Events

 

 

Name: Martin Sellers
Employer and Position: Lincoln Memorial University, Dean
Education: Ph.D. in Political Science
Email Address:  martin.sellers@lmunet.edu
Background: Dr. Martin Sellers is Dean of the Paul V. Hamilton School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU). He received formal education, including a BA in Political Science and Public Administration, from the College of New Jersey, a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from New York University and a PhD in Political Science from Temple University in Philadelphia and an MBA at LMU in 2020. His academic interests focus on public administration, state and local government, special district government, and privatization of prisons.

Speech Title: NILs: Name, Image and Likeness OR No-longer Into Learning?
Abstract: NILs, or Name, Image and Likeness, is at the heart of the debate regarding student athletes and money received by institutions they attend. There are billions of dollars at stake, acquired by the NCAA and colleges and universities from media, and ticketing, and boosters whose support college athletes see very little of. Now that the courts have forced the issue into the hands of the private sector, the NCAA has no reason to press the point of amateurism, and so student athletes can now be paid by any and all third party vendors, companies, boosters, and organizations for their association and commitment with them, with no recourse by the NCAA or the colleges they attend. The issue for academics is what impact money will have on student athletes and whether now is the time to change that moniker to athlete students. Will students who play sports and are paid have a more intense reason for focusing on their athleticism and not academic pursuits?

Name: Ronda Engstrom
Employer and Position: Assistant Professor of Criminology, Davis & Elkins College 
Education: Ph.D. in Criminology
Email: engstromr@dewv.edu
Background: Dr. Ronda Engstrom has more than 20 years of experience teaching higher education in the United States and abroad. Currently she is assistant profess of Criminology at Davis & Elkins College where she teaches courses in juvenile justice, research methods, theory, victimology, and crime and social inequality. Previously she instructed sociology and criminology courses at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, California University of Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County Community College, and Hebei University in Baoding, China. Engstrom has presented her research at national and regional conferences and published in the journal of Crime and Delinquency. Engstrom recently earned her Ph.D. in criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation is entitled, “The Impact of Juvenile Confinement on the Life Course Trajectories of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care”.

 

Speech Title: The Foster Care-to-Prison Pipeline: Implications for Policy and Practice 
Abstract: The child welfare system has been termed a “feeder” into the criminal justice system. More recently the term foster-care-to-prison pipeline has been used to refer to the intersection between the child welfare system and the criminal justice system. A national sample of youth aging out of care suggests that 33% of youth aging out of care have spent time confined in a correctional facility by age 17. Research also indicates that those who are confined as juveniles are more likely to spend time in adult prison. This foster-care-to-prison pipeline has implications for juvenile justice policy and practice. It is important to understand that youth in foster care are almost by definition traumatized youth underscoring the need for trauma-informed practices in our juvenile justice system. Additional policy and practice implications including support for youth transitioning out of the foster care system, reentry of juveniles who are in the child welfare system, and educational supports will be discussed in this presentation.

Name: Simon Rotzer 
Employer and Position: Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy; Graduate Research Assistant 
Education: Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science – University of Tennessee, Knoxville 
Email Address: srotzer@vols.utk.edu 
Background: Simon Rotzer is a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from Augsburg, Germany. His research focuses on Civil-Military Relations. In particular, he wants to understand how the government, the public, and the military talk to and about each other and what consequences these conversations have for society, the state, and international security. His dissertation focuses on why countries keep conscription during peacetime. Currently, Simon is a Research Assistant for the Minerva-funded project "Maritime Law Enforcement in the Indo-Pacific: Building Capacity to Confront Militia Groups and Maritime Crime".

 

Speech Title: Compelling Volunteerism? – Conscription in the 21st Century 
Abstract: Compelled military service has a long and contentious history. Conscription is an efficient and practical recruitment strategy, especially during times of high external threat to a country. Its downsides include substantial economic costs, questions of equality and fairness, and its low strategic value for modern militaries. While the end of the Cold War triggered a decline in conscription in the West, it is still a reality for parts of the world. Recent years have led some countries to reconsider their attitudes towards the draft, with some Arab Gulf states introducing forced recruitment for the first time, Sweden bringing it back, and even the United States considering methods to increase participation in military, national, and public service.

