Keynotes

Poverty: The Unspoken Diversity Issue

Donna Beegle

Poverty is an often-overlooked diversity issue. To reach their full potential, individuals worldwide need their fundamental human needs met. In an engaging and interactive keynote, Dr. Donna M. Beegle shares her unique perspective. Having grown up in generational migrant-labor poverty, she brings her lived experience, including 26 years of experiencing homelessness with her parents and five brothers, along with 35 years of poverty-informed work and research in 50 states and eight countries. Dr. Beegle is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated. She provides an invaluable insider's view—illuminating the universal impacts of poverty and offering insights into its various forms, and highlighting how each context presents different obstacles to human development. Dr. Beegle also provides proven strategies to help individuals move out of, and remain out of, the crisis of poverty. As she often says, "Fight the poverty, not the people who live in it."

Purpose, Possibility, and Progress: Listening Our Way Forward

Tamara Thorpe

Be part of an engaging, conference-long activity designed to give every voice a chance to be heard. Inspired by Open Space Technology, this interactive experience begins at Thursday’s lunch and continues throughout the conference. You’ll be invited to share your experiences, insights, and ideas about SIETAR USA—what we do well, where we can grow, and how we can live out our commitment to Inclusive Interculturalism: Purpose, Possibilities, and Progress. Your contributions will remain visible in the registration area, allowing members to reflect, respond, and build on one another’s thoughts. On Friday afternoon, all input will be collected and integrated into Tamara Thorpe’s closing keynote address, where she will highlight the themes, patterns, and wisdom gathered from participants. This is your opportunity to actively shape the conversation, influence SIETAR USA’s future, and ensure member perspectives are at the heart of our shared vision.

Fireside Chat

A Fireside Chat: The Rest Goes Without Saying

Jack Condon and Tatyana Fertelmeyster

Join an engaging Fireside Chat featuring Jack Condon, a pioneer in intercultural communication, and Tatyana Fertelmeyster, one of our most seasoned inclusion facilitators. Together, they explore the evolution of intercultural communication and its impact on inclusion today. Jack shares wisdom from his decades-long career, weaving in stories of his groundbreaking work and his close ties to Edward T. Hall and Native American communities. Tatyana brings thought-provoking questions and her unique perspective as an immigrant refugee, sparking dynamic dialogue. Through storytelling and reflection, they challenge the “trusted” models and systems and inspire participants to envision a future shaped by newer, more inclusive approaches to intercultural communication in today’s shifting landscape. This session invites you to engage deeply, think critically, and take away insights that bridge historical foundations with current needs. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with two luminaries in the field.