AACAST enjoys the benefit of lectures provided by national and international experts in the field of couples and sex therapy. 

Ron Crane, a Marriage and Family Therapist, received his Bachelor of Science and his Master of Science degrees from Kansas State University. He has done extensive post-graduate work at the University of Missouri, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Los Angeles.  He received a Doctor of Laws Degree, LLD (honoris causa) from International College in 1980 for his contributions to the Mental Health profession. Ron has been in the practice of psychotherapy for over forty-five years with special interest in: Individual and Couples Therapy, Gay and Lesbian Therapy, Sexual Therapy, and Addiction Therapy. He has been involved with: Sexual Abuse Treatment Centers, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Youth Shelters and Family Services, the South Central Los Angeles Mental Rehabilitation Center, and various addiction treatment programs. Ron is currently Vice-President and Editor of the American Association of Sexual and Couples Therapists, Co-Director of the Couples and Sex Therapy Training Program of the Department of Adult Psychiatry, the Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, and in private practice in West Los Angeles.

Wendy Cherry, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Sherman Oaks. Dr. Cherry specializes in treating individuals and couples on a wide variety of issues. She trained with renowned couples therapist Dr. Walter E. Brackelmanns for seventeen years, and has been trained extensively in InterAnalytic Couples Therapy and Sex Therapy. Wendy is also a member of the Dr. Allan Schore study group focusing on advancements in Affect Regulation Theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology. Her professional interests and studies focus on the areas of Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Human Sexuality, Somatic Therapies, and Mindfulness. Dr. Cherry is an accomplished speaker, and has been featured on many national and international television shows, news networks and radio shows during her previous career in the late 90s as an internet consultant and expert. Currently, Dr. Cherry provides presentations on interpersonal neurobiology, and couples and sex therapy to varied organizations. She may be reached through her web site at www.drwendycherry.com.

Vena Blanchard, DHS

Vena completed her Doctorate in Human Sexuality at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. After joining the International Professional Surrogates Association (IPSA), she began training surrogate partners and sex therapists, and nearly all the certified surrogate partners currently working in the United States were trained by Vena. Vena Blanchard is a nationally recognized expert in surrogate partner therapy and sex therapy. She is a professional member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS); certified in both Sex Education and Clinical Sexology, and elected to office in all of her professional organizations. Every year Vena teaches undergrads and graduate students at universities and colleges throughout Southern California -- UCLA, UCSD, San Diego State, University of Pheonix, Pepperdine University, etc. and honored repeatedly with invitations to conduct educational seminars, workshops, and participate in symposia at professional conferences. She may be reached at www.venablanchard.com.

Aaron Hass, Ph.D. is on the Clinical Faculty of the Department of Psychiatry of the UCLA School of Medicine and, for almost two decades, he was a Supervisor of the Human Sexuality Clinic at the UCLA School of Medicine.  Dr. Hass was Professor of Psychology at California State Univeresity, Dominguez Hills and a Visiting Professor at Tel-Aviv University, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.  Dr. Hass is the author of six books (one of which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) and numerous journal articles and chapters.  He conducts a clinical practice in Brentwood.

Ardis Moe is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA. She did her residency and Chief Residency at LAC/USC Medical Center and was an Infectious Disease fellow on the NIH-sponsored AIDS Training Grant at UCLA. She has a dual appointment as an AIDS specialist physician at UCLA and at a Ryan White funded HIV clinic in South-Central Los Angeles, T.H.E. Clinic, Inc. She is interested in complications of HIV and HIV therapies, hepatitis C and in research in women with HIV.  Her current research projects include:  (1)Treatment options for lipodystrophy due to HIV medications (2) hepatitis C treatment in HIV infected adults and (3) organ transplantation in HIV.

Sunny Rodgers 

Sunny Rodgers is a Certified Sex Coach and Clinical Sexologist, and serves as Ambassador for the American Sexual Health Association. She is also the Brand Manager and Sexual Health Educator for three top intimate products manufacturers, Pipedream Products, Jimmyjane and Sir Richard’s. Since 2000, Sunny Rodgers has worked in the pleasure product industry helping thousands improve their relationships and understand how pleasure products can enhance their sex lives. She has made it her mission to help educate the masses on the intersection of pleasure products and sexual well-being. Sunny uses her two decades of experience to help people reach their intimate goals and experience successful sex lives. She may be reached at www.coachsunnyrodgers.com.

Liz Goldwyn is an author, filmmaker, founder of TheSexEd.com and host of The Sex Ed podcast. Beginning with her first job as an intern at Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles at thirteen, Goldwyn has dedicated much of her life to exploring the depths of human sexuality through her books and films. A passionate advocate of sex education, Goldwyn is committed to providing resources for others to explore sexual wellness and consciousness. These works include Goldwyn’s documentary Pretty Things(HBO, 2005) and her non-fiction book Pretty Things: the Last Generation of American Burlesque Queens, (HarperCollins, 2006) about American burlesque and the advent of striptease 1840-1960. Goldwyn is also the author of the novel Sporting Guide(Regan Arts/Phaidon, 2015) set in the world of vice and prostitution in Los Angeles in the 1890s. Museums and Universities at which Goldwyn has lectured on her work include: UCLA; The Huntington Library; The Hammer Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Phoenix Museum of Art; Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT); Otis School of Arts & Design; FIDM, Los Angeles County Museum of the Arts (LACMA), Yale University.

Dr. Richard David serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Urology for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He serves on the Attending Staff in Surgery/Urology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and Olive View UCLA Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Urology. He has published extensively and presented at many international conferences in this area. Dr. David is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Urological Association, the American Medical Association, and the California Urologic Association. He is also a member in the American Association of Clinical Urologists, American Lithotripsy Society, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons and Society of Urologic Prosthetic Surgeons. He is honored to be selected for inclusion on the Super Doctors ® List in Urology for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. He's equally honored to be chosen by the Consumers' Research Council of America as one of America's Top Urologists for four years in a row: 2009 - 2012. Dr. David is fluent in both English and Spanish. He may be reached at www.skyuro.com.

Gail Wyatt, PhD

Dr. Wyatt is a clinical psychologist, sex therapist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She was an NIMH Research Scientist Career Development Awardee for 17 years. Her research examines the consensual and abusive sexual relationships of women and men, the effects of these experiences on their psychological well-being, and the cultural context of risks for sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV. She has conducted national and international research since 1980, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, state and private foundations. The recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Wyatt has to her credit more than 110 journal articles and book chapters, and has co-edited or written five books, including Stolen Women: Reclaiming our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives and No More Clueless Sex: 10 Secrets to a Sex Life That Works for Both of You. Dr. Wyatt is an Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute and coordinates a core of behavioral scientists who consult with other researchers to recruit underserved populations and conduct research that effectively incorporates socio-cultural factors into HIV/AIDS research. Dr. Wyatt has received numerous awards and honors for her scientific accomplishments, mentoring, and teaching. She has also testified before the United States Congress eight times on issues related to health policy. She was the first African-American woman to be licensed as a psychologist in the state of California.