About the National Alliance for Marriage and Relationship Education (NARME)
The National Alliance for Marriage and Relationship Education (NARME) equips leaders and practitioners with research-based relationship education strategies, tools, and best practices to develop healthy relationships, stronger marriages, and safe and stable families to increase human flourishing. NARME has members from across the United States with a focus on improving the well-being of children, adults, and families by elevating skills-based relationship and marriage education (RME) as a social norm.
To accomplish these goals and purposes, NARME engages in the following activities:
Annual Summit – each year, NARME hosts a national summit where leaders in the field of healthy marriage and relationship education and responsible fatherhood share research, best practices, and opportunities to network with other professionals. The Summit grew out of the Smart Marriage movement in the 1990’s and 2000’s. NARME holds an annual summit in various locations each summer. The Summit is an excellent opportunity to network with national leaders, researchers, and professionals in the field of relationship education and responsible fatherhood. Previous keynote speakers at the NARME Summit include Dr. Alan Hawkins, Seth Chamberlain (HHS OFA), Dr. Morgan Cutlip, Dr. John Van Epp, Dr. Warren Farrell, Dennis Stoica, Dr. Scott Stanley, Dr. Gary Chapman, Gary Dixon, Lynn Johnson, Dr. Brad Wilcox, Dr. Matthew Lee, Mary Ann Mosack, Dr. Melissa Kearney, and Dr. Ron Deal (and many others). There are several workshops and research presentations at each summit and a networking event designed to interact with other professionals and students. Learn more about our upcoming summit and also previous summits.
Webinars – NARME regularly hosts webinars to highlight current research and trends in the areas of marriage, romantic relationships, responsible fatherhood, and related topics. These are available at no charge to the public. Past presenters have included Public Strategies of Oklahoma, Dr. Brad Wilcox of the University of Virginia and the Institute for Family Studies, and Dr. Matthew Lee of the Human Flourishing Project at Harvard University. Sign up to be notified of upcoming webinars.
Weekly Newsletter – Each week, NARME distributes a newsletter to subscribers to share the new research, job opportunities, and other professional activities. Subscribe today for free (see below).
NARME Membership – Membership with NARME starts at only $100 each year and includes access to previous summit plenary talks, invitation to a VIP luncheon at the summit, discounted rates for summit registration and exhibit tables, and opportunities to network with other NARME members and the Board of Directors at NARME. Join today!
Internship Opportunities – University Internships are available with NARME and are open to undergraduate/graduate students from any university and all areas of study. Learn more!
Syllabus Collection – NARME partners with the Institute for Family Studies to share a compendium of university syllabi for courses focusing on marital and romantic relationships.
The NARME Board of Directors – The NARME Board consists of leading experts and proponents of healthy marriage and relationship education and responsible fatherhood programming.
NARME Ambassador Program - A NARME Ambassador recognizes the importance and societal benefits of healthy marriages and families and raises awareness of NARME as an important advocate for achieving these benefits across society. A NARME Ambassador promotes the organization to increase interest, membership, and attendance at the Annual NARME Summit and other activities and events. Learn more and apply here.
NARME 10 Year Plan -The NARME Board compiled, sorted, discussed, reviewed, and then unanimously adopted Ten Bold Goals to Strengthen Marriage and Families in Ten Years.
Who We Are - NARME collaborates with researchers, university faculty, marriage and family practitioners, advocates, mental health professionals, healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood grantees, health and human service professionals, youth-serving agencies, and faith-based organizations committed to resource development and dissemination. This collaboration is driven by data-informed best practices and policies to strengthen marriage and to promote family formation leading to human flourishing and life success.
What We Do - NARME develops community partnerships and advocates for healthy marriages and policies at the federal, state and local levels. NARME elevates innovative practices to improve relationships by adopting data-driven relationship skills training for youth and adults. NARME rallies thought leaders and practitioners to through an annual conference, webinars, signature events, newsletters, and membership activities.
Why We Do It - NARME is committed to tackling the root causes of deeply rooted societal issues like poverty, homelessness, crime, addiction, mental health challenges, and educational underachievement by utilizing primary prevention strategies grounded in evidence-based practices and research. Learn more about what we do and why we do it.
NARME Board
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BOARD CHAIR
Tallahassee, FL
Richard Albertson is the Founding President and CEO of Live the Life, a statewide organization in Florida with offices in Lakeland and Tallahassee. Live the Life was founded in 1998 with a mission to strengthen marriages. Since then, the divorce rate in Leon County has dropped 44% and is now at its lowest level in 20 years.
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SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR
Provo, UT
Alan Hawkins currently serves as the manager of the Utah Marriage Commission, which is hosted by Utah State University Extension. He recently retired after 33 years as a professor of family life at Brigham Young University where he focused on teaching family life education and researching the effectiveness of relationship and marriage education.
