Erin Crawley-Woods

Erin joined Keshet Dance Company in 2007 as a dancer, teacher and Outreach Coordinator.  Since that time she has performed and toured with the company, taught in the Pre-Professional and Physically Integrated Dance programs and managed the on-going development of Keshet’s nationally-recognized Outreach Dance Program for Incarcerated Youth.  She has performed in the US and abroad with the Nancy Meehan Dance Company, Leslie Satin & Dancers, Sara Rudner & Company, Australian choreographer Russell Dumas, and the Irish Modern Dance Theater. In 2005 she relocated from New York  to New Mexico to complete the Wholistic Bodywork program at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts.  From 2002-2005 she was the company manager for PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER in NYC. She received her  B.A. in theatre, dance and French  from Sarah Lawrence College in 2001.

Erin Adams

Educated at the University of Texas at Austin and attended the Pratt School of Art and Design in Brooklyn for her Master’s Degree in Ceramics. Following her studies at Pratt, Erin began her entrepreneurial career with EXVOTO, a gallery she owned from 1985 to 1986 in New York City.  Erin launched her first design company, A Brand, in 1987, which became Erin Adams Design in 1997. Erin began to explore ways of using stained glass by employing both an artistic and scientific approach in her exploration of ideas and materials, and created her first architectural mosaic on fiberglass mesh, a piece that pushed the boundaries of stained glass to a new level. Her extensive work in the architectural market and unique approach to marketing has helped her establish a powerful brand, and in 2007 Erin won the Chrysler Corporation Design Innovator Award for innovative product design and was recently nominated for the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum’s 2009 National Design Awards program for excellence in Product Design.

Emily Leach

As one of the country’s top experts in the area of Search Engine Optimization, and is a sought-after speaker in the area of how search engine optimization strategies and website optimization can dramatically enhance businesses today.  She is the founder and president of SEO Strategy Group, LLC and SEO LiftOFF — search engine optimization firm specializing in providing businesses — including the underserved market of micro-business and solo-preneurs — with innovative search engine optimization strategies, training, support and development opportunities to allow them to compete online in today’s competitive marketplace.

In addition, she is a founding board member of the National Speaker’s  Association/New Mexico Chapter, a founder and facilitator of SEO Meetup groups in Albuquerque and Phoenix, founder of Genetically Unemployable to support entrepreneurs succeed, a Professional Public Speaker for Search Engine Optimization and Entrepreneurialism, an accomplished Toastmaster and trained business coach.

John Freisinger

John  is a Director of Project Development and Business Assistance at Technology Ventures Corporation where he assists technologists from New Mexico’s national laboratories, universities and federal research facilities turn their science into businesses.  Prior to joining TVC, Mr. Freisinger served in many executive capacities including COO, VP of sales and marketing, VP of business development, and head of mergers and acquisitions for numerous technology startups. He has a successful track record of helping to structure companies for equity funding and acquisition. He also has experience in such diverse industries as hotel management, beverage sales, library sciences, informatics, computer-aided whole-language translation, computer systems integration, supercomputing, video and film post production, oil and gas exploration, and home automation.

He is a recognized expert in the economic development community, a popular speaker at the Center for Commercialization and Entrepreneurial Studies and the University of New Mexico.  You can also read his frequent contributions in Innovation Magazine.

“Ideas are Never Enough” The world is full of brilliant people with brilliant ideas.  Unfortunately the world does not value ideas, it values action.  John will examine the characteristics that separate the “idea guys” from the entrepreneurs and provide strategies for making the transition into creating value in a world desperately in need of actionable ideas.

Naomi Natale

Naomi is an installation artist, photographer and social activist interested in the links between art and activism. Naomi was the founder and director of The Cradle Project, a fundraising art installation calling attention and raising funds for the 48 million children orphaned in sub-Saharan Africa. Naomi has received numerous awards, including the prestigious TED Global Fellowship and the Professional Achievement Award from the School of Arts and Humanities at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, both in 2009, and is currently a TED Senior Fellow and Carl Wilkens Fellow.  She was an artist-in-residence at Columbia College of Chicago in 2008 and 2010.  In 2003, she graduated from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art.

