Speakers with Bios
Brienne Ahearn is an activist and non-profit professional whose career has focused on social and educational justice and empowerment. As a director, manager, organizer and educator, Brienne has developed programs, raised funds, and advocated for vulnerable populations in refugee resettlement organizations, a community development corporation, and grassroots youth development organizations in New York City, Chicago, and here on the East End. She's a native of Southampton, and currently lives with her husband, Eric, and spirited 4-year-old son, Mac, here in Riverhead.
Fr. John Ignatius Cervini is a retired priest of DRVC Diocese of Rockville Center serving in St John’s Parish in Riverhead, former pastor in the Mult-cultural Catholic Community in Wyandanch for 15 years & then volunteered serving the poorest of the poor in the Dominican Republic for 17 years as pastor at our mission in El Cercado on the border with Haiti.
Ollie Earl is a senior at Riverhead High School. Recently this January, he helped host a school walkout to protest the actions of ICE. He and his friend brought together 250-300 students in an act of good faith for the community. He is upset with the very character of this presidency and wants to be a part of real change. He is the winner of the 2025 NYSRSAS Citizenship Award. He is going on to major in political science in college and his dream is to become a wise and moral leader.
Paul Henry has been entertaining audiences since the late 1970's . He performs with a number of musicians in duo's trios and as a member of several bands. In addition to performing on guitar, harmonica and vocals, during the month of March he plays fiddle and mandolin with the Bob Morris Irish Band. This traditional celli band performs the songs and tunes of old Ireland. Sharing the struggle that these brave people have endured in the hope of freedom. The struggle will not end until Ireland is united as a Nation once Again.
He is a retired educator sympathetic to the challenges faced by new Americans.
The Rev. Roger Joslin lives on the North Fork of Long Island and is actively engaged in the process of revitalizing two historic Episcopal churches, The Church of the Redeemer in Mattituck and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greenport.
Rev. Joslin is the author of two books: Running the Spiritual Path: A Runner's Guide to Breathing, Meditating, and Exploring the Prayerful Dimension of the Sport and School of Love: Planting a Church in the Shadow of Empire. School of Love is an engaging depiction of what it’s like to create a theologically progressive religious community in the midst of religious fundamentalism and a pervasive corporate mentality. Much of his spare time is spent sailing his 43’ Shannon, Entangled, and writing a fourth book, A Priest’s Passage: Psychedelics, Embodiment, and the Sacred.
Andrew Leven Of Counsel Eilworth Paxson, former Federal Prosecutor in New Jersey where he handled cases of Healthcare Fraud, Insider Theft, Mortgage Banking Fraud, Tax Evasion and Political Corruption. Professional awards from New Jersey’s Insider 100 Legal Power List; HHS, Significant Case Award–the largest physician bribery case in US history;
Investigation of the Year Award, National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association; U.S. Attorney Awards, District of N.J.; Inspector General Awards, U.S. Postal Insp. Service; Inspector General Award, U.S. Dep’t. of Defense; Director, Fed. Bureau of Investigation, Awards. Longtime Republican who ran as Democratic candidate for Riverhead Town Board
John McAuliff is Executive Director and founder of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development, a 41 year old non-governmental organization working for normal relations of the US with Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Cuba. His lifelong committment to the civil rights and peace movements included the Mississippi Summer Project, service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru, President of the Viet Nam era Committee of the Returned Volunteers, and twenty years as a staff and committee member of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization. He is a thirty two year resident of Riverhead, was a leader of EPCAL Watch, chosen Person of the Year in 2023 by the Riverhead News-Review and leads the Riverhead Watch internet network with special interest in saving Town Square.
Irma Solis is the Director of the Suffolk Regional Office at the New York Civil Liberties Union, where she organizes legal, educational, and community outreach in Suffolk County on issues ranging from police accountability, immigrants' rights, voting rights to education reform. Irma is passionate about deconstructing systems to reclaim people power. Irma has more than 20 years of experience leading campaigns to win transformative legal and policy change at all levels of government in communities in upstate New York, Brooklyn and Long Island. These include racially targeted housing code enforcement activities in the Town of Brookhaven, wage theft by unscrupulous employers, violations of the Fair Housing Act, day laborers right to seek work in public spaces, Latino students’ right to public education and discriminatory practices by the Suffolk County police. As an organizer and facilitator, Irma values humor, empathy, humility, creative expression, disruption, contemplation, and systems thinking. Irma has worked for New York State Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds Bureau, Central American Legal Assistance, Southside Community Mission, The Workplace Project and Long Island Housing Services. She has consulted for Latino Justice and other social justice organizations as community organizer and trainer with a focus on social and racial justice, leadership and organizational development. Solis received her law degree from University at Buffalo School of Law and her BA from Binghamton University.Kathryn Szoka is a photographer and co-owner of Canio's Books in Sag Harbor. She is a founding member and co-chair of PEER, Progressive East End Reformers, a multi-issue grassroots organization founded in 2016. PEER is a chapter of NY Progressive Action Network (NYPAN) and Indivisible. PEER’s work is focused on educating and advocating for social justice, health care, housing, environment, and other issues that affect the lives of all Long Islanders. In 2022, Szoka was a prime member of the committee that worked for and succeeded in passing the Community House Fund legislation in 4 of the 5 east end towns. She was the grand marshall at East Hampton’s first Gay Pride Parade in 2022.Szoka led a multi-organization effort to preserve Nobel prize winning writer John Steinbeck’s home in Sag Harbor as a writers’ retreat with public visitation. Steinbeck wrote over 30 books and during his life was considered America's moral compass. Szoka serves as Vice President on the Steinbeck House board.Alma A. Tovar is a Community Advocate at OLA, where she has been serving since 2018. Originally from Mexico, she is dedicated to supporting families and communities, particularly within the immigrant population. Her work focuses on connecting individuals with essential resources such as healthcare, transportation, and financial assistance. Known for her empathy and commitment, Alma is a trusted advocate and a strong voice for community well-being and equity.Faith Welch is a senior at Greenport High School. In school Faith serves in many leadership roles, such as Student Council President, being her district’s first Student Ex-Officio Board Member, Founder and President of her school’s first African American Studies Club, and a Youth Ambassador for Coming to the Table, a national racial healing organization. Faith has received many honors for her work in advocacy and leadership including being New York’s 2025 recipient of the National Princeton Prize in Race Relations, aswell as being named this past years Suffolk Times Community Leader of the Year, making Faith the youngest recipient of this honor. Faith plans to pursue a career in law, with the goal of becoming a lawyer for wrongfully incarcerated African Americans on a full ride scholarship at Barnard College at Columbia University.Chip Williford is 2025-2027 Suffolk County Poet Laureate, Director and Co-host of Poetry Street with Maggie Bloomfield, an open mic venue held at the Riverhead Public Library and on Zoom the last Saturday of each month from 2pm-4pm. Chip is a prose, poetry, and short story writer. He is a passionate equal rights advocate, filmmaker, documentarian, family historian, good listener, and relatable storyteller. His prose and poetry have been published in numerous publications and anthologies.
In commemoration of the 100th year Anniversary of celebrating Black History, and honoring the first black published writer, Jupiter Hammon. Chip is collaborating with CAPA (Caribbean American Poets Association) and is now accepting poetry submissions for “Celebrating Jupiter, an anthology of Black Poets”, which will be released on Black Poetry Day 2026.
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