Theme: Ripples

We believe that the talks presented during the event are the first stone cast into the pond of ideas. Each talk has the ability to spread well beyond itself and grow to make a big impact in communities within and beyond our own.

This event will be available as a LIVESTREAM due to COVID-19 precautions.

UCC CenterStage Theatre
1140 Umpqua College Rd.
Roseburg, Oregon, 97470
United States

Bob Dannenhoffer, MD

Doctor

Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer grew up in New York City and completed his medical school training at Albany Medical College, his pediatric residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and then served in the United States Navy. Dr. Dannenhoffer came to Roseburg in 1989 and has practiced pediatrics here since. In addition to his pediatric practice, Dr. Bob has been the Vice President for Clinical Effectiveness at Mercy Medical Center, the President of the Oregon Medical Association, the CEO of DCIPA, and Architrave Health and currently serves as the Douglas County Health Officer. In his spare time, he loves to read, garden, spend time with his wife Annie, his kids, and granddaughter, and train for his next triathlon.

Danielle Costa

Founder/Director

Danielle Costa is the Founder and Director of Learning Matters, a private educational center that serves children struggling academically. Learning Matters opened in 2011 as a Precision Teaching learning center that focuses on building fluency and accelerating growth in students of all abilities in math, reading, and writing. Danielle has had the privilege of working directly alongside and being mentored by Dr. Carl Binder, one of BF Skinner’s last students. She has worked in the classroom and small group instruction at Morningside Academy, a nonprofit school in Seattle. She has taught math, reading and writing intervention classes at Umpqua Valley Christian School. Danielle served as an officer for the Standard Celeration Society, a professional Precision Teaching organization committed to supporting and disseminating tools and methods to improve student outcomes.

Haley Smith

Seed Program Coordinator

Haley is the Seed Program Coordinator at Dorena Genetic Resource Center for the US Forest Service for the past six years. Her work includes growing many difficult and rare species, as well as researching seed storage protocols. Prior to her work at Dorena, she researched soil ecology in surface coal mines, and several other research projects. She is originally from Oklahoma. Her hobbies include gardening, darkroom photography, timbersports, and her dog, Daisy.

Halie Cousineau

Agriculturalist

Halie Cousineau just finished a year of service with AmeriCorps as the School Garden Coordinator for Douglas County. Her time in that position inspired her upcoming TED Talk and helped her make Oregon home. Halie grew up in New England, spending most of her time outside playing in the saltwater or snow with her family. As an adult, she used Athens, Ohio as her home-base between trips around the world for school, pleasure, and work. While Halie went to university for Photojournalism and Anthology, she found herself drawn to sustainable agriculture. She later went back to school for a Masters in International Studies, with a focus in Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia. Yet throughout her academic and professional career, she continued working in sustainable agriculture. Halie intends to combine her experiences and passion for international work, sustainable agriculture, and education, through a Ph.D. and intends to start an international Non-profit.

Jane Marino

Zookeeper

Jane is an Ohio native who moved to California in 2014, then to Oregon in early 2020 to begin working as a zookeeper at Wildlife Safari. She has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a minor in Spanish and has always had a deep passion for wildlife conservation and husbandry. She spent the majority of her time as an undergraduate traveling the world to conduct research and volunteer with a wide variety of species. Some of her most memorable experiences include working with macaws and capuchins in the Amazon rainforest, rescuing and rehabilitating Asian elephants in Thailand, and releasing baby sea turtles in Costa Rica. Jane combines her over 10 years of animal care experience with her desire to educate and inspire the public through interactive animal programs. She enjoys attending professional development conferences, seminars and online courses so she can continue her education and stay current within her field.

Juliete Palenshus

Community Leader | Executive Director

Juliete is committed to the achievement of a vibrant and thriving community. She serves as a community leader for well-being in her roles as the Engagement Director for Blue Zones Project-Umpqua, Executive Director of UC-VEG, a Community Advisory Councilor for the Umpqua Health Alliance, and a board member of the Umpqua Valley Arts Association. Graduating with honors from Central Washington University, Juliete earned a degree in International Relations, with minors in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Environmental Studies. Her professional background includes government, social services, and nonprofit management. She has had the privilege of traveling extensively and holds the breadth of experience gained from her national and international travels as invaluable. Juliete enjoys singing, spending time on the Umpqua river, yoga in the park, social justice, bringing people together, eating delicious plant-based foods, and laughing with friends and family.

