Mike is a prominent Northeast Florida military veteran leader who has served in significant leadership positions in the military, business and education sectors. He currently serves as the CohenVeterans Network Outreach Manager with responsibility for supporting the Network’s outreach to communities across the United States. Mike previously served as Director for the Stephen A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone in Jacksonville. He was the Senior Vice President of University Relations and Development for Jacksonville University with responsibility for developing relationships with key government, military and community leaders. Mike was a Managing Director for Deutsche Bank, serving as the Site Lead in Jacksonville while also serving as the Co-Chair of Veterans on Wall Street, an initiative dedicated to honoring and employing veterans. Before joining Deutsche Bank, he was a career military officer with over 30 years of service including nine years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps and 27 years in the Army National Guard; where he ultimately retired as a Brigadier General. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Jacksonville State University, Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Florida, and Master of Arts from the United States Naval War College. He served as a Congressional Fellow, National Security Fellow at Harvard University, and Foreign Affairs Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Mike was a member of the United States (CIOR) Military Pentathlon Team for eight years and represented the United States in international competitions. He is the founder and Chair of the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition (http://www.coj.net/departments/military-affairs,- veterans-and-disabled-services/jobs-for-vets-(1)/jmvc.aspx), a Public/Private Partnership with the City of Jacksonville and business community to provide employment opportunities for veterans; and the Northeast Florida Military Veteran College Network (https://earnup.org/veterans/). Mike also chairs The Fire Watch (www.thefirewatch.org), a Northeast Florida initiative to end veterans’ suicide. He earned military awards that include the Legion of Merit and Florida Cross; and civilian honors that include the Cohen Veterans Network Admiral Mike Mullen Leadership Award, Florida Governor’s Business Ambassador Award, Rear Admiral Kevin Delaney Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Military Hall of Fame, Florida National Guard Distinguished Service Award, Jacksonville Business Journal’s Veterans of Influence, and Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Bronze Medallion.

John Van Epp, Ph.D., formerly a therapist in private practice for 25 years, adjunct professor in Marriage and Family studies, and relationship trainer and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for over two decades with the military, is currently the President and Founder of Love Thinks, LCC, where he has developed evidenced-based relationship courses that have been taught by more than 36,000 certified instructors to over a million participants internationally.

Seth Chamberlain is a Division Director in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s) Office of Family Assistance (OFA), with oversight of the Healthy Marriage (HM) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) programs. Prior to work in OFA, he was a Senior Social Science Research Analyst in ACF’s Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). He has spent over eighteen years working on federal HM and RF programs and evaluations, as well as evaluations of federal sexual risk avoidance education and teen pregnancy prevention programs. Prior to joining ACF, Mr. Chamberlain taught middle school Spanish in Chicago, interned at a program for men convicted of domestic battery, and interned as a clinical social worker at the University of Chicago Hospital. Mr. Chamberlain holds a B.A. from Goshen College and an M.A. from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

Jacqueline Proctor is a Branch Chief in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), with oversight of the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) National Initiatives. Ms. Proctor previously served as a Program Specialist, providing oversight to organizations funded to implement HMRF programs. Prior to joining OFA, she was a Project Officer in ACF’s Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), overseeing adolescent pregnancy prevention and sexual risk avoidance education programs. Ms. Proctor has also served in various capacities in the District of Columbia Government, Community Health Administration, prior to joining ACF. She was a Public Health Advisor and Contract Administrator for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and led special initiatives such as the Mid-Atlantic WIC Assessment, to gain insight into policies and practices that supported quality care and to identify barriers to participation and retention of participants. She also served as the Program Coordinator for the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program, overseeing funded projects and led the Maternal Child Health (MCH) Advisory Council. Prior to joining DC DOH, Ms. Proctor served as the Project Manager for a nonprofit organization, with a mission to support people with disabilities by addressing barriers to employment so they can succeed and thrive. Ms. Proctor has 27 years of experience supporting efforts to reduce disparities and advance equity through policy and systems change, to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Ms. Proctor earned a Master of Human Services degree from Lincoln University with a concentration in social research.

Shaunti Feldhahn received her graduate degree from Harvard University and was an analyst on Wall Street before unexpectedly becoming a social researcher, best-selling author, and popular speaker. Today, Shaunti applies her analytical skills to investigate eye-opening, life-changing truths about relationships, both at home and in the workplace. Her groundbreaking research-based books, such as For Women Only, The Kindness Challenge, and Thriving in Love & Money, have sold more than 3 million copies in 25 languages. Her books and studies are popular in homes, counseling centers, and corporations worldwide. Shaunti (often with her husband, Jeff) have spoken around the world, sharing her findings with audiences ranging from churches to women’s and marriage conferences to arena events to youth camps and cruises (yes, those are particularly painful…). Her research and commentary are regularly featured in media as diverse as The Today Show, Focus on the Family, The New York Times and MomLife Today. Shaunti, Jeff, and their two children live in Atlanta and enjoy every minute of living life at warp speed.

