2022 RJS Speakers - National Organization for Women

Opening Keynote Speakers

TBA

Keynote Speakers by Panel

Reproductive Justice Keynote

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Planned Parenthood provides vital health services to 2.4 million people each year through more than 600 health centers across the country. Their vision is a world of equity: where sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights; where access to health care doesn’t depend on who you are or where you live; and where every person has the opportunity to choose their own path to a healthy and meaningful life.

Alexis is a champion for social and racial justice, a respected political and cultural organizer, and a tireless advocate for reproductive freedom. She has been in Planned Parenthood’s leadership for more than a decade as PPFA board chair and a Planned Parenthood Action Fund board member.

A researcher by training, Alexis co-founded and co-directed the Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers, advocates, and strategists who translate cutting-edge mind science research on race, gender, ethnic, and other identities into solutions that reduce bias and discrimination, and drive equity and belonging. She is also a thought leader on brain science and narrative change and has written extensively on equity, race, and culture.

She is a frequent commentator in the press and keynote speaker, and currently serves on the boards of Color of Change, Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, and is a founder of the Culture Group. She holds degrees from Princeton and Yale Universities and has taught political science at both Yale and Wesleyan Universities. She is the proud mom of two daughters.

Voting Rights Keynote

Bishop Leah Daughtry, President & CEO of On These Things, LLC

Bishop Leah Daughtry is a nationally recognized organizer-activist, political strategist, author, and Faith leader. She serves as Presiding Prelate of The House of the Lord Churches. Daughtry is Principal of On These Things, LLC, a strategic planning and project management firm that builds and supports partnerships that advance the common good. She is also Co-Convenor of Power Rising, which brings together Black women and girls to leverage their power for the benefit of their communities. Standing at the intersection of Faith and politics, Daughtry has served as Chief of Staff of the US Department of Labor, and the national Democratic Party, as well as CEO of the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions, making her the only person in Democratic Party history to hold the position twice.

For her work with communities of Faith, Religion News Service named her one of the dozen most effective Democrats in the Nation on faith and values politics. She is co-author of the NAACP Image Award winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics (St. Martin’s Press, 2018).

The daughter of a long line of community organizer-activists, Leah represents the fifth consecutive generation of clergypersons in the Daughtry family. A native of Brooklyn, New York, she is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Wesley Theological Seminary

Housing Crisis Keynote

Congressman Jamie Raskin

Congressman Jamie Raskin proudly represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district includes Montgomery, Carroll, and Frederick Counties. Congressman Raskin was sworn into his third Term at the start of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021.

This is Rep. Raskin’s third term serving on the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the Committee on House Administration. This is his second term serving on the Rules Committee and the Coronavirus Select Subcommittee. He was also renamed Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Chair of the Rules Subcommittee on Expedited Procedures for the 117th Congress.

Prior to his time in Congress, Raskin was a three-term State Senator in Maryland, where he also served as the Senate Majority Whip. He earned a reputation for building coalitions in Annapolis to deliver a series of landmark legislative accomplishments. He was also a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law for more than 25 years. He authored several books, including the Washington Post best-seller Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People and the highly-acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About America’s Students, which has sold more than 50,000 copies.

Congressman Raskin is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Panel 1 – Reproductive Justice

Moderator – Joi Dean, NOW Young Feminist National Committee Co-Chair

Joi is an Orlando native studying marketing at Florida Atlantic University. Through her work as the President of the FAU National Organization for Women, she found a passion for activism and leadership. In 2019, Joi won the FAU Student Executive of the Year Award. She has seen the chapter grow exponentially over the last few years and has been lucky enough to serve as the Director of Collegiate NOW for the State of Florida assisting 6 college chapters. Joi is also the Co-Chair of NOW’s Young Feminist Task Force at a national level. Through her work with NOW, she has been lucky enough to receive some amazing opportunities such as speaking on a National Young Feminist Leadership panel, appearing on NPR podcasts, speaking on the Haitian Heritage Museum’s Women’s Equality Day panel, and leading diversity training for local organizations. She was also named the 2021 Activist of the Year by FAU’s Women’s Studies Department. Joi is also an executive board member of The American Marketing Association. Joi graduates in the fall and hopes to contribute her work in advocacy and uplift marginalized communities.

