The theme for the 2011 NCFR Annual conference, “Families and the Shifting Economy,” is represented in major presentations about economic stress and its effect on families, health care disparity, balancing the needs of the young and the old, military families, research on the needs of women and children, and much more.

Tough Times: The American Family Under Economic Stress

Frank Furstenberg, Jr., of the University of Pennsylvania, is our keynote speaker. Economic recession and its effect on families is the focus. This conference-opening plenary is sponsored by the University of Georgia.

What's (Not) Wrong with Low-Income Couples: Maintaining Intimacy in More and Less Affluent Marriages

Ben Karney of UCLA will present research on couple intimacy and relationships on Saturday. This closing plenary will be followed by a post-conference workshop, Supporting Relationships in Military Couples  No cost for this extra session and lunch is included; pre-registration is required however.  The workshop includes discussion and break-out sessions led by experienced providers and researchers, including our own NCFR members who study or create programs for military families.

Intergenerational Equity: Balancing the Needs of Young and Old

Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. This plenary is sponsored by the University of Minnesota.

CANCELED:  Creating Policy for Women and Children: The Importance of Measurement

Unfortunately, Secretary Rebecca Blank of the U.S. Department of Commerce will not be able to present.

Beyond Reform: Key Steps to Improve the Health of American Families

David Williams, Professor of Public Health and also African and African American Studies, Harvard University. This session is sponsored by the University of Minnesota.

Storms, Spills, Floods: Families and Disaster

A series of presentations related to the effects on families of recent catastrophic events in the South.  Presider: Pam Monroe, Louisiana State University, NCFR Fellow and past president.

Gay Adoption: Overturning the Ban in Florida

Shelbi Day, attorney

Caregiving in Aging Families: Challenges in a Changing Economic World

William E. Haley, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida

Teaching Marriage Inequality in the Classroom

Ramona Faith Oswald, University of Illinois and last year's conference program chair

Poverty and Effects on Children's Development

Gary William Evans, Cornell University.  A TCRM session open to all attendees.

On Being Spiritual, Feminist, Academic, and Therapist

Family therapists and faculty Manijeh Daneshpour, Froma Walsh, and Tom Carlson present a multi-perspective session sponsored by several NCFR sections.