If you’ve been keeping up with Biennial Conference 2018, you may be thinking that this year’s plenary and featured speakers seem like an eclectic group. You wouldn’t be wrong. But believe it or not, there are clear threads that link all of these speakers to some of the most important work NAES has embarked upon.
It’s no coincidence that the lead-up to this particular conference has coincided with the early stages of a new NAES initiative—The Heart of Our Identity: Being Episcopal, Being Inclusive. Funded by supporters of NAES and a generous matching grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, this initiative will, among many things, form a new professional network for diversity practitioners within Episcopal schools.
Another key component of this initiative is the creation of a Diversity & Inclusion track at Biennial Conference.
As you might expect, this focus on diversity and inclusion has been the driving force behind much of the content at Biennial 2018. However, what might come as a surprise are the varied backgrounds and talents of these speakers. This article touches on just some of the ten guest speakers at the conference—not to mention the 50+ workshops presented by fellow Episcopal school leaders—so stay tuned for Part 2 of this article next month!
Another Kind of Rock Star
By happenstance, three of our speakers share a passion for music. Ketch Secor is best known for his work with Old Crow Medicine Show, a Grammy Award winning—and world famous—band based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was also instrumental (pun intended) in founding the Episcopal School of Nashville, one of the newest Episcopal schools in the country. This school lives out an important role in the diverse neighborhood of East Nashville—an intentional mission to bring together students and families of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Look out for the school’s Director of Equity and Campus Culture, Eric Dozier, who also serves as performing arts instructor, and likewise will be presenting at Biennial.
Broadway’s Russell Joel Brown will be giving the closing plenary address, as well as bringing the conference to a close with some music and worship! Russell is a graduate of Episcopal Day School in Augusta, GA, starred in The Lion King on Broadway, and subsequently developed Russell Joel Brown’s Project: Inspire, an outreach program which was presented in over 280 schools between 2014 and 2017. More recently, Russell returned to Atlanta to combine his love for the theater and his love for children, teaching drama at a new charter school in the Augusta (GA) area, The School for Arts Infused Learning.
A rock star of a whole other kind, Peter Dankelson lives with Goldenhar Syndrome and is an ambassador for Children’s Craniofacial Association. This work has led Peter, with the support of his mother, Dede Dankelson, who serves on the Board of Directors of CCA, to travel around the country, speaking with students about why it’s important to be kind, to be a friend, and to be accepting of differences. Fellow students, to be accurate—Peter is a high school senior himself. A true “Wonder Kid,” he often uses the popular novel (and later, movie) Wonder, by R. J. Palacio, as a teaching tool. Students can read the book or watch the movie, and then Peter brings the story to life. In his spare time, Peter is also a musician and talented guitarist (see picture!), and dreams of playing with the likes of Slash and Angus Young!
Healing Minds
One thing that two of our plenary speakers have in common is the work they do in healing minds. In the case of Mona Delahooke, PhD, it’s a specialization in infant mental health. After her own daughter was born prematurely, she was unable to find an infant mental health specialist locally, so began to fill the need herself. She embarked on a three-year post-doc, during which she realized she wanted to work with children who have developmental differences. This has led her to a life of consulting with schools, private practice, writing, and—luckily for all of us—speaking at conferences. Her most recent book, Social and Emotional Development in Early Intervention, is available on Amazon.
Becca Stevens was also led to her work by her own personal experiences. Herself an Episcopal priest, she suffered the death of her father and subsequent child abuse at the age of five, which eventually stemmed into the founding of Thistle Farms in 1997. Two decades later and still going strong, Thistle Farms is a sanctuary for women who have been victims of human trafficking, violence, and addiction. Thistle Farms provides free housing, medical care, therapy, and education to residents. During their stay and after, residents can earn income through one of four social enterprises—the Global market of Thistle Farms alone helps employ close to two thousand women worldwide. In addition to her work as a priest and with Thistle Farms, Becca is an author, speaker. Her newest book, Love Heals was published by Harper Collins in 2017. We can’t wait to meet Ketch, Russell, Peter, Mona, and Becca at Biennial, and we hope you do too. But that’s not all! Stay tuned for Part 2 in October’s issue of Network, where we’ll meet two film producers and three members of the clergy who have all led significant work focusing on social justice.