Newly appointed Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine will deliver the keynote address at the School of Education’s third annual Creating Safe and Welcoming Schools Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Castle. A performance and discussion of the play Intervention, set for 7-9 p.m in Commons Meeting Rooms 1, 2, and 3, will follow.

This year’s conference will focus on the needs of transgender and gender nonconforming students. Each year, the conference offers educators community leaders, families, and students the opportunity to collaborate and learn to create safe, affirming spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender nonconforming, and questioning/queer students.

Dr. Levine spent more than 40 years outwardly as a man before transitioning to a woman nearly a decade ago. She is the first transgender woman to hold the position of physician general and one of the few openly transgender women serving in state or federal government.

“Dr. Levine will be an inspiration to the many youth, educators, family members, and allies who will join the School of Education and the Arcadia community for a day of learning from and with each other on how to create inclusive and affirming spaces for gender nonconforming and transgender children and youth,“ said Dr. Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, founding dean of the School of Education at Arcadia.

A one-woman play exploring queerness, spirituality, and mental health in education, Intervention was written and is performed by the Rev. Dr. Kerri Mesner, assistant professor in the School of Education.

Scholarships to cover the cost of attendance are available for students and family members.

To register, visit arcadia.edu/cswsc. Contact Rosemarie Kraynak at 215-572-2938 or email the School of Education at SOE@arcadia.edu for more information.