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Fathers in Focus Conference Track 1: Co-Parenting
This track is designed to help you strengthen your relationships with your children and partner. Sessions will cover topics such as building strong emotional bonds with your children, effective discipline strategies, and nurturing healthy relationships within your family. Whether you’re a new parent or looking to enhance your parenting skills, these sessions will provide practical tips and advice to support you on your parenting journey.
Don’t Believe the Hype: Healthy Co-parenting Matters
Presented By Dr. David C. Miller
Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration
Congratulations on making one of the most important decisions for your family. While the road may be challenging, choosing to be a healthy co-parent will strengthen your family.
Effective Co-parenting is based on a few core values, including open, honest, and consistent communication, mutual decision-making, and the ability to navigate the challenges of raising a child in two different homes.
Dr. Miller, who holds a Ph.D. from Morgan State University’s Department of Social Work, examines how Black fathers act as protective factors in children’s lives. His research centers on the sacred relationships between Black fathers and daughters.
Through research and community engagement, Dr. Miller uses culturally relevant methods to reach Black men and boys. He facilitates circles for men across the country focused on a variety of subjects, including managing anger, navigating your fatherhood journey, and intentional parenting, etc.
Two Homes – One Mission: Co-Parenting Principles from the Principal
Presented By Kelin Mark Sr.
Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration
Based on my 20+ years in education and as a father, in this engaging and practical session, fathers will explore how to use the 4P Family Engagement Framework—Parent, Presence, Partnership, and Power—to strengthen communication, reduce conflict, and stay actively engaged in their children’s education and development, even across two households. Grounded in the belief that different homes do not have to mean divided parenting, this session equips dads with practical “plays” to support their student from the car line to the classroom.
Kelin Mark Sr. is an award-winning educator, speaker, and author with over 20 years of experience in education. A middle school principal, he is the creator of The DADS program and author of The Dads Difference Playbook. Kelin is passionate about strengthening school communities by empowering fathers and families. His work has been featured in media outlets and conferences nationwide, inspiring educators to rethink family engagement and inspiring fathers to take an active role in their students education.
Stronger Together: Creating Healthy Family Relationships
Presented By Alonzo McKenzie
Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration
This session equips parents—especially fathers—with practical tools to strengthen emotional bonds, apply effective discipline, and lead their families with intention. Blending faith-based principles with real-life strategies, participants will learn how to build trust, improve communication, and create a stable, loving home environment.
Alonzo McKenzie is a fatherhood facilitator, author, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping men lead their families with faith, structure, and purpose. Through Christian mentorship and leadership development, he equips fathers to strengthen marriages, build meaningful relationships with their children, and create lasting family legacies. Alonzo has worked with community organizations and men in various stages of life, including reentry populations, providing practical tools for personal and family transformation. As the founder of Covenant Anchor, LLC, he combines faith-based principles with real-world strategies to empower families to grow, lead, and thrive.