community Services and grand-funded through WI DHS - Mental Health Block Grant.
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| Sara Olinger | Brett Paulson | Greer Gust | Hope Kissinger | Tricia Thompson |