Previous vitalvoices 2024-2025
The vitalvoices Speaker Series serves as a forum to bring scholars and practitioners alike to speak to students, faculty, alumni and community partners at UHD's College of Public Service. It is our hope that those we invite to speak will share, from the heart, their professional experiences, their knowledge, and how the work they do impacts society as a whole. We like to feature people whose work is interdisciplinary and touches upon the fields social work, criminal justice and urban education.
Everything You Wanted To Know About The FBI (Well, Almost Everything)
Tuesday, September 10th from 11:30a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
For many, the FBI is shrouded in mystery. What exactly do they do, where are they located, who are they accountable to? Moderated by our own Douglas A. Williams, JR. and Dr. Clete Snell, these any other questions will be answered by Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Houston FBI office, Mr. Doug Williams. The conversation will touch upon the following:
- The history of the FBI and its origins
- Realignment of the FBI post 9/11
- FBI’s various divisions, the breadth and reach of its work domestically and around the world
- Types of career paths the FBI offers
- What’s currently going on at the FBI.
- Impact of politics on its work
Douglas A. Williams, Jr.
Special Agent in Charge, Douglas A. Williams Jr. began his career as a Special Agent with the FBI in 2002 and was assigned to the Miami Field Office.
Speaker's Full BIOEmotionally Overwhelmed? Join the Club
Wednesday, September 25th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
We are living in what seems like a prolonged time of great social, cultural, and technological change. Collectively we have experienced enormous shifts in our workplaces, our school systems, our families, and in the culture at large. Everything is changing.
For many, this can be overwhelming and contributes to what is called emotional dysregulation. The good news is you don’t have to be a therapist to learn how to effectively deal with emotions that cause us and others to feel stressed, frightened, and defensive.
Join Dr. J.C. Fowler, professor of psychology in psychiatry in behavioral health at Houston Methodist and Executive Clinical Director of Houston’s Monarch Community to learn about attachment theory and how it affects how we communicate and perceive our world. Whether you are an educator, social worker, plumber, parent, or business professional, the insights learned will help you communicate and connect with others in meaningful and productive ways.
Dr. James Chris Fowler
Dr. Fowler completed a 4-year post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology (1995-1999) at the Austen Riggs Center.
Speaker's Full BIOFrom the School House to the Court House: The History of Policing Mexican American Students in Houston Schools
Wednesday, October 9th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a look at the policing of Latino youth in Houston schools from the 1950s to the present. What is revealed is a complex and myriad relationship between Latinos and law enforcement in the Bayou City. The presentation will close with a Q&A.
Dr. Jesús Jesse Esparza
is an Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of History at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.
Speaker's Full BIO
Dr. Carlos Cantú
serves on the board of the Holocaust Museum Houston’s Latinx Initiatives Advisory Committee and co-founded the Collective of Progressive Educators, a Houston-based non-profit group focused on promoting public history projects.
Speaker's Full BIO