2024 SUMMER FORUM SERIES
June 16 – August 18, 2024
Sunday 6/16/2024 10am "Community Arts"
Speaker: Professor Kim Martinez, U of U Dept. of Art
Professor Kim Martinez is an award-winning, internationally recognized Professor of Art at the University of Utah. She is an empathic political artist motivated by the desire to understand how power structures affect the disenfranchised. As a professor she has shared her skills in mural design not only with her students but with communities, empowering people to tell their own stories through art. https://www.art.utah.edu/faculty-list/v-kim-martinez/
At the conclusion of this presentation, representatives from the
Utah Arts Festival and
Bad Dog Arts will briefly present opportunities for attendees to volunteer with their agencies.
Sunday 6/23/2024 10am "Incarceration and Homelessness / Alchemy of Change"
Moe Egan, Director of Neighborhood Recruitment
Dave Durocher and Moe Egan are key figures associated with The Other Side Academy and The Other Side Village, respectively. The Other Side Academy (TOSA) operates as a therapeutic community where individuals, as an alternative to incarceration or those battling addiction, can acquire vital social, vocational, and life skills. Dave Durocher serves as the Managing Director at TOSA; having spent over 15 years incarcerated, Dave's life took a pivotal turn upon his participation in the Delancey Street rehabilitation program in Los Angeles.
The Other Side Village is an initiative aimed at constructing a neighborhood of small homes to support individuals who have experienced homelessness, fostering a supportive community based on accountability and self-dignity. Maurice (Moe) Egan holds the position of Director of Recruitment for The Other Side Village. Moe is 17 years clean and sober, used drugs for over 20 years, and was homeless in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District for 10 years.
Sunday 6/30/2024 10am "Music of Social Justice: Voices of Resistance in an American Century"
Speaker: Prof. Theresa Martinez, U of U Sociology
This talk will focus on music that has emerged in American history that has reflected on social justice themes.
Various music artists and bands have spoken to serious societal issues over the past century, including the rights of working and marginalized people, Civil Rights, the Vietnam war, structural racism, sexism, police violence, homophobia, environmental justice, and many others. Several songs will be featured in short clips and perhaps in longer ones as we embark on a journey to listen to voices of social justice then and now.
Theresa Martinez is Associate Professor of Sociology and former Assistant Vice President for Academic Outreach at the University of Utah. She is an award-winning teacher whose classes and research focus on issues of race/class/gender/sexuality as they inform and are informed by societal institutions and are reflected in cultural productions/expressions such as poetry, prose, and music lyrics.
Sunday 7/7/2024 10am "Urban Water Users: Doing Our Part for Great Salt Lake"
Stephanie Duer, Conservation Manager, SLC Public Utilities
Laura Briefer will overview Salt Lake City Public Utilities’ complex water system. Who makes municipal water policy and how much does the Utah Legislature influence water policy at the municipal level. Describe changes being made to increase water flow to Great Salt Lake. Stefanie Duer will discuss steps residents can take to conserve water both inside and outside their homes.
Laura Briefer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the U of Utah. She was appointed director in 2016 and has served in that capacity since that time. Has also co-authored papers on water resources and watershed management of the central Wasatch Mountains.
Stephanie Duer is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of water conservation and efficiency research and programs for Salt Lake City and the Public Utilities Service Area. Stephanie has a Bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and a Master’s in professional communication from Westminster University.
Prof. Shannon Jones is the Executive Director of the U of U Center for Community Nutrition and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology. The Center for Community Nutrition creates innovative ways to overcome the barriers to healthful eating, working with local community members experiencing homelessness, homeless service providers, public schools, and other local organizations, such as Wasatch Community Gardens. Prof. Jones has received various awards and recognitions, specifically the Distinguished Faculty Service Award in 2023.
Jackie Rodabaugh is the Job Training Program Director at
Wasatch Community Gardens, a nonprofit which empowers people to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food, through community gardens, education, and farm-based training. One program is the Green Phoenix Farm, which serves as a job training program for women facing homelessness.
Candice Hasenyager’s presentation will delve into the ecological significance of Great Salt Lake, current challenges and recent policy changes, highlighting its importance as a unique ecosystem and addressing key issues affecting its sustainability. With a blend of informative content and engaging discussion, attendees can expect to gain a deeper understanding of this iconic natural wonder.
Candice Hasenyager serves as the Utah Division of Water Resources Director. Candice has worked on water resources and planning projects since 2007. She has been involved in multiple Utah Water Task Force workgroups, Great Salt Lake Strike team, water resources planning, surface water modeling, hydrology studies and municipal water demand projections. Candice feels strongly about helping find balanced solutions to ensure Utah families have a reliable water supply, that agriculture and businesses can be successful, and that the environment can prosper. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil Engineering.
Sunday 7/28/2024 10am "The Implications of Psychedelics for the Alleviation of Suffering, the Bettering of the Well, and the Enrichment of Religion"
Bob Jesse has been instrumental in restarting and re-legitimizing mainstream interest in psychedelics. He brought Dr. Roland Griffiths into the research and sought FDA approvals, and he assisted a key religious liberty case involving an entheogen, ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court favorably, 8-0. He has extensive knowledge of the effects of psychedelics on persons with illness (physical and psychological) and on normal healthy persons. Prior to this, he was an engineer with Oracle. He left the company at a young age in order to establish the Council on Spiritual Practices (
csp.org), the vehicle that informed and supported his work in the psychedelic field.
Sunday 8/4/2024 10am "Social Media: Keeping Our Teens Safe"
Speaker: Michael Higgins, MSW, LCSW
Michael Higgins is the Behavioral Health Supervisor at the University of Utah Hospital, where he works with youth and their parents. He holds an LCSW and MSW, is a behavioral therapist, and has provided therapy through an online platform and at residential treatment centers.
Sunday 8/11/2024 10am "Salt Lake City's West Side: Diversity Is Our Strength"
Senator Escamilla has lived the American Dream. Born in Mexico, she moved with her parents to the United States, where she was a high school graduate in San Diego before enrolling at the University of Utah, where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing in 2000 and her MPA in 2005. She is married with five children.
Senator Escamilla represents her constituents living in the West Side areas of Salt Lake City. During her 15½ years as a Utah lawmaker, the Senator’s legislative focus has been on socio-economic concerns facing Utah’s working families and quality of life issues: children facing poverty, childcare and healthcare, transportation access, food insecurity, and air quality. Since 2013, Luz serves as Zions Bank’s vice president for its Community Development Group.
Sunday 8/18/2024 10am "How the Votes Are Counted: The Role of the Salt Lake County Clerk’s Office"
Lannie Chapman was elected Salt Lake County Clerk in November 2022. Before then, Lannie served as the Chief Deputy under Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen for 3 years. Previously, she had served as the Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney. Lannie grew up in Flint, Michigan, and earned her law degree at Western Michigan University. She is married and the mother to two daughters.
The County Clerk's Office conducts fair, open and honest elections, issues marriage licenses, receives and transmits passport applications, and prepares and retains all minutes, agendas and correspondence for the Salt Lake County Council, zoning, redevelopment agency and municipal building authority meetings.
Elections are fundamental to America’s and Utah’s democracy. The County Clerk’s Offices provides courteous, professional, efficient, and effective customer-oriented service to all who utilize its various services. Staff members work to have fair, open, and honest elections in Salt Lake County. All registered voters have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, and through education and outreach are encouraged to participate.