Melissa S. Kearney is the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, the Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, a non-resident Senior Fellow at Brookings, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Kearney is a highly regarded expert on domestic economic policy issues, especially those related to children and families, social policy, poverty, and inequality. Her research is published in leading academic journals and is frequently cited in the popular press. She is a scholar affiliate and board member of the Notre Dame Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO); a scholar affiliate of the MIT Abdul Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL); and an editorial board member of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy and the Journal of Economic Literature. Kearney teaches economics at both the undergraduate and PhD level at the University of Maryland. She holds a BA in Economics from Princeton University and a PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the author of the forthcoming University of Chicago Press book The Two-Parent Privilege.

Scott Stanley, Ph.D. is a research professor at the University of Denver. He is an expert in family psychology, focusing on commitment, conflict, cohabitation, relationship development, and the prevention of relationship distress. Along with colleagues such as Dr. Howard Markman and Dr. Galena Rhoades, Stanley has conducted research on relationship education since the early 1980s, mostly funded by grants (to one of these three scholars) from the National Institutes of Health or the Administration for Children and Families. Stanley and Rhoades have also conducted research on cohabitation, relationship development, and commitment, also funded by the National Institutes of Health. This research has influenced efforts aimed at helping individuals improve their relationship decision-making in consequential relationships. Along with Howard Markman, Scott Stanley co-owns the PREP Companies, an enterprise founded with the goal of disseminating research-informed and evidence-based relationship education curricula.

Bill Doherty is a Professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota where he directs The Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project and The Citizen Professional Center. Clinically, he focuses on couples on the brink of divorce, on relational ethics in the everyday lives of clients, and on political stress in relationships. Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, he co-founded Braver Angels, a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization and restore the fraying social fabric in American society. Braver Angels now has volunteers working in all 50 states. He has authored 14 books, the latest being The Ethical Lives of Clients: Transcending Self- Interest in Psychotherapy, published by the American Psychological Association. Among his awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy.

Meghan Heffron is a Branch Chief in the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) program and oversees the Technical Assistance and Tech Transfer branch. Meghan joined the HMRF team as a Family Assistance Program Specialist with the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services in 2015. As the Branch Chief for Technical Assistance and Tech Transfer she supports the promotion of strong HMRF programming among the federally-funded grantees, and the wider promotion of HMRF programming to relevant programs and agencies. Prior to her time at ACF, Meghan lived in Beirut, Lebanon while obtaining her Master of Public Health from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a concentration in health promotion and community health. During her time overseas her work and research focused on reproductive health, gender health disparities, refugee health and behavior change interventions. Prior to obtaining her MPH, Meghan worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Environmental and Food Safety Laboratory. Meghan graduated from the University of Virginia and holds a B.A. in Biology.

Pastor Corey B. Brooks, founder and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D. Communities Development Corporation has become a leading voice and presence in the fight against the violence gripping Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. He established New Beginnings Church of Chicago in November 2000 in the heart of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhood - this opportunity was his first glimpse into the despair in the city of Chicago served as the catalyst to his ongoing efforts to date. Pastor Brook’s efforts received national acclaim when he spent 94 days living on the roof of a rundown motel located across the street from the church. It had become a center of drugs, prostitution, and violence. Within three months he raised enough money to buy the building and tear it down. The land is now earmarked to be the location of a 23-million-dollar state-of-the-art community center. The goal of the proposed community center is to offset violence, provide the support necessary to make the neighborhood a safer place, and give children the tools to reach for a brighter future. Pastor Brooks and his wife Delilah have fully invested in the community of Woodlawn on Chicago’s South Side. He and his wife are spearheading a community initiative called Project H.O.O.D. to revitalize the neighborhood. Through it, they are raising up a new generation of peacemakers, problem solvers, and entrepreneurs. Current Project H.O.O.D. programming includes a Core and Carpentry Level I course, which places participants in entry-level construction jobs post-program, an entrepreneurship course, and separate business workshops for aspiring and new business owners, a co-working office space for business owners, job placement programs, and community-wide events including The World’s Largest Baby Shower. Pastor Brooks attended Ball State University, University of Florida, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Grace Theological Seminary. He has been pastoring since 1990.

