BERNICE A. KING - THE KING CENTER
Bernice A. King is the Chief Executive Officer of The King Center, which was founded by her mother in 1968. Nationally and internationally known as one of the most powerful, motivating and life-changing orators and speakers on the circuit today, Bernice leaves her audiences speechless and challenges people to RAISE THE STANDARD. Born the youngest daughter of the late Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bernice began her oratorical journey when she spoke in her mother’s stead at the United Nations at age 17. Bernice is a graduate of Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Law Degrees from Emory University
Senator nan orrock
Nan got her start in politics through the Civil Rights Movement. She stepped into the Movement when she stepped into the streets on Aug. 28, 1963 to join the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. She went on to work for SNCC in Atlanta and Mississippi, led a community civil rights project in Virginia's Black Belt counties, helped launch an alternative newspaper and joined women's empowerment efforts in Atlanta. Before running for office, she worked seventeen years for Nabisco and was active in the Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Union.
LAURA TURNER SEYDEL
Laura Turner Seydel is an international environmental advocate and eco-living expert dedicated to creating a healthy and sustainable future for our children. Laura is chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation which promotes hands-on environmental education projects worldwide. She works with the Environmental Working Group to limit the toxic chemicals in food, air, water and consumer products. She also co-founded Mothers and Others for Clean Air and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Laura serves on her family’s foundation boards including The Turner Foundation, Jane Smith Turner Foundation, the Turner Endangered Species Fund, and Ted’s Montana Grill. She also serves on national boards including League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, Waterkeeper Alliance, the Carter Center Board of Councilors, as well as serving on the advisory board for the Green Schools Alliance and Ray C. Anderson Foundation. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Downtown Atlanta. Laura lives with her husband and her three children in their home, EcoManor, the first LEED certified Gold residence in the southeastern United States.
natosha reid - ebenezer baptist church
Reverend Natosha Reid Rice is a mother, a wife, an ordained minister, inspirational speaker, writer and a real estate attorney committed to using all of her gifts to serve God for “such a time as this.” Rev. Rice has been in ministry for over 17 years and has led women’s ministries at churches in Boston, MA, St. Louis, MO and Atlanta, GA. She has recently founded Fresh Rain for Life Ministries, a non-denominational ministry that provides a “sanctuary for women in the midst of life” through worship services, bible studies, workshops, and mission outreach. Currently, Rev. Rice serves as an Associate Pastor and leads the Women’s Ministries, at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition, Rev. Rice is also the Associate General Counsel for Real Estate and Finance at Habitat for Humanity International. Rev. Rice currently serves as Chair of the Board for Georgia Women for a Change, a Georgia non-profit organization that promotes progressive public policy to benefit women and girls in their communities. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Invest Atlanta’s Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc. which is a community development entity that seeks to spur job creation, economic development and neighborhood revitalization in under-served parts of the City of Atlanta. Rev. Rice is also a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2014.
Rev. Rice received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Government with honors from Harvard/Radcliffe College.
In addition, Rev. Rice is also the Associate General Counsel for Real Estate and Finance at Habitat for Humanity International. Rev. Rice currently serves as Chair of the Board for Georgia Women for a Change, a Georgia non-profit organization that promotes progressive public policy to benefit women and girls in their communities. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Invest Atlanta’s Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc. which is a community development entity that seeks to spur job creation, economic development and neighborhood revitalization in under-served parts of the City of Atlanta. Rev. Rice is also a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2014.
Rev. Rice received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Government with honors from Harvard/Radcliffe College.
KARIN RYAN - CARTER CENTER
Senior Project Advisor, Human Rights Program. The Carter Center
Ms. Ryan works with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter on a range of issues, including assisting their efforts on behalf of victims of human rights violations through personal interventions with heads of state. She has represented the Center in many international negotiations, including the International Criminal Court, the human rights of women, the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and most recently on the establishment of a U.N. Human Rights Council and has worked closely with the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize expert consultations designed to strengthen the role of the OHCHR within the United Nations system. She has participated in the Center's election observation missions to Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. She has also coordinated the Human Rights Defenders Policy Forum from 2003-2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2013 whose aim is to support those on the front lines of the struggle for human rights and democracy all over the world.