Doruk Aytulu

After completing his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, Doruk worked at a manufacturing plant, where he was in charge of solving customers’ technical problems. As he interacted with more customers, he became passionate about business. Doruk got his MBA at San Diego State University, worked on projects with DARPA and CCAT and was selected for a summer internship at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. At LANL, where he caught the innovation bug, Doruk worked with multiple technical divisions to identify commercially viable technologies. He was instrumental in starting companies based on LANL technologies, assisted many other technology transfer and regional economic development activities. Throughout his career in innovation and economic development, Doruk worked with over 150 southern CA and NM companies.

StartUP What You Love. In startups, the anxiety caused by uncertainty is manageable.  As long as there is passion, startups evolve and survive.”

John A. Garcia

John has a strong business background with corporate hospitality management experience in the Bennigan’s Restaurant and Marriott Hotel chains.

He founded Hospitotally, an Albuquerque based consulting business that specializes in customer service applications.

In January 1995, Governor Gary Johnson appointed John to be Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Tourism.  Since then, he has also served as the manager of the New Mexico State Fair and the Senior Officer of Cultural Affairs.  He was appointed to lead the New Mexico Economic Development Department in January 1999 as the Cabinet Secretary.

Recently, John served as Senior Officer of Economic Development consulting for the University of New Mexico and recently accepted a Presidential appointment to serve on the National advisory board for Historic Preservation.

RexJung, Ph.D.

A leading scientist in the emerging field of positive neuroscience – the study of what the brain does well.  As an Assistant Professor at the UNM Health Sciences Center Department of Neurosurgery, his groundbreaking research led to the first model describing a network of brain regions critically linked together in service of intellectual pursuits. Over the last several years, he has turned his attention to the manifestation of creativity in the brain – a cognitive capacity perhaps critically dependent upon, yet distinctly different from intelligence.  The author of over 40 scientific publications, his research has been widely featured in popular media outlets including CNN,BBC, Psychology Today, New Scientist, The New York Times, and Newsweek. His work is based on patients diagnosed with brain disease and disorder and is enhanced by a research perspective grounded in both neurological disorder and “what the brain does well.”

Everette W. Hill

Everette has changed the paradigm of youth development. The Forum has created a statewide network of youth, communities, nonprofits, schools, colleges, policy makers, and government workers, working together to help the youth of New Mexico by building on community assets. Hill has nearly 20 years experience in the non-profit sector developing and managing programs, developing grass-roots community-based public policy initiatives, and providing organizational development and technical assistance supports to individuals and organizations in the social sectors.

Deborah Domanski & Michael J. Gelb

Deborah Domanski is a world-renowned mezzo-soprano.  She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 as part of the Horne Foundation’s program “The Song Continues.” Deborah maintains her passion for the art of song recital and presents concerts and education programs around the world. Recent engagements also include principal roles with Opera Southwest, The American Symphony Orchestra, The Austin Lyric Opera and the Hong Kong Opera. Deborah Domanski’s education includes a Bachelor of Music, Cum Laude, from Chapman University in California, a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, and an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School – Juilliard Opera Center.

Michael J. Gelb, is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership.  He is the author of 12 books on creativity and innovation including the international best seller How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. In 1999, Michael Gelb won the Brain Trust Charity’s “Brain of the Year” award; others honorees include Prof. Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Garry Kasparov and Gene Rodenberry. A fourth degree black belt and former professional juggler who once performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling as a means to promote accelerated learning and team-building.

