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2008 Joint Council
Medical Institute and Conference

- Keynote Addresses -

Joint Council is pleased to have had three exceptional keynote addresses at our 2008 Medical Institute & Conference. Our keynote addresses were delivered by Victoria J. Kelly, Director of Clinical and Prevention Services at Children and Families First; Ambassador Janice Jacobs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State; and Kelly Ryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

Victoria J. Kelly, Director of Clinical and Prevention Services
Children and Families First

Dr. Kelly has over 30 years experience in child welfare and mental health. She is currently Director of Clinical and Prevention Services at Children and Families First of Delaware. In addition, Dr. Kelly has been an Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University in Pennsylvania. She is also President of the international Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh). Dr. Kelly is a nationally known trainer and consultant in the areas of attachment, trauma, and child welfare. She is currently working on a book, "Understanding the Developmental Issues of Trauma". She received her Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Widener University.

Ambassador Janice Jacobs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Janice Jacobs took over as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary on August 6, 2007.  Prior to assuming this position, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.

Ambassador Jacobs is a Senior Foreign Service Officer with 27 years of experience in Africa, Latin America and Europe.  She has advanced foreign policy interests across a broad range of issues including democratization and human rights, trade and investment liberalization, counter-terrorism and immigration.  She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services from 2002-2005 and as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo from 2000-2002.  Her career includes a mix of Washington, D.C. and overseas assignments, including working in the State Department’s Visa Office, Operations Center, and Office of Cuban Affairs.

Ambassador Jacobs joined the Foreign Service in March 1980 after many years of overseas experience as a Foreign Service dependent.  She has lived in Senegal, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia (twice), France, Mexico (twice), Nigeria, and Thailand.  She received a BA in French and Education from Southern Illinois University in 1968 and a Master’s in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 1995.

Kelly Ryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration
U.S. Department of State

Kelly Ryan joined the U.S. Department of State in April 2002 as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).  She directs the bureau’s refugee admissions and population and international migration offices and is responsible for developing U.S. government policies on refugee admissions, migration, and population issues.  Ms. Ryan played a leading role on the U.S. team negotiating the U.N. Convention on The Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2005 and 2006. She has represented the U.S .in numerous international meetings and events, including various sessions of the U.N. Economic and Social Council; the U.N. Commission on Population; the U.N. Population Fund; and the High Level Dialogue on Migration. 

Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, Ms. Ryan practiced law for ten years.  Most recently from 1998-2002, she served as the Chief of the Refugee and Asylum Division of the INS Office of the General Counsel. She received a B.A. cum laude in History and English from Tulane University, a J.D. from Georgetown University, and an LL.M with honours, Queens' College at Cambridge University.