2015 SUMMIT SPEAKERS

CHRISTIAN YAZDANPANAH (SUMMIT FACILITATOR)​
As Director of Special Projects at Commit!, Christian works diligently to ensure that all students in Dallas County have the opportunity to realize their full potential beyond high school, in college and/or the global workforce. His current focus is on implementing the College Football Playoffs’ philanthropic program Extra Yard for Teachers. He previously served as the Director of Positive Impact at IMC2 where he oversaw special projects and $2 million in pro bono giving. Some of his most rewarding projects have included a Celebration for Arts Educators during the Dallas Contemporary’s Jr Inside Out Exhibit as well as student programming with artists including Shepard Fairey and Kendrick Lamar. 

In addition to his professional role, he has over 10 years’ experience managing event and conference planning, fundraising and development, student programming and marketing initiatives. This past year he served as the regional liaison for A Billion+Change, a national campaign which secured pro bono commitments of over $2 Billion from more than 500 companies including 50 percent of the Fortune 100’s. 

While still in high school Christian was appointed by Senator Kirk Watson to serve on his Blue Ribbon Task Force to help assess superintendent candidates for Austin ISD. He holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in business from University of Texas at Dallas. He is a graduate of the Teen Leadership Austin, Leadership DISD, D Academy and the Mayor’s Star Council. He serves as the Beneficiary Chair on the board of directors for Art Conspiracy as well as the Vice President of the D Academy Alumni Association. He is happiest while serving as a mentor to Cafe Momentum and Rising Star Council students. His personal belief is that if you truly love something, you will do it for free and share it with someone else. He has been blessed to escape the cycle of poverty through education and is purposed to help connect others with their passions while pursuing their purpose.   

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CITY OF DALLAS, COUNCILMEMBER 
ADAM MEDRANO (SUMMIT SPEAKER)
Representing District 2, and Chair of the City of Dallas LGBT Task Force Adam Medrano was elected to the Dallas City Council in June 2013. For more than ten years, Medrano has dedicated his personal and professional time to help the community, especially its youth.

A lifelong resident of District 2, Council Member Medrano attended Dallas Independent School District schools. He attended Sam Houston Elementary School and the former L.L. Hotchkiss Montessori Academy and graduated from Hillcrest High School. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry.

Mr. Medrano has a proven record of achievement and accomplishment on the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. First elected in 2006, the youngest person ever elected to the Dallas ISD School Board, he brought a fresh prospective to the Dallas School Board. His leadership for reform earned him the respect of his colleagues. In 2007, Mr. Medrano was elected to serve as the Board’s First Vice-President in a unanimous vote. He was elected three separate times to serve as President of the School Board

Council Member Medrano volunteers his time to public service projects and has helped the community through the many organizations in which he serves. He has been a member of the Board of Friends at Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School and a member of the City of Dallas I. Zaragoza Recreation Center Advisory Council. Mr. Medrano also has served as a volunteer in the Salvation Army Holiday Meal program, area cleanups in East Dallas, City Wide Graffiti Wipe Out, Dallas Summit Youth Volleyball tournaments, and American Red Cross activities. He has been a coach for the Eagles Youth Soccer and the Dallas Medrano Youth Basketball teams.​​

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SHARYN FEIN
(SUMMIT SPEAKER/PRESENTER)
Sharyn Fein is the Chief Executive Officer of Ed-U-Care, a nonprofit organization providing educational programs and support for LGBT older adults, professional care givers, holocaust survivors, veterans and older adult communities. 

Among many accomplishments as a non-profit, Ed-U-Care has:

• Created the Bridge Building Network, a resource for health care professionals and caregivers to address concerns of LGBTQ older adults.
• Developed and hosted CEU training programs for health care professionals

Sharyn discovered her affinity for working with traditionally marginalized groups while a college student. During this time she had assumed the role of sole care provider for her ailing mother. By the time she received a degree in marketing from CW Post College in New York, her career path and vision had become clear. She would ultimately dedicate herself to working with these struggling communities and create an organization whose primary focus would be supporting them through interactive, educational/training experiences. On the path toward this goal, Sharyn held jobs as a case manager for low income seniors and a marketing and hiring manager for a non-medical home care agency in the Metroplex.

