Guest Speakers:
The Sages:
- Afaf Meleis, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey, RN
- Cheryl Robertson, PhD, MPH, RN
- Gene Thin Elk, MA
- Bill Thomas, MD, PhD
GUEST SPEAKERS
Maya Angelou
Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the great voices of contemporary literature and a remarkable Renaissance woman.
Poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, she travels the world making appearances on college campuses, spreading her legendary wisdom. A mesmerizing vision of grace, swaying and stirring when she moves, Dr. Angelou captivates her audiences with lyricism, vigor, fire and perception. In her books of poetry and autobiograpy she exerts the unique ability to shatter the opaque prisms of race and class between reader and subject.
Dr. Maya Angelou delivered her dedicatory poem, "On the Pulse of Morning." at President Bill Clinton's Inaugural Ceremony in January 1993 -- only the second poet in U.S. history to write and recite original work at a Presidential Inauguration. (The first was Robert Frost, at President John F. Kennedy's inaugural.)
Considered one of our national treasures, and the author of many best-selling books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Even the Stars Look Lonesome, her performance/lecture stresses the value of ethnic, economic and religious diversity in all undertakings. A passionate and powerful speaker, Dr. Angelou challenges her audiences to invest their spirits and hearts in the elevation of the human condition.
In 1981, Dr. Angelou was appointed to a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.
Jean Watson, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Jean Watson is an internationally known scholar in human caring and the art and science of caring in nursing. She is Distinguished Professor of Nursing and holds an endowed Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center. She is founder of the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She previously served as Dean of Nursing at the University Health Sciences Center and is a past president of the National League for Nursing.
Dr. Watson has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and psychiatric-mental health nursing and holds her PhD in educational psychology and counseling. She is a widely published author and recipient of several awards and honors, including an international Kellogg Fellowship in Australia, a Fulbright Research Award in Sweden. She holds six Honorary Doctoral Degrees, including three International Honorary Doctorates (Sweden, United Kingdom, and Quebec, Canada).
She has been Distinguished Lecturer and Endowed Lecturer at universities throughout the United States and the world. Clinical nurses and academic programs throughout the world use her published works on the philosophy and theory of human caring and the art and science of caring in nursing.
Dr. Watson's caring philosophy is used to guide transformative models of caring and healing practices for nurses and patients alike, in diverse settings worldwide. Watson has been featured in numerous national videos on nursing theory and the art of nursing. She is the recipient of several national awards, including The Fetzer Institute Norman Cousins Award, in recognition of her commitment to developing; maintaining and exemplifying relationship-centered care practices.
At the University of Colorado, Dr. Watson holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Nursing; the highest honor accorded its faculty for scholarly work. In 1999 she assumed the Murchinson-Scoville Chair in Caring Science, the nation¿s first endowed chair in Caring Science, based at the University of Colorado Denver & Health Sciences Center.
As author or co-author of over 12 books on caring, her latest books range from empirical measurements of caring, to new postmodern philosophies of caring and healing. Her most recent book is Caring Science as Sacred Science (2005; Philadelphia, PA, Davis). These latest works, both AJN books of the year awards, seek to bridge paradigms as well as point toward transformative models for the 21st century. A new revised edition of her first book, Nursing The Philosophy and Science of Caring, will be published in 2007.
John Howe III, MD
A board certified physician in both internal medicine and cardiology. Dr. Howe has been President and CEO of Project Hope since 2001. Prior to that time, he was the Chief Executive Officer at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for fifteen years. He has served recent terms as President of both the Texas Medical Association and the Bexar County Medical Society, and is currently Chair of the Harvard College Board of Overseers Committee at the Medical School and School of Dental Medicine and a member of the Board of Visitors at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is also the founding President of the Texas Society for Biomedical Research, a member and past Chair of the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs and a past member of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
Among his numerous honors and awards are the U.S. Army Commander's Award for Public Service, the People of Vision Award from the Texas Society to Prevent Blindness, the Award of Excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators, the National Humanitarian Award from the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine and the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Award. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Boston University.
He has been featured on national television and in national journals as a leader in the biosciences. He represented the United States at a Tri-National Conference on Health in Mexico City, a forum designed to develop solutions to multi-national health concerns following the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Dr. Howe has spoken in more than 30 states, has presented testimony to the U.S. Congress and has been a national advocate for the importance of continued health care research.
Linda Olson-Keller, MS, APRN, BC
Linda Olson-Keller will be a featured speaker at the Summit of Sages.
Cathy Wurzer
Cathy Wurzer is one of Minnesota's premiere journalists, with an extensive background in public and commercial broadcasting. Cathy is currently the host of "Morning Edition" on Minnesota Public Radio. Cathy has held a number of positions in the past at MPR, including talk show host, reporter and producer. She is also the co-host of "Almanac," a weekly public affairs program, produced by Twin Cities Public Television for Minnesota's statewide public television network.
Cathy has won three Emmy Awards for her work on "Almanac." In addition to earning Emmy Awards for her television work, Ms. Wurzer has won the Sigenthaler Award for broadcast reporting, an Associated Press award for investigative reporting and was voted Best FM Radio Personality by "City Pages."
Wurzer has been an anchor and reporter for WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis. She has also been a talk show host for WCCO-AM radio, a producer for KMSP-TV, and political reporter for KSTP-AM radio.
She holds degrees in broadcast journalism and urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Wurzer has been a trustee for the UW-River Falls Foundation, and a member and past president of the Society of Professional Journalists-Minnesota chapter, and an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Minnesota.
In her spare time, Cathy rides, trains and shows horses. She loves fly fishing, gardening, clay sculpture and creating mosaics.
THE SAGES
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Afaf Meleis, PhD, RN, FAAN
Throughout her illustrious career, Afaf Meleis has effectively woven together roles as researcher, educator, dean (currently of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing), and passionate champion for the rights of women across cultures and countries.
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Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey, RN
As Executive Director of Listening House, the "living room" for homeless people in St Paul, Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey has used her amazing skills at community organization and her unique ability to connect with those in desperate circumstances to help them add a dimension of quality to their lives.
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Cheryl Robertson, PhD, MPH, RN
Cheryl Robertson's extraordinary work with survivors of torture has taken her to many of the war-torn countries around the world, resulting in a profound understanding of the similarities and differences among people, and a deep understanding of the human spirit, both the good and bad.
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Gene Thin Elk, MA
Gene Thin Elk is a Lakota Sioux, spiritual leader and healer to the "Wase Wakpa" Sioux community, and cultural advisor who is an exceptionally wise and highly respected voice in the field of Native American drug and alcohol rehabilitation and cross-cultural training.
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Bill Thomas, MD, PhD
Bill Thomas is a physician who passionately believes that the current state of affairs for the elderly, particularly those in nursing homes must change - and through initiatives such as the Eden Alternative and Green House, he is intent on revolutionizing the field.
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