Ms. Ryan works with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter on a range of issues, including assisting their efforts on behalf of victims of human rights violations through personal interventions with heads of state. She has represented the Center in many international negotiations, including the International Criminal Court, the human rights of women, the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and most recently on the establishment of a U.N. Human Rights Council and has worked closely with the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize expert consultations designed to strengthen the role of the OHCHR within the United Nations system. She has participated in the Center's election observation missions to Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. She has also coordinated the Human Rights Defenders Policy Forum from 2003-2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2013 whose aim is to support those on the front lines of the struggle for human rights and democracy all over the world.
Stephanie Davis - georgia women for a change
Stephanie Davis is the executive director of Georgia Women for a Change, a non-profit public policy institute with a gender lens, that represents Georgia activists on issues across a spectrum of issues including health care, economic justice and challenging violence against women and girls. Georgia Women has introduced legislation to combat human trafficking and institute flexible sick leave
policy. Davis served as the first Policy Advisor on Women’s Issues to Mayor Shirley Franklin where she coordinated the “Dear John” campaign to end child prostitution in Atlanta.
policy. Davis served as the first Policy Advisor on Women’s Issues to Mayor Shirley Franklin where she coordinated the “Dear John” campaign to end child prostitution in Atlanta.
Mary frances bowley - wellspring living
Mary Frances Bowley is the President and Founder of Wellspring Living and has been a leader in the fight against child sex-trafficking since 2001. Mary Frances is a founding member of the Governor's Task Force for CSEC Victims and was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Domestic Violence in 2010. She has recieved the Martin Luther King Community Service Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Community Service Award, the Soroptimist Ruby Award, and the Drop Dead Gorgeous Lifetime Achievement Award. Mary Frances is on the Advisory Council for Shared Hope international and Abolition International. Under her leadership, Wellspring Living shares expertise through their mentoring program with a variety of visionaries and non-profits combating the issue of the sexual exploitation of children.
KATRINA OWENS - MPOWER GIRLS
Having been exploited in the commercial sex industry as a teenager in Atlanta and New York, Katrina Owens impacts the lives of CSEC youth still trapped in ‘the life’ or those who struggle with its after-effects. MPower empowers girls & young women affected by Commercial Sexual Exploitation through awareness, mentoring, and social enterprise. Founder, Restaurateur, and Entrepreneur, Katrina Owens is nationally recognized as an expert of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
As a Restaurateur and Entrepreneur, Katrina has partnered in numerous ventures employing survivors, and currently, manages a fine dining establishment grossing over $1.8 million annually. She has used her experience and expertise to create opportunities for survivors, giving them a reflection of the possibilities beyond their trauma.She has appeared on CNN, MTV, Washington Times, and other media outlets. Having worked with such organizations as Georgia Care Connection, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, GEMS, and Wellspring, Katrina has made a commitment to create environments and support systems for victims transitioning beyond their circumstances; from victims to survivors to leaders.
As a Restaurateur and Entrepreneur, Katrina has partnered in numerous ventures employing survivors, and currently, manages a fine dining establishment grossing over $1.8 million annually. She has used her experience and expertise to create opportunities for survivors, giving them a reflection of the possibilities beyond their trauma.She has appeared on CNN, MTV, Washington Times, and other media outlets. Having worked with such organizations as Georgia Care Connection, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, GEMS, and Wellspring, Katrina has made a commitment to create environments and support systems for victims transitioning beyond their circumstances; from victims to survivors to leaders.
Jan Christiansen - georgia coalition against domestic violence
Jan is the Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV), and has been with the organization since 2009. She has worked in the domestic violence movement for almost twenty years. Previous to coming to GCADV, Jan was the Executive Director of Women Helping Battered Women, the largest domestic violence program in Vermont, and has many years of domestic violence work experience in Florida including serving as the founding Executive Director for Micah’s Place, the certified DV center serving Nassau County, Florida. Jan has spoken at the local, state, national and international levels.
