JENNIFER L. POZNER

Women and the Media: Images of Gender,
Race and Class in News and Entertainment

With humor, razor-sharp analysis and provocative clips from shows like The Bachelor, America’s Next Top Model, American Idol, Extreme Makeover and Flavor of Love, media critic Jennifer L. Pozner exposes how “reality” TV reinforces regressive stereotypes about women and men, race and class, and sex, love and marriage in America. She skewers the lack of ethnic and physical diversity in a genre where women are sold right alongside soda and cell phones, and reveals how reality TV glorifies eating disorders, derides female intelligence, demeans people of color, and reduces Prince Charming to any jerk with a firm butt and a firmer financial portfolio.

Students will never see dating, mating and makeover shows the same way again… and they will laugh—a lot!

RACHEL GRIFFIN

A Passionate Voice for Advocacy

Rachel has been actively involved in the movement to end violence against women for three years. While earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Central Michigan University (CMU), she became involved with the nationally recognized Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates (S.A.P.A.) overseen by Steve Thompson at CMU. As an advocate, Rachel had the opportunity to present numerous educational programs addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. She has spoken in front of audiences as small as 10 up to audiences as large as 1,000.

MARY LIGHTFINE: NURSE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Macedonia - Mary Lightfine has spent over ten years living and working in countries ravaged by war and disaster. In 1999 she was among those distinguished members of Doctors Without Borders to have been honored with the Nobel Peace prize. Her stories will amaze and (hopefully) inspire you.

MAXINE MAXWELL

Maxine Maxwell weaves in and out of history to explore the turning points in the lives of five African women of remarkable strength and courage. Each character comes complete with a concise background narrative along with subtle costume pieces to set the stage. This dramatic performance takes a look at what it has been like to be black and female over the past 150 years.

ETHLIE ANN VARE

Forgotten Women and Their Unforgettable Ideas

In this light-hearted, slide-illustrated presentation, award-winning author of Mothers of Invention, and Patently Female Ethlie Ann Vare introduces you to the women behind inventions from the cotton gin to the Barbie doll.

ERIN KAMLER

In this one-hour talk, writer and feminist speaker Erin Kamler will take the audience on a journey through her experience working as a stripper at Runway Sixty-Nine, one of New York City's most controversial strip clubs, during the mid-1990's.

CAMILLE CELLUCCI

Making Movie Magic & Total Immersion
Don't Just Put Your Toe In The Water, Dive Into Your Life

Titanic? The Abyss? Reign of Fire? Matrix 2 & 3? Let Camille Cellucci, Jim Cameron's Visual Effects Producer for Titanic, take you on a journey through Hollywood's most stunning visual effects. Her stories are fascinating and inspirational, full of wonder and life's lessons.

PHOEBE ENG

Cultural Fluency: Creating Dialogues that Lead to Change

Join award-winning author and strategist Phoebe Eng as she describes the phenomenon of "cultural fluency," the ability to understand, and be understood, across perceived boundaries and among many communities. Eng will demonstrate how the ability to be "fluent" will be critically important to leaders in a world where borders of all kinds are disappearing. She will show you how policy, program goals, and definitions of leadership change when we truly embrace the fundamentals of "fluency."

ALINA FERNANDEZ

Alina Fernandez is the exiled daughter of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. In 1993, with a fake passport and under heavy makeup and many layers of clothing, she escaped with her daughter to Spain. Recently Ms. Fernandez moved to Miami where she hosts a nightly radio show. The topics she discusses range from Cuban music to Cuban culture, but most prevalent is Cuban politics, specifically her opposition to Castro's regime. Ms. Fernandez is the author of Castro's Daughter, an autobiography and history of Alina's relationship with her estranged father.