SPEAKERS

Jonathan Neff

Jonathan Neff is the CEO and head brewer of New Era: Fine Fermentations, a dedicated gluten-free brewpub. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Tulsa and an M.S. in Nanotechnology from the University of Barcelona. He was pursuing a second degree at Cornell University before he decided to turn a passion for brewing into a career. Jonathan was diagnosed with celiac disease, leading him to develop craft beer that happens to be naturally gluten-free.

Maureen Haynes

Maureen Haynes is a student at the University of Tulsa studying biology and sociology with a passion for interdisciplinary education. She has worked on political campaigns, at local nonprofits, in an engineering research lab, and in an art museum’s education department. With a combined interest in research and education, she has performed qualitative studies on the narrative experiences of Oklahoma’s public school teachers.

Tori Meehan

Tori Meehan is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Addictions Counseling from Oral Roberts University. ORU’s whole-person approach to education, coupled with her personal recovery from disordered eating, inspired Tori to address both physical AND emotional health. She has been involved with the Miss Oklahoma Organization for over 8 years where she speaks to students on her platform named MINDSET: Total Health.

Lydia Cheshewalla

Lydia Cheshewalla is an Osage artist with a passion for community building and empathy training. For the past several years she has led women’s healing circles and more recently she co-founded the art collective Holy Mother, which serves to connect, encourage, and support femme creatives in Tulsa. Currently, she works as a teaching artist at the Philbrook Museum and is also a fellow with the Oklahoma Center for Humanities at TU, exploring the topic of memory.

Mike Troilo

Mike Troilo, Ph. D. is the Wellspring Associate Professor of International Business in the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa. His research focuses on the effects of institutions including rule of law on entrepreneurial activity across countries, particularly in transition economies such as China. He worked as a consultant to the United Nations in the Asia-Pacific region, and he received a Fulbright grant to study economic development in Portugal.

Karen Fuhrmeister

Karen Fuhrmeister is a Senior Client Research Consultant at Hogan Assessment Systems. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Tulsa’s Industrial and Organizational Psychology program, which was founded by Drs. Robert and Joyce Hogan, and she is a member of SIOP. Her expertise includes high-stakes selection and development and product development, assessment translation, and equivalence, as well as experience working with the Hogan Coaching Network.

Jennifer Clark

Dr. Jennifer K. Clark is a Healthcare Delivery Scientist providing a wide range of consulting services in the healthcare sector and educating as faculty at the University of Tulsa Institute for Health Care Delivery Sciences. She has practiced Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Palliative Medicine since 2007 and has been board certified in Hospice & Palliative Medicine since 2010. Dr. Clark has also received certification in Ayurveda, the ancient medical tradition of India.

Rigel Bacani

Rigel Bacani is a senior at the University of Tulsa studying biochemistry on the pre-medicine route and a Global Scholar. As an immigrant and patient, she’s experienced the challenges faced in interactions with healthcare professionals. She studied abroad in Denmark where she learned about harm reduction and its impact on stigmatized populations, the central topic of her talk. She has focused on using harm reduction to impact communities from the ground up to the policy level.

Eric Cullen

Born and raised in Tulsa, OK, Eric Cullen went to Union High School and graduated from NSU in 1998 with a pre-law (paralegal) Bachelor’s degree. He then went to work for Union Pacific Railroad as a train conductor for 7 years. In 2005, he decided to open his private investigation and consulting firm. He has four children, has volunteered with TARC for 16 years, is a member of Tulsa Rotary, and helped found Another Chance Justice Project and Oklahoma Honor Flights.

Mike Haskins

Michael Haskins is the Program Director for the Tulsa Debate League. He has a Master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and over a decade of debate experience. As Program Director, he supports speech and debate programs in twenty Tulsa-area schools. He also serves as the primary speech and debate coach at Will Rogers Junior and Senior High Schools.

Brandy B. Marion

Brandy Barnes Marion is a Senior Vice President and the Manager of Education with Institutional Wealth Management at BOK Financial. Brandy coordinates a team providing all aspects of employee retirement planning education, including comprehensive educational needs assessment, campaign design, campaign management, and direct education delivery. She previously owned a business in Owasso for 10 years and is an active member of the community.

Kirk Wester

Kirk Wester is the Executive Director for Growing Together, a local neighborhood transformation initiative in Tulsa. Growing Together focuses on the creation of three key components to its strategy: a strong education pipeline, mixed-income housing, and neighborhood vibrancy. Through their collective efforts in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood and schools, they are beginning to see strong improvements in the outcomes of vulnerable children.

Nathan Hutchins, Alison Kerr, & Sarah Otto

Nathan Hutchins (Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from TU), Alison Kerr (completing a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology at TU), and Sarah Otto (BSBA in Accounting and Computer Information Systems at TU) unite to form an interdisciplinary research team unlike any they have ever known. Their research is focused on understanding what influences people’s attitudes towards and acceptance of autonomous vehicles. Their most recent work includes using virtual reality simulation to further assess participant reactions to a variety of driving scenarios in which a self-driving car makes all decisions. The goal of their work is to inform the development of self-driving cars with respect to user interface, ethical considerations, and regulatory concerns.

PERFORMERS

Abigail Williams

Abigail Williams is a freshman at the University of Tulsa studying Vocal Performance. She is an active member in Delta Delta Delta and sings in TU’s Choral Choir as well as a newly formed A Cappella group. She has a love for the performing arts and expresses her passion through Irish dance, ballet, and singing classical music. She has been dancing since she was three and singing classically since she was sixteen. In her spare time, Abby enjoys attending operas, musicals, and concerts.

Caroline Bennett

Born and raised in North Tulsa, Caroline Bennett is a two-time loan and debt-free first generation black girl graduate of higher education. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s degree from Ohio State University. #Hoodid & #Hooded, and yet, she has been intentional about her work inside and outside of academic spaces. Her work has centered around the experiences and voices of inner-city youth, particularly Black girls.

Weston Horn

Weston Horn is the front man for the regional band Weston Horn & The Hush. This original eight-piece rock and roll band with a four-piece horn and brass section has met tremendous success since its creation in 2016. Weston also co-created and co-hosts the Chasing Famous Podcast, which gives musicians the tools to make smarter steps on their path to success. Horn currently serves as the Vice President of Infinity Investigations and Protective Services.