COVID-19: Where Are We Now?
Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 4-5 p.m.
Join us to hear from trusted experts and have your questions answered. A Virtual COVID-19 Panel Discussion and Q&A sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the WCC’s Community Health Project.
Featured Panelists
Dr. Jasmine Zapata is a double board certified physician specializing in the fields of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine. She currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Community Health within the Bureau of Community Health Promotion at the Wisconsin Department of Health where she provides expert guidance for a variety of public health promotion, planning and policy efforts. In this role she also serves as a member of the DHS COVID-19 Strategic Advisory Committee, co-chair of the Governor’s Health Equity Council Subcommittee on Power, Access, and Representation as well as co-chair of the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team. She is also an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where she practices clinically in the newborn nursery and is involved in a variety of scholarly activities aimed at increasing diversity in medicine and promoting health equity. She has many lived experiences that help her uniquely connect with the communities she serves and is well known for her infectious energy, passionate advocacy, and heart for service. Her ultimate mission in life is to “heal, uplift, and inspire.”
Reverend Dr. Alexander Gee, as Lead Pastor of Fountain of Life Church and president and founder of the Nehemiah Center for Urban Development and its initiative, Justified Anger, has been a community influencer and cross-cultural team builder for over three decades. Dr. Gee was the 1994 recipient of the City of Madison’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award and was selected by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the Fundraiser of the Year that same year. Dr. Gee is recognized internationally for his cross-cultural leadership training strategies, and his op-ed piece in The Cap Times in 2013 positioned him as a renowned thought leader regarding strategic and cross-cultural relationships.
Dr. Gee studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Fuller Seminary’s Distance Learning Program and Bakke Graduate University, where he earned his doctorate in 2009, focusing on transformational leadership. He is a social entrepreneur, adjunct faculty member, author of two books, and the host of the Wisconsin Podcast Association’s Favorite Podcast of 2020, Black Like Me.
Reverend Lisa Heffernan is the coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministries and the Lutheran campus pastor at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD. Rev. Lisa was born with spina bifida, using a wheelchair to navigate through life. As an advocate for others with disabilities and pastor, she seeks to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while working for a barrier-free church and society. Rev. Lisa continues this work academically as well as a Doctor of Ministry student through Western Theological Seminary studying disability ministry and theology.
Moderator
Reverend Daniel Schultz is a minister, educator, writer, and civic engagement advocate. He grew up in Madison and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received his B.A. He received an M.Div from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and served congregations in the United Church of Christ in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. He has taught theology and first-year studies at Marian University. A long-time writer on religion and politics, Daniel was a pioneering blogger, and in addition to one book, has published at Religion Dispatches, The Christian Century, the Washington Post, and the Guardian, among other outlets. Most recently, he served as Communications Director at a non-profit dedicated to encouraging voting on college and university campuses. Daniel lives with his family in Fond du Lac.
