Action-movie hero, sitcom star, game show host, pitchman, former NFL player and best-selling author all describe the man that is Terry Crews. Crews is perhaps best known for his action and comedy roles in an impressive resume of film and television work which include The Expendables film franchise, Golden Globe award-winning and SAG Award-nominated comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Everybody Hates Chris, and the wildly popular Old Spice commercials. He is also known for his ability to pull of  what is considered the “best robot” on earth. The three-time People Magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” star has top-lined some of the biggest films of the past decade including his star-making turn in the Wayans brother comedy classic White Chicks and the Mike Judge-directed cult classic IDIOCRACY, to the #1 film of all time on Netflix, The Ridiculous Six opposite Adam Sandler, who is a frequent collaborator with Crews having worked together in five films. Crews also ventured into hosting and was the face of the long-running game show staple Who Wants to be a Millionaire, as well as the hit Fox clip show series, World’s Funniest. In 2019, Terry premiered as the host of NBC's America's Got Talent: The Champions. In 2014, Crews added author to his resume with the release of his book, Manhood, which received critical acclaim, with Jezebel calling Terry “one of the most progressive and thoughtful voices in gender criticism”.  In 2017, Time Magazine named Crews one of it's Silence Breakers - Person of the Year honorees.

Eddie George could have retired a proud man, with a strong legacy as a history-making athlete.  After all, his accomplishments on the football field were legendary--Heisman Trophy winner, star running back at The Ohio State University, NFL rookie of the year and holder of a host of NFL records.  Instead of resting on his records, Eddie took on the challenge of his lifetime—during the past decade he has quietly built businesses aimed at helping improve the quality of life for all Americans.  Eddie, who also received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, understands that he is mostly known for his athletic accomplishments. “Since I’m mostly known for winning on the football field, a lot of people seem surprised when they hear that I’ve used my education, experience and passion to build these exciting businesses. They say ‘you’re a businessman, too?’ I like that reaction,’” Eddie said.  Eddie’s vision of healthy people and healthy places is being brought to life through the commitment of everyone at George Enterprises.

Shireen Ahmed is a writer, public speaker and an award-winning Sports Activist focusing on Muslim women in sports, and the intersections of racism and misogyny in sport. She is an Inclusion and Diversity consultant. She is also an athlete, advocate, community organizer, and works with Youth of Colour on empowerment projects and is an avid sports coach and mentor. Shireen attended the University of Toronto. She is a regular contributor to Muslimah Media Watch and a former Global Sports Correspondent for Safe World For Women and Muslim Women in Sports website.

As the first known female sports reporter to participate in a professional football training camp, her pursuit of delivering an authentic account to her fans is relentless. Rachel Baribeau is a graduate of the Auburn University Broadcast Journalism program and as a master of her craft, she’s delivered insightful commentary to millions of sports enthusiast via national broadcasters such as Fox Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo, and SiriusXM. Captivating, her various posts include roles such as Sports Editor, Sports Radio Talk Show Host, Sideline Reporter, Internet Anchor, Field Reporter and Host of the College Football Playoff National Championship. Baribeau’s ability to “transcend layers and pull out the real story” is actively sought after in covering the SEC, NFL, and NASCAR, among other notable championship games and Fortune 500 appearances. In 2016 she founded she blazed yet another trail with the movement, #ChangingtheNarrative. Since August of 2016, she has visited 27 schools, and counting, talking to young athletes about being Kings and Queens through purpose, passion and platform; and on a deeper level how we look at/respect women in society as a whole and within their universities. The movement has caught fire with millions of social-media hits, spawning a collaboration with the NCAA to present the #ChangingtheNarrative award and a non-profit to affect more change.

Alejandra Y. Castillo serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YWCA USA and its network of 210 associations serving 2.2. million women and girls around the country in 46 states and the District of Columbia. With over two decades of professional experience in Washington, D.C., she has served in senior leadership in two presidential administrations. Given her policy, legal and business expertise, Alejandra has worked in various public, private and non-profit settings. In 2014, Alejandra was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as the national director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), becoming the first Hispanic-American woman to lead the agency, helping to secure financing and capital in excess of $19 billion and creating or retaining over 33,000 jobs.

