2015 Global Studies Symposium

MONDAY, MARCH 9
10:30AM - 12:30PM
LOBERO THEATER, 33 E CANON PERDIDO ST.

World Dance for Humanity performs Breaking the Chain
Janet Reineck, Ph.D. * Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Ph.D.
Michelle Madrid-Branch: Author * Carla Goldstein, J.D.

Janet holds a Masters in Dance Ethnology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She has worked in humanitarian aid and fundraising for 20 years, leading rural development projects for Oxfam and International Rescue Committee in Kosovo, and directing fund development for Direct Relief International and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. She started her World Dance class and community in 2010, offering local women a chance to experience the music and dance of other cultures while helping communities in need. In 2013, World Dance became World Dance for Humanity, a nonprofit that is helping 20 Rwandan communities create a sustainable future through donations of livestock, grants for small businesses, training, and school stipends.

Kum-Kum Bhavnani is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. At UCSB, Professor Bhavnani’s specialties are Women and International Development, Cultural Studies, and Feminist Studies. Currently, Bhavnani is a Chair of the system-wide University of California committee on International Education. She also serves as Chair of the UCSB Academic Senate. Bhavnani has a Ph.D. in Social and Political Sciences from King’s College, University of Cambridge, England. Her documentary film, The Shape of Water (2006), received numerous awards around the world, including Best Feature Documentary, Best Director Documentary, and World Cinema Award.

Michelle Madrid-Branch is an author, speaker, and global advocate for women and orphans. Michelle has been referred to as a “world-wide voice on adoption” by Adoption Australia. She was inducted into the New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006 and honored with the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women by Governor Bill Richardson. Michelle enjoyed a decade-long successful career as a television news anchor and investigative journalist, including an Emmy nomination while on-air with ABC-TV. She has three books in print—The Tummy Mummy, Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart, and Mascara Moments: Embracing the Woman in the Mirror—and is currently writing a fourth. Her international upbringing allows her to feel at home anywhere in the world. With a shared passion for adventure and service, Michelle and her family have lived and traveled worldwide. Their current home is in Santa Barbara, CA and their two sons attend Laguna Blanca.

Carla Goldstein is a co-founder of the Omega Women’s Leadership Center and its Chief External Affairs Officer. As an attorney with 25 years of experience in public interest advocacy, she has contributed to more than 100 city, state, and federal laws, and has worked extensively in city and state government on issues related to women’s rights, poverty, public health, and social justice. She is also an advisor to the global advocacy organization Women Without Borders. Currently, she teaches as part of the core faculty for the Omega Women’s Leadership Center, which is a learning center dedicated to convening, inspiring, and training women to use their leadership to bring about a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world for everybody.

QUESTIONS? Contact Global Studies Symposium Coordinator Bojana Hill.