
TIME FOR RENEWAL – Healing & Regrowth
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the US Spiritist Federation
Join us on November 5th, 2022 in Houston, Texas at the Anderson Clarke Center at Rice University
Get to know the speakers that will be participating on the event.
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Beatriz Lopes
Connecticut
Beatriz Lopes a recent Stony Brook University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Statistics as well as a minor in Italian language. Bia has started her career as a Quantitative Consultant at MassMutual. Bia has grown up in Spiritism, attending the Allan Kardec Spiritist Center of Danbury CT since the age of 3 and during college she attended the Long Island Spiritist Center. She has been involved in Spiritism by participating in study groups, giving lectures, delivering a speech at the United Nations, and most recently helping to coordinate a Youth Spiritist Retreat.

Dan Assisi
California
Dan Assisi is an award-winning author and internationally celebrated speaker who has delivered hundreds of talks and conferences on spirituality in over 60 cities on 4 continents. Known for a mix of deep thinking and witty humor, Dan takes a unique approach to spirituality that is steeped in reason to remind audiences everywhere of our spiritual nature. Dr. Assisi is a founding member of The Spiritist Institute and of the California Spiritist Association. You can also find him as the host of the Spiritist Conversations podcast. Daniel holds a Doctorate degree in Education and a Masters in Public Administration with a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

Elaine Stur
Texas
Elaine Stur has been an active participant of the spiritism movement in Houston, Texas. She is a speaker, coordinator of the Youth Education and a Board member at Sunrise Spiritism Society of Texas, helping to disseminate Spiritism in English. Professionally, Elaine has a PhD in Biotechnology and since 2018, she is working as a cancer researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Joao Korngold
New York
Joao Korngold is one of the founders and directors of the Spiritist Group of New York and the Spiritist Alliance for Books. He began studying Spiritism more than 25 years ago and has been one of the directors of the mediumship meeting at SGNY for the past 20 years. He is also responsible for study groups that focus on the basic books of Spiritism and on the Andre Luiz Collection. He gives talks on Spiritism in Portuguese and in English. Joao Korngold is an Engineer and works as a banker.

Jussara Korngold
New York
Jussara Korngold is currently the General Secretary of the International Spiritist Council, former president and current Vice-President of the United States Spiritist Federation. She is the founder and president of the Spiritist Group of New York and the Spiritist Alliance for Books Mrs. Korngold is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. She is an international speaker, a published author, and a translator. Mrs. Korngold works for Brazil Child Health as its main executive. She is also an Executive Board Member of the Grupo Mulheres do Brasil in NY.

Lara Fortes
Georgia
Lara Fortes has recently moved to Georgia, where she is a sophomore at Pope High School. She has been involved in the Spiritism Doctrine since birth, and most recently attended the Kardec Spiritist Group of Austin (KSGA) in Texas from 2014 to 2021 where she participated in several volunteer activities within the Youth and Family Volunteer Group. Lara enjoys swimming for her school’s swimming team, listening to music and singing. She is bilingual in English and Portuguese.

Lia Gouveia
Maryland
Lia Gouveia is an active worker of the US Spiritist movement and a board member of the Spiritist Society of North Beach in MD since its incorporation in 2009. Currently she is serving as Vice President of the Society. Professionally, Lia manages Enterprise Applications and holds a Bachelor of Computer Science.

Leonardo Vieira
Maryland
Leonardo Vieira is one of the founders and workers of the Spiritist Society of Baltimore (SSB). He has conducted and helped with several works at the SSB including study groups, mediumship meetings, and public talks. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Management with a specialization in Homeland Security. Professionally, he works for a major financial institution as a Banker.

Ligia Carvalho
New Jersey
Ligia Carvalho is the Secretary, and the coordinator of the Spiritist Education Department and bookstore for the Spiritist Center Divine Light in Newark-NJ, which she co-founded and coordinates with a group of friends. She is an active participant in the USA Spiritist movement as a speaker. Ligia is a member of the United States Spiritist Federation serving as their “Family, Youth and Children Spiritist Education” Director (FYCSE). Professionally, Ligia is a licensed therapist with more than 15 years experience working with children and adolescents with behavioral and mental health problems, and as a grief and bereavement therapist.

Luiz Lima
Florida
Luiz Lima has begun his journey in Spiritism since 1990. As a serious researcher on the scientific aspect of Spiritism, Luiz has been facilitating the studies of how to bridge science and Spiritism in both languages: Portuguese and English. Mr. Lima is a renowned lecturer in the Spiritist movement and participates in local and national seminars and events all year around. Luiz Lima holds a degree in Electronic Engineering, and he works in the computer network industry.

Marcia Trajano
Tennessee
Marcia Trajano is the president and one of the founders of the Solitude Center for Spiritual Living. She is also one of the co-founders of the Christian Spiritist Community of Atlanta and a former board member of the US Spiritist Federation. She is a Spiritist for more than 25 years and has participated in giving talks and leading study groups in English and Portuguese. With a Master’s Degree in Management of Technology and a Project Management Professional certification, Marcia currently works in the field of Project Management.

Peter Hays
New Jersey
Peter Hays is a worker at Spiritist Group Love and Light in Newark, New Jersey. He is also the current Outreach Director of the United States Spiritist Federation (USSF) and an active participant in the Tri-State Spiritist Federation (TSSF). Peter has published several children’s books with his wife, Beti Rozen, through their company Sem Fronteiras Press, and with other publishers in Brazil, Colombia, and the U.S. Having a long background in theatre, he holds am MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University and currently works in commercial real estate.

Rebecca DaSilva
Maryland
Rebecca DaSilva, a senior at Sherwood High School, will receive her CNA license this year. She is active in different service clubs and serves as president of the community service organization, Helping Hands. She works with autistic children using various forms of therapy at AccessAbility MedCare. She has been a member of the Allan Kardec Spiritist Society of Maryland’s youth group since 2017 where she has learned many new spiritist teachings.

Rosana De Rosa
Florida
Rosana De Rosa is a third-generation member of a Spiritist family. Living in Florida for 24 years, she graduated in psychology from Florida Atlantic University FAU and has been actively working as a speaker, as well as teaching classes at Spiritist Centers in the USA and Brazil. In 2018, she and 3 other friends founded the nonprofit organization – The Embracing Grief and Loss Project. This Project has been raising awareness of the healing of the soul through the work of dedicated volunteers, and is done virtually. It is present in more than 18 countries and 16 states in Brazil.

Sophia DeOliveira
Texas
Sophia DeOliveira will soon be a freshman at Clements High School in Houston, Texas, where she is also planning to participate in theater and learn the Spanish language. In the future she hopes to seek a psychology degree from the University of Houston. Currently, Sophia is involved in the youth group of Sunrise Spiritist Society of Texas and believes that Spiritism has made her a more mature and knowledgeable young woman. Sophia is bilingual in English and Portuguese.

Suzana Simoes
Florida
Suzana Simoes is an active worker of the Spiritist movement. Dr Simoes spends her time between her professional work as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, her family, and the dissemination of Spiritism. Suzana has worked as a member of the Spiritist Federation of Florida and the United States Spiritist Federation. She is one of the founders of the Conscious Living Spiritist group in Miami where she works primarily overseeing the work in English. She is an active speaker in the US and abroad.
Past Symposia
Get an idea of other subjects covered in previous symposiums. Check out the videos and photos!
What is Spiritism?
“Spiritism is a science which deals with the nature, origin and destiny of Spirits, as well as their relationship with the corporeal world.”