2008 Annual Conference Keynotes Announced

New This Year—Two Content-Specific Tracks
To learn more about the Early Childhood Track and Juvenile Justice Track,
download the 2008 MACMH Conference brochure at www.macmh.org

The Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health’s (MACMH) 2008 annual conference will take place April 27–29 in Duluth, Minn., at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC).  Each year our organization seeks to enhance the conference offerings, and this year we are pleased to announce that in addition to the 80 breakout sessions happening on Monday and Tuesday, the conference will also feature four pre-conference sessions on Sunday, two nationally recognized keynote speakers, a juvenile justice track, and an early childhood track (Full Conference Brochure • Register Online Now).

We are especially pleased to announce our featured keynote speakers for Monday and Tuesday.  Opening the conference Monday morning will be Dr. Laurence Steinberg, a nationally recognized expert on psychological development during adolescence.  And on Tuesday we welcome Dr. Richard Whitfield, a prominent British scholar, writer, and social scientist who is well-known for his inspirational presentations about the importance of human connectedness.

Laurence Steinberg, PhD, is the Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University and current Director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice.  A nationally recognized expert on psychological development during adolescence, Dr. Steinberg’s research has focused on the study of contemporary adolescence, including parent-adolescent relationships, adolescent employment, high school reform, and juvenile justice.  Dr. Steinberg has frequently served as a consultant to state and federal agencies and lawmakers on issues related to child labor, secondary education, and juvenile justice policy. He is also the author of more than 200 articles and essays on growth and development and the author or editor of ten books.  Dr. Steinberg’s presentation, “Adolescent Brain and Behavioral Development: Implications for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice” will look at what has been learned in recent years about brain development during adolescence and its impact on behavior.

Richard Whitfield, PhD, scientist, educator, and poet, was originally an antibiotic chemist who became a Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities and Director of UK Child Care at the Save the Children Fund.  Known for his inspirational presentations, Dr. Whitfield deftly uses the latest research findings to underscore one of his key themes: that our inter-dependence is no mushy sentiment, but a prime law of human motion and emotion.  In his presentation, “Reliable Love: Innate Need, but Learned Capability,” Dr. Whitfield will explore the nature of human connectedness and how it is both formed and sustained.  Dr. Whitfield is author/co-author of more than two dozen books and some 100 papers and contract reports in the fields of science education, curriculum planning and performance evaluation, family and youth policy, human relations and life-skills education, parenting, and community development.  Before embarking on his current career as a freelance social scientist, lecturer, and writer, Dr. Whitfield’s most recent full-time post was Warden of St. George’s House, Windsor Castle.