Dr. Catherine Steiner
Adair, Clinical Instructor in the Department
of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has
written and spoken extensively on the prevention
of eating disorders in girls and other issues
related to girl's development. She is the former
Director of Education, Prevention, and Outreach
at the Harvard Eating Disorders Center.
Jenny Amory is the Executive Director of Women Express/Teen Voices, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote social and economic justice by empowering teenage and young adult women. She oversees a highly acclaimed journalism mentoring program for girls in Boston. Her program produces Teen Voices magazine, a national publication with over 60,000 readers, including teens, parents, and educators, and a website that last year welcomed 120,000 visitors.
Martha Coakley,
Middlesex County District Attorney, represents
one-quarter of the state’s population,
including the Boston metropolitan area. She is
a strong advocate of prevention and school safety
programs and has instituted many innovative initiatives
to help kids before they get in trouble. Martha
has taken leadership on issues of child abuse
and domestic violence. Her office has instituted
special education programs and community roundtables
on domestic violence and is committed to swift,
fair investigation of family violence cases.
Throughout her career, Martha has focused on
protecting women and girls from dangers and giving
them the tools they need to make healthy decisions.
Patricia Gray is the Executive
Director of The Food Project. Since 1991, The Food Project
has engaged young people in personal and social change through
sustainable agriculture. Each year, they work with over
one hundred teens and thousands of volunteers to farm on
31 acres in Lincoln and on several lots in Boston. In doing
so, they help identify and transform a new generation of
leaders by placing teens in responsible positions, with
deeply meaningful work.
Razia Jan
Razia Jan proves that one person can make a huge difference
in the lives of many. Razia came to the United States 37
years ago from Afghanistan and has made extraordinary efforts
to help struggling children in Afghanistan. As part of the
US-led Operation Shoe Fly, she collected and sent more than
30,000 pairs of shoes to orphanages in her native country.
After the overthrow of the Taliban, Razia recognized the
need for a new school building in Kabul specifically to
educate young girls. She is raising the funds necessary
to build a school for girls who have previously been denied
educational opportunities.
Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D.,
is internationally recognized for her pioneering work on
alcohol and tobacco advertising and the image of women in
advertising. Her films, slide lectures, and television appearances
have been seen by millions of people throughout the world.
Jean has served as an advisor to the Surgeon General and
has testified for the U.S. Congress. She has received numerous
awards, including the Myra Sadker Equity Award and awards
from the Academy for Eating Disorders, the Entertainment
Industries Council, and the National Council on Alcoholism.
Jeanne Kuespert,
President of the Junior League of Boston, has
spent thousands of volunteer hours enhancing
the development of adolescent girls. She has
been a tutor in the Boston Public Schools, volunteered
at a teen shelter, mentored and taught life skills
to young mothers, and co-developed “The
Leader Within,” an experiential and academic
program for adolescent girls to promote their
natural strengths, leadership skills, and self-esteem.
Nancy L. Leaming,
President and CEO of Tufts Health Plan, is committed
to helping girls and women and supporting the
community. Leading a company recognized for work-life
balance where more than 40% of top management
is female, she sponsored the Volunteer Time benefit
that gives all employees eight paid week-day
hours a year to do community service, including
school volunteering. She created the company’s
Community Partnerships program that provides
grants to groups supporting teen mental health,
low-income at-risk women and infants, and elders.
Dr. Patricia Hardiman
Long, advocate, teacher, lawyer, and mediator,
has spent her professional career working to
improve the lives of at-risk and special needs
children and teens. Starting as a speech therapist
and learning disability/special needs teacher,
Dr. Long directed an adult literacy program for
parents and teens, volunteered at Brighton High
School, and was the founder of The Henry Buckner
School, an early childhood development school
in Cambridge. In addition, she has taught and
directed programs on the university level. Dr.
Long currently works as an independent mediator,
helping clients resolve disputes through non-litigious
methods.
Judy McCarthy,
Manager for Commonworks in the Metro Region,
has almost 40 years experience serving children
in the child welfare system. She is a well-known
advocate, trainer and consultant, and serves
as a leading voice for children in residential
treatment.
Shiela Moore,
Executive Director of Casa Myrna Vasquez, has
a 16-year career addressing the health needs
of women, children, and underserved populations,
especially battered women and their children.
Casa Myrna is New England's largest organization
dedicated to ending domestic violence through
intervention and prevention.
Diane Patrick
First Lady of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Diane Patrick
has an impressive record of distinguished professional and
public service. A lawyer, teacher, and mother, Mrs. Patrick
has dedicated herself to various causes. She has served as
a volunteer member of the Commonwealth's Foster Care Review
Unit, President of the Board of the Brookline Infant Toddler
Center, Trustee and Director for Arts Boston, Trustee for
the Brigham & Women's Hospital, and Overseer at Children's
Hospital Boston, among others. She will work closely with
the Governor to focus attention on early childhood education
and domestic violence issues.
Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, is a nationally recognized public health leader. As a physician working in Boston, she broke new ground with her efforts to have youth violence defined as a public health problem, not just a criminal justice issue. In 1987, Governor Dukakis appointed her as the first woman Commissioner of Public Health in Massachusetts. In that role, she established the first Office of Violence Prevention as a state department of public health, expanded prevention programs for HIV/AIDS and increased drug treatment and rehabilitation programs. Deborah is a chief spokesperson for a national movement to prevent violence and a frequent speaker in national media and public forums. She has authored and/or co-authored over 80 publications on medical and public health.