ULESTER DOUGLAS - MEN STOPPING VIOLENCE
Ulester Douglas is the Interim Director of Men Stopping Violence, a native of St. Kitts, has extensive and specialized training in working with individuals, families and communities affected by violence. In addition to his work at Men Stopping Violence, Ulester is a licensed psychotherapist with an independent practice in metro Atlanta. Ulester was honored by Lifetime Television for Women and the National Network to End Domestic Violence in 2003, and in 2012 by The Ford Motor Company, for his work to end violence against women. He has also received numerous awards including the National District Attorneys Association’s Stephen L. Von Riesen Lecturer of Merit Award in 2010, and the National Black Herstory Task Force’s Comrade Salute Award in 2004. He has been interviewed by several local, national and international media including CNN, HLN, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Al Sharpton Show, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta’s V103.
Ulester has provided consultation, training and keynote addresses in forty states and the Caribbean. He was also a member of the MSV delegation invited to Great Britain by the British Home Office to share its expertise in engaging men to end violence against women. He has authored and co-authored curriculum and published articles on male violence against women, and has been interviewed by national and local media including CNN, PBS, HLN, The Tom Joyner
Ulester has provided consultation, training and keynote addresses in forty states and the Caribbean. He was also a member of the MSV delegation invited to Great Britain by the British Home Office to share its expertise in engaging men to end violence against women. He has authored and co-authored curriculum and published articles on male violence against women, and has been interviewed by national and local media including CNN, PBS, HLN, The Tom Joyner
Elise Witt and the global village project chorus
The Global Village Project (GVP) is a school in Decatur GA for teenage refugee girls from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia, and Central African Republic. GVP has an arts-integrated curriculum, focusing especially on singing, to help students learn English, write songs about academic subjects and their experience as new Americans. Singing empowers them to speak out, and to become leaders in their local and global community. The Global Village Chorus will be singing Elise's "Break the Silence," which was written for OBR. It is a powerful piece of music that involves the audience in a call and response song form, as well as dancing in Sign Language. They will also get everyone on their feet with a South African Freedom Song - "Freedom is Coming," with luscious, multi-layered harmonies.
Anna Swaray Originally from Sierra Leone, Anna has lived in England and Canada, before settling in Atlanta. She is a jazz singer and choral director, and is the founder of the soon to be formed Atlanta Community Chorus.
Sara Hodge Sara is a music, movement, and drama specialist, who has taught for many years at the Atlanta Friends School. She recently spent 2 years teaching English in Ecuador, and is trained in non-violent communication and responsive social curriculum.
Anna Swaray Originally from Sierra Leone, Anna has lived in England and Canada, before settling in Atlanta. She is a jazz singer and choral director, and is the founder of the soon to be formed Atlanta Community Chorus.
Sara Hodge Sara is a music, movement, and drama specialist, who has taught for many years at the Atlanta Friends School. She recently spent 2 years teaching English in Ecuador, and is trained in non-violent communication and responsive social curriculum.
Becky Rafter - georgia wand
Becky Rafter has been advocating that exponentially higher resources be invested in the US south, the global south and communities advancing equity and justice. Becky became the executive director of Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions (Georgia WAND) in May 2013. Prior to that, she has held leadership positions within Funding Exchange, Research Center for Leadership in Action, Fund for Southern Communities and NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia. She has served as a working member of the Research Board of the NYC Participatory Budgeting Campaign, the Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Brooklyn, the Feminist Women’s Health Center, the local host fundraising committee for the inaugural 2007 United States Social Forum in Atlanta and several other entities. Becky is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s L.E.A.D. program and Project South’s Building a Movement Institute.
monica simpson - sistersong
The mission of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective is to amplify and strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive justice through securing human rights. SisterSong is comprised of 80 local, regional and national grassroots organizations in the United States representing five primary ethnic populations/indigenous nations in the United States: Native American/Indigenous, Black/African American, Latina/Puerto Rican, Arab American/Middle Eastern, and Asian/Pacific Islander, as well as white allies and men. The Collective was formed in 1997 to fulfill a need for a national movement by women of color to organize our voices to represent ourselves and our communities. SisterSong educates women of color on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, and works towards the access of health services, information and resources that are culturally and linguistically appropriate through the integration of the disciplines of community organizing, Self-Help and human rights education.Monica Raye Simpson Interim Executive Director of Sister Song
BONITA LACY - HEALING HEARTS FAMILIES USA
Ms. Lacy is a mother of two adult daughters whom she attributes as the inspiration for being the founder and director of Healing Hearts of Families USA Ministries Inc, a non-profit organization serving families in crisis due to domestic violence, homelessness and/or incarceration. The organization mission is to have children in families and communities which are healthy, whole and stable. She spent fifteen years as a small business owner of CSG Contemporary Services Group-providing structuring small business, and providing community assessments, compliance related services, and contracting with (HUD) providing technical assistance for programs serving low income families working with framework of welfare to work, drug elimination and housing to homeownership programs, offered recommendations for policy changes to raise individuals and families out of poverty and public housing. She is an adjunct instructor of domestic violence prevention certified through Homeland Security, a certified housing specialist through Neighbor Works a national housing agency.