Name: Daniel Hummel, Ph.D. 
Employer and Position: University of Louisiana, Monroe; Assistant Professor - Political Science and Public Administration
Education: Florida Atlantic University (Ph.D. in Public Administration - 2013) 
Email Address: hummelresearch@gmail.com 
Background: I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisiana Monroe, where I teach public budgeting and finance, state and local government, American urban politics and intergovernmental relations. I have published in Local Economy, Public Policy and Administration, Review of Religious Research, Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management, Public Budgeting & Finance and Administration & Society. My most recent publication is a book with Rowman & Littlefield on the policy diffusion of anti-Sharia laws in the United States (2021). I regularly present at the Western Social Science Association and Midwest Political Science Association conferences. I am also actively involved with the interfaith community and regularly serve on panels and with initiatives that strive for peace, tolerance, understanding and respect between communities.

 

Speech Title: Religiosity: Emphasizing Public Service 
Abstract: Religious language is still actively used to promote the moral imperatives of the state. This was an effort to secularize the sacredness that bound societies for centuries. However, moral diversity causes conflicts over values that make a utilitarian approach appealing. Consider the work of John Rawls and procedural fairness and logos-thinking. The problem is that people are mythos-thinkers and need common values to bind them. The challenges of diversity require the existence of common ground. For good or bad, in the United States religion and politics interact with each other. Beyond the realm of public policy and within the wheels of the administrative state religiosity has played a role in motivating people to choose those careers and determine how they conduct their affairs. The challenge for public administrators is negotiating between the positive and negative contributions of religion to public service.

Name: John G. Grove 
Employer and Position: Liberty Fund, Managing Editor of Law & Liberty 
Education (school of highest degree awarded): PhD in Political Science, Northern Illinois University 
Email Address: jgrove@libertyfund.org 
Background: John G. Grove is the managing editor of Law & Liberty, an online magazine on law, politics, and culture published by Liberty Fund. Previously, he was an associate professor of political science at LMU. He has published academic work on 18th and 19th century English and American political thought and has written for several public outlets on conservatism, constitutionalism, the early republic, and constitutional originalism.

 

Speech Title: "Faith, Skepticism, and the Crackup of Left and Right"
Abstract: The ideological left and right today are both experiencing a crackup of sorts, with what some have called a "liberal" and "illiberal" wing emerging on both ends of our traditional spectrum. Twentieth-century British political philosopher Michael Oakeshott's examination of the various modes of western politics might help us understand the key divisions that are currently making themselves known on both sides. Specifically, his posthumously published The Politics of Faith and the Politics of Scepticism, examines two "poles" of modern politics, two ideal understandings of the task of the modern state. "The politics of faith" sees politics as a means of attaining some form of human perfection--of organizing human beings in such a way conducive to certain substantive conditions needed for comprehensive human flourishing. The "the politics of skepticism," on the other hand, conceives of politics as primarily having a judicial function, managing the relationship of self-directed individuals and civil society associations. This distinction and Oakeshott's discussion of it can help us understand the rifts we are seeing today on the two ends of our traditional political spectrum.

 

 

Name: Rachel Karlin a/k/a Rachel Bonano 
Employer and Position: Law Office of Rachel Bonano, PLLC (owner / managing attorney) 
Education: J.D. (cum laude), The University of Tennessee 
Email Address: rbonano@bonanolaw.com 
Background: Rachel Karlin is an attorney, Jewish, mother of four, fluent in Spanish, and passionate about immigration. She loves to run, and was a walk-on to the Vanderbilt Track and Field team. She has a black belt in TaeKwonDo (which she never uses). She used to be a vet tech, a bartender, a waitress, a nanny, and a paralegal, but not necessarily in that order. Her favorite things to do are read books, chat with friends, and sing with people who are good at it.

 

Speech Title: “Current Immigration Law and Policy: If you think it makes sense, you’re probably wrong! - A Discussion about Non-sensical Head-scratchers in Immigration Law”
Abstract: I started my own law firm ten years ago and it has grown immensely; my own understanding of immigration, immigrants, and the laws that govern both have greatly evolved throughout my life time. Any time I am asked to speak about immigration, I think I am going to get into a really nuanced discussion and then I realize that there are so many myths out there or misconceptions, I just end up going over the basics. So I love teaching people about the basics of immigration, just talking about it. When I am training new employees especially those without past immigration experience, I tell them that when it comes to immigration, if something seems intuitive, then it is probably wrong, and to never assume that common sense could guide them to the answer.

