international
peace
conference

Imagine Peace. Build Peace.

birmingham, al

may 4-6, 2023

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Rotary International District 6860 (North and Central Alabama), in partnership with The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and the Institute for Human Rights at the University of Alabama Birmingham, presents the 2023 International Peace Conference (IPC). IPC will bring together people from across our nation and the globe to highlight the pursuit of peace at all levels of society. Hosted in Birmingham, Alabama, wherein 1963, nonviolent protesters for

equality and racial justice changed history.

This two-day immersive experience will bring together Rotarians and non-Rotarians and distinguished leaders in academia, government, public safety, religion, business, and community service to share ideas and propose solutions to some of society’s most complex challenges. Programs and approaches that are already making a positive impact will be highlighted.

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ABOUT

“Birmingham was the cradle of the nonviolent movement for human rights.”

-Ambassador Andrew Young
UAB, August 30, 2013

REGISTRATION

SPEAKERS

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King

CEO, The King Center
Atlanta, GA

Dr. Bernice A. King is a global thought leader, strategist, solutionist, orator, peace advocate, and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother as the official living memorial to the life, work, and legacy of her father. In this position, Bernice continues to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change through policy, advocacy, research, as well as education & training through the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence, which she re-branded Nonviolence365™️ (NV365).
Through her work at The King Center, she educates youth and adults around the world about the nonviolent principles and strategies modeled by her parents. Under her leadership, the Center has implemented numerous initiatives reaching over 500,000 people around the world, including the Beloved Community Leadership Academy, Students with King, NV365 Education & Training, and The Beloved Community Talks, a courageous conversations platform about the difficult racial and social justice issues impacting our world. Dr. King led the development of an NV365 certification program for trainers, which provides individuals with the opportunity to teach the NV365 curriculum on behalf of The King Center. She is an instructor for the program and a trainer.

Dr. King holds a Doctorate of Law from Emory University, A Master of Divinity Degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Spelman College. She also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Wesley College and Clinton College. From 1990 -1992 she served as a law clerk for Judge Glenda Hatchett, the Chief Judge of The Fulton County Juvenile Detention Court. She served for seven years as an Assistant Pastor of Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Atlanta where she organized and developed several new ministries. In 2007, she established the Be A King Scholarship in honor of her mother at Spelman College. Dr. King spearheaded the 2013 “Let Freedom Ring” event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The March on Washington and her father’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The global event included President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter, members of Congress, as well as many other international leaders, dignitaries, and entertainers.

In March 2018, Dr. King was fortunate to have a private audience with his holiness, Pope Francis. As an alumna of Leadership Atlanta (class of 2020,) she effectively utilized her influence to encourage Atlanta Business leaders to become more active in support of major racial equity and social justice issues, including the successful passage of Georgia's Hate Crime legislation. Dr. King has received numerous awards and recognitions. Recently she received an honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters) from her alma mater, Spelman College and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Grinnell College. In 2021, the Atlanta Business Chronicle Lifetime Achievement Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Additionally, The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation honored her in 2020 with their highest award, The Phoenix Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society. As a noted author, she has to her credit, “Hard Questions, Heart Answers,” as well as a children’s book entitled “It Starts with Me,” which is a part of The King Center’s Be Love movement.

She is a licensed attorney and member of the State Bar of Georgia; a certified Mediator with the State of Georgia; a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, the International Women’s Forum (IWF), the National Council of Negro Women; a Board member of the National Black Bank Foundation as well as Faith and Prejudice.

Dr. King is an innovative, inspirational, and transformational leader. She is dedicated to ensuring that her parents’ legacy and teachings, The King Center, as well as the work of creating the Beloved Community, with Nonviolence365 as the pathway, are introduced to new generations of influencers.

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin*

City of Birmingham

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin’s philosophy of “putting people first” has guided his leadership. Revitalization of the city’s 99 neighborhoods is his top priority. He is focused on enhancing education for young people, fostering a climate of economic opportunity for all residents and leveraging public-private partnerships to make the city the best version of Birmingham it can be.
His vision to create new education and career opportunities for students led to the Birmingham Promise, a public-private partnership that provides apprenticeships and tuition assistance to cover college costs for Birmingham high school graduates. Mayor Woodfin led a regional effort to invest in the renovation and expansion of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex making the city an emerging destination for sports and entertainment. Through Pardons for Progress, he removed a barrier from employment opportunities and offered a second chance with the mayoral pardon of 15,000 misdemeanor marijuana possession charges dating back to 1990.

