Somewhere in the Middle welcomes Diane Sears to discuss being "In search of Fatherhood"

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Diane Sears, United States Coordinator for International Men’s Day, shares why we need prison reform

DIANE A. SEARS is the United States Coordinator for International Men’s Day (www.imd-global.org) – a position she has held since 2009; the creator of the International Day of Prayer for Men and Boys which launches the United States’ observance of International Men’s Day; Chair, USA 2012- 2022 International Men’s Day Ten Year Plan Committee; a member of the International Men’s Day Coordination Committee where she represents the United States; Editor of a book on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues – IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® -- TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES

(www.xlibris.com); and Managing Editor of a quarterly Fatherhood and Men’s Issues Journal —IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® -- which moderates a Global Dialogue on Fatherhood. The concept for IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® was created by Sears’ mentor, the late L.T. HENRY, a classically trained jazz musician who briefly performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and was a former drummer for internationally acclaimed songstress and film and television actress MS. DELLA REESE; author; photojournalist; and sales and success motivation trainer who died in March 1999 – a concept Ms. Sears has resurrected. MS. SEARS serves as an External Board Member of the results-oriented two-tiered FATHERS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER Initiative created by members of United Community Action Network (U-CAN) at SCI Graterford which is designed to eradicate Fatherlessness and intergenerational incarceration. MS. SEARS’ work on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues has received global attention as evidenced in a 2009 International Men’s Day speech given on the floor of the Western Australian Parliament by THE HONORABLE NICK GOIRAN (http://nickgoiran.com.au/ 2009/12/02/ international-mens- day-adjournment-debate-speech/). A member of the University Council for Akamai University’s Fatherhood and Men’s Studies Program (www.akamaiuniversity.us) which is located in Hilo, Hawaii, SEARS advises the President of Akamai University on Fatherhood issues and assists him in the enhancement of the institution’s Fatherhood and Men’s Studies curriculum and in forming strategic alliances with national and international Fatherhood organizations. She is also a member of the National Affinity Network for The Boys’ Initiative (www.theboysinitiative.org) which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

MS. SEARS has interviewed Men who are Fathers throughout our global village concerning issues, directly and indirectly, related to Fatherhood and has developed and maintains working relationships with male parenting organizations in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. She has authored and published reviews for numerous books about Fatherhood and Men’s issues which include Father and Child Reunion: How To Bring The Dads We Need to the Children We Love, by Warren Farrell, Ph.D.; Swallowed By A Snake: The Gift Of The Masculine Side Of Healing by Thomas R. Golden, LCSW; The Ultimate Survival Guide for the Single Father by Thomas Hoerner; Nothing’s Wrong: A Man’s Guide To Managing His Feelings by David Kundtz; Hey Daddy, Read This by Donald Roberts, an award-winning journalist and anchorman for Virginia’s NBC-affiliate television station WAVY-TV; We Fish: The Journey To Fatherhood by University of Pittsburgh Professor Jack L. Daniel, Ph.D. and his son Omari C. Daniel, Ph.D.; Death To Diabetes: The 6 Stages Of Type 2 Diabetes Control & Reversal by DeWayne McCulley; Fatherhood by William H. Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.; The Spirit Of Fatherhood: Embracing Our Role As Fathers And Reclaiming Our Children by S. Bruce Olamina Stevenson; 25 Things That Really Matter: A Comprehensive Guide To Making Your Life Better by Gary A. Johnson, the Founder and Publisher of the Homework Help Page and Founder of the Gary A. Johnson Company, a management-training and consulting firm; The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident And Compassionate Kids In An Age Of Self-Importance by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.; A Promise To Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood And Divorce by television, film and Broadway actor Alec Baldwin; A Father’s Right by Anthony Gallo; 2011: The Global Depression by global economist and economic consultant to the Government of Canada and the United Nations Economic Commission Ruben James; Do-Over! by Robin Hemley: and The Man’s Book: The Essential Guide For The Modern Man by Thomas Fink.

SEARS has co-moderated discussion forums, panel discussions, and national teleconferences on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues and has been a frequent featured guest on radio talk shows in the United States and Australia