DOWD Conference
Keynote Speakers
Opening Plenary: Mike Barber and Warden Burl Cain
Landmark Ballroom ABC - First Level
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
8:30 - 10:30 am
In 1976 Mike Barber was the first draft choice of the Houston Oilers. During his 10-year NFL career, Mike played for the Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and the Los Angeles Rams (now the St. Louis Rams). He still holds the record for both teams for the most receptions by a tight end in one season. What makes Mike special today is not just what he did as a ball player, but what he does with his time now. Upon his retirement from the NFL in 1986, he and his wife DeAnne responded to God's call into full-time prison ministry. Since January, 1987 the Barbers have been in prisons all across the country, hosting crusades known as "Weekends of Excitement". Mike considers the greatest team he has ever played with to be the team that goes into the prisons with him to "PRO-CLAIM liberty to the captives". The fastest growing industry in America today is the prison industry, but Mike and DeAnne Barber and their team are seeing first-hand that Jesus Christ is truly making a difference! Their son "BB" now heads up our ministry to the youth. Still involved in athletics, his goal is to help steer today's youth in a positive direction, thereby keeping them out of trouble. The Barbers' philosophy is "If we can get to them now, we can avoid the painful experience of seeing them when we minister behind prison walls."
Burl Cain is the Warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary, Louisiana's largest maximum security prison. Once known as the "Bloodiest Prison in America," under Warden Cain's leadership it has become one of the safest, most secure and progressive maximum security prisons in the nation. Warden Cain has thirty-two years experience with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. He serves as a correctional consultant, and is an internationally known expert in his field. He possesses a Bachelors degree from Louisiana State University, and a Masters degree from Grambling State University. In October, 2001, Warden Cain passed the exam to become a Certified Corrections Executive (CCE) of the American Correctional Association. He was also selected as Warden of the Year in 2003 by the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, and he and Angola are the subjects of a 2005 book, Cain's Redemption, (written by Attorney and Journalist, Dennis Shere). As Warden of the nation's largest "Lifer" and maximum security prison, he has implemented innovative and constructive programs for the inmates under his charge that have managed to encourage hope in this seemingly "hopeless" environment. Since his tenure at LSP, he has founded the LSP Bible College (Angola Branch of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary), 6 Chapels, LSP Museum, KLSP TV Station, established an award winning Hospice Program, expanded the world famous prison rodeo and arts & crafts show, overseen a widely respected, self-sustaining agricultural system and obtained release from one of the longest prison Court Ordered Consent Decree in US history.
Bishop Eugene Tanniehill is a 7th grade dropout convicted in 1960 in Louisiana at the age of 20 of murder during an armed robbery. Incarcerated for almost a half a century at Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary, longer than any other inmate, he witnessed for years a violent, terrorizing prison environment, was an inmate guard in the early years, later became a born-again Christian, and "Bishop" of the church in the prison. Then, in August 2007, he gained his freedom after Gov. Kathleen Blanco commuted his life sentence at the recommendation of the state board of pardons and parole. Tanniehill was released into the custody of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, where he hopes to help deter young men from becoming involved in crime. He's been there since his release, and speaks and preaches to many groups. He was the subject of the 1999 and then again 2009 National Geographic Documentaries about the experiences in the Angola Louisiana Prison. It is the largest maximum security state prison in the U.S., and for years was one of the most violent until the reforms brought on by Warden Burl Cain, his staff, and then the inmates themselves.
Second Plenary: Elisabeth Sanders Park
Landmark Ballroom ABC - First Level
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
8:45 - 9:45 am
Elisabeth Sanders Park has a passion and proven talent for taking career development to people at all levels, especially those with significant barriers. For more than 15 years she has served and influenced the field of career development as a career professional, the President of WorkNet Solutions, a highly-sought trainer, and co-author of "No One Is Unemployable," the WorkNet Model of Career Development for People with Barriers, and the WorkNet curriculum. In her work she has trained more than 20,000 service providers and impacted nearly a million lives across the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.
