Ray Connors served in a 34 Year Career with the CT Dept of Agriculture, State Animal Control Unit and was Chief from 2010 to 2018. He’s the Former President of the New England Federation of Humane Societies and Former President of CT Municipal Animal Control Association.

Ray served on the Governor’s Homeland Security &Emergency Management Advisory Committee and was a recipient of the Governor’s Service Award.

Ray’s a Former Board Member of National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs. Ray was a Certified Instructor with the Connecticut Police Academy 1988-2018.

Ray is also Co-founder and Instructor of the Connecticut Animal Control Officers Academy,

and a Former Member of Connecticut Hoarding Response Working Group.

Recent movies like “Alt Right- Age of Rage” and the Academy Award-nominated short film “Skin” have shown some of the work done by our founder Daryle Lamont Jenkins. Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Somerset, New Jersey, graduating from Franklin High School.

Daryle became influenced by the civil rights movement as a young man. Reading about “enemies” of the civil rights movement made him wonder what happened to the KKK members. Where are they now? Are the leading normal lives and no one knows?

At 19, while serving in the military, Daryle saw an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show on Skinheads. That grew into a lifelong passion for documenting hate politics on the right.

Upon returning from the service, he became a part of the punk rock scene. He produced two public access programs about the music he was promoting, and political activism. His work cased conflict with his position as a reporter and an editor for local newspapers.

One People’s Project

With the founding of One People’s Project, his passion found a home. More importantly, One People’s Project played an instrumental role in causing the collapse of hate groups throughout the country. Daryle’s efforts have exposed those involved in hate politics nationwide. People trying to escape white power circles find support here as well. Bryon Widner is featured in the documentary “Erasing Hate” after working with Daryle to get out of the skinhead movement. “Erasing Hate” has now been turned into a feature-length motion picture! “Skin” starring Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Vera Farmiga and Mike Colter playing Daryle.

Idavox , the media outlet of One People’s Project, keeps us up to date with the latest reports from around the country on hate groups. One People’s Project aims to form a larger community of activists dedicated to antifascist work. The conditions in this country that can lead to racism must be fought at all levels of society.

Daryle was a co-producer of the Academy Award-nominated short film “Skin”, appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show, The Montel Williams Show, 20/20, and AM Joy.

Michelle Huser - MBSR Teacher:

Michelle's life over 8 years ago after surviving a frightening car accident that left her to battle a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for the next year while also caring for her Autistic son. Being in a serious car accident brought everything into sharp focus for Michelle as she realized that her life was in shambles as she tried to care for her autistic son and advocate for him within a system that knows very little about this condition, and how to treat it with care and dignity. Finding herself with a TBI in addition to years of struggling to find caregivers who wanted to heal her son rather than just medicate his symptoms away, or ignore his humanity, left her feeling alone but determined to find a path back to health for both her - and her young son.

Broken, desperate and afraid Michelle tuned into her "inner sense of knowing" which guided her to the practice of meditation and mindfulness when she found Sam Harris's work. Desperation, fear, and rage were replaced with understanding and acceptance as time on the mat helped to heal not only her TBI but also her mind, body, and emotions.

Mindfulness also allowed Michelle to tap into her innate sources of strength giving her the courage to take "the path less traveled" and pursue a new but relatively unknown treatment path for her son, that transformed ALL their lives bringing them out of the darkness and into a life where joy, balance and peace were possible.

As a passionate advocate for autism, wife, and Mother Michelle's goal as a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher (MBSR) is to help people create balance, resiliency, and emotional well-being by helping them to build better minds, and tapping into their innate sources of strength.



Michelle can be reached at:

https://meditative-solutions.com/

https://twitter.com/MeditativeSol



For this interview, Michelle is joined by Dr. Ghazala Radwi.

Dr. Ghazala Radwi is a physician based in Edmonton, Alberta, working in the field of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine. She is also a mindfulness practitioner, with a deep interest in the connection between mind and body in achieving a wholesome state of health.

