NAHCA
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Conference Schedule
Northwestern University, Evanston Campus
Location: Norris University Center and Parkes Hall
Note: For full conference experience including valuable networking opportunities, we encourage In-Person participation.
Most sessions are available to online only participants. Please check each session for details.
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Conference registration includes access to video recordings of some conference sessions at no additional fee. Recorded conference sessions will not be available for purchase. Conference recordings will be made available at the conclusion of the conference, registered and viewable to specific email addresses of registrants. These are not to be shared beyond registrants to ensure the intellectual safety of our speakers and keynotes.
If you need your conference registration fee waived due to financial constraints, please email [email protected] with the subject header “Conference small grant request” and let us know your situation and why you would like to attend. We have limited funds for these grants. If you are able to provide a gift of financial assistance to cover the conference registration for an attendee or additional aspects of the conference, then please contribute using the button below. |
Day One Speakers and Keynotes:
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Swami Shivatmananda Swamiji has studied and served the Hindu community for over nearly 30 years, in both lecturing and chaplaincy traveling from Los Angeles to India to Texas. He enjoys giving discourses on Vedanta, and is now focusing on developing resources for Hindu chaplains and students in support of self care and growth.
Keynote 1: How to Stay Well Rooted and Engaged in Self Care During Chaplaincy Practice |
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Dr. Pratyusha Tummala-Narra Usha Tummala-Narra, Ph.D. is a Professor of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at
Boston College. Her research and scholarship focus on immigration, trauma, and culturally informed psychoanalytic psychotherapy. She is also a clinical psychologist in Independent Practice and works primarily with survivors of trauma from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Session 2: Spiritual Diversity in Psychotherapy: Engaging the Sacred in Clinical Practice |
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Dr. Vineet Chander Vineet is an Assistant Dean in the Office of Religious Life and Hindu Chaplain, and Adjunct Professor at Princeton University. His areas of specialty include Bhakti, the Bhagavad-Gita, models of pastoral counseling, and faith development in higher education, He is the co-author of Hindu Chaplaincy and Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care.
Session 1: Exploring Historical Models of Hindu Chaplaincy in Higher Education |
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Rev. Kristen Glass Perez
Kristen serves as University Chaplain and Executive Director for Religious and Spiritual Life at Northwestern University. Much of Kristen’s professional work has focused on integrating Religious and Spiritual Life programs and University Chaplaincy into the broad life of the institution through collaboration with many different campus partners. Her work expanding College and University Chaplaincy into new areas has been featured in many publications including Inside Higher Ed. Rev. Glass Perez is a frequent keynote speaker, workshop leader, and author on themes related to student success and economic hardship, vocation in the undergraduate experience, interfaith understanding, and young adult ministry.
Conference Opening Plenary and Land Acknowledgement |
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Tabitha Wiggins, M.S.
Tabitha Wiggins is the Assistant Vice President for Campus Inclusion and Community within the Division of Student Affairs at Northwestern University. Tabitha earned their bachelor's degree in English and African American Studies from Western Illinois University, a master's degree in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Central Missouri, and an MBA from the University of Dubuque. Tabitha believes that social justice is both a process and a goal and works to advance equity within Higher Education for students who have been historically minoritized and disenfranchised. In sum, Tabitha believes that everyone should have access to a quality and thriving higher education experience and works to ensure that this is so.
Session 3: Working Session on Exploring Best Practices and Innovation in Hindu Chaplaincy |
Day Two Speakers and Keynotes:
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Dr. Varun Soni
Varun is the Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, a University Fellow at USC Annenberg’s Center on Public Diplomacy and an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Religion. He is the author of Natural Mystics: The Prophetic Lives of Bob Marley and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Figueroa Press, 2014) and his writings have appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Crosscurrents, Jewish Journal, and Harvard Divinity Bulletin. He produced the critically acclaimed graphic novel Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, which is currently being adapted as a feature length film. He also produced and hosted his own radio show on KPFK-Pacifica that showcased music from South Asia and its diaspora.
Keynote 2: Coalition Building Across Organizations as the Means to Create Change |
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Dr. Asha Shipman Asha serves as the Director of Hindu Life and Hindu Chaplain for Yale University, offering a space for worship as well as a safe space to consider the contemporary relevance of Hindu philosophies and practices. She is a contributor to the first book on Hindu chaplaincy in the US entitled “Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care” and the author of “Hindu Chaplaincy in US Higher Education.”