Dr. Amira Rose Davis is an Assistant Professor of History and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University. She received her doctorate in History from Johns Hopkins University in 2016. Davis specializes in 20th Century American History with an emphasis on race, gender, sports and politics. Her research traces the long history of Black women’s athletic labor and symbolic representation in the United States. She is currently working on her forthcoming book manuscript, “Can’t Eat a Medal”: The Lives and Labors of Black Women Athletes in the Age of Jim Crow. Davis teaches classes on a variety of topics including African American History, 20th Century United States History, Women's History, Sports History, Research Methods and Gender Theory.

LaMont Doty is a native of New York City, NY. As a US Army veteran, Doty served in West Germany, Alexandria, Egypt, Camp Clayton, Panama, Jejudo, South Korea, and various CONUS Army bases. He is a graduate of Tennessee State University and received his teacher certification at Fisk University. Doty taught in Metro Nashville Public Schools for 13 years, then transitioned to the non-profit world. He worked at the Martha O’Bryan Center for 6 years. Doty joined the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee in June 2017 as the Program Coordinator of the AMEND Together program and is now the Program Manager for AMEND Together. LaMont loves Fantasy Football, reading, playing pool, traveling, and going on dates with his wife. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Robyn Kay, and they have two children.

Dr. Brenda Elsey studies the history of popular culture and politics in twentieth century Latin America, in addition to gender, social theory, and Pan-Americanism.  She is a senior editor for Oxford University Press’ Research Essays in Latin American History: Southern Cone and recently edited a Radical History Review issue at Duke University Press, entitled “Historicizing the Politics and Pleasure of Sport” with Peter Alegi and Amy Chazkel.  She is currently working on a monograph Futbolera: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Latin American Sport.

Rashed Fakhruddin is presently serving as director of community partnerships of the Islamic Center of Nashville. For over the past 15 years, Rashed has been coordinating and providing presentations on Islam to universities, schools, leadership groups and churches upon request in order to help develop a better understanding of Muslims, while building bridges and fostering stronger relationships within the community. Rashed is also a founding member of the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC), which works to help build a bridge between Muslims in Tennessee and law enforcement, as well as other government agencies and organizations. The motto of AMAC is ‘enhancing safety for all Tennesseans’. Rashed is a licensed professional engineer. Through his work, Rashed speaks on college and career readiness to several thousands of high school Freshmen throughout the district every year. Rashed is also an alumni of Leadership Nashville (2009). Rashed served on Vanderbilt’s Visiting Advisory Board for Diversity and Equity. Rashed serves on the YWCA board and has been involved with the YWCA’s MEND, or Engaging Men to End Violence against Women initiative. Through MEND, Rashed has been creating awareness in the Muslim community on domestic violence in the form of sermons and programs at the different mosques throughout Tennessee. Rashed also serves on the You Have The Power board which advocates and works for those whose safety, social and emotional well-being are at risk due to being targets or victims of violent crime, as well as bullying. As a result of his work in the community, Rashed has received several awards including Pencil Foundation’s volunteer of the year award (2015), the Women's Political Collaborative of Tennessee's Good Guys Award (2015), and the Community Nashville Human Relations Award (2016). Rashed loves to play basketball, watch football, follow Vanderbilt baseball and cycle.

Shan Foster is the Vice President of External Affairs and AMEND Together at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. AMEND is an initiative that engages men and boys to end violence against women and girls. He now recruits, educates and equips men and boys to serve as advocates for violence prevention and cultural change. Described as an enthusiastic leader, gifted public speaker, and skilled facilitator, Foster is committed to elevating the conversation about violence against women, engaging men to be leaders and role models, and educating young men and boys about healthy masculinity and respect. Shan Foster graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development in 2008. During his time at Vanderbilt, Foster finished as the all-time leading scorer in school history, was named SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA Division I All-America, and was the Lowes Senior CLASS award winner, an award given to the nations senior leader in community, classroom, character, and competition. Foster was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks in 2008 and was inducted to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Recently, Foster was honored as an SEC Legend during the 2016 SEC Basketball Tournament.  Prior to his work at YWCA, Shan served as Dean of Culture for the Intrepid College Preparatory Charter School in Nashville where he now is a contributing board member. Foster serves on the board for Music City Classic and the advisory committee for Joyful Heart Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee. He was named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Nashville Business Journal and is a member of the 2018 Leadership Nashville Class. 

