Rev. Deborah L. Johnson is the founder and president of both The Motivational Institute, an organizational development consulting firm specializing in cultural diversity, and  Inner Light Ministries, an omnifaith spiritual community of approximately 1,500 in Soquel, CA.

A dynamic public speaker, she is known for her ability to inspire and to bring clarity to complex and emotionally charged issues. A lifetime social justice activist, Rev. Deborah was a successful participant in two landmark cases in California – one set precedent for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the state’s Civil Rights Bill, the other defeated the challenge to legalizing domestic partnerships. A voice for compassion, equality, and reconciliation, her primary focus has been on coalition building, conflict resolution, public policy development, and cultural sensitivity awareness.

She was featured with her partner in Showtime TV’s Jumpin’ the Broom, and in the film God and Gays: Bridging the Gap. She is the author of The Sacred Yes and Your Deepest Intent, of the Letters from the Infinite series. Rev. Deborah is an inductee into the Board of Preachers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College, which honors clergy for their lifetime work in social justice.

Professor D. Kelly Weisberg is a lawyer and sociologist. She earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Brandeis University and a J.D. degree from U.C. Berkeley School of Law. She has been a professor at Hastings College of the Law for 25 years where teaches Family Law, Children and the Law, Wills and Trusts, and Feminist Legal Theory. She has worked at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva on the international rights of the child. She has also participated in federally-funded studies of juvenile prostitution, runaway behavior, and family violence. She testified before the Senate Subcommittee of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on the relationship between runaway behavior and juvenile prostitution. She has authored two dozen books and numerous articles on the topics of family law, children and the law, probate law, and feminist legal theory.

In the same-sex marriage case that was recently decided by the California Supreme Court, she joined 20 other family law professors in an amicus curiae brief to the court that was authored by Professors Herma Hill Kay (of UC Berkeley School of Law) and Michael Wald (of Stanford Law School).