Margarita Suarez is a counselor, trainer and lecturer whose professional emphases are diversity, grief, self-growth and self-care. She draws from a life rich in contrasts, born into a family of 14 children in Cuba, immigrating to the United States and serving as a nurse in Vietnam and as a pediatric nurse practitioner and a faculty member at the UW School of Nursing, her background is rich and varied. Margarita's wit and wisdom have brought her national prominence as a speaker, mentor and advocate. She is currently the Executive Director of Avanta the Virginia Satir Network.

The title of her lecture is "From Pain to Peace Through the Healing Process."