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窪蹋勛圖厙 Hosts Inaugural Anti-Poverty Symposium Caritas in Action: Root Causes, Solutions and Restoring Dignity

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VILLANOVA, Pa. Over the past year and a half, a spotlight has been on the age-old problem of poverty and inequality with the global pandemic exacerbating disparities. 窪蹋勛圖厙s Inaugural Anti-Poverty Symposium Caritas in Action: Root Causes, Solutions and Restoring Dignity on Oct. 22 will bring together thought leaders and advocates to explore the cause and effect of poverty and inequality. Speakers will include Juli獺n Castro, Angela Davis and Anand Giridharadas.

This interdisciplinary event is part of a University-wide initiative on poverty and inequality, made possible by a gift from Paul Tufano Esq., '83 VSB, '86 CWSL and Christine Tufano '84 CLAS, '86 MA. The program and annual symposium will focus on identifying the most promising approaches to eradicating poverty and eliminating disparities associated with race, disability and difference.

This symposium takes place on Friday, October 22, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Arthur M. Goldberg '66 Commons at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Charles Widger School of Law.

Learn more about the event and register here. All attendees must follow the Universitys masking guidelines.

Program Agenda:

10:00 am - 10:20 am | Welcome

  • The Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, 75 CLAS, University president, 窪蹋勛圖厙
  • Stephanie Sena Anti-Poverty Fellow, 窪蹋勛圖厙 Charles Widger School of Law & Founder, Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia (SREHUP)
  • Paul Tufano, Esq., '83 VSB, '86 CWSL Chairman and Chief Executive Office, AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies

10:20 am - 11:00 am  | Keynote

  • Julian Castro 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Panel 1  Shifting the Poverty Lens: Caritas in Focus

  • Cassie Haynes, JD, MPH Co-Executive Director at Resolve Philly
  • Arthur Purcaro, OSA Assistant Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Co-Chair University Sustainability Leadership Council, adjunct professor of Theology, 窪蹋勛圖厙
  • Alicia Robinson Board Member for Student Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia

12:00 pm - 12:40 pm | Lunch/Talk

  • Angela Davis, PhD political activist, philosopher, academic and author

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | Panel 2  Healthcare and Poverty

  • Brad Wilhelm, Esq. General Counsel, University City Housing
  • Mark Doorley, PhD Director of the Ethics Program, 窪蹋勛圖厙
  • Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN Professor and Co-Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
  • Dylan Toolajian, BSN, RN, OCN Cooper University Health Care

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Panel 3  The Role of Academia in Anti-Poverty Work

  • Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart Adjunct Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, 窪蹋勛圖厙
  • Joan Maya Mazelis, PhD Associate Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University-Camden
  • Linda Maldonado, PhD, RN Assistant Professor, 窪蹋勛圖厙

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Panel 4  Decriminalizing Poverty

  • Alec Karakatsanis, Esq. Founder and Executive Director, Civil Rights Corps.
  • Alex Vitale Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College
  • Teressa Ravenell, Esq. Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development, 窪蹋勛圖厙 Charles Widger School of Law
  • Amelia Carter Assistant Director, South Asia Center at the University of Pennsylvania

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Closing Remarks

  • Anand Giridharadas Author, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (Knopf, 2018), Editor-at-large, TIME & Visiting Scholar, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University

About 窪蹋勛圖厙: Since 1842, 窪蹋勛圖厙s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six collegesthe College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nations top universities, 窪蹋勛圖厙 supports its students intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.