Third Plenary: Moderator: Representative Danny Davis; Panelists: Roy Brooks; Dee Wilson; and Vicki Turetsky
Landmark Ballroom AB - First Level
Thursday, April 8, 2010
10:15-11:15 am
Danny K. Davis was chosen by the people of the 7th Congressional District of Illinois as their Representative in Congress on November 5, 1996. He has been re-elected by large majorities to succeeding Congresses, most recently to the 111th Congress on November 7, 2008. In the 111th Congress, Representative Davis serves on the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Congressman Davis a Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Co-Chairman of the Community Health Centers Caucus, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Sugar Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, the India Caucus, the Steel Caucus, the Art Caucus and the Hellenic Caucus to name a few. Congressman Davis has distinguished himself as an articulate voice for his constituents and as an effective legislator able to move major bills to passage despite his relative lack of seniority. His initiative to quadruple The Access To Jobs Program funding in the 105th Congress and his Bipartisan American Community Renewal Act and New Markets Initiative in the 106th Congress, designed to bring investment and jobs to economically impacted communities are examples of his successes. Other major legislative successes include the Suicide Prevention Act, The Sickle Cell Anemia Prevention and Treatment Act and the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. In the 110th Congress, Davis introduced legislation to facilitate the return of ex-offenders to the community-at-large: the Second Chance Act. This legislation was signed into law on April 9, 2008.
Roy C. Brooks, Tarrant County Commissioner, has had a long career in Public Affairs. He served for 14 years, as Precinct Administrator for Tarrant County, Precinct One. Additionally, he served three terms (six years) on the City Council for the City of Forest Hill, during which time he served as Mayor Pro Tem for four years. Commissioner Brooks has embraced four initiatives in his first term as County Commissioner. Those include: Homeless Services including Healthcare for the Homeless--create a well informed, comprehensive and efficient strategy for making homelessness a one-time, short-term, non-recurring event in the lives of our citizens; Health Disparities--a Tarrant County Public Health initiative to reduce the "health gap" affecting communities of color in Tarrant County; Prisoner Re-entry--raise awareness around ex-offender reentry issues, provide skill building resources, equip volunteers with specialized knowledge and training to mentor offenders and children whose parents are incarcerated, provide services to disruptive and violent youth, and foster relationships between law enforcement and community; and E-Government--responding to the issues affecting the electronic delivery of government services and assist county and local agencies to achieve more Internet and customer-oriented delivery of services. Commissioner Brooks will establish partnerships with community groups to develop his four initiatives. His wife, Dr. Jennifer Giddings Brooks is Director of the Center for Urban Education at Texas Christian University. They have two children, Royce, a practicing attorney in Washington, DC; and Marion, a third-year law student at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dee Wilson, Deputy Director, Texas Department of CJ/Reentry, Workforce Development, and Mentally Ill Division. Dee Wilson is the Director of the Reentry and Integration Division (RID) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Prior to her recent appointment as the RID Director, she served as the Director of the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical and Mental Impairments (TCOOMMI) since 1987. During that time, Ms. Wilson has been actively involved in policy, legislative, and program initiatives for offenders with mental illnesses, mental retardation, and other special needs. In addition, she has served as a consultant to local, state and national organizations for the development of treatment models for offenders with special needs; has conducted trainings for state and national criminal justice, human services, and advocacy organizations on policy and legislative strategies; and has conducted numerous training sessions for law enforcement and criminal justice agencies on identification and management of offenders with special needs.
Vicki Turetsky was appointed as the Commissioner for the Office of Child Support Enforcement in the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. As Commissioner, she oversees the child support program operated by each state and by many tribes. Ms. Turetsky brings more than 25 years of experience as a public administrator and advocate for low-income families. She is a nationally recognized expert in family policy, and has been instrumental in efforts to boost child support payments to families and to establish realistic child support policies that encourage fathers to work and play an active parenting role. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Director of Family Policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy, where she specialized in child support, responsible fatherhood, and prisoner reentry policies.
