Embracing Hope Through Movement
98th Annual Conference
Our 98th Annual Conference “Embracing Hope Through Movement” is scheduled for November 16-19, 2023. The conference planning committee was inspired by the current events happening in our country and worldwide. We wanted to continue the advocacy measures started so many years ago by members of WSPECW. As a society we continue to grow and change in hopes that better opportunities are provided to our future leaders. As women in Kinesiology, we contribute to changes through movement as we teach, research and serve in our professional and personal lives. As past, current, and future members of WSPECW, this organization provides a space to progress forward from our past. The Committee (Carolyn Sideco, Maria Veri, Sarah Eikleberry, Alexandra (Alex) Rodriquez, and Aubrey Newland) has been working hard to plan a very special conference for everyone. We are excited to invite a keynote speaker this year to help us discuss current (and past) social justice issues and prepare for an improved present and future.
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Patience D. Bryant (Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University) is the Inaugural Director for Black/African American Equity at San Jose State University, where she also serves as the campus Interim Deputy Diversity Officer. Prior, she served as the Director for Student Conduct and Ethical Development at California State University, Long Beach, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of the university’s first restorative justice program, WAVE (Welcoming Accountable Voices and Education). She further served as the university’s Chief Judicial Officer. Dr. Bryant has also previously worked at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University, Commerce, where she led the introduction of restorative justice to their traditional student conduct process. Dr. Bryant has been featured as a contributing author in multiple books including Black Women Navigating Historically White Higher Education Institutions and the Journey Toward Liberation, Student Conduct Practice (2nd Ed), and the ACUHO-I/ASCA collaborative book Conduct and Community: Residence Life Practitioners Guide. They served as a track coordinator and faculty member for the Association for Student Conduct Administration’s Donald D. Gehring Academy. Furthermore, Dr. Bryant served as a Board of Directors member and the 2022-2023 President of the Association for Student Conduct Administration.
As in the previous year, our 2023 annual meeting will be held at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. Michele Barr, our Conference Manager, and I have been in communication with Asilomar to secure our meeting room, lodging, and meal reservations. More information about individual reservations and conference registration will be posted on our website soon. We will continue the practice of last year and set an early registration deadline for September 15, 2023, in order to provide us with initial data on the number of members who will attend the conference. Reservations for lodging and meals will remain to be handled directly through Asilomar and will have a later deadline of October 16, 2023.