Name: Logan M. Engle
Employer and Position: Director of Planning & Economic Development, City of Elizabethton, TN
Education – MPPA (Master of Public Policy & Administration), University of Tennessee
Email Address: lengle@cityofelizabethton.org
Background: Logan Engle is the Director of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Elizabethton, Tennessee. Logan holds a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Carson-Newman University. Prior to beginning her role in Elizabethton, she previously worked for the City of Morristown and the Town of Greeneville. As a native East Tennessean and Appalachian, Logan is passionate about the call to public service in this region. She currently lives in Erwin, Tennessee with her husband Tyler.

Name: Christy M. Cowan, Ph.D.
Employer and Position: Western Governors University (WGU); Senior Instructor
Education: Ph.D., University of South Carolina in Experimental Psychology
Email Address: christy.cowan@wgu.edu
Background: Dr. Christy Cowan has been an instructor in higher education for the past 20 years. She earned her Ph.D. in 2003 and has worked at Coker College, Lincoln Memorial University (LMU), and now Western Governors University teaching a variety of psychology courses. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor for the counseling program at LMU. Her degree and research have primarily focused on cognition and memory and social psychology. She currently lives in her hometown, Morristown, TN with her husband, two children, and a cat.

 

Speech Title: Is Positive Psychology Really That Positive?
Abstract: In recent years, positive psychology has become a very popular topic in academic and corporate institutions. This presentation will include a history of this focus within psychology and how it has been used in academic settings as well as in employee trainings. It will also include a discussion of the research, or lack thereof, supporting the benefits of positive psychology techniques. Emotional intelligence and social-emotional learning will also be discussed.

Name: Frederick Gordon
Employer and Position: East Tennessee State University, Associate Professor and MPA Director 
Education: Ph.D., University of Southern California
Email Address: gordonfd@etsu.edu
Background:  Dr. Gordon joined the department in 2019 as director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, bringing with him 20 years of teaching experience. He is lead faculty member in acquiring national accreditation of the MPA program and was instrumental in the launch of the inaugural online MPA in Fall 2021. He has taught classes in American politics, public and environmental policy concerns as well as select international relations related courses. His research primarily addresses environmental policy concerns. His most recent publication offers a unique and seldom seen integration of environmental policy and the presidency (The Damming of the Presidency, How Environmental Factors Impact a Political Campaign (Rowman and Littlefield, 2021)

Speech Title: Tracking the Federal Government's Efforts to Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Abstract: Public Administration continues to adapt to changing times. Today we expect administrators to develop and integrate policy in a myriad number of ways while at the same time exhibit efficiency to fulfill an agency's mandate. This includes a relatively new developing area of diversity, equity and inclusion. This presentation signals the impact of Title VII and IX as guideposts to understand the DEI framework while also addressing whether the federal government has met its obligation to meet this critical need and what this means for state and local authorities.

Name: E. Trey Asbury 
Education: Ph.D. in Psychology, Texas Christian University
Employer and Position: Lincoln Memorial University Director MS Psychology Program
Email: edward.asbury@lmunet.edu
Background: Edward “Trey” Asbury earned his B.A. in Psychology from UT Knoxville.  He worked in a biopsychology lab for 2 years at East Tennessee State University, where he received a Master’s in Experimental Psychology.  From 1993-1997, he worked as a child and family therapist at Frontier Health in Bristol, Tennessee.  In 2001, he received a PhD in Developmental Psychology at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.  Over the past 20 years, he has taught at Campbell University in North Carolina, Texas Woman’s University, and served as a Program Evaluator and Data Analyst for the Fort Worth Independent School District. His current research interests are in the field of Cyberpsychology, which broadly studies the interaction between humans and technology.

 

Speech Title: Online Platforms as Mechanisms of Social Support
Abstract:  Asynchronous “screen based” communication has been steadily on the rise over the past 20 years.  Some research suggests humans now use virtual mediums more than face-to-face communication.  Since the advent of social media and online support groups, my students and I have been studying various potential benefits of online communication.  In particular, this presentation will highlight benefits associated with social support and mental health wellness.

