HUMAN Conference Agenda

Welcome INFORMATION

Welcome to the inaugural HUMAN Conference! We're glad to have you here.

Wi-Fi: OC Open Network
Restrooms: Located next to the gym
Conference Assessment Form

HUMAN Conference Website

Contact Us

Belonging & Community Transformation

360-475-7430

Bldg. 4 Rm. 201

Belonging & Community Transformation Webpage

Conference Agenda

Registration Opens

Continental Breakfast

7:45am – 9am | Bremer Student Center

Grounding in Sound: A Sound Bath Experience

8 – 8:45am | Yoga Room, Bldg. 9

Facilitator:
Ebon Webjoiner

Session Overview:
Begin the HUMAN Conference with a guided sound bath experience led by Ebon of Ebon Flow Energy Works. This immersive session invites participants to slow down, settle the mind, and arrive fully present through breath, stillness, and sound. Using Himalayan, alchemy, and crystal singing bowls, Ebon will guide participants into a grounded and reflective state designed to support calm, focus, and connection before the day begins. The session will conclude with a gentle grounding reflection and suggestions for continuing sound bath practices beyond the conference.

Space is limited to the first 22 participants. Email @email to sign up. Learn more about Ebon’s work at Ebon Flow Energy Works.

Morning Plenary Session

9 – 10am | Bremer Student Center

Welcome

Karisha Stanley
Business Development Specialist & Conference Emcee

Land Acknowledgement

Cristina Roarke
Executive Director, Kitsap Strong

Recognition of the Indigenous communities and lands connected to Olympic College and the Kitsap region.

Introduction of the President

Dr. James Estrella
Tenured Faculty, Olympic College

Presidential Welcome

Dr. Chantae Recasner
President, Olympic College

Student Welcome & Reflection

Khi Tall Bull
SGOC Representative

Opening Remarks

Diversity Advisory Council

Morning Keynote Address

Dr. Shawn C. Best
Vice President, Belonging & Community Transformation

Break

10 - 10:15am | Bremer Student Center
Snacks will be provided.

Morning Guided Practice Sessions

Digging into Dignity
10:15 – 11:45am | Bremer Student Center

Guided Practice Facilitators:
Darryl Riley, Amy White, Tarra Simmons

Session Overview:
Conflict and disagreement are inevitable, but communities grow stronger when people have tools for repair. In this interactive guided practice session, Darryl Riley, Amy White, and Tarra Simmons introduce the DIG Method™ (Describe, Identify, Grow), a practical framework for restoring dignity, rebuilding trust, and navigating difficult conversations with intention. Participants will engage in reflection, structured dialogue, and real-world application designed to move beyond theory into practice. This session emphasizes actionable learning—equipping participants with communication and repair strategies they can immediately apply in their workplaces, relationships, and communities.

Moderator: Zea Moullet

Finding Beauty in Everyone
10:15 – 11:45am | Bldg. 7, Rm. 311

Guided Practice Facilitator:
Dr. Kimberly Riley

Session Overview:
Led by Dr. Kimberly Lynn Riley, this guided practice session explores how perception, bias, and lived experience influence the way we engage with others. Participants will reflect on the assumptions that shape relationships, communication, and service while learning practical strategies for leading and connecting across difference with empathy and intention. Through interactive dialogue and reflection, the session encourages participants to recognize the dignity, value, and humanity in every individual, strengthening their ability to build more inclusive and compassionate communities.

Moderator: Jessica Guidry

The Power of Listening to Make Change: What is a Listening Circle?
10:15 – 11:45am | BSC Bistro

Guided Practice Facilitator:
China Cooper and Sue Ann Miglino

Session Overview:
Led by China Cooper and Sue Ann Miglino, this guided practice session introduces participants to Listening Circles as a restorative framework for building trust, empathy, and deeper community connection. Drawing from their experience in mediation, restorative practices, and community-centered dialogue, participants will explore the principles and structure of intentional listening while engaging in experiential circle practice designed to foster reflection, understanding, and shared humanity. Through dialogue, participation, and practical application, attendees will leave with tools to create more compassionate, connected, and resilient spaces within their communities and organizations.

Moderator: Cristina Roark

Lunch & Resource Fair

Noon – 1pm | Bremer Student Center

Participants are invited to enjoy lunch while connecting with campus departments, community organizations, employers, advocates, and regional partners working to strengthen belonging, wellness, education, workforce development, and community resilience across Kitsap County.

The Resource Fair is designed to create opportunities for networking, relationship-building, and ongoing engagement beyond the conference experience. Attendees are encouraged to explore resources, ask questions, exchange contact information, and discover ways to stay connected and involved within the community. See list of Resource Fair Participants below.

Afternoon Plenary Session

1 – 2pm | Bremer Student Center

Following lunch and the Community Resource Fair, participants will reconvene for the Afternoon Plenary Session = a powerful continuation of the day’s focus on belonging, leadership, systems transformation, and authentic community engagement.

The session will be guided by conference emcee Karisha Stanley, Business Development Specialist, who will help frame the afternoon experience and connect the day’s themes of resilience, dignity, identity, and action.

