Conference Speakers   Tipper Gore Mental Health Policy Advisor to President Bill Clinton

Named one of the Ten Most Admired Women in the World, Tipper Gore has brought her warmth, charm and infectious energy to communities and organizations around the globe. A dedicated, hands-on advocate for issues of mental health, homelessness, and violence in the media, she uses stories from her own life of public service to inspire and enlighten her audiences.

As Mental Health Policy Advisor to President Clinton, Mrs. Gore was committed to eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness and educating Americans about the need for quality, affordable mental health care. In June of 1999, Mrs. Gore chaired the first ever White House Conference on Mental Health that addressed stigma, discrimination and parity in mental health care. In 1990, Mrs. Gore founded Tennessee Voices for Children, a coalition to promote the development of services for children and youth with behavioral, emotional, substance abuse, or other mental health problems.

As Special Advisor to the Interagency Council on the Homeless, Mrs. Gore worked continuously to raise public awareness of homeless issues and to improve the effective delivery of federal homeless assistance resources and program coordination at the state and local level. She has experienced great success with her efforts as co-founder and chair of Families for the Homeless, a non-partisan partnership of families.

In 1978 and 1979, as Chair of the Congressional Wives Task Force, Mrs. Gore helped draw attention to the issue of violence in the media and its affect upon children. She subsequently co-founded the Parents' Music Resource Center in 1985 to promote parental and consumer awareness of the various themes in popular entertainment that are marketed toward children. Her first book, Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society is a guide to parenting and the media. Mrs. Gore's latest books, written with her husband, are Joined at the Heart and The Spirit of Family.

Mrs. Gore received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University in 1970 and her Master's degree in Psychology from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in 1975. Mrs. Gore worked as a newspaper photographer for the Nashville Tennessean until her husband was elected to Congress in 1976.