Theme: Re-Framing

Considering common places, objects, and ideas from another angle.

Jim Wise Theatre
New Jersey Institute of Technology
University Heights
Newark, New Jersey, 07102
United States

Brandon George

Brandon George was arrested multiple times as a teenager for drug related offenses. By age 15, he was a person with substance use disorder. He dropped out of high school, watched friends die and go to prison, and by the time he was 21 he had multiple DUIs. Eventually, he ended up homeless, sleeping in the laundry room of an apartment building. In 2008, Brandon began his journey of healing and has been in long-term recovery from substance use disorder and opioid use disorder since. Today, Brandon George is the Director of Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition (IAIC), which advocates for addiction recovery through public policy and education. He sits on the advisory board (MHAPAC) for Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction, is on the expert panel for Indiana University School of Medicine's Project ECHO and is a committee chair on Attorney General Curtis Hill's Drug Task Force. As a person in long-term recovery, Brandon’s personal experience, education, and professional accomplishments give him a unique perspective and outlook on both addiction and recovery. Brandon works with leaders throughout the state to develop healthy recovery communities.

Carolyn Murnick

Carolyn Murnick is an editor at New York magazine and the author of The Hot One: A Memoir of Friendship, Sex, and Murder (Simon & Schuster) recommended by NPR, Elle, Entertainment Weekly, Interview, and Cosmopolitan, and named one of the Best Books of 2017 by Buzzfeed, and The New York Post. She received an Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Aspen Institute and her essays have appeared in numerous anthologies.

Charles Rosen

Charles Rosen is the founder and CEO of Ironbound Hard Cider and New Ark Farms, a Newark-based social enterprise focused on workforce development and regenerative agriculture. In addition to New Ark Farm’s commitment to providing living wages to ex-offenders and other underserved members of the Greater Newark community, the company has developed a curriculum to educate employees in character development, conflict resolution, and communications skills. Charles believes that this “soft-skills” training will build a stronger workforce, while also arming his employees with the tools needed to better serve their own communities.As he builds this network of integrated companies, Charles draws heavily on his background as co-founder and former CEO of Amalgamated, a fully-integrated advertising agency globally recognized for its proprietary strategic approach known as Cultural Branding – a methodology for establishing brands as cultural leaders. In addition to his duties as CEO, Charles led the agency’s efforts in social justice and political advocacy. Charles, a former attorney and movie producer, sits on the Mayor of Newark’s Corporate Advisory Council and the Newark Workforce Investment Board. He graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 1993.

Donald Sebastian, Ph.D.

Dr. Donald H. Sebastian is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) and Senior Vice President of Technology & Business Development at New Jersey Institute of Technology. NJII is an NJIT 5.01c3 Corporation that is a new model for business innovation serving key industrial clusters that anchor the state and national economy. Since its founding in 2014, NJII has launched new programs that increased the annual base of expenditures to $80M in activities serving biopharmaceutical, civil infrastructure, defense, financial services and healthcare sectors of the State’s industrial base. He served as NJIT’s Sr. Vice President for Research & Development from 1999 and more than doubled the university’s sponsored research to $110M placing the Institute in the top five among US polytechnic universities. Dr. Sebastian is an Executive Board Member, Treasurer and past Chairman of the R&D Council of New Jersey, Treasurer and Executive Board Member of the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition, and serves on the Executive Committee of Innovation New Jersey, the Boards NJ Manufacturing Extension Program, the South Jersey Technology Park, the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation, and was past Research Chair and Executive Board Member of the Henry H. Kessler Foundation. He was a founder of the NJ Healthcare Information Technology Extension Center, the NJ Homeland Security Technology Systems Center, the NJ Nanotechnology Consortium and the NJ Manufacturing Extension Program. For these and other efforts he was inducted in the New Jersey High-Tech Hall of Fame in 2006, named an NJBIZ Healthcare Innovation Hero in 2015, added to the Made In New Jersey Honor Role in 2016, and in 2018 named to NJBIZ Power 100 and ROI’s top New Jersey Influencers for Technology. Dr. Sebastian received his Bachelor of Engineering at Stevens, graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1974, was a Tau Beta Pi National Fellow, and member of Gear & Triangle activities honor society, Khoda leadership society and the Varsity S club. He received his Masters of Engineering from Stevens in 1975, and the Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1977.

