Gay's appearance is part of the SUNY Oswego public justice department's fall Cutler Speaker Series, an initiative of the Cutler Public Justice Excellence Fund, endowed by class of 1974 alumnus David Cutler.

Co-founder of Safe and Sound: A Sandy Hook Initiative, Gay speaks from a background as a teacher and involved parent, along with her personal loss of daughter Josephine Grace, and from deep involvement in post-tragedy work. This has left her uniquely positioned to help school communities prevent more tragedies and better prepare and respond in the event of an emergency.

Gay's appearance honors the 20 children and six teachers lost on Dec. 14, 2012, at the school in Newtown, Connecticut. Her perspective as the mother of a special-needs child and former elementary school teacher provides insight for parents, administrators, school staff, emergency responders and community members who strive to make their schools safer.

Parking on campus for the talk requires a permit. Those who don't have a current SUNY Oswego parking sticker may visit oswego.edu/administration/parking for information on obtaining a day-use permit.

For more information about the event, contact public justice faculty member Jaclyn Schildkraut at [email protected]