Rus Ervin Funk is a consultant specializing in working with organizations and communities.  His efforts focus on helping create systems level changes and transformation that make organizations and communities more “welcoming, respectful and valuing.” His primary focus areas include promoting healthy masculiniities; preventing violence; promoting equity, diversity and justice. Rus is a long-time activist and community organizer focusing on anti-racism, and gender justice.  He has more than 30 years experience in mobilizing men to help end violence against women, and working with communities, campuses and organizations. 

 

Lindsay is currently the Sports Reporter at ThinkProgress who writes about the intersection of sports, culture, and politics. extensively covered this age in athlete activism, brain injuries in sports, how sports leagues and universities handle domestic violence and sexual assault, the implementation of Title IX, the quest for equal pay, and the advancement of LGBTQ rights in sports. She is also the co-host of a feminist sports podcast, Burn it All Down. Her writing has also appeared in USA Today, Vice Sports, Bleacher Report, Tennis Magazine, and Sports on Earth. Lindsay has been interviewed on NPR, MSNBC, CBC, and CNN, among others.

A member of Perritte Memorial United Methodist Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, Hanke serves as general secretary of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. He is a former president of the commission. Hanke was named a fellow in the John Wesley Society of the United Methodist Men Foundation in 1996.  In 2009, he was certified as a men's ministry specialist by GCUMM.  Gil helped develop the AMENDing Through Faith curriculum with YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee.

Rickie Houston is an experienced trainer working throughout the United States and for the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Domestic Violence Conference. His international work includes Liberia and Sierra Leonne, engaging men in the effort to end violence against women in West Africa. As a pastor of a church in North Carolina, Houston believes in a holistic approach to ministry, working to elevate the interaction of spiritual and social consciousness to advance personal development. He served in the U.S. Army from 1982-1988, and has provided military training in Okinawa, Japan. Houston has also trained extensively with professional athletes. 

Diane Lance has spent the majority of her career focusing on family violence.  She attended law school at the University of San Diego, and went on to be hired by the Nashville District Attorney’s Office, leading their specialized Domestic Violence and Child Sex Abuse Units.  In 2008, Ms. Lance was hired as Special Counsel to then Mayor Karl Dean.  In that role, she led the citywide Safety and Accountability Assessment, identifying how law enforcement and the judicial system could improve victim safety and offender accountability.   Ms. Lance currently serves under Mayor David Briley as the Department Head for Metro’s Office of Family Safety, where she works to improve the coordination of services provided to domestic violence and sexual assault victims.  She also oversees Metro’s Family Justice Center work, including the late 2018  opening of what will be the largest Family Justice Center in the country.   

 

Jessica Luther is a freelance sports journalist and writer, whose work often covers the intersection of sports and culture, specifically off-field violence and institutional responses to that behavior. Her first book is titled Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape(published by Akashic Books on September 6, 2016). Her work has appeared in ESPN Magazine, New York Times Magazine, the Texas Observer, Austin Woman, and Bitch Magazine. She's published pieces at Sports Illustrated, BuzzFeed, Texas Monthly, and Vice Sports, among others. She has had a bi-monthly column at Huffington Post on sports and culture since January 2018.

Dr. Majors is a 25-year veteran of the district and has served students and staff as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and executive officer of student support services. He most notably led Glencliff High School to receive the National Coalition Community Schools of Excellence Award during his time as principal and, more recently, in his role over Support Services, the district's Community Achieves initiatve won the National Coalition Community Schools of Excellence Award for District Initiative of the Year. A graduate of Antioch High School, Majors completed undergraduate work at Tennessee State University as a college athlete and completed his doctorate at Lipscomb University. 

