(JACKSON, Miss.) – Veteran New York political reporter Dominic Carter will be the plenary speaker for the 11th annual Mississippi Child Welfare Institute Conference Feb. 13-15 at the Jackson Marriott Hotel, 200 E. Amite St., in Jackson, Miss.
Sponsored by the Jackson State University College of Public Service School of Social Work, the three-day conference will focus on the theme, Community Engagement: Toward Ensuring Successful Children, Youth, and Families. The event will feature local and national experts who will provide the latest information on issues affecting vulnerable children and families.
A fixture in the TV news industry for 25 years, Carter overcame great odds to achieve his success. He grew up poor without a father in NYC’s South Bronx neighborhood. His mother, a paranoid schizophrenic who had been in and out of state psychiatric institutions, physically and sexually abused him.
Carter went on to become one of New York’s top political reporters, interviewing the likes of Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, Carter’s life story has been told in Oprah Winfrey’s magazine and on the Nancy Grace show.
Carter currently works as a political commentator at RNN-TV, and has appeared on national TV programs including “Face the Nation,” “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” CNN, MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. His awards include the Samuel P. Peabody Award for his vision, innovation and dedication to children and families.
The Mississippi Child Welfare Institute Conference will begin with a youth empowerment session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. Carter will lead the plenary session at 8:20 a.m. Friday, Feb. 15.
Other speakers include empowerment speaker, author and life coach Johnetta McSwain-Clay and University of Georgia social work professor Alberta Ellett, who is editor of the Journal of Public Child Welfare.
Social work students, educators, practitioners, human service workers and mental and health care professionals are invited to attend.
For a complete schedule, call 601-432-6816. To register, click here.