Chiquita Lockley, Producer and Director of Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility

Chiquita Lockley is the producer and director of the forthcoming documentary, Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility (OWN 2021). She is also the producer of the award-winning documentary Kunta Kinteh Island: Coming Home Without Shackles. She holds a BA in English from Spelman College and an MA in Film Studies from Emory University. She specializes in Live Event Production, providing creative direction and VFX design for: BET Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, Good Morning America, Inauguration Gospel Concert, The Dove Awards, The Stellar Awards, Hank Aaron Chasing, The Dream Foundation, and production management for artists’ tours/events featuring: Tasha Cobbs (TCM), Matt Redman, William Murphy, Kierra Sheard, Fantasia, PJ Morton of Maroon 5, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Vashawn Mitchell, Anthony Brown, Jonathan McReynolds, Kirk Franklin, et al. Additionally, Chiquita develops strategies and produces commercials and branded content for a variety of companies, including Volkswagen. She also supports corporate activations as a Project Manager and Show Director for projects including Human Rights Campaign Annual Gala, Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Launch, and more. Most recently, she wrote and produced Fox Soul’s Kingz with Kosine, which featured guests such as Daymond John, Master P, Hebrew Brantley, Derek “Fonzworth Bentley” Watkins, Grant Hill, Van Lathan, Shaun King, et al.

She made her theatrical debut as the playwright of the musical Kandi Burruss & Todd Tucker Present: A Mother’s Love. Scenes from the musical, starring Kandi, Eddie Levert, Shirley Murdock, and Porsha Williams were featured on the season finale of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”.

Additionally, she served as the Director of the Holyfield Foundation, during Evander Holyfield’s reign as Heavyweight Champion of the World. She has worked with faith-based organizations like Impact United Methodist Church and consulted for nonprofit organizations for celebrity clients including Keshia Knight Pulliam, CNN’s Isha Sesay, Cynthia Bailey of RHOA, Jovita Moore, at al.

Having spent the last 15+ years working in Faith-based television and media, Chiquita authored the book Creative Worship: 86 Tips for Establishing a Dynamic Worship, Media & Production Team. She is also the author of the children’s book, Maggie Tales: Mommy, Where’s Heaven?, which seeks to demystify the Circle of Life for children and parents alike. She has the distinction of Goodwill Ambassador for the State of Georgia, awarded by former Secretary of State Cathy Cox. She currently resides in Atlanta, GA where she continues to give back by serving on the Boards of AIR Serenbe and Black Women Film Network, and as an advisor for the youth arts initiative, How Big Is Your Dream?

Cindy Luquin, Owner of Howl at the Womb

Cindy Luquin (pronounced Loo-keen) (pronouns: she/they) is a Certified Bilingual Sexual Health Expert and Owner of Howl at the Womb. She is a queer Salvadorian Guatemalan American woman who educates people and organizations through professional trainings on gender equity, comprehensive sex education, access to reproductive and sexual health care for all. Their values as a leader are founded on reproductive justice frameworks to contribute to the movement by destigmatizing the field and providing an avenue that prioritizes healthier conversations for people’s well-being.

Cindy, seen in Cosmopolitan, PopSugar, and Well + Good, is a trusted resource in all things gender, pleasure, and wellness.

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Farah Tanis, Co-Executive Director, Black Women’s Blueprint

A dynamic speaker, organizer, author and curator, Farah Tanis is one the ultimate movement makers. She is an international feminist and human rights activist who co-founded the Black Women’s Blueprint, which envisions a world where women and girls of African descent are fully empowered. She also curates of the Museum of Women’s Resistance, which examines the diversity, dynamism, and influence of women of African descent and women of color from the Global South. Among many other leadership roles, she is also a teacher and organizer in both the U.S. and the Caribbean and was a 2012 U.S. Human Rights Institute Fellow.

Panel 2 – Ending Barriers to Democracy: Voting Rights

Moderator – Quiana Dickenson, National NOW Political Director

Quiana Dickenson brings 10 plus years of experience in Arizona politics. Starting as the regional political director for Arizona List, serving as the Chair of the Arizona African American Caucus, and most recently as the political director for the Arizona Democratic Party. Quiana has worked closely with over 50 candidates and campaigns from local school boards to statewide campaigns. Quiana has spent years offering civic engagement, activist and advocacy training, and mentoring to individuals and groups around the state.

