Panelists

Demographic Changes:

Dr. Al Stuart
Professor Emeritus of Geography, UNC Charlotte
Dr. Al Stuart has studied geography around the globe; not only was he chair of the geography department at UNC Charlotte until 1988, but he also traveled through Greenland and Antarctica exploring glaciology. He has authored and edited several books on southern geography, the most recent of which is the North Carolina Atlas. He holds a Ph.D. in geography from Ohio State University. His research in the Antarctica earned him a mountain--Mt. Stuart in Antarctica.

Community (Culture):

Milan Pham
President of Advocacy for NC Asian Pacific American
Milan Pham's areas of expertise include Anti-Asian violence, immigration, and census data. The goal of the Orange County Human Rights and Relations Department is to promote equal treatment of all individuals, and to prohibit any sort of discrimination within Orange County.

Frederick Yates
Third Vice President of the NC NAACP
Frederick L. Yates is a retiree of the United States Marine Corps current serving his third term as mayor of Winfall, NC. Mayor Yates was the first African American to serve as mayor for the town of Winfall. Under his leadership, 17 hones have been renovated under a block grant from the Department of Commerce, a new fire department has been built and new trucks purchased, Winfall Landing Park has been built on the Perquimans River and the installation of a $6.4 million sewer system throughout the entire town of Winfall has been completed. He serves on the Governor's Crime Commission, the North Carolina Rural Development Center, Northeast Partnership, Board of Directors APEC, and several other groups.

Gay/Lesbian Perspective:

Jo Wyrick
Executive Director, Equality North Carolina
A native of Greensboro, NC, Wyrick is a 1990 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked in Democratic campaign finance, and with the campaigns of recently retired Congresswoman Eva Clayton, Attorney General Roy Cooper, State Treasurer Richard Moore, and others. Since 2000 she has been the executive director of Equality NC, an advocacy group working for equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians.

Workplace (Social)

Teresa Holladay
Associate with Capital Associated Industries
Teresa has been an Associate with Capital Associated Industries, Inc., a North Carolina Employers Association for 9 years. Prior to joining CAI, she worked in the human resources management field with facility and multi-facility responsibilities in various industries, including manufacturing, health care and food service. At CAI she works in all aspects of the service offerings, such as answering member questions dealing with employer/employee relations issues, developing and conducting numerous training programs (including "Workplace Diversity," "Preventing Harassment in the Workplace" and "Initiating a Diversity Initiative"), administering employee opinion surveys, reviewing and developing employee handbooks, and contributing to a national newsletter.

Carl Ross
NC Human Relations Commission
The North Carolina Human Relations Commission provides services and programs aimed at improving relationships among all citizens of the state, while seeking to ensure equal opportunities in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, recreation, education, justice and governmental services. The commission also enforces the North Carolina State Fair Housing Act and is fully substantially equivalent with the Division of Fair Housing within the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Religion:

Khodr Zaarour
Dir. Political Affairs for Muslim-American Public Affairs Council
Khodr M. Zaarour is currently an instructor of political science, international relations and history at Shaw University and serves as the director of political affairs for the Muslim-American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC). Mr. Zaarour holds graduate degrees in public and international relations, economics, political science and United States history and foreign policy. His experience is as a researcher and policy analyst at the National Defense University where he researched, analyzed, critiqued and evaluated U.S. intelligence and security material, coordinated, organized and moderated conferences and wrote articles and newsletters. His main area of interest is the U.S. political, economic, and security strategies in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Rabbi John Friedman
Judea Reform Congregation, Chapel Hill
After four years at Emanuel Congregation in Chicago, Rabbi Friedman came to North Carolina to serve Judea Reform. He has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Keeper of the Dream Award, the Durham Better Human Relations Award and the Elna Spaulding Medal for Social Justice awards for his work in our community. Rabbi Friedman has served as president of Durham Congregations in Action and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Reform Rabbis. He has also served as chair of the Interreligious Affairs Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Mark Sills
Faith Action International House, Greensboro
Faith in Action is an interfaith volunteer caregiving program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It includes representatives from all faiths, including Buddhists, Catholics, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Protestants and its goal is to improve the lives of people of all ages with long-term illnesses or disabilities.

Education:

James Johnson
UNC Kenan Flagler School of Business
James Johnson has conducted diversity training for organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association and Philip Morris Companies. He is an editorial board member for Housing Policy Debate and American Urban Geography, and he has participated in the Behavioral Science Review and Annals of the Association of American Geographers. His areas of expertise include diversity, entrepreneurship, ethnic conflict, minorities in small businesses, urban economics and welfare reform.

Gary Palmer
Co-Chair, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gary is the assistant vice president of community affairs at Replacements, Ltd. In Greensboro, NC, a gay-owned company where he has worked for eleven years. He is an openly gay person serving on the boards of the Greater Greensboro United Way, the National Conference for Community and Justice the Guilford Community Airs Partnership and Friends of the Library. He is a Commissioner on the Greensboro Human Relations Commission and chairs the education committee. He is also the co-chair of the Greensboro chapter of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. His past involvements have included being the founding president of Greensboro's gay teen support group, an organizing member of the Triad Business & Professional Guild, past president of Greensboro's gay hotline, and others.

April Whittemore
ETS Counselor, NC Commission of Indian Affairs
The goal of Talent Search is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in a postsecondary education institution. The program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The program provides academic, career and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school and continue on to the postsecondary school of their choice. Talent Search also serves high school dropouts by encouraging them to reenter the educational system and complete their education.

Abby Friedman
Co-President, Diversity Club, Durham Academy
Abby is currently a student at the Durham Academy and also chairs the Diversity Club.