Theme: Exploration of Failing Well

The Exploration of Failing is a focus as an intentional part of success and embraced as an inevitable component within a success equation. There are ideas about and around failing well and failing quickly but those ideas do not spend time in the act of failing. Our theme seeks to challenge speakers to explore how to plan to fail as a strategy of success and not in the sense of troubleshooting but rather in the spirit of process. In approaching failing as an inevitable part of the success paradigm, one can eliminate the fear factor associated with trying to achieve any and everything.

Marshall Gardner Center for the Arts
540 South Lake Street
Gary, Indiana, 46403
United States

Brian Richardson, Jr.

Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Indianapolis Colts

Mr. Brian Richardson Jr. is an award-winning diversity officer who has had the opportunity to provide training and workshops both nationally and internationally on DEI-related content. Mr. Richardson currently serves as the inaugural Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Indianapolis Colts and as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Throughout his career, his experiences in the DEI space have intersected sports, public health, public policy, education, tech, nonprofit organizations, and corporate entities among others. Mr. Richardson’s work has been featured on the national stage by way of TEDx and the Big Ten Network, as well as across the state of Indiana through various news, radio, and magazine outlets. He is also an alumnus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he earned a Master of Science in Education with an emphasis on kinesiology and a Bachelor of Science with a concentration on sports management from Culver Stockton College.

Debra Givens

Advance Practice Nurse/Author

Debra D. Givens is an Advance Practice Nurse who has served the healthcare industry for over 29 years. During her tenure, she has held multiple leadership positions within the health-care setting, such as Family Nurse Practitioner, Director of Nursing, Health-care Consultant, and VP of Clinical Services for sixteen Healthcare facilities. She is the owner and operator of D. Givens Consultant & Health Education. D. Givens Consulting & Health Education, assists aspiring nurses on their journey in the healthcare industry via mentoring and continuous coaching to support future nurses in passing their NCLEX examination. Givens is the author of the book Why Not You. As an author, has appeared as a guest on multiple platforms, WVON, The Morning Show, What Happening Wednesday, The Financial hour, WLTH, and the Steel City Gospel Show where she also served as co host. In addition, she is a Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer with the John Maxwell Leadership Certification Team.

Krista Detor

Founder of Hundredthhill

Detor launched The Hundredth Hill Artist Residence & Retreat in Bloomington, Indiana in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, for which she’s since been recognized in Forbes, Broadway World, and The Washington Post. An accomplished touring musician and songwriter, Detor’s albums have reached international prominence, and she’s shared stages with Victor Wooten, The Neville Bros., Suzanne Vega, among others. Collaborating with her husband, David Weber, the work has been praised as "..like Richard Wright’s 'Manchild in the Promised Land' or the musical equivalent of Akira Kurosawa’s 'Dreams'”(MusicDish); Awarded the Indiana Masterpieces Grant, and collaborated on the award-winning 'Wilderness Plots,' (PBS), for which she and fellow writers were recognized by the Indiana Legislature. She was the only American woman invited to The BBC's Darwin Songhouse Project, in Shrewsbury England, and her album ‘Chocolate Paper Suites,’ has been featured in course curriculum at Stanford University.

Martin McCary, BSW, LMSW

Licensed Social Worker

Martin McCary is a licensed social worker with over 5 years of clinical experience working as a trauma-informed therapist for children and adolescents. McCary has both his bachelor's and master's degrees in social work. McCary has been working in the Gary community for the last 10 years. Currently, he works as a school social worker at the 21st Century Charter of Gary. In this position, Mr. McCary has the pleasure of developing comprehensive student support plans to ensure that each and every student receives the care, services, and resources he or she needs to be academically successful and emotionally stable. McCary collaborates and is an active member of the mentoring programs of Grown Men Growing Men and Males with a Plan, which teaches young men to develop leadership and critical thinking skills that will promote academic excellence and reduce the dropout and incarceration rates in the minority community.

Sonda Vasquez

Chapter President of National Hook-Up of Black Women

Sonda Vasquez is a native of Northwest , Indiana and dedicates her life as a servant to others. As an active member of the community, Sonda currently serves as Northwest Indiana Chapter President of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc. The organization’s mission is improving lives of women and their families through arts, culture, health wellness, education, and human service programs. Sonda oversees a chapter that provides community programming in Mental Health, Literacy, Serving Seniors, Youth Development and more. Having graduated from the University of Phoenix, and her studies at Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech aided in her understanding the needs of various populations. She became licensed in real estate August 2006 and currently holds a broker license; making sellers and buyers dreams a reality is a priority for her. She believes everyone needs an advocate. Sellers and buyers need a voice throughout the process and someone who will work in their best interest.