 

 

Name: Russell Fowler 
Employer and Position: Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Director of Litigation and Advocacy 
Education: Juris Doctor, The University of Memphis
Email Address: rfowler@laet.org 
Background: Russell Fowler is Director of Litigation and Advocacy at Legal Aid of East Tennessee, and since 1999 he has been adjunct professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He served as the law clerk to Chancellor Neal Small in Memphis and earned his law degree at The University of Memphis in 1987. Fowler has many publications on law and legal history, including for the Smithsonian Institution, the ABA, the Journal of Supreme Court History, and the Tennessee Bar Journal.

 

Speech Title: “Toward a More Perfect Union: Development of Constitutionalism”
Abstract: The roots of constitutionalism, tracible to the expansion of access to justice by England’s King Henry II, led to the guarantee of rights and limited government first enshrined in Magna Carta. Even while adapting to change, the keystone of constitutionalism has always been the rule of law and its protection of the powerless. As Calvin Coolidge said: “It is preeminently the province of government to protect the weak.” This leads to empowerment also summarized by Coolidge: “One with the law is a majority.”

Name: Walter L. Isaac, Ph.D.
Employer and Position: Professor, Department of Psychological Science, Georgia College & State University
Education: Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Email Address: walter.isaac@gcsu.edu
Background: Dr. Isaac joined the Department of Psychological Science at Georgia College in 1998. His area of specialization is Behavioral Neuroscience. Currently, he teaches Research Methods, Science of the Mind, Behavioral Neuroscience, Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience, and a senior capstone seminar. At present, he is conducting behavioral research using crickets and, most recently, tardigrades.  

Speech Title: Learning in the Lab
Abstract: While considering what topic to cover today, I fell into a reflective mood and so I will be relating early experiences and lessons learned that shaped my approach to research. Through my talk, I will tell some stories (perhaps too many) and I will briefly talk about different research that I have done as well as my current research. A major focus for me has been engaging undergraduate students in my lab work and encouraging students to design their own research projects.

Name: Brendan K. Kelley 
Employer and Position:  Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director 
Education: BA, University of Mary Washington. MPA, Lincoln Memorial University 
Email Address: chamberdirector@gratiot.org 
Background: Brendan K Kelley has been the Executive Director of the Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce since October of 2018. Raised in Oneonta, NY, Brendan received his Bachelors of Arts from the University of Mary Washington in 2008, and his Masters of Public Administration from Lincoln Memorial University in May of 2019. His 13-year nonprofit career started with two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Montana with Montana Legal Services Association. Since that first experience, Brendan has worked for nonprofit organizations that primarily focus on supporting small businesses and community and economic development.

 

Speech Title: Supporting A Rural Economy: Reflections of a Chamber of Commerce Professional 
Abstract: Using his experience as the Executive Director of the Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce, Brendan Kelley will present on the best practices of providing support for small businesses in a rural county. Brendan will focus on the three types of Chamber initiatives that best support rural small businesses: Education & Professional Development, Promoting the Local Economy, and Encouraging Community Development. He will also the address the importance of utilizing a limited supply of community human resources. Finally, the presentation will review the importance of the local Chamber and Economic Development Corporation's relationship with municipal and county government.

Name: Sam Hinson
Employer and Position: Deputy Chief of Police at the Sevierville, Tennessee Police Department
Education: BA in Criminal Justice, Austin Peay State University 
Email Address: samh@seviervilletn.org
Background: Sam Hinson was born and raised in Chestnut Hill which is a small community in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He has worked for the Sevierville Police Department for 27 years. During his career, he has served in a variety of capacities to include 17 years as a detective and detective lieutenant in our Criminal Investigation Division. He is currently the Deputy Chief of Police. Deputy Chief Hinson holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Austin Peay State University, and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 273. He has been married to my wife Tara for 14 years. He and his wife live in Sevierville with their two dogs.

 

Speech Title: The Opioid Epidemic from a Local Law Enforcement Perspective.
Abstract: This talk will provide an overview of the Sevierville Police Department and our structure, followed by information and demographics on the area and community we police. I will cover law enforcement partnerships as they relate to our community, then proceed to give some historical information about how opioids first became a prominent issue in our area, i.e. prescription medications were the initial “wave” followed by illicit heroin after doctor shopping laws were made more robust by the state legislature.

