Opening Session

John A. Wagner, Director, California Department of Social Services
Philip Browning, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services
Charr Lee Metsker, Deputy Director, Welfare to Work Division,

California Department of Social Services

Keynote Speaker

Tattoos on the Heart: Empowering Those for Whom Hope is Foreign

Father Greg Boyle, Executive Director, Homeboy Industries

Plenary Session I: Panel Discussion on International and National Refugee Issues

Anastasia Brown, Director, Refugee Programs, Migration and Refugee Services,

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Barbara Day, Domestic Resettlement Section Chief, Office of Admissions,

Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Department of State

Barbara Strack, Chief, Refugee Affairs Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Larry Yungk, Senior Resettlement Officer, Washington Regional Office,

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Workshop Session A

A1: Look Beneath the Surface: Identifying and Assisting Refugees Affected by Human Trafficking

Vanessa Garza, Director, Trafficking in Persons Program, Administration for

Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A2: Refugees Obtaining a Driver’s License or Identification Card & the
Impact of the REAL ID Act

Marie Difuntorum, Policy Analyst, California Department of Motor Vehicles
Rosemary Wolf, Policy Analyst, California Department of Motor Vehicles

A3: Building Successful Partnerships with Funders/Grant Writing Strategies for
Agencies Serving Refugees

Sergei Shkurkin, Principal, Sergei Shkurkin and Associates
Sid Voorakkara, Program Officer, The California Endowment

A4: Pandemic Influenza: Understanding, Planning and Response

Gwendolyn Hammer, Ph.D., Pandemic Consultant, Immunization Branch,

California Department of Public Health

Terri Stratton, MPH, Chief, Risk Communication and Professional Training Section,

Emergency Preparedness Office, California Department of Public Health

Carlos Zavala, Assistant Chief, Refugee Health Section,

California Department of Public Health

Workshop Session B

B1: California’s Response to the Problem of Human Trafficking

Nancy Matson, Director, Crime and Violence Prevention Center,

California Attorney General’s Office

Lynne Reich, Policy Analyst, Refugee Programs Bureau,

California Department of Social Services

“Esperanza”, A Survivor of Human Trafficking

B2: Challenges and Opportunities for Serving Newly Arriving Groups:

Burmese, Iraqi, Iranian, and Burundian Refugees

Jennifer Flaim Kenyon, Development Specialist, International Rescue Committee,

Los Angeles

Richard Kosh, Program Director, International Rescue Committee, San Diego
Michael McKay, Director, Department of Refugee Services, Catholic Charities,

Diocese of San Diego

Phone Kyaw, Case Manager, Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego

B3: Change Is Possible!: Culturally Appropriate Organizing for Community Improvements

Pheng Lo, Executive Director, Lao Family Community of Stockton
Rev. Sharon Stanley, Founding Executive Director,

Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM), Inc.

Terry Yang, Ph.D., Leadership Planning/Program Coordinator,

Lao Family Community of Stockton

B4: Protect Yourself: Infectious Diseases and What You Can Do To Control Them

Wendy Kaler, MPH, CIC, Infection Control Specialist, Independent Consultant

Workshop Session C
C1: New Opportunities for Serving Special Populations Through the
Mental Health Services Act

Emily Nahat, Chief, Prevention and Early Intervention Branch,

California Department of Mental Health

Lois Williams, Staff Mental Health Specialist, California Department of

Mental Health

C2: Passport to Your Future: Activities Funded Through the Refugee School Impact Grant

Danna Domashuk, Program Coordinator, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Nadia Kalinyuk, Special Project Coordinator, Folsom Cordova Unified

School District

C3: Social Security Programs and Refugees: How to Bridge the Gap

Ray Maxwell, Claims Representative, Social Security Administration,

Long Beach Field Office

Julie Trinh, Operations Supervisor, Social Security Administration,

Long Beach Field Office

C4: Improving Health Outcomes for Refugees, Asylees, and Trafficking Victims

Patricia Erwin, MPH, Program Manager, Newcomers Health Program,

San Francisco Department of Public Health

Joseph Johnson, MPH, Health Education Consultant, Refugee Health Section,

California Department of Public Health

Sandra Meucci, Ph.D., Evaluation Consultant, Refugee Health Section,

California Department of Public Health

C5: The Future of Food: Cultivating Refugee Opportunities in Rural and Urban Agriculture

Kate Hughes, Community Development Specialist, International Rescue

Committee, San Diego

Ellee Igoe, Community Development Coordinator, International Rescue

Committee, San Diego

Blong Lee, Refugee Program Coordinator, Fresno County Economic

Opportunities Commission

Wellness Enrichment Activity: Restoring Resiliency and Well-Being

Rifka Hirsch, Executive Director, The Cambodian Family

Workshop Session D

D1: Serving Torture Survivors: Mental Health Challenges and Opportunities

David Gangsei, Ph.D., Clinical Director, Survivors of Torture, International

Sarita Kohli, Director, Mental Health Programs, Asian Americans for

Community Involvement

Virginia West, LCSW, Regional Program Coordinator, Adult/Older Adult

Mental Health Administration, County of San Diego

D2: New Perspectives on Refugee Employment Services

Diana Ross, Director, Refugee Employment Services, Alliance for

African Assistance

Barbara Tucker, Deputy Project Manager, MAXIMUS, Inc.

Jaye Yoshonis, Assistant Deputy Director, Strategic Planning & Operational

Support, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency

 

D3: Unlicensed Practitioners: The Dangers and Downfalls

Representatives of the California Department of Consumer Affairs

D4: Building a Lifetime of Refugee Success Through Education and Enrichment

Colleen Krause, Program Manager, International Rescue Committee, San Diego

Christina Piranio, Youth Program Manger, International Rescue Committee,

San Diego

Kathleen Visel, Lead ESL Instructor, San Diego Community College District

Plenary Session II
Non-Profits & Advocacy: Current Refugee Issues; Lobbying, Advocacy &
Public Education; Effective Advocacy

Robert Montgomery, Regional Resettlement Director, San Diego Office,

International Rescue Committee

Closing Remarks

Venus Garth, Chief, Child Care and Refugee Programs Branch,

California Department of Social Services