Theme: Decoding Deception

The power to deceive oneself as well as others is unique to humanity. We are willing to deceive and unwilling to acknowledge the influence of this phenomenon. Sparking conflict, beauty, and passion deception is hiding in the everyday experience. We are quick to dismiss deception as manipulative and immoral, yet so much of our lives is a response both positive and negative. From good-cop, bad-cop to identity theft, deception is intricately woven into the human narrative. Socially, our degree of deception can escalate as we share our lives with those we perceive as our audience. It both encourages us to be our most authentic selves but discourages us from sharing intimate truths. In modern society, deception is frowned upon, but what if it is the one thing that is helping us survive?

Conaton Learning Commons Kennedy Auditorium
1001 Francis Xavier Way
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45207
United States

Amber Hunt

New York Times bestselling author and nationally award-winning journalist

As a journalist, Amber Hunt has spent much of her career fine-tuning her BS detector in hopes of figuring out the truth to tell readers. She's been known to sanctimoniously grill sources she's caught in a lie how they sleep at night. But she's a also a big believer in some truths being more subjective than others, which can make her job incredibly complicated at times. Hunt is a New York Times bestselling author and nationally award-winning journalist who works as an investigative reporter with the Cincinnati Enquirer. She previously covered crime for the Detroit Free Press and oversaw reporters in North and South Dakota as a news editor for The Associated Press. Hunt has written three true-crime books, as well as the bestselling biography The Kennedy Wives: Triumph and Tragedy in America's Most Public Family. Hunt is a past Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, and she teaches multimedia journalism at the University of Cincinnati.

Christy Demetrakis

Procter & Gamble Account Executive and Founder of The Empowered Speaker

Christy Demetrakis is a seasoned business professional with +20 years of experience in a variety of fields including sales and management across several Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble. She is a certified instructor for the Speakers Training Camp™. She offers public workshops and customized on-site programs for companies and organizations to improve their public speaking and presentation skills. Christy is also the President and Founder of The Empowered Speaker, a faith based global ministry that teaches people the power of dreams and the importance of faith in conquering the fears that limit us. She achieves this through workshops, conferences, keynotes, 1 on 1 coaching and her “Faith to Conquer Fear TM ” radio show. Christy Demetrakis is passionate about empowering others to achieve their dreams and walk in their purpose. Her empowering and inspirational spirit shines through in her book, Faith to Conquer Fear: Inspiration to Achieve your Dreams.

Dr. Kyra Shahid

Associate Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Xavier University

Kyra Shahid, Ph.D., is a diversity thought-leader and a purpose-driven educator. Her work helps college students to make connections between their calling/purpose, career aspirations, and service needed throughout the world. Kyra is an educator and student affairs professional with expertise in areas of race and culture, spirituality, and leadership in higher education. Her many passions and professional experiences reflect a commitment to empowering marginalized youth to make their dreams a reality. She is responsible for the development, delivery and assessment of programming aimed to ensure personal and social identity development as well as academic success. In her role, Dr. Kyra also provides developmental support for affinity-based student organizations such as the Black Student Association, African Student Association, Student Organization for Latinos, and Ladies with an Emphasis on Achievement and Distinction.

Julie Pugh

Attorney: Graydon Head’s Labor & Employment Client Service Department

Julie is a trusted advisor on both labor and employment issues. She routinely counsels HR departments on a variety of legal topics. Julie’s trial experience and continued involvement in the HR community allows her to offer a unique understanding about a client’s needs. Julie is a graduate of Xavier University and now lives with her husband and two young sons. Julie is fueled by coffee, tolerant of mischievous cuteness, answerer of the eternal question “why?”

Mary Curran-Hackett

Professor at the Center for Innovation at Xavier University + author

Mary Curran-Hackett has spent eighteen years in higher education. She received her Masters from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and before joining Xavier, she taught writing and literature at the University of Cincinnati. She currently teaches storytelling, writing, and Design Thinking at Xavier University’s Center for Innovation. Additionally, she assists Tom Merrill and Mark McFerron lead the Center for Innovation, and primarily works to build relationships with community members, start-up partners, faculty and staff, while managing the branding, marketing, and business strategy for the organization. She is also a published author and has two books with HarperCollins. She has served as an editor, freelance writer, and educator and speaks regularly to large groups about the power of storytelling. Mary is a Certified Design Thinker for ExperiencePoint’s "Experience Innovation” simulation.

Mike Moroski

Executive Director of UpSpring

Mike Moroski served at Moeller High School for 10 years as a teacher, service learning coordinator, and House Dean. Concurrently, he ran a nonprofit, Choices Cafe, that bridged the gap between those with means & those without. Mike finished his time in secondary education by holding the position of Assistant Principal at Purcell Marian. He was terminated from his post at Purcell Marian by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for his public support of marriage equality. Mike earned his B.A. & M.A. in English from Xavier University, and an M.B.A. in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame (M.N.A.). Currently, in addition to his role as executive director of UpSpring (working to keep children experiencing homelessness connected to their education), Mike is a trustee on the Southwestern Ohio Workforce Investment Board, a member of Cincinnati’s Human Services Advisory Committee, and a member of Mayor John Cranley’s Hand Up Steering Committee.

Paul Miller

Founder of Circus Mojo

Paul Miller, earned a BFA in Theater from the University of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music. He's a former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown. As part of the 1996-97 Ringling tour, Paul performed throughout the United States in hundreds of shows, where he drove the clown car and walked on stilts and taught juggling in a pre-circus event known as the "Three Ring Adventure." He's spent 20 years bringing the circus to non-traditional settings in 35 states and in Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico and Portugal. Paul has worked to develop the concept of circus in educational and healthcare platforms to be used as a tool to solve these key issues: improve patient experience and educational/behavioral outcomes. For the past five years Circus Mojo has been offering Circus Wellness (tm) to patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The contract has expanded each year due to the developing importance of patient experience.