Brad Wilcox is Professor of Sociology and Director of National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Wilcox earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar, and his Ph.D. in sociology at Princeton University. Prior to coming to U.Va., he held research fellowships at Princeton University and Yale University. Professor Wilcox's research focuses on the quality and stability of family life in the United States and around the globe. Dr. Wilcox is the author and coeditor of five books including Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization (Forthcoming, Harper Collins 2023) and Gender and Parenthood: Biological and Social Scientific Perspectives (Columbia University Press, 2013). He has published articles on marriage, cohabitation, parenting, and fatherhood in The American Sociological Review, The Journal of Marriage and Family and The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. His research is featured regularly in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, NPR, National Review, Deseret News, and other media outlets.

Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., is a clinical child psychologist who from 2001 to 2007 was the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he oversaw over 60 federal programs with a total annual budget of $47 billion aimed at improving the well-being of children and helping families achieve self- sufficiency, including welfare, child welfare, child support, childcare, and adoption. While ACF Assistant Secretary, Dr. Horn also implemented the first ever federal Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage grant programs. Dr. Horn also has served as Commissioner for Children, Youth and Families, and Chief of the Children & Families Bureau within HHS, and as a member of the National Commission on Children, the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, the National Commission on Childhood Disability, the President’s Commission on Special Education, the U.S. Advisory Board on Welfare Indicators, the U.S. Advisory Board on Kinship Care, and the U.S. Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation. Dr. Horn is also a co-founder and first President of National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) whose mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the number of children growing up with involved, committed, and responsible fathers, and has been an adjunct faculty at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and an affiliate scholar with the Hudson Institute. Dr. Horn also has extensive experience in the provision of direct services, including as Director of Outpatient Psychological Services at the Children & Families Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and co-director of Michigan State University’s Psychological Clinic. Dr. Horn has written numerous articles relevant to children and family issues, including a weekly newspaper column entitled Fatherly Advice, and is the co-author of several books including The Better Homes and Gardens New Father Book (Meredith Books, 1998) and the Better Homes and Gardens New Teen Book (Meredith Books, 1999). He is also the lead editor of The Fatherhood Movement: A Call to Action (Lexington Books, 1998). Dr. Horn received his Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from Southern Illinois University in 1981. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife of 40+ years, and is the proud father of two married, adult daughters.

Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, Dad, Soldier, Professor, Community Leader, and Advocate for the well-being of children serves in the position as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fathers and Families Coalition of America. James started his purpose of service to others as a combat medic in the United States Army, and at 22, one of the youngest Substance Abuse Counselors in the Department of Defense as just part of his twenty years of service in the military. His passion to create opportunities to help others, led the development of six exceptional statewide models to support low-income individuals and families to find pathways to success. James has developed multiple curriculums, funded models, served as a Principal Investigator and evaluator leading to over forty million dollars of awards to serve in-risk communities, families, and individuals. In 1996, he created one of America’s the first fatherhood program funded by TANF as a statewide collaborative model for young fathers. Understanding a need to help practitioners, James led for an annual conference supporting all levels of professionals and parent attendees supporting over twenty-thousand individuals from over fifty nations with the first event in 2000 that led to the formation of now the Fathers and Families Coalition of America. Professor Rodríguez designed community-based education credential programs as well as faculty at University of Southern California, Arizona State University, Mesa College, and other institutions with the passion to instill in the social work profession profoundly the importance of professional development, research, evaluation, and policy. Moreover, he was one of the contributors to the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network funded by the Office of Performance and Research Evaluation (OPRE) on fathers to improve policy development and equity, provides important insight for researchers and practitioners to include fathers in family strengthening initiatives. In 2008, he created the Advanced Practitioner Credential™ an approved continuing education model, utilized by thousands of practitioners in an advanced In 2019, Dr. Rodríguez created the OAR Leadership Institute curriculum I Am Going Anyway™ Strengthening Families Through Nurturing Leadership. The model has been peer-reviewed, funded, and used in a community-based education platform by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, several county executives in the State of California, the State of Missouri, and piloted with a parent program with partner, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in San Fernando, CA. As a professional social worker, forming the Fathers and Families Coalition of America is one of the high points of the professional journey of Dr. James C. Rodriguez, MSW. He self-describes himself first as a Dad, Grandfather, Soldier, Advocate, Social Worker, and is humbled to be called into the position of leadership. As a clinical social worker, he has roles as a certified substance abuse counselor, crisis intervention therapist, individual, child, and family clinician, and certified executive coach.