Theme: What Now

What will do you with what you have?

Fleetwood's Tap Room
28 N St Clair St.
Toledo, Ohio, 43604
United States

Anneliese Grytafey

Anneliese Grytafey is Senior Program Officer at the Toledo Community Foundation. She has legal experience having worked at ABLE and LAWO, where she founded ABLE’s Microenterprise Legal Assistance Program which connects low-income entrepreneurs to business attorneys. Anneliese received a B.A. in Art History from State University of New York College at Buffalo, and a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.

Damon Brown

Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur

I was born obsessed with stories. Not fancy stories, but your stories. I believe each of us have a small kernel of truth, the ultimate truth, and by listening carefully, we can learn a little more to help us on our own individual journey. I love hearing, and then telling others stories, first as a journalist, then as an entrepreneur, and, now, as a coach, motivator, and speaker for the underrepresented and the underestimated.

Douglas Tappin

Writer, Composer

I’m a writer and composer, born and educated in the United Kingdom. A former Commercial Attorney, I practiced as a Barrister in England for eleven years. I earned an additional postgraduate degree from Atlanta’s McAfee School of Theology, culminating in the dissertation That There Might Be Inspiration – a critical examination and articulation of transformative music-drama, including through the historical and contemporary works of Handel, Wagner, Puccini, Sondheim, Lloyd Webber and Rice, Boublil and Schönberg. Tappin’s unique approach to writing and composition is full of innovation and authenticity, arising from an inquiring, analytical mind, literary background and gifted musicianship.

Imani Lateef

Imani Lateef is a designer and comic book enthusiast, and founder of the Black Comix Arts Festival, an annual celebration of Black Comic Book artists and their collections, and Peep Game Comix, a digital comic website that exclusively sells independent comics by international black authors. In this talk, delivered at TEDxToledo #WhatNow, Imani presents the stereotypical narrative for black representation in comics, and how he's working to change it. To learn more about TEDxToledo, visit https://TEDxToledo.com

Mechelle Zarou

Attorney, Cancer Survivor

Mechelle Zarou is a Partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, and a cancer survivor.

Rachel Bach

Rachel Bach is the President and CEO. Hired in 2017, she spearheads the redevelopment of Downtown Toledo and the implementation of the award-winning Downtown Toledo Master Plan.

Randy Oostra

Executive, Catalyst

I am proud to be president and CEO of ProMedica, a mission-driven, not-for-profit, nationally distinguished healthcare system serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. ProMedica’s 15,000 employees and 600 employed providers serve nearly 4 million patient encounters annually at more than 300 sites, including 12 hospitals. I earned a doctoral degree in management from Case Western Reserve University, and hold two master’s degrees—in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota and management from the University of Wisconsin.

RaShya Ghee

Attorney, Advocate

I am the exception and the stereotype. I grew up labeled “at-risk” and “under-privileged” as the daughter of a crack addicted father who was murdered and a cancer warrior mom. I graduated with honors from Central Catholic and the University of Toledo attaining my bachelor’s degree in political science and an MBA in finance. I am an honor graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School. I practice law in the state of Ohio focusing on criminal defense and family law. I lecture as an adjunct at the University of Toledo Law School and work as a part-time staff attorney for Advocating Opportunity, an anti-human trafficking organization. My scholarly interests are the intersection of race, gender, and the law and constitutional law.

Rhonda Sewell

Servant Leader, Library Advocate

I was born in Bowling Green, OH, to young married student parents. My first home was the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. ‘frat house’ on the campus of BGSU. My Dad was the house president, and Mom was the ‘den mother’ on paper only. My fraternity ‘Uncles’ gave me the nickname ‘Chipper’ due to my passion for potato chips, and it’s no secret that as a baby, I was unapologetically used by the frat brothers to attract their dates to the house. I was reared in Toledo, and after 9th grade at St. Ursula, I moved to Ann Arbor, MI for high school. I have a BA in Journalism from Michigan State University, and attended The City University in London, England to study International Journalism.

Robert Salem

Mr. Salem teaches clinical courses that provide students with the skills necessary to successfully practice law while advancing the law school’s social justice mission. Mr. Salem is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. He is a frequent speaker on civil rights issues and is active in several organizations.

Rodney Rogers

Rodney K. Rogers, Ph.D. is the 12th president of Bowling Green State University where he had previously served as provost and senior vice president and, before that, dean of the BGSU College of Business. Experienced in both academia and business, Rogers has a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, an MBA from BGSU and a B.A. in music from Ohio Northern University. Before completing his doctorate at Case, he practiced as a CPA for 10 years.