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Keynote Speakers
Ms. Chaiten has been the Director of the Reproductive Rights Project for the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois since June of 2001, but has been involved in reproductive rights litigation throughout her 22 year legal career. The ACLU's Reproductive Rights Project seeks, through litigation, public education and legislative advocacy, to make certain that all in our society have access to safe and effective contraception, sexuality education, reproductive technologies, prenatal care, childbearing assistance and safe, legal, and accessible abortion. Ms. Chaiten has been involved in numerous court challenges to laws that impede women's access to abortion and other reproductive health care, including the challenge to the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act (Zbaraz v. Hartigan) and the challenge to the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (National Abortion Federation v. Gonzales). Other court challenges to restrictive abortion statutes which Ms. Chaiten has pursued include the challenge to Illinois' restrictive abortion facilities licensing scheme (Ragsdale v. Turnock) and the challenge to Illinois' so-called “partial-birth abortion” ban (Hope Clinic v. Ryan). Ms. Chaiten also has played a leading role in numerous public advocacy projects, including the Emergency Contraception Access Project and the New Abortion Provider Initiative's effort to expand access to medical abortions in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Ms. Chaiten serves on the steering committee of the Chicago Foundation For Women's Our Voices Our Choices coalition, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and is a Steering Committee Member for the Midwest Access Project. Prior to joining the ACLU, Ms. Chaiten was a partner at the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Ms. Chaiten joined Sonnenschein in 1985 where her practice focused on complex commercial litigation and reproductive rights litigation.
Michael Reece is an Associate Professor and the William L. Yarber Professor of Sexual Health in the Department of Applied Health Science at Indiana University Bloomington. At Indiana University, he also holds academic appointments at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, the African Studies program, the IU School of Medicine, the Institute for Action Research in Community Health, the Rural Center for AIDS & STD Prevention, and the Center for Minority Health. He is also a member of the faculty in the School of Public Health at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. Prior to joining the faculty at IU, Michael was a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Over the past 15 years, Michael has been the director of multiple, sexuality-related community-based research and intervention projects in cities that span the Southwestern to the Southeastern United States. Previously, he led Arizona's HIV prevention efforts as the head of the state health department's HIV prevention unit, and, over the years, has been elected and appointed by his peers to serve as the chair of several community-based public health coalitions on a local, state, and national level. Michael is founder and Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University. This unique initiative was designed to provide training for students pursuing research or practice careers in sexual health. To date, over 45 students have received intensive training in sexual health research under Michael's supervision. The research of the Sexual Health Research Working Group is currently focused on three priority areas, including: 1) exploring new and innovative venues and tools for sexual health promotion, with a particular emphasis on understanding the sexual health contributions of the adult retail industry, 2) studies focused on genital health, particularly vulvovaginal pain and sexuality in the context of other gynecological challenges and cancer, and 3) the psychological impact of HIV infection. SHRWG also has an active international research program. In Kenya, their current work involves studies related to the development of psychological support systems for individuals receiving a diagnosis of HIV and a range of efforts focused on men, including a current study designed to better engage men in the prenatal and antenatal treatment of their wives and children and a current study focused on having men create condom acquisition campaigns to reduce the incidence of HIV infection. Michael has received several awards for his research and teaching activities. In 2005, Michael received the Society Research Award from the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health and in 2006 received the Outstanding Early Career Research Award from the IU School of HPER; both awards were given in recognition of the contributions he is making to the advancement of sexual health in the U.S. and abroad. In 2004 he received the Trustees Teaching Award at Indiana University and, most recently, was awarded the 2007 Faculty Mentor Award at IU in recognition of his contributions to the professional development of graduate students. Dr. Fortenberry is board certified in internal medicine and adolescent medicine, with a master of science degree in epidemiology and biostatistics. He is currently professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He has extensive background in theoretical and empirical approaches to health behavior research with adolescents. Dr. Fortenberry has guided a research program over the past 17 years that addresses the multiple factors associated with sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents. Earlier research efforts focused more directly on sexually transmitted diseases, including demonstrations of the importance of health literacy and stigma on receipt of STD-related care. More recent research efforts address the contextual and interpersonal factors associated with adolescent sexual activity. Detailed assessment of risk and protective factors associated with adolescent sexual behaviors is a central element of the current research program. This includes assessment of coitus-specific factors such mood, sexual interest, or partner support which may influence occurrence of coitus as well as protective behaviors such as condom use. Additional attention to dyad-specific factors associated with sexual behavior is also an important element. Other aspects of the research program address temporal and contextual factors associated with sexual activity, especially demonstrating the time of day, day of week and type of day (e.g., school day or vacation day) as influences on adolescent sexual behavior. An additional research focus addresses development of coital and non-coital behaviors within the context of sexual self-concept.
