Biographies
Danielle D. Dempsey-Swopes, J.D.
Danielle is a University Administrator at Washburn University, serving as Director of University Diversity and Inclusion. Danielle also teaches Leadership in Public Service, Mediation and Administrative Law as an adjunct professor for the Department of Political Science at Washburn.
Danielle has a BA from Kansas State University and a JD from Washburn University. Danielle is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and several other councils and organizations that promote equity and access to higher education. Danielle is also a member of the Leadership Topeka Class of 2004 and Leadership Kansas, 2005.
Contact Information:
Danielle Dempsey-Swopes
105 Morgan Hall
Voice: 785-670-1622
email: dds@Washburn.edu
Tara D. Wallace, MSW, LSCSW, CTF-CBT, RYT
Tara is a trauma therapist in private practice in Topeka. She serves the community as an advocate providing diversity, equity and inclusion education to businesses and organizations who seek to address privilege and race in their environments. She is an adjunct professor for the Mental Health Services Department at Central Texas College and CEO of Lighthouse Therapeutic Community Outreach, a non-profit organization providing mental health services to minority populations experiencing racialized trauma.
Tara has a BS from Excelsior College, an MSW from Washburn University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling with emphasis in Traumatology from Liberty University. She currently serves as Second Vice-President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
Contact Information
Tara D. Wallace, MSW, LSCSW, CTF-CBT, RYT
tara.wallace@lghthse.com
A message from Tara: I would like the participants to know that I am appreciative of their trust in that moment and any moment granted to me going forward. As I share with those I provide DEI training to, I consider myself an ally in that I will hold space for individuals to be curious about things they would like to ask but feel uncomfortable or unsure asking for the purpose of gaining understanding.
Joseph Shepard
Many people born in poverty and hardship have a hard time overcoming it. Joseph Shepard took a difficult childhood to change the trajectory of his life. Born into a military family and raised in California, he recalls sleeping in a car, living in several homeless shelters, and struggling to maintain a stable lifestyle. Those experiences, coupled with other hardships, help shape his passion to work towards a more just and equitable world for all people, especially underrepresented populations. As a first-generation college graduate, Shepard holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus in non-profit management and is currently working on his Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership at Wichita State University. As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Shepard is a community advocate who believes in using his voice to advance the common good.
Contact Information
Email: ShepardJ@newmanu.edu
Phone: 316-226-0974
Twitter: @JShepard_17
Instagram: @JShepard_17
Facebook: Search “Joseph Shepard”
Resources (Danielle)
• BlindSpot, by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
• White Fragility, by RobinDeAngelo
• White Rage, by Carol Anderson
• Mistakes Were Made But Not By Me, by Carol Tavaris and Elliott Aronson
• Moral Tribes, by Joshua Greene
• Be Anti-Racist – Awareness Journal by Ibram X Kendi
• The Cognitive Bias Podcast, by David Thomas
• Hidden Brain, NPR Podcast
• Explained, Netflix Docuseries
• Bias, Film by Robin Hauser
• 13th – Documentary film by Ava DuVernay
• Uncomfortable conversations with a Black Man – Emmanuel Acho
• Empathy, Brene Brown
• Chimamanda Adichie, The danger of a single story
• Under the Affluence, Tim Wise
• Why are all of the Black Kids Sitting together in the cafeteria, by Beverly Tatum
• YWCA – Anti-Racist Challenge
• A Seat at the Table – Community Conversations hosted by GOTopeka
Resources (Tara)
• The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
• My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
• When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
• Practice Showing Up: A Guidebook for White People Working For Racial Justice by Jardana Peacock
• Rest for the Justice Seeking Soul: 90 Meditations by Susan K. Smith
• Transgender Training Institute
• Sex Positive Families
• The Institute for Intimacy & Sexuality
• The Nap Ministry
• Scene on Radio Podcast Season 2: Seeing White
• Emily Nagoski, PHD and Amelia Nagoski, Burnout The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle, Penguin Random House, 2019
• Robin Wall Kimmer, Braiding Sweet Grass. Milkweed Editions; 1st Edition edition (August 11, 2015).
• 8 categories of adversity that shape health:
https://www.acesconnection.com/g/aces-in-pediatrics/blog/8-categories-of-adversity-that-shape-health-adverse-babyhood-experiences-abes-aces-and-aces-acres-and-more
