ResilienceCon 2022 Keynote Speakers

Bloodline of Resiliency

by Lisa Brunner

Lisa Brunner is a citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation and is Wolf Clan. Currently, she is the Director of the Indigenous Women’s Human Rights Collective. She is also a Professor of Anishinaabe Culture at the White Earth Tribal and Community College and Director of the Community Extension Service and Cultural Department. Lisa has worked in the domestic violence and sexual assault field for over 22 years and was the executive director of Sacred Spirits First Nations Coalition whose work addressed violence against Native American and Alaska Native women. Sacred Spirits First Nations Coalition is responsible for the creation of the Harm Reduction program on the White Earth reservation in its response to the heroin epidemic and has since become a model for Tribes and States. Ms. Brunner has advocated on the local, state, national and international levels to bring about change to public policy to address violence against Native women, men, and children. At the international and national level, she has served on numerous panels and groups addressing jurisdictional issues that impact the safety of Native women, men, and children. This includes service at the United Nations, including five years at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, participation in the Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus, and a panel on violence against Indigenous Women of North America. She testified on “Violence Against Native Women in the United States” before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Lisa has also testified before the U.S. Congress on “Combating Human Trafficking: Federal, State, and Local Perspectives” for the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Lisa is also a founding member of the National Congress of American Indians, Violence Against Women Task Force and a Bush Foundation Fellow. Lisa has also been featured in publications such as The Inter-American Human Rights System-Handbook, National Museum of American Indians Magazine, and Restoration Magazine and is published in the journal, Psychology of Violence.

Building Resilience: Perspectives on Understanding and Intervening with Youth Facing Adversity

by Dr. Omar G. Gudiño

Omar G. Gudiño, PhD, ABPP is Associate Professor and Associate Director in the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas. He conducts research on patterns of risk and resilience in ethnic minority youth exposed to trauma; the development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for maltreated youth; and ethnic disparities in unmet need for mental health services. He is also actively engaged with service delivery as a provider, supervisor, and consulting. He has expertise in the use of evidence-based practices with diverse populations and in real-world settings (e.g., schools, juvenile justice, community mental health). The ultimate goal of his work is to develop and disseminate clinical practices and service delivery models that are grounded in the latest scientific research, can be feasibly delivered in challenging clinical settings, and are well aligned with the values and preferences of the youths and families who receive the services. Dr. Gudiño is also committed to service that advances our ability to effectively meet the needs of youth and families. This includes service as President of the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Associate Editor for the Journal of Latinx Psychology, and Member-at-Large – Diversity for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. He served as the Langston Hughes Visiting Professor at the University of Kansas in Fall 2015, was the recipient of the Judy E. Hall PhD Early Career Psychologist Award from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Society of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

The Revenge of Dandelions: Reimagining Urban Communities as Spaces of Goodness, Love and Compassion

by Dr. Jacqueline S. Mattis

Jacqueline S. Mattis earned her B.A. in psychology from New York University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan. Prior to assuming the role of Dean of of Faculty, School of Arts & Sciences, Rutgers University, she served as Professor of Psychology and Associate Department Chair for Diversity Initiatives in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. She also co-directed the Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context. She previously served as Chairperson of the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development.

Her research focuses on the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of African American and Afri-Caribbean youth and adults, and on the factors that are associated with positive psychological and psychosocial development of urban-residing African Americans and AfriCaribbeans. In particular she uses quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the factors that contribute to volunteerism, civic engagement, altruism, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, optimism, and positive parenting among urban-residing African American and Afri-diasporic people. She has co-authored numerous articles and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals. She co-authored (with collaborator Fulya Kurter) two books on counseling in the Turkish cultural context, including a handbook entitled “Culturally sensitive counseling from the perspective of Turkish practitioners” (Bahcesehir University Press). This handbook explores the topic of culture, cultural diversity and intercultural dynamics within Turkey as these issues apply to the practice of counseling.

Among the honors she has received over her career are the Distinguished Psychologist Award from the Association of Black Psychologists (2014); and NYU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award (2011) for teaching excellence, leadership, social justice and community building. She has been recognized for her mentorship and teaching. She received the 2020 Paul M. Fitts Graduate Mentor Award from the University of Michigan Graduate Leadership Council) for outstanding mentorship of graduate students in Psychology, and the 2020 Cornerstone Award for unique contributions to enhancing the academic and social progress of African American students at the University of Michigan. She also received the Outstanding Mentor Award from the University of Michigan’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities program (2019).