Several years ago, personal stressors and healthcare issues sparked an interest in mindfulness. Mindfulness helped her find increasing clarity, direction and joy in life. Inspired to help fellow humans reconnect with their inner resources, she pursued formal training in various mindfulness programs including MBSR through Brown University and Mindful Practice through the University of Rochester. She is also trained in trauma-informed psychotherapy approaches, including Dr. Gabor Mate's Compassionate Inquiry model, and the Polyvagal Theory which is the science of safety and connection. 

Dr. Radwi offers group mindfulness courses including MBSR as well as individual sessions. Within the healthcare field, she is a strong proponent of creating safe and inclusive spaces to empower trainees and colleagues with skills that lead to compassionate patient care, engaged teams, and a fulfilling personal life. Ghazala brings a fiercely compassionate, heartfelt, open presence to her teaching spaces.



Connect here with Dr. Radwi

https://twitter.com/ghazala_radwi

Dave grew up in a military family where hard work and sacrifice were taught. It is here that he learned the importance of our country and its impact on the world. A deep commitment to faith, patriotism, and civic duty are the cornerstones of his upbringing, as well as continual sources of strength and guidance.

Dave met his wife, Emily, his senior year of high school. They dated during their early years of college and married shortly after. They had their first child in December 2016.

He has served in several leadership capacities in both small business and local politics. Dave currently serves as Vice-President of Logistics for a manufacturing support services company where he helps bring businesses together to find tailored solutions for their customers.

From 2011-2013, Dave served as Vice-Chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party. While serving, he showed a steadfast commitment to the cause of liberty and freedom. Dave believes we need to encourage and hold accountable our elected representatives to support such principles.

In 2016, Dave was the first Latino elected to House District 15. He is providing new energy and enthusiasm that will help strengthen our community and Colorado. Dave is committed to working with the grassroots to further the cause of liberty and ensure that freedom is passed on to future generations.

Dr. Jacquie’s meteoric rise onto the relationship and marriage space has deemed her America's Marriage Coach. Her magnetic appeal captures audiences with her practical solutions to relatable issues. Dr. Jacquie’s mantra derives from the idea that the foundation of any society starts in the individual homes of people.

For the past 20 years the doctor has evangelized couples everywhere with her philosophy of the seven pillars of compatibility. She has engineered a host of tools to cultivate the skills for healthy relationships and marriage: Curricula, The Marriage University and Best Marriage Keys; the Compatibility Quiz, conferences and Intensives trainings that provide the skill-based learning that shifts trajectories.

Dr. Jacquie is regularly featured on morning shows and News segments on networks like Fox, KTLA, CNN, GWN, Hallmark ABC and NBC affiliates, TV One Bravo and Huffington Post.   She has graced the pages of Bloomberg Newsweek and showed off her skills on an episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Jacquie's uncanny way of hearing what you didnt say and seeing what's obscure ( or seeing whats not obvious)has helped her build a solid practice working with couples and singles across the country.

Dr. Del Rosario other body of work stems from  ReCapturing the Vision (RTV), a globally recognized nonprofit  that she founded that is dedicated to breaking the generational cycles that handicap low income  children and families. She has designed programs that affect youth and families and has authored 12 curricula that are used in schools around the country. ReCapturing the Vision’s programs have received over $20 million in federal, state and local funding; the organization, steadily propels empowerment and educational reform.

Dr. Jacquie has been twice invited to the white house, worked on public policy and provided congressional testimony. As a participant on The White House National Advisory Panel she helped shape national standards for teen pregnancy prevention programs. She has lobbied on the Hill and  presented  at a host of national conferences ad trainings. A formidable voice in public speaking, Dr. Del Rosario has dynamic topics for singles, married couples, professional associations, universities, and churches. Topics span Personal empowerment, entrepreneurship, to education,  program development, and ecclesiastical teaching

As an educator, author, advocate, counselor and visionary, Dr. Jacquie holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master’s and Doctorate in Education, with an emphasis on conflict resolution an curriculum development. These skills have helped her shape the tools that have effected change in both areas of her work. She continues to light a path towards an enriched life and resides in Miami, FL with her husband of over 25 years and two sons.