Rebekah Melton, EdS

School Psychologist

Rebekah Melton, EdS is a licensed school psychologist practicing in Douglas County. Rebekah earned her graduate degree in school psychology from the Graduate Counseling Education Program at George Fox University. She holds a bachelors in psychology from Bushnell University. Professionally, Rebekah provides psychological and educational evaluations, behavioral consultations, academic recommendations, instructional data analysis, social skills instruction, counseling and program reviews for school districts. Rebekah is passionate about advocating for students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. She is motivated in creating connections with youth, helping them to develop confidence and self-advocacy skills. Outside of her profession, Rebekah serves on a variety of nonprofit boards, alumni organizations, and committees. Her volunteer “spark” is easily lit for programs aimed at youth finding their strengths or providing opportunities for underrepresented populations.

Robert Johnson

Lawyer

Robert Johnson is passionate about people, progress, and perspective. A lawyer in Roseburg, Oregon, Robert is a highly trained and extremely skilled communicator who has spoken professionally in Oregon and around the country. With charisma and charm, Robert takes his audiences on a riveting journey, weaving his message with human experiences to create a lasting effect on his audience. In his talk, “Fairly Unfair,” Robert explains how and why a simple shift in mindset when facing “unfair” circumstances can assist all of us in overcoming hurdles we previously thought impossible. When he is not in the courtroom or in front of a crowd, Robert spends time as an assistant coach for the Roseburg High School Boys basketball team and engages in many other community related service projects. His most proud and cherished moments, however, come when he is spending time with children Natalie and Marcus, and his wife Krista.

Ross Anderson

Principal Researcher

Ross Anderson received his PhD in Education Leadership in 2019 from the College of Education at the University of Oregon. Ross is Principal Researcher at Inflexion, an education research and strategy consulting group, and a founder of Creative Engagement Lab, LLC, a design lab focused on cultivating creative development across the lifespan. Ross collaborates on large research and development projects to catalyze equitable creative development and well-being of teachers and their students. He leads the makeSPACE project with collaborators from around the country. He has published more than 20 articles and book chapters on creative development, arts integration in schools, educational change, and student agency. He is writing a book on leveraging and nurturing the diverse creative resources of teachers and students. Ross consults on projects developing numerous educational innovations and enthusiastically presents his research to practitioners and scholars around the world.

Sam Starns

Elopement Photographer

Sam Starns is an elopement expert and movement leader in adventure elopement photography. After regretting her own traditional wedding, she began her mission to empower individuals to become unapologetically themselves by creating a wedding day and life that they can be uniquely proud of. With nearly a decade of wedding experience, Starns has traveled to numerous states and countries for elopements to jumpstart the transformation for real change to encourage anyone to become their authentic self. Elope Your Life has evolved into more than just a way to get married, but a way to live your life, whether you’re married or not. With a passion for protecting our public lands and love for the outdoors, Starns donates a percentage of services including photography packages and book sales to a nonprofit dedicated to helping preserve public lands.

Stephanie Newman

Theater Pro | Writer | Teacher

Steph Newman is a professional actor in the entertainment industry (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, New Swan Shakespeare Festival, PCPA and many other theaters). She came to Roseburg in 2013 to work as the Professor of Theatre at UCC. Mrs. Newman currently serves on the Planning Commission and gets to teach Kindergarten at Winchester Elementary. As a business owner and host of the podcast “I Love Theatre Now What,” Steph loves the power of social media; as a mom and teacher, she despises it. After having a child, she decided not to post stories of her kid online. But it wasn’t until a year later that a surprising incident sent her down a path of discovery about this very risky practice. With unsettling data about the life-long consequences that come from getting a few “likes,” she hopes to inspire ripples of change with what she has learned.

Susan Rochester

Artist | Associate Professor

Born in Southern California, Susan Rochester moved to Oregon while in elementary school. She has been a photographer since the age of 12, and worked commercially before turning exclusively to fine art pursuits 20 years ago. She holds a BA and MA in Art History from the University of Oregon. Her studio practice is based on contemporary and historic photographic process, drawing, painting, and book arts. She serves as an Associate Professor of Art at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, where she teaches art history, book arts, and painting. Rochester has exhibited her work in the United States and abroad. She has been a NEH Summer Scholar, and was part of a Fulbright-Hays research project in North Cyprus. She resides in Sutherlin, Oregon with her husband and three cats.