 

 

Domestic violence is a complex issue and one that many times crosses over into other family and societal dynamics such as: Child/Elder/Mental/Sexual Abuse, Drug/Alcohol Abuse, Bullying, Stalking, Cyber Crimes, Human Trafficking/Prostitution and other various Criminal Activities. It takes a collaborative effort between Victims, Police, Courts, various Metro Departments, Citizens, Clergy, Businesses, Athletes/Coaches and Profit/Non-Profit Agencies in order to be successful in ending the cycle of violence and holding offenders accountable. Studies have shown that 1 in 4 women will experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime and 1 in 5 women are raped in their lifetime. The majority of rapes are by someone that is known and is one of the most under reported crimes. Every 9 seconds in the U.S. a woman is assaulted or beaten. Although we know that women are the majority of our victims we are also aware that men are impacted from these crimes as well:1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped in their lifetime and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Additionally, 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence. Without help, boys who witness domestic violence are far more likely to become abusers of their partners and/or children as adults, thus continuing the cycle of violence in the next generation. It takes a collaborative effort to be positive role models in order to “Change a Culture" - a culture that is portrayed as tolerating violence against women. Please join us in making an effort to "Change the Culture."

Sharon K. Roberson is the President and CEO of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. Prior to taking on the top leadership position at the 120-year old nonprofit in the fall of 2016, Sharon served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Direct General Corporation. Sharon has more than three decades of executive level business experience in the public/government, private, and nonprofit sectors. Sharon has spent the majority of her professional career in the insurance industry, including 17 years in various executive positions with AIG/American General Life and Accident and American General Property. She also served more than a decade as a state insurance regulator, including appointments by two governors as the Assistant Commissioner for Insurance for the State of Tennessee. Sharon has held the position of General Counsel for both publicly held and private equity-owned companies. She has managed staff in several states and Asia and chaired numerous insurance boards and associations throughout the U.S. She has held various leadership positions for several nonprofit boards.   Sharon is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in Economics and Vanderbilt University Law School. She is a licensed attorney.

Rita Smith began working as a crisis line advocate in a shelter for battered women and their children in Colorado in 1981. She has held numerous positions in Colorado and Florida since then in several local domestic violence and sexual assault programs and the state coalitions, including Program Supervisor and Director. She was the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence for nearly 23 years. She is currently one of the senior advisors for the National Football League, and consults on other projects as a national expert on violence against women. She has been interviewed by hundreds of newspaper reporters, appeared on many local and national radio and television news shows, including the Washington Post, USA Today, People Magazine, NPR, The Today Show, Good Morning America and Oprah Winfrey Show. She has co-authored several articles or chapters for books including a manual for attorneys working with domestic violence victims in Colorado, and an article on child custody and domestic violence published in the fall of 1997 in The Judges Journal (an American Bar Association publication). In December of 2011 she was named Distinguished Alumnus of Polk State College, and in November of 2013 she was chosen by the Association of Florida Colleges for the LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award. She believes that advocacy and social change are intricately connected, and cannot be done separately. She graduated from Polk State College in 1974 with an AA degree in Psychology. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Michigan State in 1976. 

Brenda Tracy is a nurse, mother, activist and survivor. In 1998, she reported to police that she was brutally raped by four men, two of whom played football at Oregon State University. In 2014, Tracy found the courage to come forward with her story and now seeks to make the world a better place for survivors. Tracy has worked closely with Oregon legislators to expand victims’ rights and has successfully helped to pass seven laws over three sessions, including extending the Oregon statute of limitations to prosecute rape and mandatory testing of all rape kits in Oregon. Tracy has won numerous awards and was named ESPN's 2016 top 25 women. She has served on the NCAA Commission to Combat Sexual Violence and is a frequent guest commentator on ESPN. Tracy is the founder of the national campaign #SetTheExpectation and she travels the country speaking to university students, athletes and various organizations.

