​2018 key speakers and events
2019
2020
2021
Dr. Jeanie Thies
NOVEMBER 4, 2018   |  DR. JEANIE THIES   |  MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS AND CHALLENGES IN CONTEMPORARY CORRECTIONS 
Dr. Jeanie Thies has more than twenty-five years of professional experience in criminal justice. She holds a PhD in Political Science, with an emphasis on crime control policy analysis, as well as a M.A. in Psychology. Dr. Thies has taught Criminal Justice and Political Science at Lindenwood University since 2007 and is currently Chair of the Master’s in Public Administration program and coordinates the Hammond Institute Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. She was a prison psychologist for nine years, and directed Missouri’s state sex offender program. Her areas of expertise include program and policy development and evaluation, offender risk assessment, criminal thinking errors, and treatment of sex offenders and antisocial offenders.
Chuck Parson/Brady Hardin
OCTOBER 14, 2018  |  BRADY HARDIN & CHUCK PARSON   |   THE LIFE AFTER PODCAST SERIES 
Brady Hardin and Chuck Parson, hosts and creators of The Life After podcast discussed the history behind their reasons for creating the series. 

The Life After podcast series holds space for those leaving their faith:  Brady Hardin and Chuck Parson interview special guests with diverse, life-changing exoduses away from oppressive forms of Christianity.  Their online community connects individuals deconstructing their faith with others experiencing the same conflicts and victories. Learn more about The Life After.
Margaret Placentra Johnston
SEPTEMBER 23, 2018  |  MARGARET PLACENTRA JOHNSTON   |  OVERCOMING SPIRITUAL MYOPIA
Margaret Placentra Johnston, author of the book Faith Beyond Belief; Stories of Good People Who Have Left Their Church Behind. Margaret’s topic related to her latest book, Overcoming Spiritual Myopia, a book meant to offer a broader perspective about the meaning behind the spiritual quest. Many factors have led people from various cultures to believe only their religion is right. Overcoming Spiritual Myopia discusses how those factors are weakening in today’s world, and how a bigger story is necessary, and guess what? It doesn’t include a literal “sky god!”.

Learn more about Margaret on her website.
Nanette Trax
SEPTEMBER 9, 2018   |   NANETTE TRAX   |  NEA FOUNDATION GLOBAL LEARNING FELLOW
Fort Zumwalt North Middle School teacher, Nanette Trax discussed her travels to South Africa as the Missouri, 2018 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow.
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Through the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, educators develop the knowledge and skills to integrate global competency into their daily classroom instruction, advocate for global competency in their schools and districts, and help students to thrive in our increasingly interconnected world. Fellows transform their classrooms to give students a global perspective. ​
Kate Lovely, Ethical Culture Leader
AUGUST 12, 2018  |  ETHICAL CULTURE LEADER, KATE LOVELADY  |  WHY IS COMMUNITY IMPORTANT
Ethical Society of St. Louis Leader Kate Lovelady delivered an excellent Platform talk entitled “The Ethical Society vs. NPR.” Why is community important? Where do we find hope and joy, with so much overwhelming negativity all around us? ​
Terry Jones, PhD, University of Missouri St. Louis Professor Emeritus
AUGUST 5, 2018  |  UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ST. LOUIS PROFESSOR EMERITUS TERRY JONES, PhD  |  FRAGMENTED BY DESIGN
Local expert and University of Missouri St. Louis Professor Emeritus Terry Jones, PhD, spoke about the racial divides that exist throughout the metropolitan area. Dr. Jones has authored three books, including the celebrated Fragmented by Design, as well as dozens of scholarly articles focusing on metropolitan governance, urban public policy, state government and public opinion. He has been a consultant to more than seventy governmental and non-profit organizations and has held office in many professional and community organizations.
Erica Williams
JULY 22, 2018  |  ERICA R. WILLIAMS  |  A RED CIRCLE
Our guest speaker was Erica Williams from A Red Circle, a non-profit focusing on ways to combat racism in north St. Louis county, our neighbors to the east. As Executive Director Williams states, ”The best way to visualize A Red Circle is to consider north St. Louis County, its primary demographic, and its economic health.  Where do you start?  With schools that need funding, with vacant homes that need purchasing for tax revenue to fund the schools?  With adults who need jobs and income to purchase the homes that fund the schools?  With healthier food options to attract new businesses to hire the people who need jobs to buy the homes to fund the schools?  With increasing the arts availability which adds flavor to everything?  It's a circle, with no true beginning and no end.  These disparities are the product of systemic and structural racism, but all blood is red."
Randy Best,
Ethical Culture leader
JULY 1, 2018  |  ETHICAL CULTURE LEADER, RANDY BEST |  HOW FRAGILE IS OUR DEMOCRACY?
Ethical Culture leader Randy Best, who serves the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, delivered his talk, How Fragile is American Democracy? American Democracy, with three independent branches, was designed to withstand all threats, domestic and foreign.  Is American Democracy robust enough to withstand the challenges that it faces today?  Will it be able to be faithful to its principles?  What events are required for American Democracy to collapse?  Randy will address these challenges and his fears about the future of American Democracy.
Dr. Daniel Pieper
JUNE 24, 2018  |  DR. DANIEL PIEPER |  FUMBLING TOWARD PEACE: A HISTORY OF THE NORTH KOREAN CRISIS AND THE PROSPECT FOR REUNIFICATION
Dr. Daniel Pieper, a Korea Postdoctoral Fellow at Washington University discussed a brief history of how thoughtless geopolitical division by superpowers resulted in war, ideological dictatorships, and now the surreal juxtaposition of a hyper-modern model democracy and the last Stalinist state on earth. Dr. Pieper discussed diplomatic breakthroughs between North and South Korea and the United States and the prospects for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Dr. James Croft,
Ethical Culture leader
MAY 6, 2018  |  ETHICAL CULTURE LEADER, DR. JAMES CROFT  |  WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
Dr. James Croft, leader at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, crossed the river to visit us. He beautifully spoke of wonder — a much needed reflection anytime, but especially now.