Dr. Jonathan Wolfe

Jonathan is the founder and Executive Director of the Fractal Foundation, a New Mexico nonprofit that uses the beauty of fractals to inspire interest and participation in science, math and art. An artist and scientist, his studies of the neurophysiology of the visual system were inspired by his love of color, form and motion, and now his knowledge of perceptual neuroscience informs his art.  He is best known for his giant, fractal-inspired tie-dyed hot air balloons, crowd favorites in Albuquerque and around the world.  Dr. Wolfe is also the New Mexico regional contact for the Burning Man project, a temporary interactive arts experiment and community dedicated to radical self-expression and civic responsibility.  His love of fractals continues to spiral upward and outward, reaching ever larger audiences, through public art installations, school presentations, corporate trainings, and fulldome planetarium fractal shows. Since 2003, he has taught over 30,000 children and 25,000 adults the important and inspiring lessons of fractals, chaos and complexity. He is passionate about sharing the beauty of math and science, and he has enthralled audiences all over the world, from Rio Rancho to Rio de Janeiro.

Todd Eric Lovato

With a banjo in his hands, Todd creates feet-stomping, award-winning roots music. Equal parts singer/songwriter, showman and music producer, Todd Eric has garnered a loyal musical following and critic accolades for his music, as evidenced by five New Mexico Music Awards, regular local radio airtime and regular sellout shows with his funk band, Felonious Groove Foundation. Todd Eric is also a writer, communications specialist, holds an M.B.A. in finance, and is a founder of Santa Fe-based record label Penguino Records, which houses the bands Felonious Groove Foundation, Skinnyfat and Fantastic Planet. During the day, Todd Eric works as director of media and public relations at Santa Fe Community College.

Maggie Macnab

Maggie traces the links of cultural iconography and pop/corporate symbolism back to their origins in the natural world to better understand how creative problem-solving correlates between human expression and nature’s process. Maggie’s work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Print, Step by Step, the American Ad Fed, The NY Art Directors Club, and the AIGA. She speaks for conferences and schools in the US and abroad, has owned Macnab Design since 1981, taught design theory at the University of New Mexico since 1997, and is author of Decoding Design: Understanding and Using Symbols in Visual Communication.

Estevan Rael-Galvez

Estevan is the current director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, former State Historian, writer and memory artist.  He has been the recipient of numerous fellowships including The Ford Foundation Dissertation, The School of American Research, Yale University and The Smithsonian Institution.

Theresa Cardenas

Theresa created Hybrid Housing Advisors LLC, a research and advocacy group advancing the development of communities that create meaningful and practical approaches to multi-family, senior housing and sustainable communities. She is the co-founder of TC Building & Reality Inc., a custom home building company that has won numerous awards for design innovation, including a 2009 Gold HBA award for Universal Design.

Ms. Cardenas the founder and artistic director of a Spanish dance and theater company, creating productions that expand appreciation for Spanish history, culture, art and language. Cardenas co-authored Mujeres Valerosas, an oral history collection of New Mexico women leaders.

Jim Spadaccini

Jim is the Creative Director of Ideum, a design firm that specializes in the development of multitouch software and hardware. He founded Ideum after working as the Director of Interactive Media at the Exploratorium, the museum of art, science and human perception in San Francisco. He has been awarded a Smithsonian Computerworld Award and an Association of Science-Technology Center’s Award for Innovation. He currently teaches for the Cultural Resource Management Program at University of Victoria, British Columbia and the Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage (TEC-CH) program at the University of Lugano, Switzerland.

Carlan Tapp

Carlan is a photographer and educator dedicated to documenting the social and environmental issues that define our times, specifically social justice, environmental and health themes. He uses his camera to look at the world striving to tell stories of the twenty-first century.  A sensitive eye and an intimate relationship to his subjects are the signatures of his work, which has been published, collected and recognized around the world.  In 2005 he established a Federal (501c3) non-profit project Question of Power. The project tells human stories of individuals, families and communities—stories of unheard voices affected by the extraction, production, consumption and waste materials of coal in the creation of electricity for America.

Geoffrey Miller

Geoffrey researches human nature, focusing on sexual selection, mate choice, intelligence, creativity, personality, behavior genetics, mental illness and consumer behavior. His paper “Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lap-dancers” won the 2008 Ig Nobel Prize in Economics at Harvard. Miller has consulted on human nature for some of the world’s leading consumer goods companies and advertising agencies. He is the author of The Mating Mind, Mating Intelligence and Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior.