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Keynote Speaker

Dr. Gail C. Christopher

Dr. Gail C. Christopher is an award winning social change agent and former Senior Advisor and Vice President of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), one of the world's largest philanthropies.

She​ ​ is​ ​ the​ ​ visionary​ ​ for​ ​ and​ ​ architect​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ WKKF​ ​ led​ ​ Truth​ ​ Racial Healing​ ​ and​ ​ Transformation​ ​ (TRHT)​ ​ effort​ ​ for​ ​ America.​ ​ TRHT​ ​ is​ ​ an adaptation​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ globally​ ​ recognized​ ​ Truth​ ​ and​ ​ Reconciliation Commission​ ​ (TRC)​ ​ model.​ ​ TRHT​ ​ evolved​ ​ from​ ​ the​ ​ decade​ ​ long​ ​ WKKF America​ ​ Healing,​ ​ racial​ ​ equity​ ​ and​ ​ racial​ ​ healing​ ​ initiative,​ ​ designed and​ ​ led​ ​ by​ ​ Dr.​ ​ Christopher.​ ​ Over​ ​ the​ ​ last​ ​ ten​ ​ years​ ​ she​ ​ has​ ​ had​ ​ responsibility​ ​ for​ ​ several other​ ​ areas​ ​ of​ ​ foundation​ ​ programming.​ ​ These​ ​ include,​ ​ Food,​ ​ Health​ ​ and​ ​ Well-Being, Leadership,​ ​ Public​ ​ Policy,​ ​ Community​ ​ Engagement​ ​ and​ ​ place-based​ ​ funding​ ​ in​ ​ New Orleans​ ​ and​ ​ New​ ​ Mexico.

In​ ​ August​ ​ of​ ​ 2017,​ ​ Dr.​ ​ Christopher​ ​ left​ ​ her​ ​ leadership​ ​ position​ ​ with​ ​ WKKF​ ​ to​ ​ launch​ ​ the Maryland​ ​ based​ ​ Ntianu​ ​ Center​ ​ for​ ​ Healing​ ​ and​ ​ Nature;​ ​ and​ ​ to​ ​ devote​ ​ more​ ​ time​ ​ to​ ​ writing and​ ​ speaking​ ​ on​ ​ issues​ ​ of​ ​ health,​ ​ racial​ ​ healing​ ​ and​ ​ human​ ​ capacity​ ​ for​ ​ caring.​ ​ She​ ​ is currently​ ​ Chair​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Board​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Trust​ ​ for​ ​ America's​ ​ Health.

