Monroe

Confirmed Speakers

• Admiral William A. "Bill" Owens
  Bill Owens was an Admiral in the United States Navy (ret.) and later Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since leaving the military in 1996, he served as an executive or as a member of the board of directors of various companies, including Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nortel Networks Corporation. In July 2009, Adm. Owens assumed the post of non-executive Chairman of US telecommunications company, CenturyLink. He is currently a director of AEA Investors, LLC, Polycom, Inc., Wipro Limited, and Intelius, Inc.
• Dr. Chester Wilson
  Dr. Chester Wilson is a researcher who is passionate about creating market-ready technologies that strengthen America's national defense. Dr. Wilson leads American Strategic Technologies (AST) research group that is part of the Institute for Micro manufacturing at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Dr. Chester Wilson is a researcher who is passionate about creating market-ready technologies that strengthen America's national defense. Dr. Wilson leads American Strategic Technologies (AST) research group that is part of the Institute for Micro manufacturing at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.
• Joe Rolfe
  Joe Rolfe, embarked on the journey of founding Starr Home Place in honor of his wife Starr, who passed away from complications with diabetes. "She was a fine artist and I was always surrounded by creativity," he said. "I started it as a memorial to her." Joe's primary goal with the Starr Home place is to build creative economy in the northeast Louisiana region. He hosts monthly gatherings for creatives at the Starr Homeplace. A gathering for all those who are involved in creative economy to network, interact and promote the economy.
• Dr. Florencetta H. Gibson
  Florencetta H. Gibson, Ph.D., is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse practicing in the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist with Adult-Psychiatric Mental Health as a specialty (APRN-CNS). Dr. Gibson worked as a nursing educator and nursing education administrator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe's (ULM) School of Nursing where she attained the rank of Professor and served as the director of the School of Nursing.Gibson served on a committee appointed by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing to review advanced practice nursing in the state and is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.She is currently in private practice as a LMFT/APRN-CNS at Positive Changes, a medical practice in Monroe, LA and she is the co-director of the Witness Project of NELA. She also facilitates a support group for breast cancer survivors at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe. She has a special interest in the experience of being a systems thinker in a linear work environment.
• Gary Ratcliff
  Gary Ratcliff, former math major turned artist, holds a B.A. degree in ceramics from Greenville College in Illinois and an M.F.A. in ceramics from East Texas State University.Gary's work is characterized by fine craftsmanship and creativity, incorporating a variety of traditional and non-traditional techniques. Gary also specializes in designing, building and repairing pottery equipment.
• Jenny Ellerbe
  Jenny Ellerbe is a self-taught photographer living in Monroe, Louisiana. For the past several years Jenny has been developing a long-term study of rural northeastern Louisiana - the overlooked region that lies between the Mississippi and Ouachita Rivers. Through photographs -- images, Jenny tells us the story of this land and what it gives to those of us who live here season after season, generation after generation. Her goal is not just to document this area but to really crawl inside it and see what makes it unique.
• Chris Mangum
  Chris Mangum operates at the nexus of business, technology and creativity, with a breadth of experience in entrepreneurial start-ups, high-tech business development, venture investing, and strategic alliances. Chris served in the US Army as a Military Intelligence officer; worked at the forefront of the emerging digital wireless industry at BellSouth in the mid-90s; co-founded and led entrepreneurial consultancy Venture X Group, where he helped to launch over 100 companies; and led corporate strategy and business development at CenturyLink during its recent period of exponential growth. Chris was recently appointed by the Governor of Louisiana to the Louisiana Innovation Council as one of eight statewide entrepreneurs on the council.