2020 ALL CONFERENCE

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PROGRAM OUTLINE

OPENING SESSION (10:00 AM - 11:05 AM)

Opening Remarks: Trevor Cook

Speaker: Elena Thurston

Musical Number

Speaker: Christy Florence

Speaker: Alex Florence

15 MINUTE BREAK

CLOSING SESSION (11:20 AM - 1:15 PM)

Voices of ALL - Introductions

Musical Number

Speaker: Ed Smart

Speaker: Charlie Bird

Q & A Discussion

Closing Remarks: Bryce Cook

LUNCH (1:15 PM - 2:00 PM)

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

ELENA THURSTON

Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational speaker and founder of the PRIDE and Joy Foundation. She grew up in a turbulent home, joined a conservative church as a teenager, put herself through college, married and birthed 4 beautiful children, and then....

Life 2.0 brought a divorce, leaving/getting kicked out of her church, a beautiful love story and a successful new career! Her viral TEDx talk has paved the way for speaking engagements around the country. Audiences have included ABC, CBS and Fox news stations, the First Event in Boston, the Seacoast Wellness Series in New Hampshire, the THRIVE conference in Utah, as well as multiple print and online media stories, and podcasts.

CHRISTY FLORENCE

Gregory A. Prince was born and raised in Los Angeles. He attended Dixie College (now Dixie State University) from 1965-67, served a mission to Brazil from 1967-69, and then attended UCLA for six years, earning doctorate degrees in dentistry and pathology. He moved to Maryland in 1975 to work at the National Institutes of Health, and over a four-decade career in biomedical research pioneered the prevention of RSV pneumonia in high-risk infants. He has published over 150 scientific papers, three prior books on Mormon history—Power From on High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood (1995), David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism (2005), and Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History (2016)—and over two-dozen articles, chapters and book reviews in the field of Mormon Studies. His current book is Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences.

He serves as Interfaith Liaison in the Washington, DC Stake, and as a member of the Board of Governors of Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC), the largest Methodist seminary in the country. He and his wife, JaLynn Rasmussen Prince, are the parents of three children, the youngest of whom (Madison) is autistic. JaLynn and Greg now spend their time heading the Madison House Autism Foundation (madisonhouseautism.org), through which they hope to address the national issues facing autistic adults and their families.

ALEX FLORENCE

Josh Weed is a writer and therapist. His award-winning writing has appeared in numerous publications, both online and in print. He and his ex-wife Lolly live in the Seattle area with their four children. They work together in a shared private practice.

ED SMART

Lolly Weed is a marriage and family therapist practicing in Federal Way, Washington. She is a mother to four daughters. Her unique relationship with her gay ex-husband has led to years of advocacy as an ally to the LGBTQ community.

CHARLIE BIRD

Charlie Bird was Cosmo the Cougar at Brigham Young University from 2016-2018. He received national acclaim for his multiple dance performances with the BYU Cougarettes. As Cosmo, he performed on stages across the country, including the ESPN College Football Awards. NBC Sports dubbed 2017-2018 the “Year of the Mascot” in honor of Cosmo’s character and performance. Charlie was born and raised in Southwest Missouri, and served a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Redlands, California. He graduated from BYU in 2018 with degrees in Global Supply Chain Management and Spanish Studies. Charlie is an active LBGTQ advocate and is involved with multiple nonprofit LGBTQ organizations across Utah and nationwide.

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