Rev. John Kartje, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Biblical Studies and Homilectics at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, will speak on the topic, Genesis in the Bible and Science.  Father John was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2002.  He has served in parish and [...]

Howard Katz, Past President of the Humanist Society, will speak on the topic, One Man’s Journey from Judaism to the Philosophy of Humanism.  Mr. Katz is currently a board member of the American Humanist Association and a humanist celebrant.  He also serves as the current Board Chair for the Center for Freethought Equality.  Katz is [...]

Kendra Mirasol, former LSUS member and current CEO of the nonprofit VitalTalk, will speak on the topic, Empowering Clinicians to Hold Competent, Compassionate, Values-Based Conversations with Seriously Ill Patients.  Kendra was formerly President and Co-Owner of IOR Global Services, a global relocation company that eased transitions for employees and their families across cultures.  Her previous [...]

David Rapp, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Education and Social Policy and the Department of Psychology at Northwestern Univ. will speak on the topic, Mind the Misinformation: Reasons We Fall Victim to Fake News.  He received his MA in Psychology from New York University, a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Stony Brook University, and [...]

Dr. David Shyovitz, an Associate Professor in Northwestern's History Dept., will speak on the topic, The History of Heaven.  Dr. Shyovitz is also Director of the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies.  His research focuses on medieval European intellectual and cultural history, with a particular emphasis on Jewish history and Jewish-Christian relations.  His [...]

Jacqueline Saper, writer, commentator, public speaker, analyst, and translator will speak on the topic of her memoir, From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran.  Fluent in Farsi and English, she serves as a translator/interpreter for the National Immigrant Justice Center, working with supervising attorneys on behalf of immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and the [...]

Robert Magrisso, M.D, will speak on the topic, Introduction to the Meditation Exercises of Cafh, a Path of Spiritual Unfolding.  Dr. Magrisso is a physician, practicing internal medicine in Winnetka for the past 30 years.  He is currently on the NorthShore medical staff and University of Chicago teaching staff.  He majored in physics as an [...]

Daniel Breyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy at Illinois State University at Normal, will speak on the topic, The Dark Side of Human Nature: Being Peaceful in a Troubled World.  Dr. Breyer also serves as the director of the Religious Studies program. He received a BA in Classics from the University of Montana, an MA [...]

Paul McComas, Media Scholar, will speak on the topic, Courage and Cowardice on Camera: The Hero's Journey in Film.  Paul is the author of five and editor of two critically acclaimed books of fiction, with a sixth—plus his first nonfiction volume: a scholarly film book for an academic press—under contract.  Paul earned an M.A. in [...]

Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law at The University of Chicago, will speak on the topic, Roe v. Wade: Past, Present and Future.  After serving as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., Stone joined The University of Chicago Law School faculty in 1973.  He has [...]

Kelly Michelson, M.D., Director, Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, will speak on the topic, Ethics and the Coronavirus Crisis.  She is an attending physician at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in the division of pediatric critical care medicine.  Dr. Michelson’s research interests include communication, [...]

Ami Campbell, Wilmette resident and author, will speak on the topic of the title of her 2017 book, Love Let Go: Radical Generosity for the Real World.  Ami Campbell champions generosity in her TEDx talk on radical generosity.  Her writing has appeared in Philanthropy Daily, RELEVANT magazine, The Christian Century, and the Harvard Business School [...]

Scott Paeth, Ph.D., Professor in Religious Studies, DePaul University, Captain Kirk, the Bible, and Hell