Gail​ ​ is​ ​ a ​ ​ nationally​ ​ recognized​ ​ leader​ ​ in​ ​ health​ ​ policy,​ ​ with​ ​ particular​ ​ expertise​ ​ and experience​ ​ in​ ​ integrative​ ​ health​ ​ and​ ​ medicine,​ ​ social​ ​ determinants​ ​ of​ ​ health,​ ​ health inequities​ ​ and​ ​ public​ ​ policy​ ​ issues​ ​ of​ ​ concern​ ​ to​ ​ our​ ​ nation’s​ ​ future.​ ​ Her​ ​ distinguished career​ ​ and​ ​ contributions​ ​ to​ ​ public​ ​ service​ ​ were​ ​ honored​ ​ in​ ​ 1996​ ​ when​ ​ she​ ​ was​ ​ elected​ ​ as​ ​ a fellow​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ National​ ​ Academy​ ​ of​ ​ Public​ ​ Administration.​ ​ In​ ​ 2007​ ​ she​ ​ received​ ​ the Leadership​ ​ Award​ ​ from​ ​ the​ ​ Health​ ​ Brain​ ​ Trust​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Congressional​ ​ Black​ ​ Caucus​ ​ for​ ​ her work​ ​ in​ ​ reducing​ ​ racial​ ​ and​ ​ ethnic​ ​ health​ ​ disparities;​ ​ in​ ​ 2009​ ​ she​ ​ was​ ​ named​ ​ a ​ ​ Society​ ​ for Public​ ​ Health​ ​ Education​ ​ (SOPHE)​ ​ Honorary​ ​ Fellow​ ​ – ​ ​ the​ ​ highest​ ​ recognition​ ​ given​ ​ to​ ​ a non-SOPHE​ ​ member,​ ​ who​ ​ has​ ​ made​ ​ significant​ ​ contributions​ ​ to​ ​ health​ ​ education​ ​ and​ ​ to public​ ​ health;​ ​ in​ ​ 2011​ ​ she​ ​ was​ ​ awarded​ ​ the​ ​ “Change​ ​ Agent​ ​ Award”​ ​ by​ ​ the​ ​ Schott Foundation​ ​ for​ ​ Public​ ​ Education;​ ​ in​ ​ 2012​ ​ she​ ​ was​ ​ the​ ​ recipient​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Association​ ​ of Maternal​ ​ & ​ ​ Child​ ​ Health​ ​ Programs​ ​ (AMCHP)​ ​ John​ ​ C.​ ​ MacQueen​ ​ Lecture​ ​ Award​ ​ for​ ​ her innovation​ ​ and​ ​ leadership​ ​ in​ ​ the​ ​ field​ ​ of​ ​ maternal​ ​ and​ ​ child​ ​ health.​ ​ Most​ ​ recently​ ​ in​ ​ 2015 she​ ​ was​ ​ the​ ​ recipient​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Terrance​ ​ Keenan​ ​ award​ ​ for​ ​ Grantmakers​ ​ in​ ​ Health.​ ​ She​ ​ is​ ​ chair of​ ​ the​ ​ board​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ Trust​ ​ for​ ​ America’s​ ​ Health.

Gail​ ​ has​ ​ more​ ​ than​ ​ 30​ ​ years​ ​ of​ ​ experience​ ​ in​ ​ designing​ ​ and​ ​ managing​ ​ national​ ​ initiatives and​ ​ nonprofit​ ​ organizations.​ ​ She​ ​ brings​ ​ extensive​ ​ knowledge​ ​ and​ ​ experience​ ​ in​ ​ creating​ ​ a comprehensive​ ​ approach​ ​ to​ ​ well-being​ ​ and​ ​ is​ ​ nationally​ ​ recognized​ ​ for​ ​ her​ ​ pioneering work​ ​ to​ ​ infuse​ ​ holistic​ ​ health​ ​ and​ ​ diversity​ ​ concepts​ ​ into​ ​ public​ ​ sector​ ​ programs​ ​ and​ ​ policy discourse.

A prolific writer and presenter, Gail is the author or co-author of three books, a monthly column in the Federal Times, and more than 350 articles, presentations and publications.Her national print and broadcast media credits are numerous, and include The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Dallas, Times, National Journal, Essence, “Good Morning America,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” National Public Radio and documentaries on PBS and​ ​ CBS.

Prior to joining the foundation, Gail was vice president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ Office of Health, Women and Families in Washington, D.C. There, she led the Joint Center Health Policy Institute, a multi-year initiative created to engage underserved, racial and ethnic minorities in health policy discussions. Previously, she was guest scholar in the governance studies department at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and executive director of the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has additional experience at the National Academy of Public Administration, Howard University School of Divinity, Americans All National Education Program and Family Resource Coalition of America. She has also launched, led and managed three public commissions. Under her sponsorship, the landmark Dellums Commission research into conditions faced by young men of color produced policy recommendations to reduce racial and​ ​ ethnic​ ​ health​ ​ disparities.

Gail holds a doctor of naprapathy degree from the Chicago National College of Naprapathy in Illinois and completed advanced study in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in holistic health and clinical nutrition at the Union for Experimenting Colleges and​ ​ Universities​ ​ at​ ​ Union​ ​ Graduate​ ​ School​ ​ of​ ​ Cincinnati,​ ​ Ohio.