Fall Conference Presenters
Jillian James, EnROADS Climate Ambassador
Title: The Power of Interactive Climate Education: From Global Insight to Local Impact
At first glance, a global model like the En-ROADS Simulator might seem too broad to inform local decisions. In practice, it’s a powerful way to ground conversations in science, reveal insights, and test strategies leaders can act on. You’ll hear insights and tips from Jillian, who is using the simulator to inform local policy discussions, build momentum for regional climate action, and engage leaders.
Jillian became an En-ROADS Climate Ambassador in 2020, sharing insights from a science-based simulator that makes impacts of climate-related policies more accessible. She earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from MIT, specializing in spacecraft systems. For a decade, she contributed to national security space systems at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where she led satellite development as Chief Systems Engineer. After initiating a project aimed at supporting hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico, she began focusing on ways to positively influence our climate through systems change. Today, as Director of Sustainability at NETSCOUT, she is dedicated to creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital future.
Watch a short demonstration of its operation and features below.
Sherri Y. Simmons-Horton, Associate Professor
Title: The World Turned Upside Down: The Urgency of our Activism
These are turbulent and confusing times that call for an urgent and collective response. This presentation will underscore the state of civil and human rights being threatened with erasure. The aim is to inform, inspire, and energize participants on the imperative of persistent, strategic, courageous, and unapologetic activist engagement. Key takeaways:
- The importance of collective (not individual) movement building to interrupt and call out injustices.
- The danger in participating in “oppression Olympics,” and the importance of fighting for all causes.
- The places and spaces of activism, and how we engage in effective activism and collective building.
Sherri Simmons, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work department at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). She also serves as a Core Faculty member in the Women and Gender Studies at UNH. Simmons-Horton has over 25 years of practice experience in the child welfare system in the state of Texas, with a focus on addressing racism and racial disparities present for Black children, youth, and families. Simmons-Horton’s research focuses on crossover youth (adolescents with involvement in the juvenile justice and foster care systems, structural intersectional inequities across both systems and the empowerment of system-involved Black youth and families through an anti-oppressive lens. Simmons-Horton serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Black Administrators in Child Welfare and she is a staunch child, family, and youth advocate, with a strong interest in practice and policy strategies to dismantle oppressive practices in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Mary Ann Rubis – Zonta Foundation Ambassador
Mary Ann Rubis is an optometrist, specializing in the treatment of ocular disease and contact lenses. A member of Zonta since 1997, Mary Ann is grateful for the amazing friendships and opportunities that membership has provided.… Read the rest
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As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, governments have adopted by consensus a powerful Political Declaration to respect, protect, and champion the rights, equality, and empowerment of women and girls.
