Conferences, Workshops and Seminar Presenters
Presenters for Male Forums:
Barrington H. Brennen, M.A. , N.C.P.: Barrington is a marriage and family therapist, counseling psychologist, and Certified Prepare/Enrich Counselor. He is Co-President of Sounds of Encouragement and an ordained minister of the gospel. He has special training and experience in dealing with intimate partner abuse, family violence, and anger management. www.soencouragement.org
Colin A. Dunbar, M.Div., D.Min: Colin has served as Church Pastor, Evangelist, Sabbath School and Ministerial Director. He conducts training programs and seminars relative to men’s issues. He served as adjunct professor at Andrews University Theological Seminary, pastors in the Upper Columbia Conference and serves as Prayer Ministries Coordinator. info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Jamie Gavin. Ph.D., M.P.H.: Jamie is president of Comforting Hope. He assists churches in setting up Christian 12-Step programs, and specializes in how to apply God’s love, by faith, to resolve habits like sexual addictions, anger, depression and anxiety. He developed a Christian psychology model and provides residential treatment for families in crisis. info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Sid Nash: Sid Nash has a passion for helping hurting men unite with God in breaking the chains of sexual addictions that bind the lives of many individuals. Many men are finding hope as a result of Sid’s testimonials, 12-Step associations and one-on-one mentoring. info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Jerry Connell, M.Div.: Jerry is Director of Family Ministries, Pastor/Counselor of College View Church in Lincoln, NE. He provides counseling for pastors and their families in the Mid America Union. He is also an ordained minister.
info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Wayne Hicks, M.Div.: Wayne Hicks the Pathfinder Director and Family Life Director for the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Wayne is passionate about addressing issues that will help men find wholeness and healing. He has been affectionately known as “Chief Rain Cloud" and has worked with Pathfinders and their families for over 26 years.
wayneh@uccsda.org
Pastor W. S. Lee graduated from Oakwood College with a BA in Religion and Theology. He received his Master’s of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. Currently, he is a doctoral student at the Denver Theological Seminary with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy. Pastor Lee has served on many civic committees that deal with family and children issues, and during the time that he was pastoring in Little Rock, Arkansas, he was the only African-American and only Seventh-day Adventist on-call chaplain at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the fifth largest children’s hospital in the country, and the site of a recent ABC television series. In Houston where he now resides, Pastor Lee is the chairman of the Horizons Intergenerational Wellness Coalition, a community, college and church based group set up to provide education on health and wellness for the African American community. info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Presenters for Female Forums:
Dr. Katie Arnette: Embodied with southern elegance, timeless wisdom, and an unwavering faith in God, Dr. Katie Arnette, President of Ever Rising, Inc., is on a passionate mission to positively impact, inspire, and motivate others to rise to higher heights in Christ. Committed to the pursuit of excellence, Dr. Arnette‘s professional background includes over 30 years in corporate management and federal service, as well as eight years of high school and university teaching. She has trained senior level managers of 22 different government agencies. In addition, she served as a primary advisor on all immigration affairs for the $14 billion Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) in Waxahachie, Texas, working with the State Department and American Consulates in 45 countries. Dr. Arnette served as First Elder of the Dallas Faith Temple SDA Church and is a member of the Southwestern Union Conference Executive Committee. She is a board member of Polly’s Place Network, Women’s Forum for Positive Change, and also lends her expertise to other civic and church organizations. Her book, Ever Rising: From Tragedy and Pain to Triumph and Gain, distributed by the review and Herald Publishing Association, is receiving rave reviews. As a gifted dynamic motivational speaker and trainer, Dr. Arnette is in demand nationally and internationally.She recently spent three weeks in El Salvador as a speaker for the ShareHim global evangelistic series. She has been a featured guest on radio and on the Empowerment Educational DVD Series for Polly’s Place Network. The native Louisianan is a distinguished alumnus of both Oakwood Academy in Huntsville, Alabama, and Southeastern Louisiana University. She completed her studies at Jacksonville Theological Seminary and received a doctoral degree in Clinical Christian Psychology. Her expertise includes Advanced Certification as a Licensed Clincial Pastoral Counselor. Currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Arnette is a federal agency official. A virtuous woman whose legacy will live on, she is blessed with four adult children
E-mail: : booking@EverRising.org
