2019 Conference Keynote and Plenary Speakers Announced!

Keynote Speaker | Thursday (June 6)

Jonathan Mooney is a writer and learning activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University’s class of 2000 and holds an honors degree in English Literature. Jonathan has spent his entire professional career as a social entrepreneur developing organizations, programs, and initiatives to improve the lives of marginalized groups. In 1997, as an undergraduate at Brown University, Jonathan co-founded Project Eye-To-Eye, a non-profit advocacy organization for students with learning differences. [read more]As the founding president and Executive Director, Jonathan grew the organization from an undergraduate project conceived in his dorm room into a national organization, which currently has 38 chapters in 20 states working with over 10,000 parents, educators, and students. Jonathan has also worked extensively to create career and college pathways to move low-income youth and adults out of poverty creating the Los Angeles Energy pathway program; The Urban Teacher Fellowship; and the Promo Pathway, an initiative Vice President Al Gore called “a model for moving at-risk youth into the creative economy.”

With the publication of Learning Outside The Lines (now in its 18th printing) when he was 23, Jonathan has established himself as one of the foremost leaders in the neurodiversity and learning revolution. His second book, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal was published in the spring of 2007 to outstanding reviews in The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and many other national publications. Both books are considered foundational texts in the disability rights movement, the inclusive education movement, and the learning revolution and are used in undergraduate and graduate program at universities and colleges across the country including Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University.

Jonathan’s work has been widely recognized for its innovation and social impact. In 1999, Jonathan was selected as a Harry S. Truman Scholar for Public Service. In 2000, Jonathan was selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. In 2002, the LD Access Foundation recognized his work for students with disabilities with the Golden Advocacy award. Previous honorees include David Boies, Judith Rodin, former President of The University of Pennsylvania, and former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean; and in 2008, Jonathan’s social impact work was recognized by the Lab School of Washington where he shared the stage with Vice President Joe Biden.

Jonathan is a highly sought after speaker on neurodiversity, education reform, the learning revolution, and creating college and career pathways for at risk youth. He has lectured in 43 states and three countries. He has been featured and quoted in/on The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, HBO, NPR, ABC News, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.[/read]

Keynote Speaker | Thursday/Social Work Awards Dinner (June 6)

Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R, CGP, is a psychotherapist, career/executive coach, trainer, and consultant with a private practice in Midtown Manhattan. Mary is a thought leader in the social services industry, recognized by her peers for her wisdom, contributions, and novel ideas on coaching, training, mentoring, and sharing knowledge. She has more than 20 years of experience helping individuals, couples, companies, and non-profit organizations. [read more]She shares her unique insight and understanding of the business world to help corporate and non-profit leaders navigate its complex terrain. Mary's background also includes executive management roles at America’s largest non-profit organization, The Jewish Board of Family Services (JBFCS), in New York City. During her tenure at The Jewish Board, Mary held many leadership roles, including Assistant Executive Director, Chief of Social Work Services, Director of Group Treatment, and Director of the agency’s Confronting Organizational Racism Initiative. The organization serves over 70,000 families of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds each year in 160 programs with a staff of 3,400.

Mary is the President & CEO of MPG Consulting, a New York City-based consultant group with significant experience in providing capacity building services for organizations of various types and sizes. MPGC is committed to ensuring that organizations serving populations of color are prepared to provide transformative culturally and racially attuned clinical, programmatic, and administrative services. The racially and culturally diverse team brings to organizations a wide range of experience as coaches, clinicians, trainers, managers, and organizational consultants in mental health, education, child welfare, and social service settings. Typical clients are undergoing transformations precipitated by a change in market conditions, funding, leadership, and/or community need.

Mary has also been instrumental in coaching and supervising countless individuals in creating and maintaining their own "virtual personal board of directors." She has given many inspiring keynotes and has been honored numerous times for her professional contributions. She is frequently quoted on a variety of mental health and business topics. Mary received her Master of Science in Social Work and Bachelor of Science in Pre-Social Work degrees from New York University.[/read]

Opening Plenary Speaker | Thursday (June 6)

Victoria M. Rizzo, LCSW-R, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, SUNY currently serves as the Chair of the NASW-NYS Chapter’s Value of Social Work Task Force. Dr. Rizzo has dedicated her career to demonstrating the value of social work in health care settings through her research, teaching, and workforce development activities. Dr. Rizzo’s research examines the impact of social work, and interprofessional interventions that include social workers, on health care utilization, health, and behavioral health outcomes for older adults coping with chronic illnesses, elder abuse, and care giving. [read more]She also examines the implications of the findings of her work for health care policy and the financing of the provision of social work services to older adults and their caregivers. Dr. Rizzo has extensive experience as a health care social worker and has conducted research with colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Health Care Systems, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) in New York City. Various foundations, including the Garfield Foundation of Kaiser Permanente Health Care Systems, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, have funded her research. While at Columbia University, Dr. Rizzo also received funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation to develop and implement the Partnership Program in Aging Education, which trains MSW students to work with older adults, their families, and their caregivers. Her most recent book is Healing Justice: Holistic Self-Care for Change Makers (Oxford University Press, 2018). Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the focus of her research, writing, and community work has been on the areas of disasters, violence against women, crisis/trauma, racial/economic/gender/environmental justice, and body-mind-spirit practice.

Dr. Rizzo has published 39 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is currently co-editing a textbook, entitled Gerontological social work and the grand challenges: Focusing on policy and practice. This textbook examines the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work using an aging lens. Dr. Rizzo is a distinguished scholar and fellow of the National Academies of Practice (Social Work Academy), a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar. Previously, she held faculty appointments at the Columbia School of Social Work and the Department of Social Work, College of Community and Public Affairs, Binghamton University.[/read]

Closing Plenary Speaker | Friday (June 6)

Loretta Pyles, PhD, is Professor at the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY. She is also a meditation and yoga teacher, workshop leader, organizational consultant, and activist. The 3rd edition of her book, Progressive Community Organizing: Transformative Practice in a Globalizing World will be published by Routledge Press in 2020. [read more]Her most recent book is Healing Justice: Holistic Self-Care for Change Makers (Oxford University Press, 2018). Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the focus of her research, writing, and community work has been on the areas of disasters, violence against women, crisis/trauma, racial/economic/gender/environmental justice, and body-mind-spirit practice.[/read]