Friday, November 18
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
San Diego Convention Center
Exhibit Hall A
San Diego's finest Mariachi band and Folklorico dancers will kick off the Opening General Session with music that highlights the special culture of the San Diego region. ASHA President, Dolores Battle, will give her presidential address, and you will hear welcoming remarks from Convention Program Co-Chairs Brenda Ryals and Brian Shulman. Other fun and entertaining surprises will also await you during this event!
This session will feature a keynote address by Mavis Leno, an activist on behalf of women's and children's rights. She is currently chair of the Feminist Majority's Foundation's Campaign to Help Afghan Women and Girls, and has been the United States' most outspoken critic of the Taliban's horrific treatment of women.
She has testified on gender apartheid before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was instrumental in defeating the energy company UNOCAL's efforts to construct an oil pipeline across Afghanistan that would have supplied the Taliban with over $100 million and dramatically increased their control in the region.
Although her husband, Jay Leno, is the more famous one in the family, Mavis Leno has made a tremendous impact in fighting for women's rights. Recent television appearances include "Larry King Live," "Today," "CNN with Paula Zahn," "Hardball," "MSNBC Nightly News," and "The Tonight Show." Leno has also been featured in articles in Time, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, US Magazine, and People. Join your colleagues for an evening that will be both interesting and inspiring.