Thursday, April 12, 2018

Biographies

Keynote Speaker, Taylor Cass Talbott: Inclusive Development as Peacebuilding

Taylor Cass Talbott is an artist and development specialist who is best known for designing socially-inclusive civic engagement strategies for non-profits around the world.

With a particular interest in waste, labor, and security, her work draws economics, ecology, health and security studies to help people see that socially inclusive development is healthier for all.

Taylor is also a Rotary Peace Fellow alum, who recently returned home to Portland after living in East and South Asia for the past 7 years. www.livedebris.org

Taylor will speak about the impact of the global economic system on peace and security, and will give examples from waste management around the world to demonstrate how peace work can be performed where you least expect it.

Michelle Sparkes-Smith and Michael Sheehan: Dances of Universal Peace

Everyone participates as we sing sacred mantras from many of the world’s spiritual traditions, holding hands and moving together in a circle.

Beginning with one circle in San Francisco in the late 1960's, the Dances of Universal Peace have spread to hundreds of dance circles in more than sixty countries. Like a thirsty wanderer stopping for water, we hope to open and attune ourselves to the source of universal peace, love, healing and wisdom.

Michael Sheehan and Michelle Sparks-Smith are certified leaders of the Dances of Universal Peace and lead two weekly and one monthly dance circles in the Portland area. More information is available on their website: movingmeditations-dup.com.

Lori Stegman: MHCC Alumna, Commissioner Multnomah district 4

Lori Stegmann grew up in the Rockwood neighborhood in west Gresham after being adopted as an infant from an orphanage in Korea. She has been a small business owner and insurance agent for more than 20 years, specializing in commercial insurance. She chose to live and locate her Farmers Insurance agency in the same neighborhood she grew up in.

Lori's interest in public service stems from her desire to help make sure everyone has the same opportunities in life that she has had, such as a family, quality public education, affordable housing, and a shot at a good paying job.

Lori served six years on the Gresham City Council and served as City Council President in 2014. Her duties as Gresham City Councilor have included committee assignments on the Public Safety Committee, Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, Gresham Sister City Association, Youth Advisory Committee and the Council Employee Performance Subcommittee.

Before being elected to the Gresham City Council in 2010, she served on the Gresham Planning Commission, Rockwood Stakeholders Group and Rockwood Light Rail Station Art Committee, as well as Vice Chair of the Gresham Redevelopment Commission Advisory Committee. She has also served as a board member of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce.

Lori co-founded the Rockwood Business Coalition, and has served as its Vice-Chair. She has also chaired a number of Plaza del Sol Community events in Rockwood. Her extensive community service involvement also includes positions with Soroptimist International of Gresham, as both District 2 Secretary, and President. She has also been a Golden Note Award recipient for her volunteer activities.

For the last three years, she served on Metro's Powell/Division Steering Committee which recently concluded their work. She has also served on the Multnomah County Citizen Budget Advisory Committee for the Health Department for the past year.

Lori put herself through college, graduating from Mt. Hood Community College with an associate degree. She obtained her bachelor's degree in business from Portland State University.

Doyle Banks: Nonviolent Communications

“How to Create Meaningful Dialogue In These Trying Times”
It would be an understatement to say that there is a whole lot of angst and anxiety in the air these days, both in our nation and around the world.

People threatening nuclear warfare, pouring out into the streets in protests, destroying decades of progress in environment care, relationships falling apart at all levels of life. And if you listen closely, you may notice that our voices are getting louder and more strident while at the same time, we seem to be less and less able to truly hear each other. So, what do we do?

In his presentation, “How to Create Meaningful Dialogue in These Trying Times”, Doyle Banks, a Nonviolent Communication Educator based in Portland, Oregon, will share three critical steps you can take in any conflict situation to bring about a meaningful dialogue between yourself and others. You can even use these as a “mediator” (official or unofficial) between two people/parties at odds with one another to effect peaceful, even cooperative resolutions.

Come experience the power of Nonviolent Communication and be inspired for the possibilities of meaningful dialogue in your life and in the world.

Doyle Banks was first introduced to Nonviolent Communication by a close friend in 2009. He began studying, practicing and teaching NVC soon after. Over the years since then, Doyle has witnessed the power of empathic connection to bring reconciliation, healing and peace to dozens of people in many life situations such as dating, marriages, families, business environments, spiritual communities and the civil/political arena.

He offers workshops, classes and public presentations on NVC. Doyle also works with individuals, couples, families and groups through Life Coaching with an emphasis on applying Nonviolent Communication skills to create compassionate, harmonious and effective relationships.

Doyle is also part of the Dharma Teachers Council at the Portland Insight Meditation Community in Southeast Portland.

Miyuki Pollmann: Energy Daily Exercise

Certified BodyTalk, Eden’s Energy Medicine and Flower Essence Practitioner. Miyuki will present some techniques to balance your body energy. She practices EFT, HoOponopono, Eden’s Energy Medicine, BodyTalk and Flower Essence Therapy.

She will demonstrate how a person energy flows and how to make corrections. She will also present techniques to release emotional stress through balancing the energy. You may find peace in the midst of chaotic situations.

Before world peace comes, we can find peace within us - that is inner peace. Then, we may also bring outer peace. We can start making a peaceful environment within our body. PEACE BEGINS WITH ME!

Rev. Leon Kackman

Rev. Leon Kackman has been practicing with the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC) since 1983. He first started as a lay practitioner at the Portland branch of the then Oregon Zen Priory and then helped to start the Portland Buddhist Priory in 1987. In 1993, Rev. Leon moved to Shasta Abbey in Northern California to become a monk and, with the support of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, was ordained by Rev. Eko Little in the spring of 1994.

Rev. Leon received the Dharma Transmission in 2001 and was certified as a Teacher of Buddhism in 2004. In 2005, for health reasons, he moved to Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple in Ventura County California where he lived and trained for four years. Before coming back to Portland, he lived and trained in Columbia South Carolina at the Columbia Zen Buddhist Priory.

Rev. Leon is presently the chaplain in North America for the OBC’s lay ministers. The OBC is an international monastic order practicing in the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition. The Order was founded by the late Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, a British woman Zen master who was trained and certified at Sojiji monastery in Yokohama Japan. The OBC has temples and training monasteries in the US, United Kingdom and Europe. For more information about the Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett and the OBC please visit obcon.org

Thank you to the West Columbia Gorge Rotary Club for their generous financial support for this conference.