He entered his second term as Birmingham’s 30th mayor on November 23, 2021. A graduate of Morehouse College and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, he previously served as president of the Birmingham Board of Education.

Jennifer Jones

President
Rotary International
Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Jones is founder and president of Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning media company in Windsor. She was chair of the board of governors of the University of Windsor and chair of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has been recognized for her service with the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award, a first for a Canadian. Jones holds a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.).
A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jones has been a Rotary member since 1997 and has served Rotary as RI vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator, and district governor. She played a lead role in Rotary’s rebranding effort by serving as chair of the Strengthening Rotary’s Advisory Group. She is the co-chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee, which aims to raise $150 million for polio eradication efforts. She is the first woman to serve as president of Rotary International for 2022-2023.
Jones recently led the successful #RotaryResponds telethon, which raised critical funds for COVID-19 relief and was viewed by more than 65,000. Jones has also received Rotary International’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service. She and her husband, Nick Krayacich, are members of The Rotary Foundation’s Arch Klumph Society, Paul Harris Society, and the Bequest Society.
The members of the Nominating Committee for the 2022-23 President of Rotary International are: Robert L. Hall, Dunwoody, Metro Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Bradford R. Howard Oakland Uptown, California, USA; Per Høyen, Aarup, Gelsted, Denmark; Peter Iblher, Nürnberg-Reichswald, Zirndorf, Germany; Ashok Mahajan, Mulund, Mah., India; Sam Okudzeto, Accra, Accra, Ghana; Eduardo San Martín Carreño, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain; Takeshi Matsumiya, Chigasaki-Shonan, Chigasaki Kanagawa, Japan; Michael K. McGovern (secretary), Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA; José Alfredo Pretoni, São Paulo-Sul, São Paulo, Brazil; Saowalak Rattanavich, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand; Hendreen Dean Rohrs, Langley Central, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Kenneth M. Schuppert, Jr (chair)., Decatur, Alabama, USA; Ravindra P. Sehgal, Belur, West Bengal, India; Noel Trevaskis, Merimbula, Tura Beach, Australia; Giuseppe Viale, Genova, Genova, Italy; and Chang-Gon Yim, Daegu-West, Daegu, Korea.

Archbishop Laurent Mbanda

Rwanda, East Africa

The Most Rev. Dr. Laurent Mbanda was born in Rwanda and raised in Burundi, where he lived
until he was 20. As a teenager, he dedicated his life to Christ and began feeling God's desire for
him to make it his life's purpose to care for people in need. He followed God's calling into
international and Christian service, which propelled him to serve in various roles of leadership.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, he took on increasingly responsible roles in Christian
organizations in Africa. In 1985, he moved to the US where he attended graduate school and
again became a leader in Christian organizations serving Africa.
In 1993, Dr. Mbanda joined the Compassion International family, serving in various
roles, rising to Area Director for East Africa, and then Vice President of Africa Region. While at
Compassion International, he was one of the first international aid organization representatives
on the ground in Rwanda following the genocide in 1994 and he has been deeply involved in his
country of birth ever since. In 2005, after spending 21 years in the United States, Mbanda and
his family returned to Rwanda, where he and his wife Chantal cared for orphans at New
Hope Homes, the ministry they founded. In 2010, Mbanda accepted God’s calling to become
Bishop of the Shyira Diocese in Northern Rwanda. Mbanda's special interest in the
development of churches, clergy and lay leaders led to growth and progress in the Anglican
church there, and prepared the way for his eventual election as Archbishop. Throughout this
period, Dr. Mbanda has promoted social and economic progress, education, and nutritional
programs through the work of the Church and in close cooperation with the government and
the international community.
Dr. Mbanda's passion for the church and his desire to see every person become the "light and
salt of the earth” has led to a professional life invested in advancing the ways and word of
Jesus Christ. His work representing organizations at high levels combined with his strong
sense of business and commitments to corporate objectives have propelled him to serve in
various roles of leadership and authority. The connections and relationships with
international and respected nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), churches, Christian
organizations and nonprofit groups, causes many to consider him to be an expert in ministry,
business operations and development.

