Speaking Engagements

Introductions! First and foremost I am a mother of four sons.  My boys are currently 11, 14, 17  and 23 years old.

In 2005 we hired a painting contractor to repaint the exterior of our historic home and he used unsafe and illegal paint removal methods that led to the poisoning of my children (my youngest was not yet born at the time.)

In response to this experience (and in an effort to shift the political and public conversation about the issue and protect other children from being poisoned as mine were) I have delivered countless public presentations since being thrust into an unplanned second career as a lead poisoning prevention advocate. My first presentation was in 2007 – as the opening presenter at the Western States Lead Conference in Seattle – and things took off from there, fueled by the need for policy makers and public health employees to connect with this issue in a personal and profound way (outside of their day-to-day work.)

As a result of what is now a decade of experience as an advocate, I have found storytelling to be one of the most powerful tools we have in combating childhood lead exposure.

I shared my family’s story with first local and later national media; became a “mamma blogger” with a large following; and eventually, somehow along the way becoming “a trusted source for unbiased information” and one of the “go to” sources for reporters across the country. Out of my commitment to doing everything in my power to help accelerate change, I authored legislation, and directed and produced and directed a documentary film with pieces (images, voicemails and interviews) from the stories of more than 17 families of lead poisoned children, MisLEAD: America’s Secret Epidemic, which is slated to be completed this year (and I have screened (as a preview screening) for many of my audiences here and abroad.)

I have done a LOT of presentations now (at some point I actually stopped counting, but I believe it’s more than 200 presentations over the past 10 years).

Each and every time I speak (almost anywhere in the country) I bring local parents of lead-exposure-impacted children with me to engage in the conversation with the audience in a very personal way. The local perspective is a valuable tool in demonstrating the specific issues and concern in a particular region.

Audiences for my presentations have ranged from small groups, in living rooms, school auditoriums and other community spaces to audiences of many hundreds at national conferences and corporate-sponsored or agency-sponsored events to presentations at public events (concerts and festivals) with thousands of attendees. Venues have ranged from town libraries and high schools to football stadiums, top universities and hospitals, city, state and federal government facilities, and from churches, art museums and rock concerts to some Fortune 500 corporate headquarters .

Hosts of these presentations have ranged from concerned parents to organized community groups to teaching hospitals, colleges and universities, City, County and State Departments of Public Health, and National agencies.

I have been a featured speaker and presenter at national conferences for childhood lead poisoning prevention, at corporate conferences within various industries, at state-conferences for public health and at national conferences and trade shows for health, wellness and green living.

My presentations are unique and effective because I give attendees useful information specifically tailored to the audience (for example, in the case of audiences full of parents – information for making their homes and communities safer for their children and families – or in the case of conferences of environmental professionals – unique information about the parent’s perspective on the issue and methods they can use in their work to be more effective in reaching out to and helping more at risk families),  yet I present about this serious issue in an upbeat way with a touch of humor and lightness that makes the message accessible.  Many of the presentations are less “Ted-talk” style and more question and answer based. By letting the audience guide the presentation with their specific questions and concerns, the conversation is personal and the audience is more engaged in the issue.

I have presented to a wide array of different types of audiences, representing the full spectrum of geographic, political, socio-economic, racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds – and have a lot of experience in tailoring my presentations to address each specific audience. In the U.S. I have presented in more than twenty States and the District of Columbia.

A highlight was presenting with Bernie Sanders in a community forum in Flint, Michigan in February of 2016 (see video clip below).

For each presentation, I work closely with my hosts to make sure the presentations meet the needs of the event and resonate with the audiences. When appropriate I often also collaborate with the hosts to bring additional resources with me to these events – these additional resources have included free blood lead testing and free XRF testing of consumer goods, among many possible options, depending on the scope and duration and focus of the presentation.

I am in the process of lining up speaking engagements for 2019/2020 and would love to hear from you.

If you would like me to speak at an event OR if you would like to work with me to coordinate a series of lead poisoning prevention events (over a day or two) for your community, please contact me directly for speaking engagement fees and details. A partial list of past speaking engagements can be seen below the video clip.

