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Persist 2025

Women's Political Engagement Conference

Programming Schedule

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  • Get signed in and enjoy a light breakfast before our programming begins!

  • To kick off Persist 2025, we will hear welcoming remarks from:

    • Denise Davis, Persist Founder
    • Rachel Strausman, Master of Public Policy Candidate and Dean's Ambassador, UCR School of Public Policy
    • Leila Haidar, ASUCR President

  • Erin Edwards is the Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Riverside. Erin has nearly two decades of experience in policy, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership, having recently served as a Riverside City Councilmember. 

  • Panel Description:

    In a time when the voice of the community is more crucial than ever, nonprofit leaders from across the Inland Empire are coming together to amplify their impact on public policy. Recently, the Champions for Vibrant Health Leadership Network, established by the IEHP Foundation, journeyed to Sacramento to engage in meaningful dialogue with legislators about critical health policy issues affecting our region. The 80 leaders representing 40 nonprofit organizations in the Leadership Network advocating for health across a variety of Vital Conditions, including basic needs for health and safety, lifelong learning, humane housing and meaningful work and wealth. This session will feature insightful stories and experiences from Inland Empire-based nonprofit female leaders who have embraced advocacy as a powerful tool for change. Attendees will gain practical skills and insights into how to enter the policy space and work collaboratively with others.

    Panel Moderator:

    Regina Weatherspoon-Bell, Vice Chair, IEHP Foundation | Founder, DVL Project

    Panelists:

    Dr. Candy Curiel, EdD, LMFT, Senior Clinical Director, Pacific Clinics
    Patricia Etem, Vice President Southern CA & Coachella Valley, Health Career Connection
    Daniela Romero, Community Engagement Specialist – Perris, TrueCare

  • Connie Leyva is currently the Executive Director at KVCR Public Radio and Television. KVCR is located on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College serving the Inland Empire on Channel 24 and FM 91.9. She oversees all aspects of KVCR including community and student engagement, raising money, and content. 

  • Panelists:

    • Denise Berver, Owner & Publisher, IECN
    • Stephanie Hastings-Miranda, Founder and Publisher, Community Forward Redlands News
    • Stephanie Williams, Executive Editor, IE Voice and Black Voice News
       

  • Sabrina Cervantes is a working mother of triplets running to represent the 31st State Senate District. A Democrat, she currently represents the 58th Assembly District, which comprises portions of the Inland Empire. Sabrina was first elected to the State Legislature in 2016, and from 2022-2024, served as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. She is also the first openly LGBTQ+ Latina to represent Western Riverside County in the Legislature.

  • Enjoy lunch while listening to UCR's very own DJ Sunara! In the HUB 3rd floor lobby, we will be hosting mentor sessions led by experienced policy change-makers ready to share their knowledge and advice.

    Mentors:

    • Estephani Camarillo, Public Affairs Manager
    • Graciela Moran, Manager, Office of Policy & Community Engagement, IECF
    • Toni Rosales, Field Representative for Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo
    • Maliha Williamson, RC NOW President

  • Breakout Sessions:

    HUB 355: Know Your Rights/Rapid Response Workshop–IC4IJ

    HUB 367: We can't walk without sidewalks: the policies behind health and well-being

    • Paloma Montes and Ciara Thrower, Blue Zones Project Riverside's Policy Team

    HUB 379: Communicating with Emotional Intelligence

    • Susan Freeman, CEO of Freeman Means Business 

    Communicating with Emotional Intelligence is a fast, practical session that helps leaders turn everyday conversations into trust, alignment, and action. You’ll learn how feelings shape thinking, how to stay clear and calm under pressure, and how to set respectful boundaries—without over-explaining. Through short drills and real scenarios, we’ll practice aligning words and nonverbals, asking smarter questions, and using dialogue to reduce resistance and build rapport. Leave with simple, repeatable tools you can apply immediately to meetings, feedback, and cross-functional work.

  • Enjoy free boba or coffee during this short break before the next keynote! Thank you to Associated Students of UCR for sponsoring our Boba Break!

  • Dr. Noemí Hernández Alexander, a first-generation college student and child of Mexican immigrants, is a mother, an education leader, a scholar, and a public servant with a powerful story of persistence through adversity. She has dedicated her life to breaking barriers and creating pathways for young women and students of all backgrounds. She has dedicated the last twenty years of her life to education, creating opportunities for students from Kindergarteners to Ph.D. candidates. Most recently, she served as the Interim Dean of Student Services at Riverside City College, supporting essential programs like TRIO, EOPS, Upward Bound, veterans, foster youth, and justice-impacted students.

  • Panelists:

    • Clarissa Cervantes, Riverside City Councilmember, Ward 2
    • Luz Gallegos, Executive Director, TODEC 
    • Kevin Gutierrez, MD, MS, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCR School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience
    • Natalia Saca, Regional Policy Advocate for CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) 

  • With Dr. Justine Ross, Executive Director, UCR Center for Community Solutions. Introduced by Brie Griset Smith, IECF.

  • Location: HUB Plaza (Ground Floor)

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