Emotional Intelligence Symposium: Keynote & Lunch

Nava Silton, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Marymount Manhattan College

Nava R. Silton, Ph.D. is a Developmental Psychologist with a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University. She is a Full Professor at Marymount Manhattan College, where she teaches classes in Child Development, Cognition, Personality, Creativity, Children’s Media and has won numerous Teaching, Research and Advising Awards. She is also the Director of the Center for Health, Human Development and Creativity and is President of the Faculty Council. She has worked at Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop and has consulted for Disney, Netflix, Apple, Blue’s Clues & You, 9Story Media Group and The Autism Seaver Center. She also serves as a Developmental Psychologist for Gan Aliya and Manhattan Day School. She has appeared over 150 times on Fox 5 News as a Parenting and Developmental Expert, and has appeared on Good Day New York, Good Day Street Talk and NBC. Silton has written over 36 peer-reviewed journal articles, over 20 chapters, book reviews and encyclopedia entries and has edited seven full textbooks, with an eighth on the way. Her first two books discuss innovative technologies for individuals with autism and other disabilities, her third delves into creativity, her fourth into family dynamics and romantic relationships, her fifth explores the constructs of happiness, gratitude, kindness, empathy and well-being, her sixth text discusses best parenting and child development practices for the 21st century, her seventh discusses the impact of COVID-19 on children, adolescents and adults and her eighth discusses the benefits of creative arts therapies for children, adolescents and adults.

Silton also created the The Realabilities Educational Comic Book Series (www.realabilities.com), which offers 18 comics (12 on disabilities and 6 on mental health disorders) and two instructional manuals for use in classrooms across the world. The disabilities-based series, which received The Reader’s Favorite Award and was a Page Turner Awardee has now been translated into Hebrew and Spanish and is currently being translated into Chinese and French, as well. Due to the popularity of The Realabilities Educational Series in the schools, Silton created Addy & Uno, The First Family Musical about Disabilities, Bullying and Kindness. Addy & Uno, which was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award, ran Off-Broadway for over 18 months at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in Manhattan (www.addyanduno.com). One of her current media projects is being developed by the Jim Henson Company and another is being developed by LeVar Burton Entertainment for TV. In addition, Silton created a Child Development and Parenting Podcast, entitled A Cup of Java with Dr. Nava. She also created Bashert, www.theBashert.com, a brand-new card game which helps individuals connect and forge meaningful relationships with others. Finally, Nava recently penned three feature screenplays, Pure, The Prof and Jackpot. All three screenplays have already achieved significant recognition (Finalist, Semifinalist and Quarterfinalist designations) in over a dozen screenplay contests. Most recently, Silton was identified as one of the Top 50 screenwriters on the ISA Fellowship slate. Silton is married to Dr. Ariel Brandwein and has five children; three boys and two little girls.

Christine Gregory, Esq.

Founder

Harmony Global Foods

Before founding Harmony Global Foods, Ms. Gregory served as the Chieif Operating Offier of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was the Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Diversity, and Title IX at Marymount Manhattan College where she provided executive leadership and support to the President. During her tenure, she established policies to ensure compliance with state and federal civil rights laws, set key institutional priorities to advance campus digital accessibility, and led in the implementation of the College’s Strategic Plan. She also served on the President’s Cabinet and staffed the Board of Trustees Governance Committee.

In 2006, Ms. Gregory was appointed the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Michigan Law School where she helped establish the strategic vision for institutional diversity and inclusion when minority enrollment dropped by 42% due to Proposal 2, a constitutional amendment that banned affirmative action in the state of Michigan. Ms. Gregory pioneered cultural competency training for law students, co-creating and co-teaching the Law School’s first cross-cultural lawyering course. She also led in the development of accountability measures to assess how faculty approach issues of race and identity in classroom discussions.

Ms. Gregory began her legal career as a staff attorney with the Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C. and served as the Executive Director of the Urban Alliance Foundation, a national non-profit organization that provides college and career opportunities to youth from under-resourced neighborhoods. 

Ms. Gregory holds a B.A. from Hampton University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.