Session 6: Exploring Our Work as Part of Our Work |
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Dr. Preeta Banerjee
Preeta is the Hindu Chaplain at Tufts University who draws on a broad and deep range of experience, having spent over 20 years in academia, coaching and consulting as an advocate, educator, researcher, and author. Her passion lies in creating brave spaces at the intersection of contemplation, activism and healing and deepening in inter-religious manyness, from a lens rooted in bhakti, gyana, karma, and raja yoga. She is a pursuing her field naturalist certification with Mass Audubon. Co-founder and partner at WhiteLeaf Advisors LLC, she previously led a team at Deloitte and was a professor at Brandeis and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Session 4: Presentations on MDiv Internship Experiences |
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Dr. Shama Mehta
Shama was born in India and now calls southeastern Michigan home. A lifelong practicing Hindu, Shamā is a board-certified chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains and currently works as a staff chaplain at Beaumont Health. She is also a qualified medical interpreter. Born into a Shaivite sampradaya, her personal perspective and practice of Hinduism is Advaita Vedanta – Non Duality. She holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (Interfaith Chaplaincy) and Doctor of Ministry. Shamā also represents Hinduism on local interfaith panels and speaks on a variety of topics as they relate to Hinduism.
Session 6: Exploring Our Work as Part of Our Work |
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Jack Boken, MDiv Candidate
Jack Boken (Happy Jack) is one of the most inspirational and infectiously positive thought leaders and has a growing & thriving yoga community around the world. Happy Jack is no stranger to adversity having overcome alcoholism, drug abuse, workaholism, obesity, divorce and cancer. He is grateful for each of these life experiences as they’ve contributed to his extraordinary personal transformations and allow him to connect with others who have experienced challenging life situations. Since cleaning up his lifestyle, getting clear on his vision and pursuing his passions – Happy Jack now leads transformational yoga retreats and trainings in over 20 countries around the world.
Session 4: Presentations on MDiv Internship Experiences |
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bobbie arrington, MSW, MDiv Candidate
bobbie ellen arrington is the daughter of Barbara, the daughter of Orgiareen, the daughter of Amy, the daughter of Sarah. She is the daughter of Spirit handed down from the sky and through bone and earth. She has had a song and conjuring prayer with tongues bequeathed to her by the ancestors. From her father, she received the gifts of public speaking and counseling, which she has used as an educator and social worker. From her mother, she has received the gift of hospitality and compassion for youth, which she has used in her work with non-profits. From Spirit, she has received the gift of animacy, which has become the story she has chosen as her calling to tell. She is currently exploring this gift at Harvard Divinity School, where she is working towards a Master in Divinity.
Session 4: Presentations on MDiv Internship Experiences |
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Vanamali Pandit Dasa, MDiv Candidate
Vanamali is the Application Development Manager at State Street, holding a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications and a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science. Beyond his professional achievements, Vanamali has taught yoga and the principles of the Bhagavad Gita at Boston University, Harvard University, and the University of Massachusetts. Vanamali serves as the President of ISKCON's Boston Chapter, ISKCON of New England, overseeing the chapter's activities, fostering community engagement spiritual teaching. Vanamali's unique combination of professional expertise, spiritual dedication, and leadership skills positions him as a beacon of guidance and inspiration for youth, professionals and the broader spiritual community.
Session 4: Presentations on MDiv Internship Experiences |
Day Three Speakers and Workshops
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Gopal Patel, M.A.
Working at the intersection of faith and sustainable development, Gopal’s work has ranged from leading international grassroots campaigns for climate action, to advising and consulting with organizations such as the UN, the World Economic Forum and WWF International. He is Co-Founder and Director of FutureFaith, a new international think tank that works to harness wisdom and experience of faith traditions to address global challenges. Gopal previously was at the forefront of international efforts to mobilize Hindu communities to address climate change with the Bhumi Project (later known as Bhumi Global).
Session 8: Aligning Hindu Chaplaincy with International Environmental Advocacy and Action |
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Group Discussions and Breakouts
In a series of breakout and discussion sections during Day Two and Day Three of the Conference, conference participants will have the opportunity to network and collaborate with other chaplains and affiliates from several institutions. These sections will allow for time to reflect on conference takeaways and forming new ideas for the future. Sections will feature a few facilitators who will help guide discussions specific to both hospital chaplaincy and chaplaincy in higher education.
Session 5 and 9: Facilitated Breakout Groups for Higher Education and Hospital Chaplains |
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Amar Shah, M.P.P.
Amar currently serves as the Hindu Chaplain at Northwestern University and is a visiting lecturer at multiple ashrams in the Midwest for Chinmaya Mission, where he has led various national programs for youth and young adults. Amar completed his Bachelors at Northwestern University in Economics and Global Health Studies. After, he departed the US to study as a Brahmachari to Advaita Vedanta and Sanskrit in the West Indies and India. Amar also has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, focusing on global conflict, with an aim to find interdisciplinary approaches to solving some of the world's most challenging topics. He is the NAHCA 2024 Conference Chair, and is excited to serve this year's attendees.
Session 7 and Closing: Navigating Political Landscapes and Current Events with Our Care Recipients |
Members receive discounts, including on the conference registration fee!
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