The third annual Iowa Secularists Conference will be held July 12, 2008 at the Iowa State Center in Ames, IA. Our keynote speaker will be Lori Lipman Brown, Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America.

About our Keynote Speaker: Lori Lipman Brown is a lawyer, an educator, and a former Nevada State Senator. Since 2005, she has served as the director of the Secular Coalition for America. Brown and her colleagues lobby Congress for church/state separation explicitly representing nontheists. She is also a frequent commentator in various media and speaking engagements. Browns awards include Civil Libertarian of the Year from the ACLU of Southern Nevada, Friend of the Center Award from the Southern Nevada Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Legislator of the Year from the Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and the Mark DeWolfe Award from Interweave Continental.

I’ll Be There!
Registration is closed as of July 1, 2008.

Tentative Conference Schedule (May be subject to change)

9:30 am - 10:00 am Registration for Annual Meeting
10:00 - 11:30 Annual Meeting of the Members - Associate and Contributing members are eligible to participate in IS business. This meeting will include an election for two seats of the Board of Directors.

11:30 - 1:00 Break for Lunch on your own

12:30 - 1:00 Registration
1:00 - 1:30   Introduction/Opening Remarks
1:30 - 2:15    Session 1: Values and Ethics Without a God - a facilitated discussion
2:15 - 3:00   Session 2: Maintaining our First Amendment Rights in Iowa - Ben Stone, Executive Director, Iowa ACLU
3:00 - 3:15   Break
3:15 - 4:00   Session 3: Future Secularists - Parenting and Mentoring the Next Generation - a facilitated discussion
4:00 - 5:00  Session 4: The Future of the Iowa Secularists
5:00 - 6:00  Cocktail Hour (cash bar)
6:00 - 8:00  Keynote Dinner featuring Lori Lipman Brown

Keynote Speech: A Place at the Table: The Nation’s First Congressional Lobbyist for Nontheists Enjoys the Feast

Brief Description: Lori Lipman Brown, director of the Secular Coalition for America, the nation’s first Congressional lobbying organization explicitly representing nontheistic Americans reports on how the nontheist voice is being received by lawmakers, the media, and theistic church/state separation allies, and what we can do to help.

Lodging
We have reserved a block of rooms at the Gateway Hotel in Ames. The rooms are available for Saturday, July 12th and the hotel is just down the street from the Iowa State Center. Call 515-292-8600 to make a reservation. Room Rates are as follows: Superior Double or King $102, executive king $112, executive jr. suite $132. These rates do not include hotel tax and sales tax.

A list of additional hotels in the area is posted in the forum.

Friday, June 6th, Cedar Rapids First Friday Social at 7pm at Lori’s house. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Thursday, June 12th, Iowa City/Coralville Meetup at Old Chicago in Coralville at 7pm. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Thursday, June 19th, Des Moines Meetup at Felix and Oscars, 4801 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines at 7pm. For more information or to RSVP visit the website here.

Thursday, June 19th, Cedar Rapids Meetup. Location to be determined. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Saturday, June 28th, Iowa City Meetup, Capanna Coffee Co., 136 S. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City. For more information and to RSVP visit the website http://atheists.meetup.com/587/.