Speakers

Gary R. Howard has over 40 years of experience working with issues of civil rights, social justice, equity, education, and diversity, including 28 years as the Founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education. He is a keynote speaker, writer, and workshop leader who has worked extensively throughout the United States and Australia. Mr. Howard completed his undergraduate studies in Cultural Anthropology and Social Psychology at Yale University and did graduate work in ethics and social justice at Yale Divinity School. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at both Western Washington University and Seattle University. He holds a masters degree in education.

Mr. Howard has provided extensive training in cultural competence and culturally responsive practice to schools, universities, social service agencies, and businesses throughout the United States and Australia. He is the author of numerous articles on race, justice, and multicultural issues and has developed collections of curriculum materials that are being used internationally. His most recent book, We Can't Teach What We Don't Know (Second Edition, 2006), was published by Columbia University and is considered a groundbreaking work examining issues of privilege, power, and the role of White leaders and educators in a multicultural society.

The central focus of Gary Howard’s current work is to lead intensive Equity Leadership Institutes that provide educational organizations with the internal capacity to deliver high quality professional development for social justice and systemic change. Mr. Howard is frequently asked to deliver keynote addresses at regional and national conferences. In these presentations he draws on a wide range of experiences and travel exploring diversity and social justice issues with leaders from many cultures around the world. Mr. Howard's speeches employ rich imagery and stories drawn from his experiences in a multicultural/multiracial family and from his many years leading white water diversity workshops on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.