Dr. Mbanda is a graduate ofKenya Highlands Bible College, and holdstwo Master of Arts degrees:
one in missiology from Fuller Seminary’s School of World Missions and the other in Christian
Education from Denver Seminary. He also holds a doctorate from Trinity International University
in Deerfield, IL. In 2003, he was named as a member of the International Who’s Who of
Professionals. He is also an author of two books, “Commited to Conflict” and his most recent,
“From Barefoot to Bishop”.
Mbanda and his wife Chantal have been married more than 39 years and have four children: Erica,
Junior (Erica’s husband), Eric and Edwin and two grandchildren.

Ms. Odessa Woolfolk*

Founding President and Chair Emerita
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Odessa Woolfolk is known for her work as an educator, public administrator and civic activist. Her professional experience includes: Birmingham High School teacher, and senior level administrative positions with the JCCEO, the YWCA of Utica, New York, The Arbor Hill Interracial Council of Albany, New York, The New York State Urban Development Corporation of New York City, NY, and the Urban Reinvestment Task Force of Washington D.C. She was a Fellow at the Boston Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
During her extensive career with UAB, Woolfolk directed the Center for Urban Affairs, and taught urban history, amongst other roles. At her retirement from UAB, the University established the annual Odessa Woolfolk Presidential Community Service Award.
Woolfolk was frequently cited in local newspapers as one of the region’s most influential citizens because of her professional and volunteer service in the fields of housing, education, civil and human rights, community development, and public welfare. She continues to be known as one who crossed racial, ethnic, geographic and socio-economic boundaries to promote civic engagement, community leadership and race relations.
She was State Chair of the National Conference of Christian and Jews, first African American President of Operation New Birmingham’s Board of Directors and a founding member of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama. She was the driving force behind the establishment of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and was its opening administrator. She is its Emerita President and Board Chair. The Institute named a gallery in her honor.
A Birmingham native, she earned a B.A. Degree from Talladega College (Alabama) and a Master’s from Occidental College (California), and also pursued graduate students in political science.
Woolfolk has received scores of honors and was inducted into the Birmingham Gallery of Distinguished Citizens and the Alabama Academy of Honor. She was awarded honorary doctorates by Talladega College, The University of the South at Sewanee (Tennessee), Birmingham-Southern College and Occidental College (California).
Her personal credo is: Only enlightened intelligent personal concern for the world in which we live can solve the problems of our day.

Rev. Becca Stevens

Founder & CEO
Thistle Farms
Nashville, TN

Founder & President of @thistlefarms, a non-profit located in Nashville, TN, dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking, and addiction. Rev. Stevens is also a priest, author, and social entrepreneur who has been profiled on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News, and The New York Times. Her many awards include CNN Hero, White House Champion of Change, Humanitarian of the Year by the Small Business Council of America, Tennessee Human Rights Outstanding Service Award, and induction into The Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame and Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame.

Ravi Ravindran

Past President
Rotary International
Columbo, Sri Lanka

Ravi Ravindran, CEO and founder of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed printing, packaging and digital media solutions company. He is the founding president of the Rotary-sponsored Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association, the largest such agency in Sri Lanka. During the country’s war, Ravindran was involved in the business community’s efforts to find peaceful solutions to the conflict and was a featured speaker at the United Nations-sponsored peace conference in New York for the Sri Lankan diaspora in 2002.⁠
⁠
A third-generation Rotarian and a member himself since the age of 21, Ravindran has served on the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees and as RI treasurer. He also served as Past President of Rotary International (2015-2016). ⁠