Quiana is highly skilled and trained in conflict resolution, mediation, community conflict management, communication, training, and public speaking. Quiana has worked with both for-profit and non-profit organizations, facilitated seminars for government agencies and officials, and is frequently called to advise in matters of effective communication and community conflict strategies. Quiana served as an adjunct instructor for Northern Arizona and many local and national institutions. She is a member of several local and national community service and advocacy organizations such as Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., NAACP, and the National Organization for Women. Most importantly, Quiana is a proud mother of three who are the reason she does this work.

LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter Fund

LaTosha Brown is an award-winning visionary thought leader, institution builder, Cultural Activist and Artist, and Connector. She is a nationally recognized, “go-to” expert in Black Voting Rights and Voter Suppression, Black Women’s Empowerment, and Philanthropy. Her voice is the nexus between the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and Black Lives Matter.“There is power in my voice! It is a divine gift that I use to connect different worlds. I bridge the philanthropy world to the grassroots community, traditional politics to grassroots politics, and practitioners to the scholarship of movement building.”

LaTosha is the Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. These initiatives are designed to boost Black voter registration and turnout, as well as increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities.

LaTosha is also the Visionary, Founder and Co-Anchor of a regional network called the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium. This is $100 million, 10-year initiative to invest in organizations that serve Black women and girls. The goal of the consortium is to create a new approach to philanthropy by allowing every component of the program, inception to execution, to be created by Black girls and women in the South.

Ms. Brown is also the 2020 Hauser Leader at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, the 2020 Leader in Practice at Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program, and a 2020-2021 American Democracy fellow at the Charles Warren Center at Harvard.

What’s Next?

LaTosha has worked in 23 different countries to include Kenya, Guyana, and Brazil. Her next mission involves resourcing and empowering women across the Diaspora. “I don’t want women to be seen as victims; they are the problem-solvers for the world. I am convinced that Black Women are going to liberate the world!”

Vanessa Gonzalez, Executive Vice President of Field and Member Services at LCCHR

Vanessa N. Gonzalez, MSW, MPA, most recently served as Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Strategy at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). In that work, she partnered with teams across the university to increase and strengthen outreach to communities of color and positively influence their higher education experience. Prior to that, Gonzalez served as the Director of Outreach and Engagement in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs for the U.S. Department of Education. Before serving in the Obama administration, Gonzalez was Director of Latino Leadership and Engagement for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and worked as a family and child therapist at Southwest Human Development Center in Phoenix, Arizona. She also served in the administration of former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, held various high-profile political campaign positions, and held the role of Communications Director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Gonzalez currently sits on the board of Inclusv, a nonprofit established to ensure that staff, consultants, and vendors of color are found at every professional level within advocacy, policy, and campaigns. She is also on the board of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the only national reproductive justice organization dedicated to advancing the health, dignity, and justice for the 26 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States. Gonzalez received her Bachelor’s degree from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas and her Master’s degree in social work and public administration from Arizona State University.

Rubén Lebrón, Voting Rights Director of Building Back Together

Rubén Lebrón is a community organizer and voting rights expert, with over a decade of experience in civic engagement, democracy reform, and electoral campaigns. He currently works as Voting Rights Director for Building Back Together – an organization formed by Senior Biden officials to advance the “Build Back Better” policy agenda of the Biden-Harris administration. Before this, he worked as Political Director for Alianza for Progress and as Arizona State Director and Nevada Deputy Organizing Director for the Pete Buttigieg presidential campaign. He is a proud alum of The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University.

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Panel 3 – Housing Crisis: Impact On Women and Families

Moderator – Shawna Tarboro, Advanced Holistic Development Coach, ALIGN Center for Spiritual Growth

Over the past 16 years, Shawna has been working in Fair Housing as an advocate and Fair housing law enforcement representative. Through covert testing, complaint processing, and grant management, she has built relationships with community organizations, and National as well as federal relationships. The core of her commitment, is the elevation of the community.

Addressing needs, and pushing for the value of human dignity we all deserve. Shawna is dedicated to the enlightenment of all people, and carrying as well as amplifying, the voices of the people, it in all aspects of life. Shawna is currently Deputy Director of the Arizona Fair Housing Center. She is an author, advocate, healer, and community organizer dedicated to her family and a better way of living for all regardless of personal characteristics.

