Theme: CHAOS - A Catalyst for Change, Discovery, Learning, and Reflection

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

Chaos is inevitable, some of us deal with it on a daily basis, however it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not inherently stressful and anxiety-inducing. It’s just that our minds don’t usually like these things.

We want order and simplicity, not to be interrupted, not to be overwhelmed. The ideal of orderliness is causing our frustration, stress, anxiety, not other people, not a chaotic situation. And we created the ideal. Therefore, we are causing our own difficulties.

The good news is that, if we created the ideal, we have the power to change it.

We will be hosting six speakers to share the chaos that they have either identified or experienced and learn from them how to address it or how it has transformed them.

Whitaker Center For Science And The Arts
222 Market Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17101
United States

Alan Samuel Cohen

Professional Certified Coach

Alan Samuel Cohen is a leadership coach, team consultant, and professional speaker, who has built a 35+ year career around the idea that no matter the industry or challenge, breakthroughs come from mastering effective communication and human connection. Spending decades as both a marketing expert and Human Resources consultant, he is the author of “Those Difficult Talks for PR Pros” and “The Connection Challenge: How Executives Create Power and Possibility in the Age of Distraction.” ®. Alan is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), working with Fortune 500 company leaders and teams who want to increase their impact through improved connection and engagement. He holds a BA, Connecticut College and MBA, Gabelli School of Business - Fordham University.

Alison Dagnes

Professor of Political Science

Alison Dagnes is Professor of Political Science at Shippensburg University. She is the author of A Conservative Walks Into a Bar: The Politics of Political Humor (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) and Politics on Demand: The Effects of 24 Hour News on American Politics. She is a former C-SPAN producer and is frequently interviewed in the national and international press about American politics and political media.

Ben Brautigam

Head of Design at Measure

Ben Brautigam is the Head of Design at Measure, a leading aerial intelligence company in the commercial drone industry. Prior to joining Measure, Ben co-founded Airnest, a startup dedicated to providing simple and approachable tools for drone flight planning. Ben is a seasoned UX and UI designer and attained his Master's degree from The George Washington University with a focus on technology leadership.

Jayaram Thimmapuram

Academic Hospitalist

Dr. Jayaram Thimmapuram is an academic hospitalist at Wellspan York hospital where he primarily focuses on educating and mentoring internal medicine residents. After obtaining Membership of Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom, he moved to the United States and completed his internal medicine residency training at York hospital, Pennsylvania. He is a recipient of “Outstanding teacher of the year” and “Resident of the year” awards. Dr. Thimmapuram has completed various research projects on Heartfulness meditation and its effect in lowering stress levels, burnout and improving sleep. He is an international speaker on the benefits of meditation.

Mohammad Ali

Associate Professor of Management

Mohammad Ali came to the U.S from Pakistan in 2002. He has been an academic since finishing his Ph.D. from School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University in 2011. Mohammad is currently working as an Associate Professor of Management at the School of Business Administration, Penn State University (Harrisburg). His academic interests include Business Ethics, Stakeholder Management, Employment Relations, Human Resource Management, and Corporate Governance. Mohammad is an avid reader of philosophy and history and loves to watch movies and workout.

Stephanie Morrow

Professor of Humanities

Dr. Stephanie Morrow holds a Ph.D. in Media and Communications from Temple University, an Master’s in Journalism, also from Temple, and an Bachelor of Arts in Communications from West Chester University. She is a professor in the Humanities Department at Penn State University’s Harrisburg campus and currently serves as the Program Chair of the undergraduate Communications program. At the graduate level, she has taught both qualitative and quantitative research methods. In 2017, Dr. Morrow was nominated for the James Jordan Award for teaching excellence.