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Convened by Virginia Men and Boys Advisory Commission Virginia Coalition for Boys and Men
The voices

People doing the work, on one stage.

Meet the practitioners, advocates and lawmakers actually advancing boys and men. The lineup is bipartisan, spans geography, subject matters and populations. The speaker list is growing, and these are the first confirmed voices.

More speakers coming soon.

Richard Reeves

Richard Reeves

President, American Institute for Boys and Men

Author of Of Boys and Men and the leading national voice on the policy case for boys and men. Founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men.

Speaker Don Scott

Speaker Don Scott

Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, D-88

Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and supporter of the Virginia Advisory Commission for Boys and Men. Represents Virginia’s 88th House district.

Del. Josh Thomas

Del. Josh Thomas

Virginia House of Delegates, D-21

Chief patron of HB1188, the bill that created the nation’s first state commission for boys and men. Represents Virginia’s 21st House district.

King Randall, I

King Randall, I

Founder: The X for Boys

An Albany, Ga. based organization with millions of social media followers, The X for Boys “teaches boys the true meaning of manhood, true masculinity, how to be a team player and collaborate with others, and how to be protectors and providers for their communities.”

Emma Johnson

Emma Johnson

President, Virginia Coalition for Boys and Men

Emma Johnson, author of The 50/50 Solution: The Surprisingly Simple Choice that Makes Moms, Dads, and Kids Happier and Healthier after a Split, is a longtime advocate for gender equality. She has appeared in hundreds of media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Newsweek, and Fox News, and has spoken at the United Nations, Google and before legislative bodies in the U.S. and Europe.

Curtis Valentine

Curtis Valentine

President, Male Educator Network and Policy Institute

Curtis Valentine is president of Male Educator Network and Policy Institute and a leading researcher and policy advocate for growing the teacher workforce for men.

Chris Beach

Chris Beach

CEO, Fatherhood Foundation of Virginia

Chris Beach, the father of four sons, has grown the Fatherhood Foundation of Virginia to the largest fatherhood program in the United States that is not government funded. New Dad 101 is the foundation’s proprietary program that partners with all of the Commonwealth’s major health systems to offer free fatherhood training to parents of newborns.

Deborah Higdon

Deborah Higdon

Educator, professor, father-engagement expert

Alex Vans

Alex Vans

Founder, Choros

Choros uses tech to build real male friendships through small groups, shared activities, and repeat hangs.

Xavier Beale

Xavier Beale

Vice president of Human Resources, Newport News Shipbuilding

Vice chair of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and oversees Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School.

Brian Heilman

Brian Heilman

Movember Global Lead, Masculinities Research

Recent publications include The Real Face of Men’s Health (2025).

Denise Hines

Denise Hines

Endowed Professor of Social Work, George Mason University, expert on male victims of domestic violence

20+ years advancing research, policy, practice, and prevention efforts for domestic violence, sexual violence, and underserved victims across the lifespan, ranking among the top 0.05% of violence scholars worldwide.

Jon Murdoch

Jon Murdoch

Executive for Scouting, Chesapeake and Portsmouth

Jon grew his region’s Scoutreach program to 200 youth in less than two years.

Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor

CEO, The League for Safer Streets

A returning citizen, Taylor’s League brings together 200 young men and their families living in high-crime communities for weekly basketball, personal development and advocacy, in collaboration with Richmond Police Department.

Chris Sprowls

Chris Sprowls

Former Speaker of the Florida House

Chris Sprowls authored legislation — passed with unanimous bipartisan support — that created Florida’s fatherhood initiative, funded at nearly $70 million to combine public-service ads, evidence-based outreach to dads to re-unite them in the lives of their children and male mentorship.

Dara Griffin

Dara Griffin

Alameda County Father's Corps

Since 2013, Alameda County Fathers Corps has partnered with the county’s health clinic, social services agency, probation department and child support services to ensure those agencies offer father-friendly services.

More speakers announced soon.

We are confirming a bipartisan lineup of practitioners, researchers, and leaders. Get notified as names are added.

Get notified →

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Seats are limited. Tickets are handled securely through Givebutter.