SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Brian Branco

September 11, 2001, was a day that will forever be etched in American and World history. That morning, Brian Branco was working on the 78th floor of the South Tower. Join us, as Brian discusses his eyewitness account of the attacks along with his survival and the aftermath.

September 13, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

CAREERS IN EDUCATION

Dr. Katie Novak

Katie Novak, Ed.D., is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 19 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and ten published books, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of inclusive practices, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support, and universally designed leadership. Novak’s work has impacted educators worldwide as her contributions and collaborations have built upon the foundation for an educational framework that is critical for student success. Dr. Novak is the author of the best-selling books, UDL Now! A Teacher’s Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Classrooms, Innovate Inside the Box, with George Couros, Equity by Design, with Mirko Chardin, and UDL and Blended Learning with Catlin Tucker.

September 19, 2022
@ 3:00pm EST

CAREERS IN ASTRONOMY

Dr. Bryan Gaensler

Bryan Gaensler is a Canadian Astronomer, working as the Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics. In addition, he is the Canadian Research Chair and Professor of Astronomy in the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The University of Toronto. Dr. Gaensler is also the Director of the Canadian Initiative for Radio Astronomy Data Analysis (CIRADA), and he was the co-chair for the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan 2020 (LRP2020). Currently, he is the co-chair for the Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence (TIDE). His main research interests focus on cosmic magnetism, time-domain astrophysics and interstellar gas.

October 3, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

CAREERS IN ENTERTAINMENT

Bruce Buffer

Bruce Buffer has been the “Official Voice of the Octagon” for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since 1997 and for many other mixed martial arts events worldwide and is recognized internationally as “The Voice of Mixed Martial Arts”. The UFC is seen worldwide on Satellite and Cable TV PPV. He was also on SPIKE TV’s hit series “UFC Unleashed” and “Ultimate Fight Night” and now appears on all FOX network televised UFC events and Pay Per Views viewed by millions worldwide. Buffer is a featured character both as the Octagon announcer and as a fighter in nine UFC video games by CRAVE, THQ and the EA UFC games released since 2014 and is the model and voice for the boxing character Tony T. in the Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2 video game by Midway.  He has co-starred with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal on NBC’s hit TV show “FRIENDS”, appeared alongside Antonio Banderas in the motion picture “Play it to the Bone” and performed voice over work for Clint Eastwood’s 2004 Best Picture Oscar award winner, “Million Dollar Baby” and appeared as himself in the 2012 Kevin James film “Here Comes The Boom!” plus Will Ferral’s film Holmes & Watson amongst numerous other TV shows, movies and special events. As a ranked professional Poker player, on the pro tournament poker circuit, he has been seen on NBC’s Poker After Dark, the Travel Channel’s popular “World Poker Tour TV Show” featuring his playing at the final Table of the 2005 WPT LA Invitational, where he placed 6th after being eliminated by pro player, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.  He also co-starred in the critically acclaimed instructional poker DVD “All In” along with poker pro Phil Gordon and was voted the 8th best “Celebrity Poker Player In The World” by Cardplayer Magazine. Bruce is President and CEO of Buffer Enterprises, Inc., through which he manages  his entrepreneurial ventures.  He has proven himself as a motivational speaker and has received praise from top industry professionals for his management and guidance of the successful career of his brother Michael Buffer, the world famous sports and entertainment announcer. His work involves the creation, design and management of all product and promotional licensing surrounding Michael Buffer’s world famous “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE®” trademark phrase, which has grossed approx. $400,000,000 in retail sales of licensing ventures worldwide. Bruce Buffer has expanded the “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!®” brand, which has become a part of American sports culture, into all areas of sports, entertainment and merchandising.  Some examples of many successful licensing ventures developed are the “Ready 2 Rumble Boxing” video game franchise by Midway, Rumble Robots by Trendmasters, the “Ready 2 Rumble Electronic Boxing Ring” by Manly Toy Quest, WCW Wrestling toys by Toy Biz and the “Ready to Rumble” movie by Warner Bros. future plans are explosive! A favorite film is “JERRY MAGUIRE” starring Tom Cruise.  Bruce states, “I live this every day.  Some people say show me the money, I say show me the Rumble!” Bruce Buffer is classified as a true entrepreneur, announcer, entertainer and motivational speaker who keeps the viewing public attentive and excited about products and events he represents.  He is also well known for introducing international events with his famous trademarked phrase “IT’S TIME” and overseas all ongoing product development, event licensing and promotional ventures such as online gaming machines, video games, sporting events, TV,  movies and much more.