Sharyn is currently working on Compassion Fatigue Symposium 2016, a Compassion Fatigue Symposium for veterans and creating an ally/LGBTQ mixer (through Bridge Building Network).Ms. Fein is a member of the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Hadassah and National Counsel for Jewish Women. She serves on the Adult Protective Services Community Board of Greater Dallas (Vice President) and the board of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society. Through Ed-U-Care, Sharyn  looks forward to being a participant in the formation of the new LGBT Coalition in Dallas 
In her spare time, Sharyn continues to function as a part-time care giver for her mother and spends as much time as possible doting on her first grandchild, Norah. She is a blue belt in the Nia dance practice, her favorite way to nurture mind-body awareness.  For more information about Sharyn and Ed-U-Care, look to Ed-U-Care’s web site educaredallas.com

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ROBERT EMERY
(SUMMIT SPEAKER/PRESENTER)
The Mission of SafeHaven is to provide exceptional care for our GLBT Seniors in a safe, supportive, and beautiful environment, through good nutrition, intellectual & cultural stimulation, and a healthy and active lifestyle.  

SafeHaven is activity developing an Assisted Living facility for our GLBT community in Dallas, Texas.  With a combined history of 20 years in development, Robert Emery & Arthur Hood are working to insure that our North Texas GLBT Seniors have an option for  gay-owned and gay-operated retirement living.  

They may be found, on the web, at SafeHavenDallas.com

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OMAR NAVAEZ
(SUMMIT SPEAKER/PRESENTER)
COMMUNITY EDUCATOR
SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL OFFICE | 214-219-8585 
3500 OAK LAWN AVENUE, SUITE 500, DALLAS, TEXAS 75219 
ONARVAEZ@LAMBDALEGAL.ORG

Community Educator for Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Office in Dallas, Omar Narvaez is responsible for community outreach and education on various issues facing the sexual minority and gender-nonconforming communities, as well as people with HIV, in order to promote Lambda Legal’s mission of achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV, through impact litigation, education and public policy work. A background of corporate training, human relations, public policy, grassroots organizing and community education has helped him to build many relationships among a large diverse group of organizations and people. Born and raised in Houston, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he met his partner 18 years ago. Narvaez is committed to his work of civil rights and social & economic justice for the LGBT community.

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REV. STEVE SPRINKLE (KEYNOTE SPEAKER)
Stephen V. Sprinkle is Professor of Practical Theology, and has held the office of Director of Field Education and Supervised Ministry since 1994 at Brite Divinity School, located on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.  A native of North Carolina, he holds a B.A. from Barton College, an M.Div. from Yale University Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Duke University Graduate School. He is an ordained minister of the Alliance of Baptists.  Dr. Sprinkle was named 2010-2011 Hero of Hope by the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, for his advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community, and currently serves as Theologian-in-Residence for the Cathedral.  In 2013, he was named Director of Baptist Programming for the Divinity School.  He holds professional memberships in the Academy of Religious Leadership, the Association of Theological Field Educators, and is a member of the Forum on the Military Chaplaincy. Dr. Sprinkle is a human rights advocate, a widely sought after speaker, and an internationally recognized authority on hate crimes.

Dr. Sprinkle is the author of many articles and chapters in books, as well as Disciples and Theology (1999) and Ordination (2004), both published by Chalice Press.  In 2011, he chronicled the stories of LGBTQ Hate Crimes victims in the United States in his book, Unfinished Lives: Reviving the Memory of LGBTQ Hate Crimes Victims (Resource Publications). Unfinished Lives won the International Silver Medal in Non-fiction, given by the Independent Book Publishers Awards (the IPPYs) in 2012. In 2013, his book was translated into Korean and published in the Republic of Korea under the title, Who Trampled Down the Rainbow Flag?: Remembering the Death of Victims of Hate Crimes Against the Sexual Minority (Seoul, South Korea: Alma Publishing Co. Ltd.).  His newest book is Honeysucker: High Country Humor as Odd as an Okra Sandwich (CreateSpace, 2014). Dr. Sprinkle is the founder and webmaster of http://unfinishedlivesblog.com, and an official blogger for the Huffington Post.  

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IMPORTANT LINKS

PREZI PRESENTATION FROM THE SUMMIT
HOW BIG IS THE CHALLENGE – SIZING UP – CANNON FLOWERS
http://prezi.com/kanqotdt02rx/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

VIDEOS OF THE EVENT
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w50pWYDqaDw&feature=youtu.be
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SNF-3q9hI&feature=youtu.be
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NspJuQPhfTs&feature=youtu.be