Theme: Hidden in Plain Sight

Organized along the theme of “Hidden in Plain Sight,” the conference will feature 8 speakers who have been selected on their interesting and thought-provoking ideas. Talks are each 18 minutes or less in length. They are representing such diverse fields as technology, education, science, sustainability and spirituality among others.

Franklin Opera House
316 Central Street
Franklin, New Hampshire, 03235
United States

Apollo Poetry

Author

Apollo Poetry, born in Jerusalem Israel, is a 34 year old Amazon best-selling author and former reality show star who was featured on MTV's True Life, ABC's Glass House, PBS, FOX, & NPR. He has also interviewed and gotten praises from many celebrities. He currently facilitates an empathy workshop called Challenge Day, at schools around the country. The school program was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show twice. Apollo was also the organizer of the Oakland March for our Lives event. His work as a social activist won him the United States Presidential Point of Light Award. He uses his voice and platform to promote social change.

Barb Hynes

Project Organizer

With a B.A. in Philosophy and a Master of Public Administration, Barb is always up for a discussion on anything from the meaning of life to how to increase voter turnout. A self-proclaimed environmentalist since middle school when she and a classmate started a “save-the-whales” campaign, Barb gave up eating meat a year and a half ago and continues to strive toward reducing her carbon footprint. She has spent most of her professional life working in public school districts in a number of capacities and is now the NH Education Justice Project Organizer for Rights & Democracy NH. Her work centers around two facets of improving education: an equitable funding model across the state that supports all children and improving educational outcomes to prepare students to be engaged and informed citizens. Barb currently lives in Londonderry, NH with her husband, Devin.

Elizabeth Chang

Nurse Liaison

Elizabeth Chang has been involved in providing healthcare for the past 17 years, and counts both a degree in Nursing and Biology among her accomplishments. She has worked in the Upper East Side in Manhattan and covered the entire state of New Hampshire with nursing care as with patients ranging from newborns through the elderly for care including wounds, TPN, lactation, and patient teaching. As the nurse liaison for the Franklin VNA & Hospice she experiences first-hand the state of health in rural America and the challenges people face trying to stay healthy in an increasingly complex healthcare environment. When not advocating for change in the health care world or spreading the word about her non-profit visiting nurse association, she is mother to three, wife to one, an avid reader, writer, baker and roller derby player.

Erika Rydberg

Digital Creation Technologist

Erika Rydberg is currently a Digital Creation Technologist based at Plymouth State University. She moved to New Hampshire from Washington, DC where she worked in various fields including working in a coworking space, a non-profit think tank, and a public library. Outside of work for the past year she has become involved in Roller Derby and plays for Granite State Roller Derby on the Legislashers. She volunteers her time with a humanitarian 3D printing organization based in Canada, at the local animal shelter, and with her roller derby team. She previously helped run Knowledge Commons DC in Washington, a "free-school" focused on community classes about anything and everything. She enjoys her cat, political debate, and is pursing her 2nd master's degree which she describes as "fun" for some reason. Her websites include erikarydberg.com and diy.plymouthcreate.net you can follow her random musings (mostly about 3D printing) @Pancakpopple on Twitter.

Katie Goodsell

Anthropology, Revenue analyst and author

Katie Goodsell has a passion for gravestone studies, the data “set in stone”, and the stories they tell. While earning her bachelors in anthropology and sociology at Western Connecticut State University, Katie Goodsell wrote her graduating thesis about the mortality rates of residents that were buried within Fairfield County, Connecticut during the Georgian and Victorian eras by cataloging nearly 14,000 gravestones instead of collecting data from archives or records. She advocates the historical importance of gravestone studies, but also that cemeteries are still very much alive through carved data and how they should be preserved for future generations to come. Today, by day she is a revenue analyst where numerical calculations tell stories in the hospitality industry and by night, she is the author of Bones & Drones, a young adult novel written from the basis of her gravestone studies.

Leo Adaire

Community motivator

Hey, I’m Leo William Adaire. I was born in the Hunan Providence of China and adopted by my father William Taylor. My father provided me a great education as I went to a Montessori school for Elementary and Middle school called the River Valley Charter School in Newburyport, MA where I developed my deep love of learning. In high school I founded the National Art Honors Society at Newburyport High School and as president inducted over 30 members of passionate artists. For college I hosted the Arts for Earth Festival at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH and got involved in the revitalization efforts in downtown Franklin, NH. I graduated May 7, 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies. I’m currently working towards spiritual empowerment with the Franklin Junior Youth Group and utilizing my creative abilities in energizing the Franklin community onwards.

Mfon Akpan

Assistant Professor, Business

Mfon is a full-time faculty member in the Harrison Professional Pathways Program at National Louis University. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a MBA and Masters in Accounting and Financial Management from Keller Graduate School of Management and is currently a doctoral candidate, majoring in accounting, at Argosy University. Mfon is also adjunct accounting faculty at Robert Morris University, adjunct business faculty at Olive-Harvey and Harold Washington College. Prior to his doctoral work, he had a successful career as a banker for JPMorgan Chase. Mfon loves teaching and engaging with his students on and off line. He enjoys incorporating innovative methods of teaching including using social media, his YouTube channel and other emerging technologies. Mfon is an active member of the American Accounting Association’s Conference on Teaching and Learning in Accounting.

Steve Whitman

Professional Planner

Steve Whitman is a professional planner and educator based in New Hampshire and his work is focused largely on community planning, ecological design, and resilience related issues. Steve is a certified planner, a certified Permaculture teacher and designer, and is an adjunct faculty member at Plymouth State University. Steve frequently teaches courses in the US and internationally, but lives in Plymouth, NH where he participates in a wide range of grassroots efforts that promote community resilience.