Thank you,

Tamara Rubin
Mother of Lead Poisoned Children
Unexpected Lead Expert

…

Presentation with Bernie Sanders in February 2016

Highlights of hosts and venues for my past presentation
(dates are approximate):

2016

1. Portland Green Festival (Oregon – December, 2016)
2. Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (October, 2016)
3. Los Angeles Green Festival (California – September, 2016)
4. Clinton Street Theater, Portland, Oregon (May, 2016)
5. State of Georgia EPA – Southern States Regional Conference (Savannah – May, 2016)
6. Hollywood Theater, Portland, Oregon (Spring, 2016)
7. Woodside Church, Flint (February, 2016)
8. Flint Institute of Art (January, 2016)

2015

1. Portland Green Festival (Oregon – December, 2015)
2. Brattleboro, VT (October, 2015)
3. Seventh Generation HQ (Burlington, VT – October, 2015)
4. City of Burlington, VT (October, 2015)
5. George Washington University (D.C.) (October, 2015)
6. Clinton Street Theater, Portland, Oregon (September, 2015)
7. Phish Magnaball (August, 2015)
8. Phish Summer Concerts  – Bend, Oregon (July, 2015)
9. California Film Institute (February, 2015)
10. New York University, TSOA Film School – (February, 2015)
11. State of New Hampshire Department of Public Health (multiple presentations)
12. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Public Library (November, 2014)
13. Nike HQ (Oregon – 2015, two presentations

2014

1. Shiftcon Social Media Conference (Los Angeles – September, 2014)
2. State of Washington (July, 2014)
3. New York University, TSOA – (May, 2014)
4. National Healthy Homes Conference (Nashville – April, 2014)
5. Nashville Film Institute (April, 2014)
6. Children’s Hospital of Michigan (April, 2014)
7. New Orleans Museum of Art (May . 2014)
8. Charleston Music Hall, (SC) – (April, 2014)
9. Charleston Children’s Museum – (April, 2014)
10. City of St. Louis, MO – Multiple Presentations – (March, 2014)
11. Dairy Center for the Arts (Boulder, Co – January, 2014)
12. EPA Denver HQ (January, 2014)
13. Denver Film Society (January, 2014)
14. Colorado Springs (January, 2014)
15. Friends of the Earth, Berkeley, Ca (2014)
16. State of New Hampshire Department of Public Health (multiple presentations)

2013

1. City of Burlington, VT (October, 2013)
2. City of Manchester, NH (October, 2013)
3. City & County of San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Public Library (October, 2013)
4. City & County of San Francisco Department of Public Health, Elementary School Presentation (October, 2013)
5. SC Johnson Wax, Golden Rondelle Theater (Racine, Wisconsin – October, 2013)
6. Racine Headstart Program (October, 2013)
7. Racine Public Library (October, 2013)
8. University of Minnesota School of Public Health (October, 2013)
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2013)
10. Magelland Diagnositics HQ (2013)
11. City of Littleton, NH (October, 2013)
12. American Family Children’s Hospital (Madison, Wisconsin – Winter, 2013)
13. Portland State University (2013 – 2014)
14. Oregon Health and Sciences University (2013)
15. State of Ohio Lead Conference (April, 2013)
16. Minneapolis Independent Theater (January, 2013)
17. State of New Hampshire Department of Public Health (multiple presentations)

2012

1. Western States Lead Conference (Portland, Oregon – September, 2012)
2. National Lead Conference – Keynote (New Orleans – May, 2012)
3. New Orleans Earthday Festival – (April, 2012)

2011

1. Philadelphia Lead Conference (October 2011)
2. Healthy Child Healthy World Awards Event (October 2011- NYC)
3. National Healthy Homes Conference / Denver (June, 2011)

2009

• Western States Lead Conference (Denver, Colorado 2009)

2008

1. National Healthy Homes Conference 2008 (Baltimore – September, 2008)
2. Vagina Monologues -10th Anniversary V-day, 2008 (New Orleans Superdome – April, 2008)

2007

• Western States Lead Conference (Seattle, Washington 2007)