Name: Dr. Erin Rowland Carlin, MPPA
Employer and Position: Instructor, Political Science Department, Eastern Illinois University
Education: Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Email: evrowland@eiu.edu
Background: Dr. Carlin is an instructor at Eastern Illinois University where she teaches courses in public administration/policy, international relations, and comparative politics. Her primary research is centered around U.S. domestic and global security policies with special emphasis on active shooter incidents, links between foreign aid and corruption in post-Soviet states, and civil & interstate conflict mediation. Dr. Carlin also serves as EIU’s point-of-contact for the university’s research partnership with the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Lab, and currently, she is working with her students to research refugee resettlement programs for the State Department’s Office of Refugee Admissions. She is actively engaged with EIU’s overarching diversity, equity, and inclusivity organization and formerly served as an assistant editor for The International Journal of Nuclear Security.

Speech Title: The Russia-Ukraine Crisis – What Does Putin Want and Why?
Abstract: Dr. Carlin’s presentation will offer a brief glimpse into the historic background between Russia and Ukraine before shifting to a focus on Russian President Vladimir Putin. She will share information revealed by former insiders in the Russian intelligence and media apparatuses concerning: 1.) Putin’s embracing of Alexander Dugin’s anti-Western philosophies,” 2.) Putin’s use of “the plight of Russian minorities abroad” to justify Russian aggression towards former Soviet states, and 3.) Putin’s interests regarding Russian defense and territorial expansion. Finally, Dr. Carlin will touch on how these issues relate to power transition theory and what impacts the outcomes of this conflict will likely have for Ukraine, the United States, and the West.

 

 

Name: David M. Bukowski 
Employer and Position: Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
Education:  Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 
Email Address: dmbukowski@fbi.gov 
Background: David M. Bukowski has been a Special Agent with the FBI for 24 years assigned to the San Antonio Division, McAllen RA and the Knoxville Division.  He has been primarily assigned Violent Crime investigations and Human Resources.  Prior to the FBI, he was an officer with the Chattanooga Police Department for 11 years. 

 

Speech Title: Introduction to the FBI.
Abstract: Special Agent Bukowski with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will introduce the LMU community to job opportunities with the Bureau and talk about his experiences as an FBI Special Agent.

Name: Chandler Vinson 
Employer and Position: Koine Consultants, President 
Education: Doctorate in New Testament Context, Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois 
Email Address: wchandlervinson@gmail.com
Background: After a decade in pastoral ministry, Chandler Vinson currently acts as the president of Koine Consultants, an organization which seeks to enhance biblical education in and out of the church context. He has earned multiple master’s degrees and received his doctorate under the direction of Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary. When he is not studying or teaching the Bible, he enjoys playing pub trivia, sports, and dogs (especially Cavalier King Charles Spaniels).

 

Speech Title: Plucked from the Headlines: How Jesus Consumed the News
Abstract: In a country divided by differing news outlets, how is one to consume the news? Did Jesus offer any insight into the matter? This presentation is an analysis of these issues focused on an exegetical examination of Luke 13:1-5.

Name:  Arjun Banerjee 
Employer and Position: Deputy Commissioner (Customs), Government of India / ABD Political Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Education: Master of Arts in History, University of Pune, India. 
Email Address: abanerj4@vols.utk.edu / joyarjunx@gmail.com 
Background: Arjun Banerjee is Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Indian Revenue Service), Government of India. He has trained and worked across four continents - Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa and has received several US government and multiple other coveted fellowships in Europe and East Asia for his work on nuclear security, nonproliferation, disarmament, and export controls. He is on sabbatical from his New Delhi, India, position working on a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Having also served on the Advisory Committees of several University Deans, he has also taken up the mantle of Book Review Editor of UTK’s International Journal of Nuclear Security. A scholar-practitioner, Arjun loves traveling, dogs, the outdoors, photography, good music, and light reading.

 

Speech Title: Leader Type and Responses to State-Sponsored Terrorism. Case Study: India
Abstract: State-sponsored terrorism (SST) has long been an instrument of state policy to inflict costs on rival states without direct confrontation and maintain plausible deniability in front of a global audience. The literature on SST has so far focused primarily on the motivations, facilitating factors, and the timing of state sponsorship. The responses of victim states to SST have, however, only been glossed over. Why does state response to SST vary spatio-temporally, under different governments, or even under different leaders of the same ruling political dispensation in a country? This chapter provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of the link between leader type and response to SST by looking at examples of three Indian heads of government following the turn of the millennium under whose leadership India’s responses varied dramatically to SST provocations from neighboring Pakistan. With process tracing, I analyze the responses of Prime Ministers Vajpayee, Singh, and Modi, and connect it to the broader topic of how leader type effects responses to SST.