October 10, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

CAREERS IN INVENTING

Wayne Fromm

Wayne Fromm is a Canadian inventor and entrepreneur who is most notable for being the original patent holder of the selfie stick for digital cameras and cell phones. Branded as the Quik Pod, it is a handheld extendable stick for digital cameras and smart phones for taking pictures of one's self. Through his company Fromm Works, he has invented numerous inventions and his activities have been mentioned in notable media like the Entrepreneur Magazine, Inventor's Digest, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Daily News, CNN, Business Week, Toronto Star,[6] Financial Post, Globe and Mail,[7] New York Post and CTV Biography.

October 11, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

CAREERS IN INVENTING

Martin Cooper

Martin Cooper is an American engineer who is a pioneer in the wireless communications industry. Holding 11 patents in his field, Martin is regarded as the father of the cellular phone building the first mobile phone in 1972. His invention would go on to change the world and is widely regarded as one of the most influential inventions of the 20th Century. Beyond that, Martin was able to discover an ability to transmit different radio communications simultaneously, this was known as the Law of Spectral Efficiency, which would later be changed to Cooper's Law. Mr. Cooper has won several prestigious awards and recently published the book Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity.

October 12, 2022
@ 3:00pm EST

CAREERS IN LAW

Leigh Steinberg

Leigh Steinberg is an American sports agent, philanthropist, and author. During his 41-year career, Steinberg has represented over 300 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, boxing, and Olympic sports. He has represented the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a record eight times, in addition to representing over 60 other first round draft picks in the NFL. Mr. Steinberg Steinberg has successfully negotiated over $3 billion in contracts for players including Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Patrick Mahomes. He has received screen credit as a technical consultant on several films, including Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday, and For the Love of the Game. He has also worked as a consultant for the HBO original series Arli$$ and served as the title sponsor of the annual Newport Beach Film Festival. Mr. Steinberg has actively been involved with the Human Relations Commission, Children Now, Children's Miracle Network, Coro Fellows Program, and the Starlight Foundation. He founded and underwrites the Steinberg Leadership Institute, a nationwide program run by the Anti-Defamation League preparing students to fight racism and inequality throughout the world which has since become the Glass Leadership Institute.

October 12, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

CAREERS IN WATER SLIDE DESIGN

Geoff Chutter

With the founding of WhiteWater in 1980, Geoff Chutter helped establish an industry that continues to bring joy to millions around the globe. A water park veteran, Geoff’s start in the amusement and attractions space began with his investment in his own park in BC, Canada. Undeterred by a lack of water slide suppliers, he decided to leave his career as a CPA with KPMG to manufacture his own rides, and thus created his own manufacturing empire. Four decades on, WhiteWater continues to thrive under Geoff’s stewardship as CEO, maintaining its place as the world’s undisputed leading water park manufacturer and supplier, by any metric. Where other suppliers chose to offer one or two product lines, Geoff built a complete water park service company, offering all of the products and services that a customer would require to launch their own world-class parks. Always looking to the future, Geoff was early to expand internationally, with our first projects in China in 1990 and establishing offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia ahead of our competitors. Throughout the years, Geoff has been recognized with various awards such as the national EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 award. Under Geoff’s stewardship, WhiteWater has also been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for many years.

October 12, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

freedom activist and economist

Daniel Di Martino

Daniel Di Martino is a Venezuelan freedom activist, economist, speaker, commentator and policy writer. He was born and raised in Venezuela until his family fled the country in 2016. Daniel studied in the US and graduated with a BA in Economics from Indiana University in Indianapolis and is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics at Columbia University. Daniel has appeared dozens of times on national TV channels such as Fox News and CNN, written for the USA Today and other news outlets, and spoken at college campuses and events such as CPAC 2020 and the Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank and Gala. He also serves as an Ambassador for the America First Policy Institute.