James described his talk this way:
Wonder is often associated with religious experiences, with astral revelations and spiritual visions. But wonder isn’t exclusive to traditional religious ways of looking at the world – we can experience wonder regardless of our religious beliefs, drawing inspiration from the natural world and from our relationships with each other. In this Platform we’ll explore what wonder is, why it’s important, and how we can all live lives more wonderful.
MARCH 4, 2018  |  TOUR OF THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & LEARNING CENTER
Visit to the Saint Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center for a guided tour, and presentation by holocaust survivor, Siegfried Adler. Mr Adler discussed his experiences as a child in 1935-1941 Germany. Please visit the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center website to read more about this important facility.
Dave Fiedler
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FEBRUARY 25, 2018  |  DAVE FIEDLER  |  WWII POW CAMPS IN MISSOURI
We welcomed local author, speaker and history enthusiast, Dave Fiedler. Dave is the author of four books to date, including a history of Missouri’s WWII prisoner-of-war camps called The Enemy Among Us: POWs in Missouri During World War II, for which he received the Governor’s Award for the Humanities, plus a newly-released counterpart novel, My Enemy, My Love.

Dave has written for more than a decade with hundreds of articles to his credit. He has worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press, and his writing has been carried by the New York Times Syndicate and the Wall Street Journal Online.

Dave graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with majors in German and Political Science, and served eight years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2017  |  SHARON CAMPIONE  |  MOMS DEMAND ACTION 
Sharon Campione is a retired special education teacher who simply wants to leave the world a little better; a little kinder. She currently volunteers for the League of Women Voters, the St Charles Democratic Party and Moms Demand Action-Missouri as the local legislative lead.

The emphasis of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (MDA) is to fight gun violence through sensible gun legislation. Moms (and other concerned citizens) work to close deadly loopholes in our background check system, promote gun safety, safe storage of guns, support reasonable limits on where guns are carried and promote enforceable laws to keep illegal guns off of our streets. MDA is not "anti-gun", just "anti-gun violence". Responsible gun ownership is one of thier goals. They believe in sensible limits within the 2nd amendment. Much like Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to reduce drunk driving, MDA was created to advocate for stronger laws and policies that will reduce gun violence and save lives.