2023 Affirmation International Conference

A little about me…

I am completely convinced that all people are born with special gifts, talents and abilities. That each one of us is like a piece of a beautiful puzzle and that each person has a specific reason for existing, and that is why my mission is to help people discover the potential they have and during the road they can reach their dreams.

I was born in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, México. And from a very early age i loved reading, especially important and famous people in history. I was impressed how them and them even though sometimes they had had many adversities and challenges, they had been able to leave a legacy to humanity. It was during my time as a university student when the first track of what would be the passion of my life appeared. A copy of a book called Juan Salvador Gaviota by Richard Bach came into my hands. This book definitely changed my life! I identify with him and perhaps without realizing it and in a very subtle way he started my path in personal development.

Stacey was born and raised in the bold country of Texas. After mastering the English language he immigrated to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, earn a bachelors degree in Public Relations and start working as an actor/writer for the sketch comedy show, Studio C. He recently left Studio C and started a family friendly media network with his best friends. By the way, he just announced to the world in December 2018 that he’s gay and he won’t stop talking about it.

Jay Tekulvē Jackson-Vann is a native of Milledgeville, Georgia. He is the son of Barbara M. Jackson-Vann and the late James H. Vann, Jr. Tekulvē is a Graduate with Distinction of the 121^st Corps of Cadets from Georgia Military College Prep School. After high school, he served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Michigan Lansing Mission. 

After completing his mission, Tekulvē attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he served as President of the Black Student Union, Pre-Certified Family Life Educators Association, and the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences Student Council. He earned a BS in Marriage, Family, and Human Development with an emphasis in Family Life Education from Brigham Young University-Provo and an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. He is the 2005 Recipient of the Christus Powell Minority Fellowship from the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He has completed doctoral work in Medical Family Therapy at Northcentral University and Health Sciences from the George Washington University School of Medicine. 

Tekulvē is currently a Doctor of Behavioral Health student in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Tekulvē is the Chief Clinical Officer of Two Brothas Counseling at the Utah Center for Connection in Orem, Utah. He is an AAMFT Supervision Candidate. Tekulvē holds licenses to practice in Utah, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, and Florida. His clinical focus is on the intersection of mental health and physical health. His clinical advocacy is focused on improving access to mental healthcare for marginalized populations, including the BIPOC and Queer communities. Tekulvē is also a Certified Human Rights Consultant and Certified Family Life Educator. 

Tekulvē has been a radio co-host of Real Mormons, Real Talk with Wain Meyers, podcast co-host of LOVE: Living Our Vulnerable Experiences with Heather Hill and is a contributing author of My Lord, He Calls Me: Stories of Faith of Black American Latter-day Saints. He has served as an Executive Secretary, Young Men’s President, Ward Mission Leader, Elders Quorum Presidency Counselor and Secretary, Sunday and Elders Quorum Instructor, Primary Teacher, Nursery Worker, Mission Prep Instructor, and Temple Ordinance Worker in the Oquirrh Mountain and Payson Utah Temples. He has served as the Young Men’s President of the LDS Genesis Group and is currently the Music Director for the LDS Genesis Group. Tekulvē is the father of five children, grandfather of one, and favorite uncle to 25. 

Laurie Lee Hall is a gender identity activist, author, and architect who has served in Affirmation leadership roles since 2017. Formerly the Chief Architect for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a stake president, and a bishop, Laurie Lee is currently writing a memoir of her life experiences with gender, the church, and coming to live authentically. She and her partner, Nancy, share their lives together in love in Louisville, Kentucky. Her memoir, Dictates of Conscience: From Mormon High Priest to My New Life as a Woman, is available for pre-order now.