Embracing Diverse Communities:

Education, Empowerment, Employment

Virtual Conference
South Carolina State University
September 18, 2020

Program
9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a. m. Opening Reflection and Greetings
Ms. Sarah Priester, First Lady of St. Paul Baptist Church
Dr. Frederick Evans, Dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies
Dr. Cassandra Sligh Conway --E3 Grant

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Keynote Address

Dr. Timothy Tansey University of Wisconsin - - Madison
“Increasing Employment Readiness of Persons with Disabilities from Diverse Communities:
Lessons Learned from Project E3”

10:40 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Guest Speaker

Rev. Judy Cunningham and Dr. Cassandra Sligh-Conway
“Pastoral Engagement: Developing Partnerships with Pastors, Churches, and the Global
Community.”  

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Education Session

Co-Chairs: Dr. Janice Hawes and Dr. Thomas Cassidy, South Carolina State
Moderator: Ms. Arah Pinson, South Carolina State

Dr. Reginald Williams (South Carolina State)

“Integrating and Advancing Equity into Early Learning”

Ms. Kat “Moon” Landes (South Carolina State)

"Let's Have Fun: Creative Activities for a Diverse Learning Community" 

Diane Burnette, Ph.D. (South Carolina State)

"Remote Learning and Online Learning: Differences and Similarities in Educational Access for
Diverse Communities"
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Lunch Break

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Empowerment Session

Chair: Dr. Nathaniel Wallace, South Carolina State
Moderator: Dr. Audrey McCrary-Quarles, South Carolina State

Dr. Jennifer Blevins (The University of South Carolina)

“Limited by Body Habitus’: Combatting Fat Stigma in the Medical Industry, the University, and
Beyond”

Dr. Jacques Days (African Methodist Episcopal Church)

“Health Emergency and Disaster Relief Preparation: Empowering Diverse Communities”

3:10 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. Employment Session

Chair: Dr. Cassandra Sligh-Conway, South Carolina State
Moderator: Dr. Miriam Evans, South Carolina State

Mr. Freddie Boan (Vocational Rehabilitation, Orangeburg SC)

“Disability (Change your story, Change your future)”

Dr. Michael Frain (Florida Atlantic University)

“Trauma Counseling”

4:20 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closing: Honoring Our Colleagues

Opening Meditation: Dr. Reginald Williams (South Carolina State)

Honoring Our Colleagues: Dr. Learie Luke, Provost (South Carolina State)
Remembrance Video

Closing Remarks: Dr. Learie Luke

Special Thanks
Conference Committee
Dr. Cassandra Sligh-Conway
Dr. Thomas Cassidy
Dr. Janice Hawes
Dr. Nathaniel Wallace

University Support
Dr. James E. Clark, President, South Carolina State University
Dr. Learie Luke, Provost, South Carolina State University
Dr. Frederick Evans, Dean, College of Graduate and Professional Studies
Dr. Janice Owens, Dean, College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Organizational Support
Thank you to Vocational Rehabilitation, Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Support for this event was provided by the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance
Center on Targeted Communities (H264F150003), a grant from the U.S. Department of
Education.

Credit Renewal Points for K-12

A certificate of 5 credit renewal points will be awarded for attendance of the Embracing Diverse
Communities Virtual Conference.

On behalf of the Embracing Diverse Communities Virtual Conference Committee, thank you for
joining us!