Name: Patience Melnik 
Employer and Position: City of Knoxville, Waste and Resources Manager 
Education: Liberal Arts Degree from St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM 
Email Address: pmelnik@knoxvilletn.gov 
Background: Patience Melnik is the waste and resources manager for the City of Knoxville. She manages the City of Knoxville’s curbside trash and recycling program, the five city recycling centers, and the Solid Waste Facility--which is comprised of the Transfer Station and the Household Hazardous Waste facility. She recently helped launch the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project, Knoxville’s first food scrap drop-off program. Prior to joining the city in 2017, Patience worked for nonprofits Keep Knoxville Beautiful and the Tennessee Clean Water Network. She holds a bachelor’s degree in the Classics from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 

Speech Title: Knoxville’s Waste and Resources: What is Going Where and Why?
Abstract: How does our waste contribute to climate change, and how can we minimize that impact? Is your recycling really being recycled? How can Knoxvillians participate in the City’s new Food Scrap Drop-off Program? Come learn the answers to these questions and more from the City’s waste and resources manager.

Name: LaSha' Woodward
Employer and Position: Helen Ross McNabb Center, Jail to Work Case Manager  
Education: Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Lincoln Memorial University
Email: lashashagirl@gmail.com  
Background: LaSha' Woodward is from Rogersville, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from East Tennessee State University in 2019. She has been working with the McNabb Center for nearly a year. LaSha’ likes to go on adventures and enjoys spending time with her family.

 

Speech Title: How to help women offenders successfully re-enter back into the community
Abstract: How we can help women regenerate back into the community successfully? I have been to the Hamblen County jail to pick up clients for the Jail to Work program at Helen Ross McNabb Center. The jail is overpopulated. The inmates are sleeping in the hallways on mattresses. Women arrested for simple drug charges should not be forced into overcrowded jails, they should be handled in a treatment center instead. Our Jail-to-Work program serves this purpose and provides women with basic life skills classes, therapy, and help them find employment.

 

 

Name: Justin Allen Rose 
Employer and Position: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Graduate Teaching Associate 
Education: Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Email: Jrose50@vols.utk.edu 
Background: Justin Allen Rose was born and raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia. After graduating with a bachelor’s in Journalism and Media Production from Cameron University in the Spring of 2019, he enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as a Political Science PhD student. His dissertation focuses on how social media use affects partisanship and polarization. After graduation, Justin plans to go into the field of political journalism.

 

Speech Title: Negative Echo-Chambers: How Political Social Media Use Affects Partisanship, Candidate Evaluations, and Anger
Abstract: Over half of Americans regularly get their news through social media. Yet our understanding of how social media use can affect American politics is still developing. Here, I present and discuss findings of three research papers: (1) how political social media use increases partisanship, (2) how political social media use affects how individuals evaluate political candidates, and (3) how political social media use increases the amount of anger an individual has towards the state of the country.

Name: Chris Fullwood 
Employer and Position: University of Wolverhampton, UK, Professor of Cyberpsychology 
Education: PhD, University of Stirling, UK 
Email Address: c.fullwood@wlv.ac.uk 
Background:  Chris Fullwood’s research interests sit broadly within the emerging field of Cyberpsychology, but with a particular focus on online self-presentation, digital inclusion and using digital tools for improving psychological health. He is currently employed as a professor of Cyberpsychology at the University of Wolverhampton, where he leads the Centre for Psychological Research. Professor Fullwood works closely with the British Psychological Society, having helped establish their Cyberpsychology section. He has published over 50 research outputs in his 20 year career and was co-editor for the Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology.

 

Speech Title: Do avatar characteristics change user behaviour? Exploring in-game and real life effects in Autistic and neurotypical participants
Abstract: Research exploring the Proteus effect demonstrates that embodying attractive and taller avatars/characters (e.g. within video games) produces more confident behavior from participants within the game, but also outside of it. For example, participants playing as attractive characters requested a larger quantity of money during an economic game compared to participants who played as an unattractive avatar. While this effect has been demonstrated with members of the general population, it hasn’t been explored explicitly with autistic individuals, and there is evidence to suggest autism is related to deficits in social perspective taking. During this presentation, I will present preliminary evidence for the Proteus effect in people with autism by comparing performance with neurotypical participants on an economic game and a content analysis of in-game behavior.