Congressman Jamie Raskin

Congressman Raskin is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Renee M. Willis, Senior Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Renee M. Willis is NLIHC’s senior vice president for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. In this role, Renee works to ensure that NLIHC’s commitment to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion is woven through its culture, policies, programs, and practices. She also leads NLIHC’s intensified engagement of renters with low incomes and people with lived-experience with homelessness and housing instability. From June 2015 to September 2021, Renee served as NLIHC’s vice president for field and communications. In 2020, she served as a fellow with the Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Institute and joined a network of advocates working on race equity issues across the country.

Renee brings more than twenty years of experience in affordable housing, including establishing and leading successful community and region-wide initiatives. Renee has extensive experience in strategic planning, financial management, marketing, organizational development, staff management, and program operations. Renee previously served as housing services chief with Arlington County, Virginia; administrator of the Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs for Montgomery County, Maryland; and as advocate and manager for the Public Justice Center’s Tenant Advocacy Project. Renee earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Spanish from the University of Maryland. She also holds a Certificate in Public Management from George Washington University.

Donald Whitehead, National Coalition for the Homeless

Donald is recognized as one of the country’s leading experts on homelessness. Donald served as the Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Assistant Director at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Program Director at Ohio Valley Goodwill, Grant Manager at Goodwill of Greater Washington, and Director of Communications at Greenpeace Ohio. Donald served two terms as President of the board and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for the Homeless, two terms on the Board of Directors for Faces and Voices of Recovery, and two terms on the Georgetown Center for Cultural Competency.

Donald Served two terms on The State Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio, The State of Maryland Drug and Alcohol Policy Council, The Baltimore Ten Year Planning Committee to end Homelessness, The Cincinnati Continuum of Care Board, and Donald was one of only 100 advocates nationally to be invited to the first National Symposium on Homeless Research. Donald testified before committees in the 107th and 108th Congress. Donald along with members of the staff of the offices of Representatives John Conyers, Julie Carson, Barbara Lee and the staff of the National Coalition directed the creation and introduction of the “Bringing America Home Act the most comprehensive legislation to date to address homelessness in America. Donald has served on advisory committees for Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama. In 2005, Donald received a distinguished service award for his work on homelessness from the Congressional Black Caucus. Donald received a second award of Special Recognition from Congress in 2008. In 2011 Donald completed the prestigious American Express Leadership Academy.

Donald has been interviewed in the printed media, radio, and television on numerous occasions. Donald has been a featured guest on CBS News, ABC News, FOX TV, CNN, MSNBC, and many local stations. Radio appearances have included CBS Radio, NPR, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and local stations throughout the US along with stations in Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and Mexico. Donald has been a dinner guest of former President and Senator Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Donald majored in Communications at the City College of Chicago, The University of Cincinnati, and Union College and University in Ohio. Donald served as a Journalist in the United States Navy. On a personal note, Donald is a stand-up comedian and actor. Donald has performed in six movies, multiple commercials, stage plays, network television shows and has received a regional Emmy for a role in the movie Open the Sky”. Donald currently lives in Laurel Maryland with his beautiful wife Tracy Whitehead.

Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities

In this role, she works to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities.

Prior to this she served as the Director of the City of Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities where she advocated for the rights and needs of citizens with disabilities, served as a liaison between the mayor, city council, city departments, and other public and private entities on matters pertaining to people with disabilities in Houston, and established local and national partnerships to advance inclusion.

Maria is the former Senior Associate Director in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement where she managed the White House’s engagement with the disability community and older Americans. She also managed the place-based portfolio and coordinated engagement across Federal agencies. While at the White House, Town hosted an inclusive fashion show that highlighted the efforts of makers and designers to enhance disability integration. Prior to this, Town was a policy advisor at the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. While at ODEP, Town led and coordinated numerous efforts to improve employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities. She has particular expertise in areas of youth development and leadership and promoting college and career readiness for all youth. In addition to her disability policy work, Town is the creator of the popular CP Shoes blog where she writes about fashion, design, and disability. She was recently named to the Susan Daniel’s Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame and to the inaugural class of Emory University’s 40 Under 40. She hails from Louisiana, where her family still resides.