Stephanie Nobles-Bean: Called a "Voice of Thunder," Stephy Nobles-Beans brings to the world her definite calling as a motivational speaker. An ordained minister/evangelist, exhorter as well as an encourager, she uplifts our spirits beyond our wildest imagination. She is the Producer of Women Rising, a show that airs monthly on Comcast (Channel 14 local Access Television), where she interviews women from the local community who share their talents, gifts and tell their sacred stories. Stephy is employed at Whitworth College, where she is the Coordinator for Ministry and Multicultural Affairs, Chaplain Services and Student Life. Stephy is a published writer, poet, a marvelous singer, and a multi-cultural, inspirational and motivational speaker with 28 years experience captivating her audiences. She enters the speaking realm bringing valuable information about "Celebrating Cultural Diversity," "Human Rights Issues," "Suicide Awareness," "Self-Esteem Issues," "Self-Motivation," “Women’s Issues,” "Domestic Violence," and much, much more. She has just released her first book of poetry entitled: “Dipped in Chocolate All over Again, Poetry from a Woman of Color with a Chocolate Soul.” Her second book, “When Women Rise, Hell Trembles, (Born to Raze Hell),” will be released in the Fall of this year. As a poet, she truly has been called "a Maya Angelou of her time" which she considers a great honor.Contact Information: Email: womenrizing@yahoo.com
Dr. Mable Dunbar: Mable C. Dunbar, Ph.D., is president of Polly's Place Network, Women's Ministries Director/Family Life Educator, Director of the Counseling Center of the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and Executive Director of Patty’s Healing Center. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, and Certified Domestic Violence Counselor. She is author of “The Truth About You”. Email: info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Esmie Branner was born in the Island of Jamaica and reared in England. She immi grated to the United States in 1981. She attended Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Social Work. She is currently a Ph. D Candidate in the Field of Psychology. Esmie has worked in the area of Mental Health as a Therapist and Counselor for the Drug Court System of Sacramento County, and specialized in Addictions and Dual Diagnoses. Her work today is within “Families For Him”, a full time ministry with husband Arthur, who is a Pastor in the Northern California Conference. Together they travel internationally to counsel individuals, families, and conduct a range of power filled seminars on family relationships with a dynamic ring of evangelism in their tone while preparing families and individuals for the Kingdom. Talking about family life, Esmie and Arthur have reared 5 Children: 3 boys and 2 girls and are grandparents to 4 little ones. Esmie is a writer, and author of the Book “Beyond The Veil Of Darkness” a power filled story of her life and spiritual experience spent in the Middle East while married to a Suni Muslim. God Has been more than gracious to Esmie. He has rescued and saved her and now she can’t help but tell of His greatness. She lives for Christ and the Good News of the Gospel. All Praises be to God! Let His name be glorified for He is worthy. Amen. E-mail: info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Wilma Kirk-Lee graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Social Work degree with a concentration in families and children. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas Little Rock. She has worked with populations from the aging to early childhood. She currently directs the Center for Family Wholeness, (CFW) located in Houston, Texas. This program is a new program for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. While it is affiliated with Church Resources Consortium, NAD Family Ministries, it is a non-profit community development corporation that offers services to the families in the Third Ward of Houston, where it is located and provides training for Family Ministries Directors throughout the Southwest Region Conference. One of its additional goals is to model how churches can set up similar programs in their communities that develop collaborative partnerships with entities that seek to provide services to families in their local communities. As was noted, this is the vehicle for ministry for Mrs. Kirk-Lee as well.
Mrs. Kirk-Lee also served as co-director of Family Ministries of Southwest Region Conference along with her husband. She was responsible for the development of a conference-wide Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all Southwest Region employees. She has authored a handbook for family ministries coordinators at the local church level, published through AdventSource for the North American Division. She has published a curriculum for marriage, Marriage Is for Friends, used for couples in strengthening marriages in the African-American community.
Mrs. Kirk-Lee has served the North American Division Children’s Ministries Department as presenter and consultant in all the children’s ministries conventions held throughout the United States. She also serves as a consultant and trainer for the Head Start program in Region Six - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Mrs. Kirk-Lee has written articles for the Ministry Magazine, Message, Leadership Magazine, Kids Magazine, The Social NetWorker and the Human Sexuality Journal, a publication for behavioral science college instructors by Williams-Brown Publishing, She has contributed to Sabbath School supplemental books, and she has edited publications for the family ministries department. E-mail: info@pollysplacenetwork.com
Presenters for Teen Forums:
Rose Hofacker, Prayer Warrior, Co-Director of Polly’s Inn Ministries, Co-Founder of Teen Girl’s Conference “Awakening Hearts”, Women’s Ministry Leader, wife and mother of two, has a passion to empower teen girls and women to be all that God has created them to be, to embrace the calling God has for them, and to help them rise above the issues that prevent them from seeing themselves as He sees them. Rose learned to embrace God’s calling by taking the hand of her Comforter, the source of strength; her Provider and Healer of her wounds. God is the only father she has known and through His love learned to soar above life’s circumstances. Her love for her Lord is authentic, contagious and motivating. When asked what she has to say about life she responds, “I Know that I Know that I Know I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me. That is what life is all about!” E-mail: r_hofacker@yahoo.com
Dianna Kellawan