October 13, 2022
@ 12:00pm EST

CAREERS IN MUSIC

Damien Sneed

As a multi-genre recording artist and instrumentalist, Damien Sneed is a pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres. He has worked with jazz, classical, pop, and R&B legends, including the late Aretha Franklin and Jessye Norman, which he is featured on Norman’s final recording, Bound For The Promised Land on Albany Records. He also worked with Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, J’Nai Bridges, Lawrence Brownlee, Brandie Inez Sutton and many others. Sneed has served as music director for Grammy Award-winning gospel artists The Clark Sisters, Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole and Kim Burrell, among others. Sneed is a 2020 Dove Award winner and 2021 NAACP Image Award winner for his work as a featured producer and writer on the Clark Sisters’ newest project, “The Return”, released on March 13, 2020. Sneed was recently commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to compose a reimagined adaptation of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha which will premiere on May 20, 2023 to open OTSL’s season

October 24, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

Careers in Engineering

James Butler

An alumni of Western Michigan University College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, James Butler has worked in the field of engineering for almost twenty years. Mr. Butler is currently a Project Manager with Mammoet, an industrial machinery manufacturing company that specializes in providing solutions to any heavy lifting or transport challenge. 

October 13, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

Careers in Entertainment

Jon Gries

Jon Gries is an American actor, writer, and director who has been entertaining audiences for decades. From the beginning of his career playing opposite Charlton Heston as Button in the 1968 Western classic Will Penny, to approximately one-hundred forty movies and television shows. To name a few, Mr. Gries has acted in Martin, Seinfeld, Lost, The Pretender, The Monster Squad, Running Scared, Real Genius, The Run Down, and Taken. In 2005 Mr. Gries was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Actor for his role as Uncle Rico in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite.

October 13, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

CAREERS IN MUSIC PRODUCTION

Josh Rogosin

Josh Rogosin first walked into NPR in 1999 on his way to mixing live shows at The Shakespeare Theatre in downtown D.C. Since then, he has been at the controls for all of NPR's flagship newsmagazines and gathered sound in far flung places like Togo and Benin, West Africa, Cambodia and Greece. He has engineered at NPR West and NPR NY and spent two years as Technical Director at Marketplace Productions in Los Angeles. He served as Senior Broadcast Engineer for New York Public Radio and Studio 360, and was an originating producer and sound designer for NPR's Ask Me Another. In his current role, Rogosin is the Technical Director for NPR Music and has recorded and mixed over 500 Tiny Desk Concerts at NPR and mastered over 300 Tiny Desk (Home) concerts. He graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.

November 7, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Dan Holdridge

Author and motivational speaker, Dan Holdridge survived the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Join us, as we connect with Dan to hear about his story of survival and the valuable lessons he learned on this infamous day in World History.

November 9, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

CAREERS IN LAW

Ryan Reeves, ESQ.

Ryan Reeves is the Chief Operator Officer of Academica Nevada. Mr. Reeves supports Doral Academy of Nevada, Somerset Academy of Las Vegas, Mater Academy of Nevada, Pinecrest Academy of Nevada, and SLAM! (Sports Leadership and Management) Academy. Mr. Reeves currently serves on the Board of Directors of two not-for-profit organizations dedicated to supporting school choice through public charter schools, the Charter School Association of Nevada (CSAN) and the ACE (Achieving through Choice in Education) Foundation. Mr. Reeves is an alumni of William S. Boyd Law School at UNLV.

November 10, 2022
@ 2:00pm EST

CAREERS IN INVENTING

Dr. Jacqueline Quinn

Dr. Jacqueline Quinn is a NASA environmental engineer who leads diverse environmental chemistry research at the Kennedy Space Center and invented NASA’s most licensed and recognized technology for groundwater remediation, Emulsified Zero Valent Iron (EZVI). Additional environmental remediation methods created by Quinn include AMTS and SPEARS, used for removal of cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in materials, soils and sediments. Quinn holds 12 U.S. patents and her technologies have been licensed by companies throughout the United States and internationally. In 2005, she received both NASA’s Commercial and Government Invention of the Year awards. Quinn received the Federal Lab Consortium’s Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer in 2006 and was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2018 she was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

November 28, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST

THE HOLOCAUST

Ben Lesser

Ben Lesser was a prisoner in Auschwitz, Dachau, and Buchenwald Concentration Camps. He is also the last surviving occupant of the Dachau death train. Since surviving the Holocaust, he has led a successful professional life and raised a family. He is the founder of the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Zachor Learn, a free online Holocaust curriculum for schools around the world. Join us as Ben shares his story and answers any questions classes may have.

November 29, 2022
@ 1:00pm EST