Stephen Kennedy Smith
Stephen Kennedy Smith, JD, M.Ed: Stephen has been actively engaged in the fusion of literature and social progress since the late 1980s when he first taught “Literature and Social Reflection” at Harvard with psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Coles, twice winning the Danforth Award for excellence in teaching. He received his Masters in Education at Harvard and then went on to be certified in Negotiations at Harvard Law School and teach conflict resolution and collaborative decision making to corporate clients and NGOs. Currently, in his capacity as a Founder and Executive Vice President at Pear Therapeutics, he is dedicated to increasing access to mental health treatment through digital technology and innovative partnerships. Stephen is a Lecturer at the Sloan School of Management and Fellow at the M.I.T. Media Lab where he develops programs in healthcare and values-based investing. He has worked as a senate speechwriter and speaks, internationally, on the importance of compelling narrative coherence in both business and interpersonal communication. Stephen’s immediate family has contributed significantly to the support of mental health and disabled communities through expressive arts by establishing programs such as Jean Kennedy Smith’s Very Special Arts organization and the New York University Veteran’s Writing Workshop Fellowship.
Theo Theoharis, PhD
Theo Theoharis, PhD: Theo is a distinguished professor, editor, translator and global lecturer on a wide range of classic and contemporary literature and poetry. He is known for his ability to convey transcendent messages and meanings for diverse and multi-cultural audiences of varying ages, interests and backgrounds. He is the author of, James Joyce’s Ulysses: An Anatomy of the Soul, and Ibsen’s Drama: Right Action and Tragic Joy, as well as translator of Complete Poems of Constantine P. Cavafy. He currently teaches in the Harvard University Comparative Literature Department, and presently offers original courses as varied as: “Getting Real: Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens and Elizabeth Bishop”; “African American Fiction and Poetry, the Last 90 Years”, and “Classic 20th Century American Novels of the 50s and 60s: The Natural, To Kill a Mockingbird, and True Grit.” When not teaching in a traditional classroom setting, Theo also holds workshops for high school teachers and community leaders as well as corporate clients and international groups. His territory spans from Shakespeare in the public schools to Walt Whitman in China and his provocative syllabi continue to evolve and maintain relevance with the challenges of a volatile world.
Natalia Livingston
Natalia Livingston is an Emmy award winning actress, producer, and owner/founder of Actor Boutique. She has starred in over 900 episodes of national television, as well as motion pictures and national commercials. She was recently nominated for her second Emmy Award. Natalia produced National Geographic’s Red Alaska and was Co-Executive Producer of the PBS documentary The Man Who Ate New Orleans. Natalia joins the Board of Writers Without Margins to lead its documentary production team and produce its first film, In Their Shoes: Unheard Stories of Reentry and Recovery, which features six writers in residency at a prison reentry program. Natalia has been a guest lecturer at Emory University and Notre Dame University in the area of entrepreneurship in entertainment. She has also previously collaborated with other socially driven nonprofits, such as Usher’s New Look Foundation, providing underserved Atlanta youth free acting classes and introductions to industry professionals.
Lucinda Jewell
Lucinda Jewell, M.Ed., is a leader in mental health advocacy. In addition to serving as past chair and board member of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), she also has 30 years of professional experience including teaching, coaching, writing, public speaking and philanthropy. DBSA is the only peer-led national mental health organization that promotes wellness and extraordinary lives for people who have experienced mental health issues, particularly those associated with mood symptoms. She has represented the organization in Washington, D.C., at leading psychiatric and mind/body conferences, as well as at the Global Conference for Transformation, Conscious Capitalism, Deepak Chopra’s Sages and Scientists Symposium, the Kennedy Forum and has been a speaker at the International Society of Bipolar Disorders. With the partnership between physicists, neuroscientists and other thought leaders growing, she believes that a paradigm shift is imminent: when mental health conditions are framed as a possible access to the evolution of Consciousness, transformative strategies (beyond and including the medical model) for eliminating debilitating symptoms and/or cultivating their strengths and resiliencies will be developed and made available. She is a Co-Trustee of the HPB Foundation, former President of DBSA-Boston, and has served on the Associates Board of the Boston Public Library and First Literacy, among others. Presently she is working with MD/PhD entrepreneurs as an angel investor in three mental health/med start-ups.