PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE: OCTOBER 29, 2026
PLC’s 2026 NTU™ Conference | October 29, 2026 | Bowie State University | Click to Register
Schedule of Activities
Click on each presenters picture to access their biography.
8:30 – 9:30 AM: Check In and Registration
Check-in is required for pre-registered guests. Limited on-site registration will be available as space permits
9:30 AM: PLC Prayer & Welcome Over Breakfast
Led by Diana Banks, PLC President and CEO & Evette Clarke, PLC Chief Program Officer
Start the day with breakfast and opening remarks. Diana and Charles will set the tone for the conference, introduce the format for the day, and highlight how Dr. Frederick B. Phillips’ NTU™ continues to shape our work and inspire healing-centered practice.
10:00 – 11:00 AM: Panel Discussion
Keeping Humanity in AI: What Human Services Cannot Afford to Lose
Panelist include Avijoy Chakma, Bowie State University Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science; Dr. Rosalind Lee, PLC’s Pennsylvania Regional Director; Thomas Skeeter, Board Certified Mental Health Therapist, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Cystic Fibrosis Clinic; and Shakiera Scott, PLC’s Pennsylvania Foster Care Services Program Director. Charles Evans, PLC’s Chief Operating Officer will serve as moderator.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into how we work and serve others, what must remain fundamentally human? This thought-provoking panel will bring together perspectives from technology, psychology, human services, and NTU™ to explore the intersection of AI, human connection, judgment, culture, ethics, and care. Grounded in the NTU™ principles of Harmony, Balance, Interconnectedness, and Authenticity, the conversation will consider how we can embrace the possibilities of AI while keeping humanity at the center.
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Morning Workshops (see details below)
12:45 – 1:15 PM: Resonance of the Ancestors Immersive Experience – Welcome to the Sound Spa™
Led by Dr. Ivy Hylton
Enter a sacred space where evidence-based behavioral health practices integrates with the ancestral wisdom of African-centered philosophy and the transformative power of sound. The Sound Spa™ Immersive Experience honors African traditions that view rhythm, vibration, and breath as pathways to harmony and balance with self, community, and the cosmos.
1:15 – 2:30 PM: Lunch & Keynote
NTU for Health & Healing in This Time of Major Systemic Change
Presented by W. Henry Gregory, PhD Clinical Psychology, MS Community Mental Health, MS Psychology
2:45 – 4:00 PM: Afternoon Workshops (see details below)
Workshops
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Session One
2:45 – 4:00 PM: Session Two
Participants will have the opportunity to attend two interactive workshop sessions – one before and one after lunch. Each session will offer two concurrent options (final schedule to be announced soon). Simply choose the one that best fits your interests. Each workshop will highlight the application of the NTU™ Approach to Health and Healing across diverse fields, offering practical insights and strategies for professionals.
Indigenous Psychotherapy: Anti-Racist, Culturally Competent Approach to Treating BIPOC
Led by Maisha Davis, LCSW-C, Diaspora Healing and Wellness, LLC
This training introduces practitioners to family intervention approaches rooted in African Psychology and ancient Ayurvedic principles for healthy and sustainable living. Participants will explore the role of racial healing and anti-racist practice in the mental health treatment of BIPOC communities, African-centered psychotherapy modalities, and holistic approaches that support individuals and families of the Diaspora.
Who HEALS the HEALER? The S’s of Self-Care™
Led by David Girton, The HEALth Debt Coach™, Health Debt Coaching LLC.
How do we care for ourselves while spending so much of our lives caring for others, especially during turbulent times? This interactive workshop introduces the S’s of Self-Care™ framework—Stillness, Strength, Support/Sharing, Steps, Silliness, and Soulfulness—as practical tools for building sustainable wellness. Through guided breathing, reflection, movement, storytelling, small-group discussion, and personal action planning, participants will explore ways to make self-care an intentional part of their lives. Grounded in the NTU™ principles, the session offers professionals, practitioners, caregivers, educators, and leaders an opportunity to reconnect with themselves and develop strategies for maintaining well-being while supporting others.
The Intersection of NTU™ and the Arts
Led by Kim Graham, M.A., LMSW, Trauma Academy of Delaware State University.
Divine Feminine: Healing Your Sacral Chakra and Lineage
Led by Tomiko Shine, Cultural Anthropologist and Mitigation Specialist
Through an anthropological lens, this interactive workshop explores the lived womb experience of Afro-descendant women in North America across generations. Participants will examine the African-to-American material and spiritual journey, lineage through an African-centered historical lens, and pathways toward reclaiming and restoring cultural identity and the African Divine Womb-man.
Special Note: Women Attendees please attire or accessorize orange.
From Separation to Reunion: Art as a Pathway to Wholeness
Led by Kim Poole, Soul-Fusion Performing Artivist and Founding Fellow of the Teaching Artist Institute
This session explores art as a pathway to healing and wholeness. Through the lens of Cultural Reparations, Kim Poole examines the separation of people from family, land, culture, and memory, and considers healing as a process of coming back into relationship. Drawing on the Way of Water and Kinship Mapping, the session moves from separation toward reunion. Restitution is considered not only as the return of cultural belongings, but as an opportunity to restore relationship and belonging. The session considers how art can help restore connection, and how connection can support wholeness.
4:00 PM: Closing Celebration & Ice Cream Social
We will celebrate our shared learning, recognize the day’s highlights, and conclude with a fun raffle for attendees.