DarKenya W. Waller joined the Legal Aid Society in 2008. She became the Managing Attorney of its Nashville office in 2010 and the Executive Director in 2018. Her legal practice is focused primarily on family law. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi - School of Law and earned a Master of Business Administration from Belhaven University. Mrs. Waller is a 2011 member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law Program for outstanding young lawyers. She was appointed to the Indigent Representation Taskforce by the Tennessee Supreme Court and is a fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Bar Association, the YWCA of Nashville, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) where she is Board Chair. She has been recognized as a 2016 Woman of Influence and 2018 Best of the Bar by the Nashville Business Journal, as a 2016 Cable Athena Award Nominee and as the 2015 Advocate of the Year by the NCADV. Mrs. Waller has held leadership positions with the Lawyers Association for Women – Marion Griffith Chapter and the Nashville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has served on the Tennessee State Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and as Chair of the Family Law Task Force of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. She is a frequent speaker across the state on the topic of Domestic Violence training judges, clerks, commissioners and the public on the impact of domestic violence. She is most proud of her work initiating the Civil-Legal Advocate Program which provides free legal representation to victims of Domestic Violence on the Order of Protection dockets in Davidson County, TN.

Kathy Walsh is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition To End Domestic and Sexual Violence. As a leading voice for survivors, Kathy fosters statewide partnerships, develops effective programs, and advocates for social change to end violence against women and girls.
Working with survivors, advocates, and policy makers over the last three decades, Kathy has helped craft more than 200 new laws improving victim safety and offender accountability including orders of protection, spousal rape, stalking, and domestic assault; expand the number of domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers in Tennessee from five in 1984 to more than sixty today; improve law enforcement response to domestic and sexual violence by creating a model training project educating more than 10,000 police officers; establish free legal services for immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking; increase collaboration among policy makers, law enforcement, courts, and victim service agencies through creation of the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council; and provide much-needed emergency financial assistance to hundreds of victims of rape and abuse by establishing a state-wide emergency assistance fund.Kathy is the co-author of many publications including the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Law Enforcement Interdiction Curriculum, State Rules, Certification and Monitoring of Batterer Intervention Programs, State Standards for Domestic Violence Shelters, Tennessee Model Policy on Sexually Oriented Crimes, and Best Practices for Sexual Assault Agencies.Kathy serves on numerous boards and committees including the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council (1994 – present), National Network to End Domestic Violence Board of Directors and Public Policy Committee (2009 – 2016), Office of Criminal Justice Programs’ Advisory Committees on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (2000 – present), Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee (2000- present), and CABLE (2014 – present). She is the recipient of a number of awards including the Economic Council on Women “E Award” and the National Award for Outstanding Advocacy and Community Work in Ending Sexual Violence.

 Dr. Webb serves as coordinator and provides instruction for the College of Education in the Professional School Counseling program. He is also the lead instructor for Psychology of the Black Experience at Tennessee State University. Dr. Webb received his B.S. degree in Psychology from Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee; M.S. Psychology: Professional School Counseling from Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee; and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning (Leading for Social Change) from Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Dr. Webb is a Licensed Professional School Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor. The counseling profession is a labor of love for him and has resulted in a productive, 10 year career, in Metro Nashville Public Schools as a Licensed Professional School Counselor, as well as a counselor educator for the past 7 years at Tennessee State University.  As a licensed professional school counselor and a licensed professional counselor Dr. Webb has played both a proactive and reactionary role in the educational mindsets of learners of all types.  In August of 2017, Dr. Webb and colleagues established 180 RED (Research, Education, Development) LLC and IMANI Integrated Behavioral Health PLLC.  IMANI (IBH) is designed to provide counseling / therapy services and psychological testing, while 180 RED is geared toward workshops and training in the area of integrated behavioral health.  He is the founder of the nonprofit Rebrand the Black Man, an organization geared toward showcasing the many contributions Black men make to the global community; and Founder/CEO of Centered Person Consulting, a consulting firm design to bring out the best in people and organizations through increasing cultural proficiency. He is the recent recipient of the Dr. Charles Thompson Counselor Educator of the Year award from the Tennessee Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.  He currently serves as the faculty adviser for both Tennessee State University’s NAACP student organization and The Association for Black Psychologist. Dr. Webb’s many research publications and presentations are aligned with the success of underrepresented populations, as well as successful creation and/or implementation of pedagogical strategies that enhance collective learning, ensure cultural proficiency, and are immediately resilient (sustainable).