Featured Keynote Speakers

Megan Matthews
Director, Washington State Office of Equity

Keynote Overview:
In her keynote, Megan Matthews will challenge participants to move beyond viewing diversity as a goal and instead understand it as an input that must be translated into meaningful outcomes through intentional systems design. Drawing from her leadership with the Washington State Office of Equity, Megan will explore how institutions and communities can strengthen impact through four critical areas: resource allocation, accountability, access and invitation, and decision-making authority.

Participants will examine how systems either expand opportunity or reinforce historical barriers—and how courageous, consistent leadership can create environments where people genuinely belong and thrive. Grounded in the principles of targeted universalism, this keynote will encourage attendees to rethink how policies, practices, and leadership structures shape student success, workforce readiness, and community well-being. Participants will leave with practical reflection points and a clearer understanding of how to align values, systems, and outcomes to build stronger and more equitable communities.

Kiesha B. Free
Founder, Host, Speaker and Independent Cultural Worker

Keynote Overview:
Kiesha B. Free brings a powerful and deeply personal keynote experience focused on self-reclamation, authenticity, and liberation from systems and expectations that disconnect people from who they truly are. Through storytelling, reflection, and transformational dialogue, Kiesha invites participants to rethink identity, purpose, and the ways we show up in our communities. Her message centers on the idea that “YOU is a verb” - not becoming someone new, but reclaiming the person you were always meant to be. Participants can expect an energizing call toward courage, healing, and intentional living.

Afternoon Guided Practice Sessions

YOU Better! — Reclaiming Yourself from the Systems That Shape You
2:15 – 3:45pm | Bremer Student Center

Guided Practice Facilitator:
Kiesha B. Free

Session Overview:
Led by Kiesha B. Free, this powerful guided practice session invites participants to reconnect with their authentic selves beyond the expectations, pressures, and oppressive standards that often shape identity and belonging. In this space, “YOU” is a verb - not about fixing who you are, but rediscovering and reclaiming who you were meant to be all along. Through expansive dialogue, reflection, and interactive engagement, participants will explore deeper self-awareness, bold self-reclamation, and more liberated ways of existing. This session is designed to help participants leave feeling more fully, freely, and brilliantly themselves, with practical insights they can apply to their lives, leadership, relationships, and communities.

Moderator: Zea Moullet

Happy Hour with Chisa
2:15 – 3:45pm | Bremer Student Center

Guided Practice Facilitator:
Chisa O’Quinn

Session Overview:
Join Chisa O’Quinn for an engaging guided practice session centered on authentic connection, honest dialogue, and community building. Through reflection, storytelling, and interactive conversation, participants will explore how vulnerability, presence, and shared experiences strengthen belonging in both personal and professional spaces. This session creates space to slow down, connect across difference, and engage in meaningful conversations that encourage healing, growth, and deeper understanding, while leaving participants with practical ways to build stronger relationships and more connected communities.

Moderator: Melia Hunt

Finding Beauty in Everyone
2:15 – 3:45pm | Bldg. 7, Rm. 311

Guided Practice Facilitator:
Dr. Kimberly Riley

Moderator: Jessica Guidry

The Power of Listening to Make Change: What is a Listening Circle?
2:15 – 3:45pm | Bldg. 11, Rm. 117

Guided Practice Facilitator:
China Cooper and Sue Ann Miglino

Moderator: Cristina Roark

Closing Experience & Live Jazz

4 – 4:30 pm | Bremer Student Center, Bldg. 10, Lobby

Welcome from Dr. Shawn Best

Welcome to the H.U.M.A.N. Conference, and for coming to Help Us Make A Neighborhood. This year’s theme is simple: “Be Human.” I am truly grateful to witness those who still believe in the power of humanity to bridge cultural gaps, break economic barriers, and to open doors to those who have historically been left out of the conversation.

Today is not just about attending a conference. It is about choosing to shape the kind of community we all want to live in. Belonging doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through daily actions, small decisions, and the courage to show up differently for one another.

This space is designed to move us beyond conversation and into practice. Through our guided sessions, you won’t just hear ideas, you’ll engage them, test them, and leave with tools you can apply immediately. Indeed, there is a 30-day accountability exercise in each one of the sessions, and our facilitators will be reaching out to check in on you! We are serious about changing the outcomes for our community and making a space of inclusion and belonging.

The goal is simple: that you walk out of here better equipped to strengthen the spaces you’re already part of, including your classroom, your workplace, your family, your neighborhood. We start with ourselves. How we listen. How we lead. How we include. And then we carry that forward, intentionally, into every interaction that follows.

This conference reflects the power of students, faculty, staff, and partners coming together with a shared responsibility to build something better. A better community for all to flourish. We also support other local conferences and communities that are doing resiliency work and will support each other in our efforts.

So today, don’t just participate, practice. Don’t just connect, commit. Don’t just learn, please act.

Because the neighborhood we want is built by what we choose to do today.

