Bethaday Community Center, 605 SW 108th St., Seattle, WA 98146 - Reigster Now
Join us for an afternoon celebrating fathers and coming together to sustain the work.
Join us in person for the 2025 Fatherhood Summit. This year’s theme celebrates fathers and invites us to create our path forward for the Washington Fatherhood Council. The afternoon promises to be full of powerful insights and thoughtful discussion.
We value the voices of fathers! Some support for travel costs is available for dads to attend the event, including mileage, child care expenses and compensation for lived experience for a limited number of fathers. Contact us for more information.
Registration is limited to 120 attendees so register early! Register Here
Overview:
- This event is free.
- Doors open at noon with a light lunch and refreshments.
- The event begins at 1 p.m.
- Closing remarks begin at 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- Keynote Speaker:Brendan Kwiatkowski-Hartman, Ph.D. (see bio below)
- 2025 Dad Allies Awards
- Award Winner Dads Panel discussing their experiences with our keynote speaker.
- Group discussions to develop the next steps for the Washington Fatherhood Council.
Keynote Presentation: The Unspoken Truth of Fatherhood – Needed but Not Nurtured
Fatherhood matters — it has the power to transform the lives of children, partners, fathers themselves, and the wellbeing of society. The research is clear, but the reality is far more complicated. In a cultural moment focused on confronting outdated or harmful forms of masculinity, fathers are often seen as both sacred and suspect — essential, yet unsupported. Too often, men are left to figure it out alone. But supporting fathers isn’t a zero-sum game — it doesn’t take anything away from mothers or families; it strengthens them. This keynote delves into these core tensions and offers key insights for building a fatherhood that is connected, supported, and equipped to navigate the complexities of modern masculinity.
Keynote Speaker: Brendan Kwiatowski-Hartman, Ph.D.
Brendan is an educator, researcher, consultant and speaker on the social-emotional development and well-being of boys and men. His interdisciplinary research spans psychology, sociology and education. In 2023, Brendan earned his doctorate in education from the University of Edinburgh, with a study on the emotions, masculinities and schooling experiences of Canadian teenage boys.
As a mixed-methods researcher, Brendan firmly believes in positive-focused and person-centered research. His approach seeks to empower participants, giving voice to their humanity and lived experiences. He is dedicated to making academic knowledge accessible to all as well as conducting research that is transformative and practically useful in the real world.
Before pursuing his doctorate, Brendan taught psychology, history, biology and social justice as a secondary school teacher near Vancouver, B.C. In 2016, he received his master’s in special education, during which he created and led a yearlong social-emotional intervention program for boys with diverse behavioral needs.
Brendan is a consultant for nonprofit and for-profit sectors, helping clients better engage and support their male audiences, clientele and employees. He also works with school districts and schools (public and private) to develop and implement context-specific action plans and resources to better support students’ social-emotional well-being. This often involves addressing specific challenges and concerns faced by districts, schools and staff, particularly regarding their male student population.
Brendan also teaches gender, psychology and education courses at the university level and is currently a lecturer in the education faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley, B.C.
Let’s Keep Momentum Going for Fathers in Washington!
Brought to you by: The Department of Children Youth and Families - Child Welfare Division, The Stafford Creek Shine from the Inside Out Fathers' Group, The Department of Corrections, Family Education and Support Services, and the Department of Social and Health Services