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Denver, CO
Joneen is the former president and founder of the Center for Relationship Education which houses the Healthy Marriage Project in Denver, Colorado. She is also the lead author of the nationally-used REAL Essentials curriculum. Joneen is also a popular national speaker and trainer.
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BOARD MEMBER
San Clemente, CA
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.
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BOARD MEMBER
San Antonio, TX
Carl Caton is the President of The Marriage Initiative. He is passionate about strengthening families through partnership with the local church. Carl advocates for "upstream" efforts with a focus on marriage, parenting, and fatherhood.
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BOARD MEMBER
Panama City, FL
Dennis Stoica is one of the most versatile leaders in the Relationship and Marriage Education (RME) field, having been trained in 15 different RME programs, founded or co-founded four organizations (Orange County Marriage Resource Center, Healthy Relationships California, NARME and the Community Marriage Initiatives Fund), and played each of the following roles multiple times: RME Program Facilitator, Trainer of Trainers, Federal HMI Grant Project Director, Division Manager, President, Board Member, and Philanthropist. His current area of interest is Community Marriage Initiatives as a vehicle to drive down county-wide divorce rates. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and stepped away from the corporate world in 2002 to pursue his passion of changing the world through empowering healthy relationships.
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BOARD MEMBER
Ashburn, VA
Online Adjunct Faculty / Liberty University
Contributing Faculty / Walden University
Senior Fellow of Geneva Institute for Leadership & Public Policy
Formerly a Director at Public Strategies, Inc.
Dr. Regier has a distinguished career in public service having formerly served as Secretary in the Cabinet of two state Governors, and as a policy leader for three U.S. Presidents. He recently retired from Public Strategies where he oversaw federal contracts with the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) as project director for Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRAE) performance measures that served all national SRAE grantees; and was co-lead for the SRAE National Evaluation.
Previous appointments in state government include Secretary of the Florida Department of Children & Families under Governor Jeb Bush where he led a department of 25,000 employees, and Secretary of Health & Human Services in the state of Oklahoma under Governor Frank Keating. Appointments in the federal government at HHS were as Assistant Secretary for Policy, and as Associate Commissioner of Children, Youth & Families; and in the Department of Justice as Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
He has several academic appointments: Contributing faculty of the School of Public Health and Public Policy at Walden University where he serves on doctoral dissertation committees; and online faculty of the Helms School of Government at Liberty University where he teaches social policy and serves on doctoral dissertation committees.
Earlier in his career he was the founder of the Family Research Council, a public policy research and educational organization in Washington, DC, and served as its first President for 5 years. Prior to that he served with Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) for 13 years, at the University of Texas and at the Christian Embassy in DC.
Dr. Regier graduated from Grace University in Omaha, NE, and from Michigan State University with a B.A. degree in history. He has a post-graduate Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from The King’s University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Public Administration from Walden University. He lives with his wife Sharyn in the Washington, DC Metro (Ashburn, Virginia). They have four grown children and 14 grandchildren.
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BOARD MEMBER
Julie Baumgardner has a deep passion for helping people create healthy, vibrant marriage relationships. She is the former President and CEO of First Things First, an award winning nonprofit that is a national resource for all things marriage and family. For the last four years Julie worked as the Senior Director of Marriage for the WinShape Foundation.
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BOARD MEMBER
San Antonio, TX
Calvin K. Copeland serves as the Pastor of PreEminent Worship Center. He is a dedicated individual with a rich background in Clinical Pastoral Education, holding certifications as a Trained Life Coach, Facilitator, and Chaplain. He actively engages in community leadership, serving as the Co-Chair of the African American Leadership Institute for the Alamo Chamber of Commerce and leading a committee supporting students as a Project Manager. Calvin also hosts the "FOREVER LOVE… AFTER ALL," Podcast where he passionately works to strengthen the understanding of the purpose of marriages. With over 40 years of walking the path of marriage purpose with his childhood sweetheart. Calvin is a popular national speaker, and a transformative Life Coach who has rekindled the passion in numerous couples.
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BOARD MEMBER
Houston, TX
Washington Jackson III, is the founder and CEO of My Chance – Houston. He is dynamic, yet humble in sharing his many gifts and passion across the greater Houston area through program services. From Federal HMRF Project Director, Facilitator, Board member, multiple federal award-winning grant writer, to servant leadership, he continues to serve others. He has an extensive work history with several local agencies, schools, and faith - based institutions, inspiring both adults and youth to simply be the best version of themselves. Several of his federal projects have been awarded for making a true impact in Relationship Education. Beyond his many duties, Mr. Jackson loves his family and loves to inspire others. He’s participated in organizing man camps, directing 5K/1K Mental Health Awareness Walk/Run, coaching little league and select baseball. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Houston Graduate School of Theology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice, with a minor in Family and Child Development from Texas Southern University. His motto is “Always give your best.”