Enjoy the Conference,

Dr. Shawn Best
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Belonging and Community Transformation Office

Speakers

Welcoming Remarks

Dr. Chantae Recasner
President, Olympic College

Dr. Recasner is an accomplished higher education executive with two decades of experience in community colleges and public higher education systems. Currently serving in senior executive leadership, Dr. Recasner has held roles including interim president, vice president of instruction, and dean, with responsibility for institutional strategy, accreditation, budget oversight, enrollment management, labor relations, and equity-centered decision making.

Cristina Roark
Executive Director, Kitsap Strong

Through Kitsap Strong, Cristina advances innovative collaborations for systems transformation, centering whole-child, whole-family, and whole-community solutions while fostering a culture of care and connection for all across Kitsap. She partners with a diverse network of agencies spanning the full lifespan and sectors including health, housing, education, justice, and human services. Her work promotes trauma-informed practices, policies, and services that support both community members and the professionals who serve them, strengthening a shared commitment to being good neighbors across Kitsap.

Keynote Speakers

Kiesha B. Free
Keynote Speaker

Kiesha B. Free is a speaker, host, and independent cultural worker devoted to helping people reconnect with themselves and their capacity to shape the world around them. She has hosted powerful conversations with luminaries like Lenny Kravitz, Megan Rapinoe, and aja monet, as well as countless everyday truth-tellers. Through her keynotes, her leadership of the regional community hub Hey, Black Seattle! and the YOU Better! podcast, she invites people to reclaim their identity, realign their ambitions, and activate their impact - making the shifts that help individuals and communities thrive.

Megan Matthews
Washington State Office of Equity Director
Keynote Speaker

Megan Matthews is the Director of Washington State’s Office of Equity, boldly advancing a Washington for All. She has been a public servant in Washington state government for 16 years, working her way up from an entry level position. She is committed to a lifelong journey of pursuing and living the values of equity and justice. She is a courageous and innovative leader, loves a good debate, and strives to maintain her humility.

Megan earned her master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College. Megan co-taught a Masters’ Program at The Evergreen State College, emphasizing democratic governance and social change for current and future public administrators Megan is dedicated to social justice and ensuring fairness and hope for everyone, especially the next generation that includes her daughters, nieces, and nephews.

Guided Practice Facilitators

China Cooper
Guided Practice Facilitator

China Cooper is a Certified Mediator and Restorative Practitioner with extensive experience as a mediator, trainer, and circle facilitator. She specializes in youth, family, and community mediation, as well as multi‑party and restorative circle facilitation for groups navigating conflict and strengthening relationships. Through restorative, equity‑centered practices, she empowers youth, families, and communities to build relationships, repair harm, and foster belonging through story, connection, and shared humanity.

Sue Ann Miglino
Guided Practice Facilitator

Sue Ann Miglino is a Certified Mediator and Restorative Justice Practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience. She specializes in restorative justice circle keeping, multi‑party restorative mediations, and victim‑offender dialogue. She has served with the Dispute Resolution Center of Kitsap County since 2008 and currently leads its restorative justice programming as the Restorative Justice Coordinator.

Chisa D. O'Quinn
Guided Practice Facilitator

Chisa D. O'Quinn, MSW, CMT is a culture strategist, leadership coach, and facilitator with over 20 years of experience across higher education, nonprofit, and human services sectors. Through her practice, Re-Purposed Living LLC, she helps leaders and teams close the gap between the values they claim and the culture their people actually experience. Her work is grounded in the belief that belonging is built through action — one honest, values-centered conversation at a time.

Dr. Kimberly Riley
Guided Practice Facilitator

Dr. Kimberly Riley is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist works who with children, adults, families, and couples in Washington, Oregon, and California. She has experience teaching undergraduate psychology students and master level students in the Couples and Family Therapy program. Dr. Riley was raised in Bremerton and enjoys giving back to the community in meaningful ways.

Darryl Riley
Guided Practice Facilitator

Darryl Riley is a businessman, entrepreneur, and the co- Founder and CEO of the Up From Slavery Initiative (UFSI.org) where he leads innovative efforts in financial literacy, youth empowerment, and reentry support for justice-impacted individuals. With a strong commitment to community transformation and practical solutions, he brings lived experience, business leadership, and a passion for helping others turn adversity into opportunity.

Tarra Simmons
Washington State Representative 23rd District
Guided Practice Facilitator

Rep. Tarra Simmons has proudly served the people of the 23rd Legislative District in Olympia since her historic election in 2020. She is a mom, former registered nurse, and civil rights attorney who grew up in Bremerton. She found resilience overcoming poverty, violence, substance use disorder and incarceration through community support which fuels her service today. She is a proud Olympic College alum.

Amy White
Guided Practice Facilitator

Amy White has been an educator for 16 years, teaching both elementary intermediate grades and middle school in Bremerton, WA. Recently, she's been supporting educators through various roles as an education consultant with a specialization in equity.

EMCEE

Karisha Stanley
Emcee

Karisha Stanley is a Business Development Analyst and Capture Manager in the affordable housing sector, specializing in HUD contract strategy, compliance, and growth. She combines expertise in human resources and equity with data-driven planning to strengthen organizational performance and expand community impact. Karisha is a Leadership Kitsap board member and regional speaker committed to advancing access and opportunity in public service.

Lunch Menu Options