Name: T. Ryan Hughes 
Employer and Position: Tennessee Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and Boys & Girls Clubs in Tennessee Executive Director 
Education:  Master of Public Administration, Lincoln Memorial University; Mini MBA Certificate in Management, Belmont University Center for Executive Education
Email Address: trhughes@bgcta.org 
Background: Ryan oversees the management of two statewide nonprofit organizations, the Tennessee Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs a 501(c)(4) and Boys & Girls Clubs in Tennessee (BGCTN) a 501(c)(3). He is responsible for developing both organizational budgets, management of staff, fostering key relationships with elected officials and the delivery of programs within the TN Alliance/BGCTN to benefit 105 local Club sites in 33 counties from Memphis to Bristol to positively impact over 52,000 youth. Ryan was selected on the 2018 National Alliance Professional of the Year at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference as well as the 2020 National Alliance of the Year at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference. Ryan has prior experience working in the administration of former Governor Bill Haslam as well as two other federal office holders. Ryan and his wife Sara live in Knoxville with their three children Jack, Caroline and Ben. Ryan is currently a part of Leadership Tennessee’s Class VIII, a Committee member on the State of Tennessee’s Child Care Taskforce, a member of Church Street UMC Mission Committee and is a TN Achieves Mentor. His favorite hobbies are hiking, camping, going to concerts and playing golf.

 

Speech Title: The impact and response of Boys & Girls Clubs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract: An overview of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Tennessee statewide impact and footprint. Core programs and structure of the Club setting. (I would like to show a quick video if possible) How the pandemic impacted the service model and what new partnerships were formed to continue to meet the organizational mission. Adjustments and lessons learned going forward.

Name: Melinda Moore
Employer and Position: Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University
Education: Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
Email: Melinda.Moore@eku.edu
Background: Dr. Moore is part of the core faculty for the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Eastern Kentucky University. She routinely trains clinicians in the empirically-supported suicide focused treatment framework, CAMS, and is in private practice in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Moore works at the intersection of faith and suicide prevention. She published The Suicide Funeral: Honoring their Memory, Comforting their Survivors (Wipf & Stock) with her co-editor Rabbi Dan Robert. She conducts suicide bereavement research at Eastern Kentucky University with an emphasis on Posttraumatic Growth (www.posttraumaticgrowth.com).

 

Speech Title: Fruits of Trauma: Posttraumatic Growth after Suicide
Abstract: Research on bereavement, especially suicide bereavement, has focused on the psychopathology of this loss. Studies have shown that suicide exposure in the presence of other traumatic events in veteran populations, (such as death by combat injury, training accident, or homicide), may have synergistic detrimental mental health effects, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior. A new area of positive psychology offers another vehicle for understanding the consequences of these experiences by investigating the possibilities for personal growth within the context of any sudden and traumatic death.

Name: Santina Busch Russell
Employer and Position: East TN Substance Misuse Program Director with the Tennessee Department of Health
Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (King University 2015)
Email Address: Santina.L.Busch@tn.gov
Background: Santina Busch Russell is the East Tennessee Substance Misuse Program Director with the Tennessee Department of Health. She grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to Tennessee in 2011. She attended King University for undergraduate and is currently working on a master's degree at Lincoln Memorial University. Santina previously worked with the McNabb's Center's HIV Prevention Department, providing education, prevention, rapid testing, and wrap-around services to clients in need. She is currently Vice President on the board of directors for Next Step Initiative, a non-profit focusing on harm reduction, reducing homelessness, and HIV and HCV testing in Knoxville, TN. Santina also serves as an ambassador for the CDC representing the East Tennessee region with the Let's Stop HIV Together campaign.

 

Speech Title: Substance Abuse in the Criminal Justice System and HIV Criminalization
Abstract: This presentation will highlight the ongoing substance abuse and opioid crisis in East Tennessee, particularly the effects of methamphetamine and fentanyl and how this creates challenges for local correctional facilities. Additionally, the legal issues surrounding HIV criminalization will be discussed along with current policies and needed legislation that will resolve these issues.