Education Special Events

Keynote Address: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 — 7:30 p.m. in Hall Auditorium

Admission is FREE for all.

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What Boys and Young Men Need to Thrive

Many educators, parents, and mental health professionals have begun asking questions about the challenges facing boys and young men today – from declining academic engagement to rising concerns about mental health and purpose. In this lecture, Erika Komisar, psychoanalyst, author, and licensed clinical social worker, explores what some researchers have called the “boy crisis,” examining how developmental needs, family life, education, and cultural expectations may shape young men’s sense of identity and well-being.

Drawing on decades of clinical experience working with children and parents, Komisar considers how parents, schools, and communities can better support boys’ and young men’s emotional development, resilience, and healthy pathways into adulthood.

About the Speaker: Erica Komisar, LCSW, specializes in treating individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and compulsive behaviors, while also helping parents navigate the emotional demands of raising healthy, resilient children. She is a graduate of Georgetown and Columbia Universities and the New York Freudian Society. Erica is also a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and has been a guest on major media platforms, including CBS, ABC, and Fox News. She is the author of two best-selling books: Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters and Chicken Little: The Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety.