This year we’re shining a spotlight on “the BIG Questions” being asked by out-of-the-box thinkers, scholars, and citizens seeking to be allies and advocates for positive change. Join us for an unforgettable evening full of powerful ideas, special performances, and other surprises!
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Aaron Harris
Aaron Harris, is a creator, collaborator, connector. Born and raised in west end of Louisville, KY and spending summers and the later part of his youth in the east end, specifically Fort Hill. Aaron is no foe to adversity. Ranging from his tough upbringing; environments having to navigate as a youth; run-ins with law enforcement; underachievement as a student; capped by the murder of his older brother Alex on Oct. 9th of 2009. Spiraling out of control, not knowing how to deal with the emotions of losing a sibling, Aaron was arrested months later in Feb. of 2010 during his junior year at Murray State University. For the next two years, Aaron navigated probation, while putting forth efforts to a create a much-needed lifestyle change. Eleven years after the death of his older sibling, Aaron is now a seasoned educator. With an expertise in areas such as admission & orientation; student success; mentoring; diversity initiatives; career development; teaching courses, Aaron has spent the last 7 years navigating higher education in various roles. Aaron is the definition of making something out of nothing or as he would like to say “he got it out the mud!” This is the story of how to take pain, work with negatives to make a positive!Ant Blair
Ant Blair escaped the mean streets of Flint Michigan and took his “Street MBA” with him to Main Street, USA. There he founded and led one of the first African American owned online advertising companies. Ant believes that access has the power to liberate African Americans. Learn more about Ant’s work at AntMillionblair.comDeepti Vijaykumar
Deepti Vijaykumar is a change-maker, thought leader, mind coach and professional speaker. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, not only as a right thing to do but as a path towards personal and collective excellence. She believes in the power of good leaders and works with them to impact corporate and societal change.She is eclectic, disruptive and unstoppable!James Wilkerson
James Wilkerson is a native of New Albany, Indiana. He holds his Masters degree in communication from Bellarmine University and his Bachelors degree and Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville. In 2016, he founded Greek Law; a program that allowed him to give lectures on sexual assault prevention and consent at various fraternity and sorority chapters in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Alabama. Since then, Greek Law has grown into a nonprofit organization that educates middle school, high school, and college students alike. In 2020, Wilkerson began writing for the “I Taught the Law” online legal journal. There he founded a column called “The Title IX Guy” which examines sexual assault in a legal lens. In addition, he also writes a column in the Louisville Eccentric Observer Magazine, also called “The Title IX Guy” which analysis sexual assault issues on a local level. Wilkerson is the author of the book “The Title IX Guy: Several Short Essays on Rape Culture, Masculinity (the good kind and the bad kind), and Other Things We Should Be Talking About. He was named one of Louisville Business First’s 20 “People You Should Know in Law” in 2020, and is a two time Spirit of Service award winner at the University of Louisville.Lisa David Olson
Lisa David Olson is a business humorist and speaker who delivers high-energy presentations that invite audiences to think creatively and choose the lighter side of life. Audiences benefit from the practical strategies they can utilize personally and professionally. Olson ran and performed in a comedy troupe for two decades and continues to use improvisation in speaking and workshops. She is an author, a podcaster, creative consultant and ‘permissionist’ who helps people find the fun. Olson’s mantra is to ‘Dare yourself daily.’Luci Englert McKean
Luci Englert McKean is co-editor of two books (and two more in-progress) of protocols designed to help groups grow trust, address dilemmas, and avoid “quick fixes” while still accomplishing more in short bursts of time. She is Director of NSRF Virtual Learning, Assistant Director of the National School Reform Faculty, and an International Facilitator/Trainer and Coach. Luci also works as an independent consultant and speaker, reaching out to education and non-education audiences on these topics. As the former licensee and curator for TEDxBloomington, Luci has coached more than 60 speakers for the stage and loves sharing from stages herself! Even more, she loves introducing groups to protocols so they can experience these structures firsthand and viscerally know the power of “going slow to go fast.”Malissa Sannon
As a first-generation Haitian American scholar, the challenges Malissa has encountered in her personal, academic and professional careers has molded and shaped her to being self-reliant, resilient, hardworking and always striving to be a better version of herself. Malissa’s personal mantra is “This is Bigger Than Myself.” Malissa has led, organized and coordinated initiatives in the citadel of learning that have hugely contributed to the achievement of an all-inclusive learning, amicable reconciliations, and healthy community engagements.Malissa Sanon
As a first-generation Haitian American scholar, Malissa has been through challenges that she encountered in her personal life, academic and professional careers. Her journey has molded and shaped her to become self-reliant, resilient, studious, and passionate agent of transformative goals. Malissa’s personal mantra is “This is Bigger Than Myself.” In November of 2020, she successfully defended her dissertation that seeks to better understand mental health issues within the Black community, particularly among Black college men. Malissa knew that her dedication to research in mental health would help her community, as well as the students she interacts with in her professional pursuits, immensely. Her dissertation “If You Can’t Make A Sound, Make A Peep: A Narrative Inquiry of the Lived Collegiate Experiences of Black Male Students Who Dealt with Suicide Ideation” focuses on Black men and their mental health, how they choose to get help, resources and support they deemed to be the most helpful.Monika Herzig
Indiana University Senior Lecturer, Dr. Monika Herzig is the author of “David Baker – A Legacy in Music” (IU Press), and Experiencing Chick Corea: A Listener’s Companion (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017). She is also the chair of the research committee for the Jazz Education Network and editor of JAZZ (Jazz Education in Research and Practice, IU Press). As a jazz pianist she has toured the world, opened for acts such as Power of Tower, Sting, Yes and her music has won DownBeat Magazine Awards and is featured on NPR and JazzWeek. Her awards include a 1994 Down Beat Magazine Award for Best Original Song, a Jazz Journalist Association Hero 2015 award, as well as grants from the NEA, the Indiana Arts Commission, MEIEA, Jazz Tours, the US Embassy among others. Monika is a CASIO Artist.Rosemarie Williams
Rosemarie R Williams is a non-verbal communication expert whose books inspire self-confidence, leadership, and advancement in personal and professional lives. She is a renowned dog trainer and dog behavior consultant. Thanks to her dog training proficiencies Rosemarie has exceptional insights on non-verbal communication skills that have the power to change lives. She has developed a unique training method that helped thousands of professional working dog teams and private pet owners to lead their packs both canine and human with non verbal language and confidence. She wants you to Embrace Your Power with her fun, engaging and memorable training methods.Tim Fort
Tim Fort holds the Eveleigh Professorship in Business Ethics at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He has written dozens of books, including two that have won Best Book Awards. He has also won over a dozen research and teaching awards. Over the last twenty years, he pioneered a new area of study of how business organizations can contribute to peace around the world and in the last ten years, has further focused his attention on how we can use “cultural artifacts” such as music, sports, and film to find common ground with those we disagree with on social and political issues.Organizing team
