Reclaiming the Body: Countering a Culture of Power and Control
WATCH EVENT VIDEO!
EVENT RESOURCES:
Kent State Center for SRVSS (Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services)
FACILITATOR AND PANELISTS:
FACILITATOR:
Dr. Dianne Kerr received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1992. Prior to that she was the HIV/AIDS Project Director for the American School Health Association. There she wrote an AIDS Update column for the Journal of School Health and directed a CDC cooperative agreement that enabled her to travel the U.S., training school personnel to teach about HIV/AIDS during the early years of the epidemic.
Dr. Kerr is currently a Professor of Health Education and Promotion at Kent State University and a Provost’s Faculty Associate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Her HIV/AIDS work began 30 years ago with an internship at the Ohio Department of Health’s AIDS Activities Unit. Nationally, she served on the American Foundation for AIDS Research Education Advisory Committee. She also served on HIV Advisory Committees of the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and the National PTA. In Ohio she worked with the AIDS in Ohio Colleges and Universities Project for over 20 years, teaching university personnel how to teach about HIV. Dr. Kerr was twice the recipient of the Ohio Department of Health’s Ohio AIDS Service Award. Last year she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater Slippery Rock University and this year she was awarded the Society for Public Health Education’s Open Society Award for her advocacy and social justice work. Dr. Kerr has published extensively, primarily on HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ college student health.
PANELISTS:
Dr. Merkle holds an APA accredited and NASP approved doctorate (Ph.D.) in school psychology and psychology, an educational specialist (Ed.S.) in educational administration, a master's degree (M.Ed.) in mental health counseling, and a master's degree (M.A.) in human development, all from Kent State University as well as a baccalaureate degree (B.S.) in psychology from Heidelberg University. He holds professional licensure as both a school psychologist and educational administrator as well as national certification as a school psychologist (NCSP). Dr. Merkle commits himself to service within the professions of psychology and education, serving on the governance boards of numerous professional and community agencies. During 2014-15, Dr. Merkle was the President of the Ohio School Psychologists Association (OSPA) and in 2019-20, he served as the President of the Ohio Psychological Association (OPA). He is also the shared Association liaison between OSPA and OPA. Dr. Merkle has participated in numerous media interviews over his career on a diverse set of psychoeducational topics. He is also the recipient of the Ohio Public Sector Psychologist of the Year and President Awards from the Ohio Psychological Association.
Iris E. Harvey is President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, a 501(c)(3), and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, a 501(c)(4). In this position, she provides visionary and collaborative leadership to the organization’s health care delivery and financial operations of 17 health centers throughout Ohio. As CEO, Iris also oversees government relations, public policy, and patient and supporter advocacy. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio provides comprehensive health care to nearly 65,000 unique patients and over 90,000 annual patient visits.
Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, Iris was the Vice President for University Relations at Kent State University. Reporting to the President, she served as the University’s chief strategist on all matters related to advancing Kent State’s brand, image, and reputation, and in increasing the public’s understanding of the University’s academic excellence and economic impact on communities in Ohio. Her transformational leadership made her a critical contributor to the University’s fiscal health by promoting enrollment, fundraising, government relations, and student success.
Iris has over two decades of experience in the private sector as a corporate executive and entrepreneur. For over a decade she was CEO of Market Strategies and Solutions, Inc., an international consulting firm that she founded and operated in Japan for seven years. Iris was one of the first American women to independently own and operate a business in Japan. She successfully built a base of major multinational clients such as the Financial Times, Kraft Foods International, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and Prudential Investments.
Iris' corporate experience includes leadership positions in Fortune 500 organizations including nine years as a Vice President and Senior Director for a $1 billion division of Citigroup’s Global Consumer Bank. In multiple roles, she developed and implemented strategies that created a branded global customer experience for services delivered through worldwide banking channels.
Iris’ Ohio community service includes current and past board membership with Summa Health Foundation, Area Agency on Aging--Direction Home, United Way, Fund for Our Economic Future, Western Reserve Media/PBS, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Planned Parenthood Global. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the College of Public Health and School of Nursing at Kent State University. Iris is a sought after speaker and has held faculty positions at Temple University Japan, Australian National University, and California State University.
Iris is a Fulbright Scholar, a Ford Foundation Scholar, and Consortium Fellow. She holds MBA and B.S. degrees from the University of Southern California, as well as an Ed.S. degree from The George Washington University. A lifelong learner, Iris is an alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Program on Leading Change.
Nasra Abubakar is a Somali woman, non traditional student studying FGM as a colonization of the mind and body of women. I have done activism work internationally with the UN and other global non-governmental organizations. I started my career as a human rights and peace activist. I am currently a researcher of women's health.
Brianna Camp is a current senior in the school of journalism and communication. Brie is passionate about blending storytelling and advocacy to make the change they want to see in the world. Brie is often found alongside her laptop and coffee, but their mind is often wandering and worrying over the state of things, which is why putting words down on paper is often therapy for them. So far, Brie has worked with student media outlets such as Kentwired and The Burr Magazine as well as local radio station WKSU to tell such stories. Moving into the coming year, Brie plans to create a collection of poems sharing personal stories about their journey of self-discovery as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.