The 2015 McSilver Symposium and Awards will feature six thought-provoking panels, two poignant films, and five inspiring honorees emphasizing poverty, trauma and resilience.
Symposium Schedule (Monday, April 27)
10:00 – 11:30 AM (Hillman Studio, 4th Floor) – Trauma of LGBTQ Displacement in the US and Abroad
Moderator: James Martin, PhD – Associate Professor, New York University Silver School of Social Work
Panelists: Cristina Herrera – Gender Identity Project Coordinator, LGBT Community Center of New York City; Bruce Knotts – Director, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Nations Office; Jama Shelton, LMSW, PhD – Deputy Executive Director, True Colors Fund; Alisha Williams – Senior Staff Attorney, Peter Cicchino Youth Project, Urban Justice Center
10:00 – Noon (Fishman Space, 1st Floor) – Healing Neen: The Power of Trauma Informed Care ( Film Screening & Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Tricia Stephens, LCSW-R – ABD Pre-Doctoral Fellow, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
Panelists: Sandra Killett – Executive Director, Child Welfare Organizing Project, East Harlem Neighborhood Center; Honorable Rosemonde Pierre-Louis -Commissioner, New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; Cheryl Sharp, MSW, ALWF – Senior Advisor, Trauma-informed Services, National Council for Behavioral Health
12:30 – 2:30 PM (Hillman Studio, 4th Floor) – Step Up: Fostering Resilience, Life Skills and Academic Success through a Positive Youth Development Model
Moderator: James Rodriguez, PhD – Senior Research Scientist, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
Panelists: Reina Amador – Senior, Central Park East High School, Step Up Class of 2015; Scott Bloom, LCSW – Director of School Mental Health Services, New York City Departments of Education and Health & Mental Hygiene; Tanaisha Jackson – Freshman, SUNY Potsdam, Step Up Class of 2014 Alumna; Joshua Laub – Director of Youth Development, Office of Safety & Youth Development, New York City Department of Education; Gisselle Pardo, LCSW, MPH – Senior Clinical Researcher, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research; Chris Villatoro, LCSW – Clinical Research Coordinator, Director, Step Up, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
2:30 – 4:00 PM (Fishman Space, 1st Floor) – Trauma of Racism
Opening Remarks: Honorable Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President
Moderator: Stacey L. Barrenger, AM, PhD – Assistant Professor of Social Work, McSilver Faculty Fellow, New York University Silver School of Social Work
Panelists: Dottie Lebron – Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research; David Peters, LMSW – President, DPJ Inspired Consulting; Sharon Wise, MHS, CPS – Philanthropist and Trauma Expert; The House of Sharon
4:30 – 6:00 PM (Hillman Studio, 4th Floor) – Place Matters: A Community Based Approach to Understanding and Addressing Structural Poverty
Moderator: Gary Parker, MSW – Deputy Director, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
Panelists: Mimi Abramovitz, DSW – Bertha Capen Reynolds Professor, Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, City University of New York; Jochen Albrecht, PhD – Associate Professor for Computational and Theoretical Geography, Hunter College, City University of New York; Luis R. Castiella, MBA – Operations Manager for Management Control, General Directorate of Management Planning and Control, Ministry of Modernization, City of Buenos Aires; Inés Reineke – Knowledge Management Coordinator, Secretariat of Habitat and Inclusion, City of Buenos Aires
4:30 – 6:00 PM (Fishman Space, 1st Floor) – Under the Mango Tree: Novel Approaches to Healing and Empowerment in African Communities ( Film Screening & Discussion)
Moderator: Latoya Small, PhD – Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and McSilver Faculty Affiliate
Panelists: Abdallah Ibrahim, DrPH, CPH – Lecturer, Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, University of Ghana School of Public Health; Katrina Moore – Producer & Director, Under the Mango Tree; Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD – Director, Columbia University International Center for Child Health and Asset Development, and Associate Professor of Social Work and International Affairs, Columbia School of Social Work
McSilver Awards Program (Tuesday, April 28)
Cocktail Reception: 6:00 PM. Dinner and Awards Ceremony: 7:00 PM.
Entertainment will be provided by the Lavender Light Gospel Choir.
2015 McSilver Awards Honorees recognized for their substantial contributions toward addressing the needs of children and families living in poverty:
- Carolina Cordero Dyer, Associate Executive Director, The Osborne Association
- Tracie M. Gardner, Assistant Secretary of Health, New York State Executive Chamber, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
- Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church and Executive Director, The Middle Project
- Margarette Purvis, President and CEO, Food Bank For New York City
- Carlton Whitmore, Director, Office of Consumer Affairs, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene