Joining the co-hosts for the eighth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists The Rev. David Kohlmeier, Robin Joyce Miller, and The Rev. Natalie E. Thomas. Rabbi Elias Lieberman, The Rev. Nell Fields, and Carrie Fradkin also appear on the program. The discussion in this edition of THE Conversation primarily focuses on two questions: “How does religion perpetuate racism and racist stereotypes?” and “What is the role of religious institutions in addressing racism?”

A proud native Appalachian, The Rev. David Kohlmeier graduated from West Virginia State University in 2012 with a BA in English Literature and Minors in Philosophy and Writing. He moved to Massachusetts for seminary, graduating from Andover Newton Theological School with a Master of Divinity degree in 2016.
His seminary also awarded him a Certificate in Interfaith Leadership for his focused study and interfaith work on the Qur’an and Islam and inducted him into the Jonathan Edwards Honor Society. He became the third settled minister of the UU Fellowship of Falmouth in July of 2017.

Robin Joyce Miller is a retired educator, artist, poet, and public speaker, who taught for 30 years in the New York City school system. She spent the first half of her career teaching learning disabled students and the next half as an art teacher. Miller was also a Blueprint for the Arts Facilitator, leading workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. She attended a Black Congregational Church from the age of five to adulthood. On the Cape, she and her husband, James, attend West Parish of Barnstable UCC. Miller has spoken in the pulpit at several Cape Cod churches. After
George Floyd’s murder, Robin and her husband began presenting a Black Lives Matter series with the
Cotuit Center for the Arts, available to the public on YouTube.

The Rev. Natalie E. Thomas began her professional career as a community organizing fellow with
Life Together, a program for young adults in the Episcopal Church. This inspired Natalie to lead organizing movements in Boston; New Zealand; and Nairobi, Kenya. Natalie is currently the Director of Engagement and Communications at Episcopal City Mission in Boston. She is also a deacon in the Diocese of Massachusetts and an Episcopal Church Fellow serving at St. Barnabas's Memorial Church in Falmouth. She is a co-chair for the Diocese of Massachusetts Racial Justice Commission and the Task Force secretary for Church Planting and Redevelopment for the Sake of New Ministries for The Episcopal Church. Natalie has worked extensively as a teacher and consultant with organizations such as The Harvard Kennedy School, Planned Parenthood, and the California Teachers Association.

Returning to join the co-hosts for the seventh episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Ewell Hopkins, Troy Clarkson, and Dr. Donna Jackson. Ethan Peal, Paul Rifkin, Ken Armstead, and
Gina Brown also return to the program. The discussion in this edition of THE Conversation primarily focuses on two questions: “What can we do to break out of our own bubbles?” and “How do we learn to walk in the shoes of others?”

Along with his professional career focused on strategic technology sales and business development in multiple industries, Ewell Hopkins is a member of the Oak Bluffs Planning Board in Martha’s Vineyard.
He is also involved in various community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and the Democratic Council of Martha’s Vineyard. In 2016, he was a candidate for State Representative for the Barnstable, Dukes & Nantucket District.

Troy Clarkson is the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Brockton and the Principal of Clarkson Consulting, specializing in government relations, strategic planning, and more. A former member of the Town of Falmouth Select Board, a contributor to the Falmouth Enterprise newspaper through his weekly column, “Troy’s Take,” Mr. Clarkson is also the author of two books, Succanessett Snapshot and Out of the Woods: 365 Ways to not be a Dung Beetle.

Donna Jackson, Psy.D is a doctoral-level clinical psychologist for Conch Shell Counseling in Falmouth,
a private practice focusing on families affected by Alzheimer's and Dementia. In 2015, Dr. Jackson,
a support group facilitator for Alzheimer’s Family Support Services of Cape Cod, initiated the monthly Falmouth Together Memory Cafe at Falmouth Museums on the Green to provide a welcoming space for people living with memory changes.

Joining the co-hosts for the sixth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists
Ewell Hopkins, Troy Clarkson, and Dr. Donna Jackson. Ethan Peal, Paul Rifkin,
Ken Armstead, and Gina Brown also appear on the program. The discussion in this edition
of THE Conversation primarily focuses on two questions: “Why do we find it necessary to see and treat those different from us as less than how we see ourselves?” and “How do we overcome our deep divisions in our country?”

Along with his professional career focused on strategic technology sales and business development in multiple industries, Ewell Hopkins is a member of the Oak Bluffs Planning Board in Martha’s Vineyard. He is also involved in various community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and the Democratic Council of Martha’s Vineyard. In 2016, he was
a candidate for State Representative for the Barnstable, Dukes & Nantucket District.

Troy Clarkson is the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Brockton and the Principal of Clarkson Consulting, specializing in government relations, strategic planning, and more.
A former member of the Town of Falmouth Select Board, a contributor to the Falmouth Enterprise newspaper through his weekly column, “Troy’s Take,” Mr. Clarkson is also the author of two books, Succanessett Snapshot and Out of the Woods: 365 Ways to not be a Dung Beetle.

Donna Jackson, Psy.D is a doctoral-level clinical psychologist for Conch Shell Counseling in Falmouth, a private practice focusing on families affected by Alzheimer's and Dementia.
In 2015, Dr. Jackson, a support group facilitator for Alzheimer’s Family Support Services of Cape Cod, initiated the monthly Falmouth Together Memory Cafe at Falmouth Museums on the Green to provide a welcoming space for people living with memory changes.

Joining the co-hosts for the fifth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Joseph Burns,
David Hufford, Ph.D., and Gwyneth Packard. Paul Courtney and Marie Younger Blackburn also appear on the program. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics: “Where do you see racial disparities in the delivery of healthcare?” and “How might we address racial disparities in healthcare?”

A freelance journalist currently living in Brewster, Joseph Burns is the health insurance topic leader for the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and contributes to AHCJ’s Covering Health blog. He also writes about health policy and the business of health care for a variety of publications. As a writer and editor, Mr. Burns has covered health care since 1991 for various organizations, including The Commonwealth Fund, the National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and others. From 1991 to 1994, he was editor-in-chief of Business & Health magazine. Mr. Burns was the founding editor of The Financial Manager, a magazine for accountants and other business strategists. Before 1991, he worked as an editor for The Hartford Courant, and he taught news writing at the University of Connecticut.

David Hufford, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his Ph.D. His specialty is culture and health. While at the university, he was a professor of Behavioral Science and was the Chair of the Medical Humanities department with joint appointments in Family Medicine and Psychiatry from 1974 to 2007. After his retirement from the university, Dr. Hufford was named a Senior Fellow at Samueli Medical Institute from 2008 to 2015. He is now retired and living in Media, PA.

Gwyneth Packard moved to the area in 1991 for a twelve-week internship and stayed, making her home here and raising a family. Ms. Packard is one of the leaders of Engage Falmouth and a co-Chair of the Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. As a biracial female in engineering, Ms. Packard works at advocating for women in STEM. She is an organizer for the Maria Mitchell Women of Science Symposium with the Maria Mitchell Association and participates in efforts such as Black in Marine Science Week.

Joining the co-hosts for the fourth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Talia Landry, Julianne Vanderhoop, and Jerry Lassos. Matt Lilles and Andre Price also appear on the program.
This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics: “Do you see racism in the celebration of Columbus Day and Thanksgiving?” and “How should we locally in the Commonwealth and across the nation best acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of indigenous people?”

Talia Landry grew up in Mashpee and is a 2010 graduate of Mashpee High School. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communications at Quinnipiac University, Talia took on different roles for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and is currently President of the Tribe's Community and Development Corporation Board of Directors. Talia is presently the Productions Manager for MashpeeTV and has created the tribal news segment, First Light News. She is one of the filmmakers of the documentary Mashpee Nine.

Julianne Vanderhoop is a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). A mother of two and former pilot and flight instructor, Julianne serves on the Town of Aquinnah Select Board and the Wampanoag Tribal Education Committee. An accomplished baker, Julianne founded the Orange Peel Bakery in 2008 by constructing a traditional outdoor, wood-fired oven.

Jerry Lassos is from Venice, California, and is a member of the Tongva indigenous people of Los Angeles. After graduating from California State Northridge as an education major, he served in the Air Force, then attended the University of Colorado and earned his Master’s Degree. After a career as an educator in Colorado’s Jefferson County Schools, he became a founding board member and chairman of the West Denver Prep Charter School. He co-created a service for students called Indigenous Students Leap Ahead.

Joining the co-hosts for the third episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Mark Long, Ph.D.; Lynne Rhodes; and Joanna McWilliam. Also appearing on the program are Joel Smith and Lionel Hall. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics, “What concerns, if any, do you have about voter suppression as it pertains to race and racism?” and “How do you motivate people to vote in light of voter suppression efforts?”

Mark Long holds a Ph.D. in history from Loyola University Chicago and a B.A. in political science from Auburn University. His research areas and interests include the intersections between maritime, economic and environmental history and policy, especially focused on frontier and borderland areas.

Lynne Rhodes is a native of Falmouth who majored in Social Work and Human Development in college. She is a member of the Town of Falmouth Affirmative Action/Diversity Committee and was elected as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 8. She was also elected to the Falmouth Democratic Town Committee’s Executive Board and is an Executive Board member for the Cape Cod branch of the NAACP.

A civil rights and voting rights activist who trained with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Jesse Jackson; Andrew Young; and others as a member of the SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) program in the 1960’s, Joanna McWilliams has a Master’s Degree in African Studies from Boston University. After living and working as an activist and educator in Nigeria, South Boston, New York, India, and Kenya, she retired to Cape Cod in 2010.

Joining the co-hosts for the second episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Sandra Faiman-Silva, Meghan Hanawalt, and Carmina Mock. Also appearing on the program are Gabriel Duran, George Liles, and Donna Jackson. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics, “When you hear the term ‘White Privilege,’ what does that mean to you?” and “Why do you think it is hard for white people to have a conversation about racism?”

Sandra Faiman-Silva has lived in Falmouth since 1984 and retired in 2014 as a Professor of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University where she taught for more than thirty years. Her areas of expertise include Native North America, Latin America, political economy, women’s and gender studies, race and ethnicity.

Meghan Hanawalt has lived in East Falmouth since 2004. She is a town meeting member for Precinct 8, Co-chair of the Affirmative Action & Diversity Committee, Treasurer for the Falmouth League of Women Voters and one of three organizers of Racial Justice Falmouth.

Born in Spain, a mother of six and grandmother of six, Carmina Mock exiled from Franco's fascist Spain to Holland in 1976 and moved to Falmouth twenty years ago. For several years she has been active in promoting women's rights and racial justice.

Joining the co-hosts for THE Conversation’s premiere are guest panelists Robert Antonucci, Adam Subhas, and Olivia Masih White. Also appearing on the program are Sue O'Brien, Diane Jemmott, and Henry St. Julien. The inaugural program focuses on two topics, “When you hear Black Lives Matter, what does that mean to you?” and “How and why is this moment different from other periods of change?”