Plenary Speakers

Keynote:  Thomas E. Perez

Nominated by President Obama to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Thomas E. Perez was sworn in on October 8, 2009. Mr. Perez previously served as the state of Maryland's Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR).

Mr. Perez has spent his entire career in public service. Early in his career, he spent 12 years in federal public service, most of them with the Civil Rights Division prosecuting some of the Department's most high profile civil rights cases. Mr. Perez later served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno where he chaired the interagency Worker Exploitation Task Force. He also served as Special Counsel to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, advising him on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues. In the final two years of the Clinton administration, Mr. Perez served as Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services. From 2002 until 2006, he was the first Latino elected to the Montgomery County Council and in 2005 served as Council President. Mr. Perez was a law professor for six years at University of Maryland School of Law and was a part-time professor at the George Washington School of Public Health. Mr. Perez received a Bachelor's degree from Brown University in 1983, a Master's of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1987 and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1987.

Plenary Speaker:  David Schneider

David Schneider is an Investigative Researcher with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and is responsible for researching and monitoring extremist groups/individuals in the Midwest Region of the United States (North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio).  During his career, Mr. Schneider has provided training to all levels law enforcement, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Mr. Schneider holds an MA in International Relations.

Plenary Speaker:  Frank Meeink

Frank Meeink became a Skinhead at 13; by 18 he was roaming the country as a Skinhead leader and Neo-Nazi recruiter, with gangs that would beat people indiscriminately. In Illinois, he had his own cable-access TV show, "The Reich." It wasn’t until his arrest and conviction for the kidnapping and beating a member of a rival Skinhead gang that things began to change. While in prison, he befriended men he used to think he hated, men of different races. After his release, Meeink tried to rejoin his old Skinhead pals but couldn't bring himself to hate those whom he now knew to be his friends. By the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, Meeink realize he had to do something to stop hate groups. The story of Meeink’s downfall and redemption, Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, is Meeink’s raw telling of his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over hatred and addiction. Now a noted speaker, author, and founder of Harmony Through Hockey, Meeink is often threatened, but remains committed to speaking out against all hate groups. Meeink will close out this year’s conference with some inspiring words drawn from real life experience and an understanding of the dangers posed by unbridled hate.

As a special engagement, Meeink will also be hosting a book signing/author's talk at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Lansing Mall.  This event is open to the public and registration is not required.  Click here for directions.