Morning Keynote Speaker:

Jose J. Soto, JD

Jose J. Soto has worked in the areas of mental health and education for the past 25 years. He has served as a consultant, educator, practitioner, and an administrator at the local and state levels in the public education and mental health sectors. His professional activities have ranged from policy and program development, to pre-service and in-service training, to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of community and institution-based programs. Since 1988, Mr. Soto has served as a consultant to and founding member of the National Cultural Competency Initiative Resource Committee to the National Policy Center for Children’s Mental Health Services, at the Georgetown University Child Development Center (Washington D.C.). Since 1992, Soto has served as Vice President for Access/Equity/Diversity at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Soto is a Certified Affirmative Action Professional (American Association for Affirmative Action), a trained mediator, and an administrative hearing officer. Since 1994, Mr. Soto has also served as a management and children’s services consultant for the Center for Mental Health Services (Washington, D.C.). Soto received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Summa Cum Laude) from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico – San German (1975), with majors in Psychology and Social Sciences. He obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law in 1984. His areas of interest and professional involvement over the past twenty years have centered on civil rights, Fair Employment Law, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity, Cross-cultural issues in education and behavioral health, policy analysis and development in mental health and education administration, and consultation and training in cultural competence and Hispanic populations for health, mental health, and education organizations.

Afternoon Keynote Speaker:

Virgil Gooding, MA, MSW, LISW

Mr. Gooding is a writer, researcher, therapist, trainer and public speaker. He trained crisis counselors who assisted families and individuals who relocated to Iowa after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma to provide culturally competent services.

Mr. Gooding has presented and published locally, regionally and nationally on topics that include: Delivering Ethical and Culturally Competent Services, Realizing Human Potential, Creating an Atmosphere for Behavioral Change, Use of Family Therapy in Community Based Corrections, Girls and Gangs: A Conversation With Survivors, Managing Multi-Generational Anger in African American Males and Crisis Counseling Basics.

Mr. Gooding received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Iowa. He holds a Master of Arts with a concentration in African American, Afro-Caribbean and African history, literature, sociology and psychology. Mr. Gooding also holds a Master of Social Work and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW). He retired from providing counseling in Community Based Corrections after 25 years and then became the Clinical Director of Foundation 2, Inc., located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is now in private practice in Cedar Rapids.