Ann Weaver Hart
President, University of New Hampshire

President Hart joined UNH in July, 2002 from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California where she was Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and a member of the faculty from 1998- 2002. Previously Hart served as professor of educational leadership, dean of the Graduate School, accreditation liaison officer, and special assistant to the president at the University of Utah, where she began her career in higher education. Dr. Hart received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Utah in 1983. Her research interests include leadership succession and development, work redesign and organizational behavior in educational organizations, and academic freedom and scholarship in higher education. Her publications include over 75 refereed journal articles and book chapters in nationally or internationally edited books, five books and edited volumes, numerous articles in other publications, and on-line articles and essays.

Theresa Martinez (Moderator)
Professor of Sociology & Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Professor Martinez teaches courses in racial and ethnic relations, deviant behavior and juvenile delinquency. Her research and most recent publication includes work on the topics of race, class and gender, delinquency and popular culture. She has won several teaching awards, including the Distinguished University Teaching Award, the College Superior Teaching Award, the Presidential Teaching Scholar Award and the Top Professor Award from the Mortar Board Society. In addition, she has won the YWCA Leadership Award for Education, and the national Delta Gamma Foundation Faculty Award. She has been appointed to the Board of the Division of Youth Corrections and is currently on the Board of the Salt Lake Legal Defenders.

Karen Shepherd
Former Congresswoman, Utah's 2nd District

Currently serving on a mixture of corporate and non-profit boards, Karen Shepherd's career life has been broad and varied. Most recently, she served as a Presidential appointment to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), representing the United States on its Board of Directors. Prior to this appointment, she was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Utah Senate. Her corporate appointments include member of the Council on Foreign Relations, trustee for Victory Portfolios and Victory Variable Insurance Fund of Key Bank, and independent board member of UBS Bank USA. Her advisory board appointments include David Eccles School of Business and College of Social & Behavioral Science at the University of Utah, Red Cross, Utah Planned Parenthood Action Council, and East-West Trade and Investment Forum for the American/United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce. Among her many awards are the Women in Business Award, YWCA Leadership Award, and the Democratic Party's Eleanor Roosevelt Award.

Ruby Chacón
Local Chicana Artist

Ruby Chacón's studies have taken her to Central America, Mexico, and The Southwestern U.S. In 1998 she received her BFA in painting and drawing at the University of Utah. Since then she has taught various workshops in the Salt Lake City Area. Her work has been to London, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. Her work has been featured in OYE magazine, a Los Angeles based magazine, and AHA magazine out of New York where was acknowledged as a rising Chicana talent, a name to watch. Locally, she has been featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, The Deseret News, The Park Record, The Daily Herald, Red magazine, and several other publications in both English and Spanish throughout the state of Utah. She has been featured in local television and radio interviews, also in English and Spanish. She has been invited to schools, universities and other organizations to speak on behalf of her artwork and its impact in the community.

Joanne Milner
Community & Secondary Education Activist

Joanne R. Milner is the Community Relations Program Manager at Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, a non-traditional high school in Salt Lake City serving nearly 10,000 students a year, including youth, young parents, adults, political refugees, immigrants, and new Americans learning English as a second language. Students come from 88 countries, speak more than 82 languages, and range in age from 14 to 85. She is a former member of the Salt Lake City Council, where she served a four-year term representing the culturally diverse West-side area of Salt Lake City from 1996-2000. She also served three-terms in the Utah State House of Representatives (Democrat) from 1987-1992. She is an outspoken advocate for under-represented ethnic minority populations, and initiated the first Multi-Ethnic Advisory Committee for Salt Lake City, a catalyst for promoting a city ordinance establishing a Multi-Cultural Advisory Board to ensure representation for minorities on city boards and commissions.