For over 20 years, Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., has been at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative concepts and strategies for maximizing organizational and individual potential through Diversity Management. He currently serves as the President & CEO of Roosevelt Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc. and as Senior Research Fellow with The American Institute for Managing Diversity (AIMD). In 1984, concerned about the inability of America's organizations to maximize the contribution of diverse employees, Dr. Thomas founded AIMD as a non-profit research and education enterprise. He and his staff became known as the seminal source for managing diversity concepts and strategies. The team focused initially on workforce diversity. They later expanded their focus to create a diversity framework for addressing general management issues such as change management, functional coordination, the integration of multiple lines of business, and acquisitions and mergers. Dr. Thomas is the author of five published books: Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society; Building a House for Diversity: A Fable about a Giraffe and an Elephant offers New Strategies for Today's Workforce; Redefining Diversity; Differences Do Make a Difference; and Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Work Force by Managing Diversity. He is also the author of numerous articles, such as the Harvard Business Review article "From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity," which alerted Corporate America to the need for moving beyond EEO in addressing the challenge of empowering a diverse workforce. Dr. Thomas earned a D.B.A. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University, an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Mathematics Summa Cum Laude from Morehouse College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He has also served as Secretary of Morehouse College, Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration at Atlanta University, assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, and instructor at Morehouse College. In 2005, Dr. Thomas was the recipient of Bennett College's Chief Diversity Officers Forum's "Trailblazer in Diversity Award." In 1998, the National Academy of Human Resources elected and installed Dr. Thomas as a Fellow. He has also been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top ten consultants in the country, and cited by Human Resource Executive as one of HR's Most Influential People. In 1995, he received the American Society for Training and Development's "Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development" Award. Dr. Thomas previously served on the Society for Human Resource Management's Board of Directors.
Catherine Johnson-Roehr has been the Curator of Art, Artifacts, and Photographs at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction since 2000. She has master’s degrees in art history from the University of Oregon and library science from Indiana University. As curator at The Kinsey Institute, Catherine maintains and provides access to a unique and valuable collection of artwork, photographs, ephemera, and other visual research materials. She organizes public exhibitions from the collection, and manages requests from researchers and the media. As The Kinsey Institute does not have funds to acquire artwork and other materials, Catherine works closely with donors to expand the scope of the collection through gifts of artwork and artifacts. She has edited several exhibition catalogs, including Sex and Humor: Selections from The Kinsey Institute and Feminine Persuasion: Art and Essays on Sexuality, both published by Indiana University Press.
Peggy Brick, M.Ed., is an educational consultant specializing in sexuality across the lifespan. She taught Human Sexual Behavior in high school for fifteen years before becoming Director of Education at Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey. She teaches older adults a course "Sexuality in Mid and Later Life" at the Academy of Lifelong Learning, University of Delaware. She has received numerous awards for her leadership in the field of human sexuality, is past chair of the Board of SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.), and has trained thousands of educators and health care professionals across the nation. She is author of over fifty articles on sexuality education and co-author of numerous popular teaching manuals including:
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Lorie A. Chaiten, Esq.
Michael Reece, Ph.D., MPH
R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., D.B.A.
Catherine Johnson-Roehr, Curator
Peggy Brick