Gernot Riether

Gernot Riether is the Director of the School of Architecture and Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He previously taught at Kennesaw State University, Ball State University, ENSA Paris La Villette, Georgia Tech, the New York Institute of Technology and Barnard College at Columbia University and is lecturing internationally. Riether’s research explores the relationship between public urban spaces and information technology. Projects that he and his students designed and built in his Digital Design Build Studio won competitions and are featured in many books on digital fabrication. Riether is the author of over 40 refereed papers, articles and book chapters. His forthcoming book, Urban Machines, co-authored with architect Marcella Del Signore, explores the relationship between public urban spaces and information technology.He serves on the Board of Directors of CSU (Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization), a non-profit organization that is affiliated with UN Habitat and U.N. ECOSOC and on the Board of Directors of ACADIA (Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture). He is the editor of the Journal of the Design Communication Association (DCA).

Jazlyn Carvajal

Stay On Your Daily’s Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Carvajal first gained notoriety for completing the award-winning $178 million, 375,000 square feet Union City High School with rooftop stadium. Ms. Carvajal is also the co-founder for The Latinas in STEM foundation, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and empower Latinas to pursue and thrive in STEM related fields. Ms. Carvajal received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is President-Emeritus of the MIT Club of Northern New Jersey. In 2018, Ms. Carvajal was a featured speaker at both the M.I.T. Women’s Unconference and Ingeniosas Science and Technology For All Conference in Chile. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Union City Puerto Rican Woman of the Year Award. Ms. Carvajal served as Co-Chair to New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy's Transition Committee on Government Technology and Innovation. By her own account, Ms. Carvajal is just getting started.

John Keegan

John P. Keegan is currently the Chairman and President of the Charles Edison Fund and Edison Innovation Foundation (“EIF”) both of which charitable organizations support medical research, science education, historical preservation and the enhancement of the Edison legacy. EIF was established in 1996 to raise funds to restore and enhance the Thomas Edison National Historical Park (“TENHP”). In October 2009, TENHP reopened after extensive renovations with substantial financial support from EIF in the approximate amount of $15M. The interior of Edison’s garage was historically repaired and painted along with the restoration and conservation of Edison’s cars. In addition, EIF is committed to educating the next generation of great innovators. John is a practicing attorney in the State of New Jersey for over fifty-five years, he received a B.A. Degree from University of Notre Dame, J.D. Law Degree from Georgetown Law Center, MPA Degree from Harvard University and an Honorary Doctoral Degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College. He is married to Diane Quiqley Keegan and has four sons, one daughter and sixteen grandchildren.

Lauren Craig

Lauren Craig (@inawordfab) is an author, entrepreneur, on-air personality, marketing professional and Newark's Glambassador. A Spelman College graduate and former lawyer, Lauren has been writing since 2007 when she launched the fashion blog, InaWordFab.com. Since that time, Lauren has contributed beauty, fashion and lifestyle content to media outlets including xoNecole.com, MTV.com, Ebony.com and ThisThatBeauty.com. Lauren is currently the Director of Marketing and Artistic Initiatives for Newark Arts and works closely with the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau. Her first book, 100 Things to Do in Newark Before You Die, was released in 2017 and featured by such outlets as the New York Times, News 12 New Jersey, AP Travel, US News and World Report and USA Today. As an on-air personality, Lauren has appeared on New Jersey Now, Chasing News and a number of radio shows and podcasts. As an entrepreneur, Lauren is the founder of Brown Girls Bar Crawl and I Am The Table, a dating empowerment movement for women.

Marjorie Perry

As president of MZM Construction Co, Inc., Marjorie Perry is an innovator and role model for women in non-traditional fields. Her Newark based firm, founded in 1992, her company’s General Contracting work for such client includes the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Delta Airlines, Port Authority of NY/NJ, and Verizon, Continental Airlines, Marriott and proudly participated in the construction for the New Meadowlands Stadium for the Giant and Jets (now called MetLife). Perry has a B.A. degree from Kean University also completed Leadership for the 21st century at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, and has a MBA from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Named to NJBIZ Hall of Fame 2011 top 50 women in business 2007 New Jersey and top 25 Entrepreneur’s in New Jersey 2008 and Selected Business of the Year for the SBA 2012.She served four years a director appointed By Governor Chris Christie. to New Jersey Economic Development Board, Currently Board member for Kean University Foundation, Board of Overseers NJIT and advisory board to Feliciano Business School Montclair University. Perry prides herself in sponsoring college scholarships for deserving inner city youth.

Mohamed Bendary

Mohamed Bendary is a Senior Student Athlete enrolled in the Albert Dormans Honors College with a concentration in Finance and is currently on track to graduate with a MS in Finance in four years. Mohamed left the number two ranked magnet school in the state ( HIGH TECH HIGH SCHOOL ) to earn a spot on the competitive St Anthony's High School where he played for Hall of Fame coach Basketball coach Bob Hurley, competed in two state championships in his two years, and was one of two division one signees for the Number 7 Team in the country (Max Preps). Mohamed is looking to grow on and off the court as he enters the working field.