Dr Pearson founded CPR in 1981. Her research includes some of the first national studies of mediation in custody and visitation disputes, parent education, and supervised visitation. She has also completed leading evaluations of new initiatives in child support programs including hospital-based paternity, family-centered services, collaborations with workforce agencies, early intervention strategies, methods of avoiding and addressing child support debt, and addressing parenting time orders and access and visitation problems.

Dr. Pearson served as co-principal investigator of a seven-state demonstration project that resulted in the creation of the State Access and Visitation Grant Program that now awards $10 million annually for programs to support parenting time. Pearson provides technical assistance, research, and facilitation services to federal, state and local agencies, and service delivery programs. Her areas of expertise include improving access to public benefit programs, developing effective work programs for low-income parents and mentoring and literacy programs for disadvantaged learners.

Dr. Pearson is currently co-director of the national Fatherhood Research and Practice Network where she oversees grants distributed to projects to rigorously evaluate fatherhood programs, and provides training to improve practice and evaluation in the fatherhood field. She regularly publishes in journals and presents at practitioner conferences. In April 2015, she edited a special issue of the Family Court Review dealing with Parenting Time and Co-Parenting for Unmarried Parents (Volume 53, No.2).

Dr. Pearson received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University.

We are thrilled to announce that the incomparable Dr. Ronald B. Mincy will deliver the Opening Keynote Address at this year’s conference in our nation’s capital!

Dr. Mincy—renowned scholar, author, and recently retired Maurice V. Russell Professor of Social Policy and Social Work Practice at Columbia University—will share transformative insights from his groundbreaking new book, How Fathers Help Their Children Develop: Money and Love, co-authored with Dr. Natasha Cabrera.

With over 35 years of pioneering work in fatherhood and family life education, Dr. Mincy’s keynote will explore the powerful intersection of emotional engagement and financial support in shaping children’s development—especially in communities facing socioeconomic adversity.

Join us for this unforgettable moment as we kick off a week of innovation, inspiration, and impact in the field of father and family engagement.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders in social policy and responsible fatherhood.

We are thrilled to announce that Reverend Dr. Stewart Perrilliat, a nationally distinguished advocate and celebrated practitioner in fatherhood, healing, and community transformation, will serve as a keynote speaker at this year’s 28th Annual International Father and Family Practitioners Conference, themed “Empowering the Path Forward: Research, Policy, and Practice.”

Dr. Perrilliat will share powerful insights from his trailblazing new book, The ManBook: A Journey Into Manhood, Health, and Strength — a bold and timely exploration of what it means to be a man, a father, and a force for positive change in today’s world.

As the Founder and CEO of Man 2 Man – Urban Youth Advocate, and a long-time prison ministry leader at San Quentin State Prison, Dr. Perrilliat brings decades of lived experience, scholarship, and spiritual leadership to the forefront of conversations on fatherhood, healing, and community empowerment.

Join us in Washington, D.C., as we gather practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from around the globe to chart a bold new path forward for fathers and families.

Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is President and CEO of the National Partnership for Community

Leadership (NPCL)whose mission is to strengthen the service capacity of public/private

agencies to empower low-income parents and youth through innovative training techniques, practical program management tools, and evidence-based practices.

As president of NPCL, Dr. Johnson has overseen the planning and implementation of two of the nation's most significant social welfare research projects involving low-income men and fathers.

Since 1997, under Dr. Johnson leadership, NPCL has convened an annual international fatherhood conference that attracts policymakers, family practitioners, and parents worldwide. He was also the visionary and national planning committee chair for the 100th anniversary of Father’s Day. Dr. Johnson also presided over the National Youth Development Practitioner’s Institute for the Department of Labor’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited Program. Additionally, Dr. Johnson currently serves as Dean of the Fatherhood and Co-Parenting Learning Academies for the Healthy Start Technical Assistance and Support Center.

A particular focus of Dr. Johnson's work has been on the plight of low-income men and families. He has written numerous curriculums, articles, and publications including two recent books, Your Journey To Co-Parenting and Cornerstones of Responsible Fatherhood. He played a principal role in the passage of the first national fatherhood legislation in Congress, The Father's Count Bill, in 1999. This legislation provided the framework for the first federal funding of fatherhood programs. Dr. Johnson has an extensive civic involvement record and serves on many volunteer boards wherein he has received numerous service awards, including several awards for lifetime achievement. Dr. Johnson

also serves as President of the Men’s Fellowship Ministry at the People’s Community Baptist Church in Silver Spring, MD.

Dr. Johnson is married and has four children and three grandchildren. He received his formal education at the University of Michigan. He received the Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Secondary School Administration and Urban Education.