Marylou Sudders,
Executive Director of Massachusetts Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, has a
long career in mental health beginning as a mental
health coordinator for the Beaverbrook and Concord
areas where she planned and monitored the area
mental health systems. She was Commissioner of
Mental Health in Massachusetts for seven years.
In this role, she oversaw the public mental health
system in the state, providing services to more
than 24,000 adults with serious mental illness
and children with serious emotional disturbances.
At MSPCC, the largest non-profit in the state,
Marylou oversees a variety of services, including
child abuse and intervention programs, mental
health treatment; and adoption.
Barbara Talkov
has more than 25 years experience working with, and on behalf
of, children and their families. She is currently the Executive
Director of the Children's League of Massachusetts, a statewide
association of more than 60 private and public organizations
working together to improve public policies affecting children,
youth and their families. CLM is one of the most influential
voices for children and families on Beacon Hill, and has
been successful in advocating for essential services for
children and families in the Commonwealth.
Susan Wayne, LICSW, has
been the Chief Executive of Justice Resource Institute since
1979, serving children and adults whose physical, emotional
or learning related disability require specialized support
and treatment. She previously served as Deputy Commissioner
of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, Deputy
Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Community
Affairs, and Director of Program and Staff Development at
the New York State Urban Development Corporation. Under
Susan's leadership, JRI has grown to be one of the state's
largest and most diverse human service providers.
Martella Wilson-Taylor,
President and CEO of YWCA Boston, has expanded the YWCA
Boston’s long-standing tradition of delivering programs
and services that promote gender equity and racial justice
for women and their families. The YWCA offers programs and
services that focus on safe and affordable housing, health
and wellness, and youth leadership and development, reaching
over 10,000 women and their families each year. Under Marti’s
leadership, the YWCA Boston is in the forefront of efforts
to ensure that all women and girls have the opportunity
to lead healthy, creative lives.
Stephanie Alves and Dalida Rocha,
co-founders of GRLZ Radio, met with Mayor Menino and asked
to have a voice in their community that would empower young
women, boost their self-esteem and create a more positive
image of young women. Out of that meeting, GRLZ Radio was
born. GRLZ Radio's target population is teenage girls between
the ages of 12 and 19. The station broadcasts daily on AM540
with all aspects of the production, programming and on-air
activities orchestrated by the girls themselves.
Louise Davis co-founded
Peer Health Exchange as a student at Yale University and
currently serves as its Executive Director. PHE works with
high schools that lack health education and in which the
majority of the students live at or below the poverty level.
PHE recruits, selects, and trains college student volunteers
to teach high school students a comprehensive health curriculum.
By applying outside of the classroom the skills they learn
in PHE workshops, high school students can make informed
decisions that will help them stay and excel in school,
join and remain part of the workforce, and become healthy
adults capable of producing healthy families.
Meagan Gallagher, Chief
Operating Officer of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts,
oversees the management of one of the largest Planned Parenthoods
in the country. She supervises Planned Parenthood's three
clinic sites across the state, offering comprehensive reproductive
healthcare services to thousands of women in Massachusetts.
Whitney Retallic is the
Director of Youth and Student Programs at Pine Manor College.
Whitney leads a variety of leadership programs for middle
and high school students throughout the Northeast. These
programs empower girls to create positive change in their
schools by reaching out to include all voices, especially
those that might have been neglected in the past. She also
conducts leadership conferences at the College for high
school girls to help girls develop problem solving and peer
leadership skills.
Kerry Brady Seitz
is the Project Coordinator of the Teen Prostitution Prevention
Project, a ground breaking partnership of law enforcement
agencies, social service providers, and other organizations
that have joined together to help girls exploited through
prostitution. Partnering in this effort are more than 30
community-based and government agencies. In its first two
years, TPPP identified and aided over 100 exploited girls
and trained over 200 multi-agency professionals, increasing
the capacity to empower girls to leave the street and to
target those who exploit them.Laurie
Stolarz is a local author of young adult literature.
Her highly acclaimed four book Blue is for Nightmares series
has sold over 250,000 copies and has been translated into
four different languages. The first two books in her series
were nominated for the Top Ten Teen Pick through the American
Library Association for 2004.
Alison Vaughan, Executive
Director of Tutoring Plus of Cambridge, provides one-on-one
tutoring and mentoring for low-income and at-risk youth
in grades one through twelve in Cambridge. All programs
are staffed by volunteers and are offered free of charge
to all interested children and youth. The students in their
programs attend thirteen different schools during the day
and reflect the diversity of Cambridge's neighborhoods.
Mariama White-Hammond is
the Executive Director of Project HIP-HOP: Highways in the
Past; History, Organizing, Power. Project HIP-HOP is a youth-led
organization that provides opportunities for young people
to gain leadership skills and experiences. Project HIP-HOP
uses hip-hop culture and hands-on education as tools for
engaging young people. Mariama has inspired thousands of
young people to find their passion and get involved in their
community.