Dr. Ray Watts*

President
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Ray L. Watts, M.D., a Birmingham native and graduate of UAB School of Engineering, was named UAB’s seventh president in 2013 and is now the university’s longest-serving president. Dr. Watts initiated and has led development of UAB's most comprehensive-ever strategic plan, Forging the Future (2018-2028), with campus- and community-wide collaboration.
During his decade-long tenure, UAB has made substantial strides in all pillars of its mission, including record enrollment and increased diversity of the student body; record research funding; accelerated commercialization and economic development initiatives; advancements in patient care and precision medicine; construction of key new facilities as part of UAB Campus Master Plan that is creating on the most vibrant, state-of-the-art and sustainable urban campuses in the nation; and strong community partnerships to improve education, health, and quality of life in underserved areas throughout Birmingham and Alabama.
Dr. Watts was honored with the Birmingham Business Journal CEO of the Year Award for 2021. He serves on a number of boards, including UAB Health System (chair), Southern Research (chair), Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Prosper Birmingham, Innovation Depot, Birmingham Business Alliance (serving an unprecedented two consecutive terms as chair, 2016-2017), and the Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts (chair, corporate board).
Dr. Watts earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and completed a neurology residency, medical internship, and clinical fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a two-year medical staff research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Thereafter he joined the faculty at Emory University, where he was part of a team that created an internationally renowned research and clinical center for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He returned to UAB in 2003 as the John N. Whitaker Professor and Chair of Neurology, and was named Senior Vice President and Dean of Medicine in 2010. He served as President of the Health Services Foundation (UAB School of Medicine Faculty Practice Plan) for five years before being named dean.

Mark Maloney

Past President
Rotary International
Decatur, AL

Maloney is a principal in the law firm of Blackburn, Maloney, and Schuppert LLC, with a focus on taxation, estate planning, and agricultural law. He represents large farming operations in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, and has chaired the American Bar Association’s Committee on Agriculture in the section of taxation. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Alabama State Bar Association, and the Alabama Law Institute.
He has been active in Decatur’s religious community, chairing his church’s finance council and a local Catholic school board. He has also served as president of the Community Foundation of Greater Decatur, chair of Morgan County Meals on Wheels, and director of the United Way of Morgan County and the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
A Rotarian since 1980, Maloney has served as an RI director; Foundation trustee and vice chair; and aide to 2003-04 RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe. He also has participated in the Council on Legislation as chair, vice chair, parliamentarian, and trainer. He was an adviser to the 2004 Osaka Convention Committee and chaired the 2014 Sydney Convention Committee. He served as President of Rotary International 2019-2020.
Prior to serving as a district governor, Maloney led a Group Study Exchange to Nigeria.
He also served as Future Vision Committee vice chair; Foundation training institute moderator; Foundation permanent fund national adviser; member of the Peace Centers Committee; and adviser to the Foundation’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools Target Challenge Committee.
Maloney’s wife, Gay, is an attorney in the same law firm, and a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak, Alabama, USA. Both Mark and Gay are Paul Harris Fellows, Major Donors, and Bequest Society members.

CONFERENCE PILLARS

Individual Peace

Meditation, religious practices and treatments for PTSD and other mental illnesses will be covered. The most current research on the neurophysiology of mindfulness practices will also be presented. Continuing education credits will be available for professional therapists.

Peace at Home
and in Families

Issues of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, as well as efforts to strengthen families, improve parenting, and the importance of quality childcare will all be presented. The significance of “no fault” and non-adversarial divorces will be addressed. Continuing education credit for legal professionals will be available.

Peace Education in School

Successful models for reducing school violence, bullying, and factors leading to absenteeism and dropping out will all be addressed. District 6860’s experience with 3 years of NewGen Peacebuilders’ high school program and the peace projects developed by young peacebuilders will be presented both by the students themselves and by representatives of NewGen Peacebuilders and schools and organizations that have sponsored peacebuilder teams.

Promoting Peaceful Communities and Reducing Violence

Presenters will include community activists, former gang members, and members of law enforcement. The focus will be on successful programs for addressing and reducing violence and violent crime in communities as well as ways to improve communities to make them less prone to violence.

Addressing and Preventing Human Trafficking

We will hear presentations from both victims and experienced professionals from law enforcement, medicine, and the law on how to prevent human trafficking and rehabilitate survivors. Continuing education credits will be available for professionals involved in this specialized, stressful, worldwide work.

Continuing Quest for Racial Equity and Justice

Birmingham’s experience in race relations-past and present-will be highlighted to focus on both the progress and the challenges remaining in achieving equity and equal opportunity for America’s black citizens, and by extension for all marginalized groups. The roles of civic and cultural organizations, governments, and business communities will all be discussed and highlighted.

Empowerment of Women and Girls

We will hear about many different initiatives being undertaken to provide support and encouragement to girls and women as they strive for equity in all aspects of life, from sanitation projects in developing countries enabling girls to continue in school beyond the onset of their menstrual cycle to educational and employment practices that promote fairness for women and girls in developed countries. The role of sports in helping girls and young women learn to assert themselves will also be a focus.