Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/17/2019
11:00 am - 1:30 pm

Location
Boathouse at Mercer Lake

Categories

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GUEST SPEAKERS:

New Jersey Senator Nia H. Gill

Senator Nia H. Gill has served the people of the 34th Legislative District in the State Senate and Assembly for almost two decades.  She is a tireless advocate for women’s rights, public education, human rights and expanding healthcare. Senator Gill has stood up for core democratic principles her entire career. As a champion for human rights, she sponsored the law which made human trafficking a crime in New Jersey.  In response to the genocide in Darfur, Senator Gill sponsored the law that made New Jersey one of the first two states in the nation to prohibit the investment of state pension funds in companies that conduct business in Sudan. As a State Senator, Ms. Gill uses her legislative power for economic and social change. To ensure fairness for everyone, she authored one of the first laws to ban racial profiling. When New Jersey had the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection among children in the nation and was one of only two states to ban needle exchange programs, Nia authored and fought for the passage of a law that allows these programs. The needle exchange bill helped to save lives and prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New Jersey. Senator Gill is currently leading the charge to implement some of the nation’s toughest gun laws.  That is why she is sponsoring legislation that reduces the number of rounds in high capacity magazines from 15 to 10.

As the sponsor of New Jersey’s early voting bill, Senator Gill is committed to making sure New Jersey is not left behind.  Early voting ensures that every New Jersey resident has a chance to cast a ballot, at a polling place seven days a week for at least two weeks prior to Election Day – making the process of voting more accessible, effective and efficient. Senator Gill has been dedicated to expanding healthcare her entire career. Initially, as the sponsor of the law that expanded health insurance coverage to young adults, ages 18 to 30, capturing more than 100,000 uninsured individuals in the State. A version of this provision was included in the Affordable Care Act. Because of her action for equality, Senator Gill is the recipient of numerous awards. She was honored in Selma, Alabama as one of “100 Women in the 20th Century” who contributed to the struggle for civil rights.

Dr. Lisa J. Hou, D.O.

Lisa J. Hou, D.O., a physician and a New Jersey Army National Guard Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, was appointed in February 2018 as the Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs. In this capacity, Dr. Hou administers two Divisions that serve New Jersey Veterans.

The first, the Division of Veterans Healthcare Services, oversees the operations of the state’s three long-term care Veterans’ homes and respite care program. The second, The Division of Veterans Services oversees the Veterans Service Offices, other state entitlement programs and services, Veterans’ preference determinations, Veterans’ status determinations, and the blind and catastrophic Veteran pension entitlements. Additionally, the Division of Veterans Services oversees the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery; the operation of the state’s Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing program; the State Approving Agency, which is responsible for certifying the VA funded educational and training program; and state-owned monuments and memorials.

In addition to her role as Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Hou holds the rank of Colonel and serves in the New Jersey Army National Guard. From 2013-2018, she served in the dual roles of State Surgeon and Commander of the Medical Command. In those capacities, Colonel Hou and her teams were responsible for the medical and dental readiness of more than 6,000 soldiers. In October 2018 she transitioned to serve as the Joint Surgeon for the New Jersey National Guard.  Since 2013, Colonel Hou assumed additional duties to serve as the Region II representative for the National Guard Bureau (NGB) Medical Advisory Group. In April 2018, she was appointed as the Chair of the Army National Guard Credentials Certification and Privileging Preparation Board, which serves as the approving authority for the credentialing of the more than 2,200 medical providers in the Army National Guard. Colonel Hou is also currently enrolled in the United States Army War College, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies.

Dr. Hou joined the New Jersey National Guard in 1994 while a medical student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rowan University) – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, New Jersey. She completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 1996. Dr. Hou’s specialty is in otolaryngology/facial plastic surgery. She maintains a part-time practice in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) disease in adult and pediatric patients and is fellowship-trained in the surgical correction of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. She presently lives in Monmouth County.