Plenary Speaker Objectives – click here to view
Plenary speaker handouts/materials – click here
Andrew Lyke
Friday, August 19, 2022 @ 4:15 pm Eastern Time
Rev. Richard Tessmer Leadership Lecture
The lecture is sponsored by Ascension and honors the memory of Dick Tessmer, longtime chaplain, supervisor, and pillar of the NACC.
Andrew Lyke is a retired ministry consultant in the areas of marriage and family, Black Catholic outreach, and Catholic anti-racist activism. He is also a cancer survivor.
From 2011 to 2015, he was the Director of the Office for Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago. For ten years (1999-2009) he was the Coordinator of Marriage Ministry for the Archdiocese. During his tenure as an employee, he served as a founding member of the Dwell In My Love Anti-Racism Taskforce in the Archdiocese. He and Terri, his wife of 46 years, served as advisors to the USCCB Committee on Marriage & Family. Terri and Andrew led a national apostolate to promote, strengthen, and encourage marriage among African Americans. They are the authors of the critically acclaimed book, Marriage On A Lampstand: Exploring a New Paradigm for Modern Christian Marriage (Heavenly Light Press). They are Mom and Dad to two married adults and Nana and Papa to four girls and two boys.
Kim Langley
Saturday, August 20, 2022 @ 8:00 am Eastern Time
The lecture is sponsored by Peace Health
Kim Langley earned an M.Ed. from Duquesne University and a B.A. in English with a cluster in poetry from the University of Pennsylvania. She was adjunct faculty for 15 years at Capitol University, served as an instructor at Notre Dame College (Ohio) in the Masters in Education program, 
and offered many continuing education programs at Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College.
In 2019, Paraclete Press published Kim’s book called Send My Roots Rain: A Companion on the Grief Journey. The book was well received by individual grievers as well as hospice, palliative care, social work, chaplaincy, and other helping professionals and so is in its second printing. Kim has facilitated numerous writing/discussion circles based on her book. She has been president of her own speaking/training/coaching company (LifeBalance Enterprises, Inc.) for 20+ years and loves adult learning as a vocation. In addition to her profession, Kim’s avocation for more than 10 years has been leading poetry circles, using poetry as the springboard for a “deeper dive” into conversations of belonging. She is the founder of WordSPA, a vehicle for sharing the joys of poetry as an inclusive and healing art. Participants in her sessions find support for their own personal journey as readers, writers, and humans.
Dr. Adam Gonzalez
Sunday, August 21, 2022 @ 9:45 am Eastern Time
Dr. Adam Gonzalez is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at Stony Brook Medicine. He is the Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center and serves as the Director of Behavioral Health. Dr. Gonzalez received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, and he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
He is an expert in cognitive behavioral treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, relaxation and mindfulness-based treatments and behavioral medicine. His program of research focuses on understanding the interplay of cognitive, emotional and behavioral health factors that may affect physical and mental health, as well as evaluating stress management and resilience training programs. Dr. Gonzalez has led the Employee Support Team at Stony Brook Medicine, which launched many wellness initiatives throughout the COVID pandemic. He is also actively involved in diversity & inclusion work, serving as the Chair of the Faculty Diversity Ambassadors Council and Co-Chair of the Stony Brook Medicine LGBTQ Committee.