She survived an abusive husband and seven years in the federal prison system. After her release she was led to support and fight for the prevention of women going to prison and the rebinding of moms with their children. She became a member and organizer for "Women On The Rise" a membership based advocacy organization dedicated to fighting for justice, dignity and liberation for all women especially those who are formerly incarcerated or targeted by the criminal legal system. The members of Women On the Rise is committed to educating, healing and mentoring ourselves one another and our communities as we organize to demand the deep changed needed in the criminal legal system. For Georgia it is our mission is to reduce the number of women incarcerated in Georgia prisons and jails by 50%.
She survived an abusive husband and seven years in the federal prison system. After her release she was led to support and fight for the prevention of women going to prison and the rebinding of moms with their children. She became a member and organizer for "Women On The Rise" a membership based advocacy organization dedicated to fighting for justice, dignity and liberation for all women especially those who are formerly incarcerated or targeted by the criminal legal system. The members of Women On the Rise is committed to educating, healing and mentoring ourselves one another and our communities as we organize to demand the deep changed needed in the criminal legal system. For Georgia it is our mission is to reduce the number of women incarcerated in Georgia prisons and jails by 50%.
HELEN BUTLER-COALITION FOR THE PEOPLE'S AGENDA
Helen serves as Executive Director of the Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, an advocacy organization comprised of representatives from the human rights, civil rights, environmental, labor, women, young professionals, youth, elected officials, peace and justice groups throughout the State of Georgia and other southeastern states, convened by Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. She joined the Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda in 2003 as the State Director and was able to increase the membership of the organization to over sixty statewide and local organizations as well as, promote collaborative issue campaign organizing activities throughout Georgia, nationally and in the southeastern region.
ADELINA NICHOLLS - GEORGIA LATINO ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (GLAHR)
Adelina Nicholls has been a co-Founder and President of the Coordinating Council of Latino Community Leaders of Atlanta, where for the several years all her efforts it has been dedicated in the defense of Immigrants civil and human rights, and at the same time she, has been a provider of workshops of Grassroots Community Organizing and Leadership statewide. She has been the campaign coordinator of signatures statewide requesting driving licenses to the former Governor Roy Barnes, and more than 30,000 signatures were delivered to Governor’s Office. She was a lead Organizer of the First Latino March for Dignity in Georgia, where more than 5000 people gather in demand of driver’s licenses at the occasion of the Freedom Ride arrival to Atlanta.
Activist and Latino Outreach, recently as a spokesperson and co-organizer of the March 17 Alliance (Alianza 17 de Marzo), for Immigration reform that gather more than 70 thousand people on April 10, 2006. Since 2007 she has worked as the Executive Director of Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, where she has dedicated all efforts in defense of Immigrants civil and human rights. She continues working Grassroots Community Organizing and developing Latino Leadership Statewide.
For her constant work on for human rights, she received the ACLU Georgia Civil Rights Award for 2008.
2012 she received the Mundo Hispánico award for “Best Organization of the Year”
Activist and Latino Outreach, recently as a spokesperson and co-organizer of the March 17 Alliance (Alianza 17 de Marzo), for Immigration reform that gather more than 70 thousand people on April 10, 2006. Since 2007 she has worked as the Executive Director of Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, where she has dedicated all efforts in defense of Immigrants civil and human rights. She continues working Grassroots Community Organizing and developing Latino Leadership Statewide.
For her constant work on for human rights, she received the ACLU Georgia Civil Rights Award for 2008.
2012 she received the Mundo Hispánico award for “Best Organization of the Year”
