Brian Prawitz
After a 25-year radio career, Brian Prawitz started his own marketing firm in 2015. As a tenant at The Loft in downtown Roseburg, Brian has been inspired by the energy and optimism of the entrepreneurs he spends time with on a regular basis. Brian’s involvement in the community began with his role as a news and sports announcer, where getting involved in causes was his favorite part of the job. He currently serves in an advisory role with UCC Strong.
Brian was recently elected to the Roseburg City Council and has been selected to represent Douglas County in the American Leadership Forum, beginning the summer of 2017.
David Littlejohn
David is a husband, father, entrepreneur, problem solver, pragmatic optimist, and total nerd. A 17-year veteran of the financial industry, David spends most of his professional time helping others plan for and achieve their financial goals. He also volunteers in his community, serving on multiple nonprofit boards and staying active in his church.
In the off chance there is free time in his life, you can find David learning new bits of random trivia or trying out new adventures. Whether it’s culture, sports or new experiences - odds are he’s willing to try it. And if it’s fun, there’s a good chance he’ll try it again.
Gregory Jones, Ph. D.
Dr. Jones is director of the Division of Business, Communication and the Environment and a professor and research climatologist in the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Southern Oregon University. He specializes in the study of climate structure and suitability for viticulture with a focus on how climate variability and change influence grapevine growth, wine production and quality worldwide.
He conducts applied research for the grape and wine industry in Oregon and has given hundreds of international, national, and regional presentations on climate and wine-related research. Dr. Jones is the author of numerous book chapters, reports and articles on wine economics, grapevine phenology, site assessment methods for viticulture, climatological assessments of viticultural potential, and climate change.
Jennifer Wood, RDN
Jenn Wood, RDN, began working for the Oregon
State WIC program in 2014 after earning her degree
in dietetics from San Francisco State University and
completing her dietetic internship through Utah
State University. Through her years at WIC Jennifer
has counseled hundreds of families through early
childhood feeding, including picky eating. She was
drawn to the field of pediatric nutrition after learning
the profound affects of maternal health and
nutritional status on the life of the child. Jennifer
further learned the importance of encouraging
good eating for children in ways that build their
confidence and self-esteem.
In her TEDx talk, Jenn will discuss the unspoken
aspect of feeding children and will cover the
importance of the feeding relationship, modeling
and peer influence. She hopes to enlighten parents
and the community on the harms of the “clean plate
club” and compulsive snacking. Jennifer offers
information on raising healthy children through
what they eat and how they feel.
Joan Rosenberg
Best-selling author, consultant, media host and
master clinician, Dr. Rosenberg is a cutting-edge
psychologist known as an innovative thinker,
acclaimed speaker and trainer. As a TEDx speaker
and member of the Association of Transformational
Leaders, she has been recognized for her thought
leadership and influence in personal development.
A California-licensed psychologist, Dr. Rosenberg
speaks on how to build confidence, self-esteem,
core emotional strength and resilience; emotional,
conversational and relational mastery; neuroscience
and psychotherapy; and forgiveness.
Dr. Rosenberg has been featured in the critically
acclaimed documentaries I Am, The Miracle
Mindset, Pursuing Happiness, and The Hidden
Epidemic. She has been seen on CNN’s American
Morning, the OWN network and PBS, as well as
appearances and radio interviews in major
metropolitan media markets. She hosts The
MindStream Podcast, an influential and thought-provoking
iTunes podcast. Dr. Rosenberg is the
author of the #1 Amazon bestseller 'Ease Your
Anxiety' and of a forthcoming book describing
her 90 Seconds approach to emotional strength
and self-confidence.
John Blackwood
John Blackwood is an internationally known college
professor, writer and developer and is currently a
cybersecurity educator at the Umpqua Community
College. He holds an M.S in Computer Systems
from City University, B.A. from Indiana University,
A.E. in Software Engineering Technology from the
Oregon Institute of Technology, and an A.A.S. in
Accounting from the College of Lake County.
John also holds industry certifications in Microsoft
Server, Cisco Security, and Ethical Hacking, He is
the also author of his own book about disaster
preparation based on his family’s experience with
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and other events. John also
created a Microsoft Outlook email archiving program.
John Waller
John grew up in Dixonville and spent much of his
childhood roaming the creeks and hills of Douglas
County, oftentimes with a fishing pole. After
exploring careers of wild land firefighting, raft
guiding and as a high school science teacher,
John started Uncage the Soul Productions in 2004,
producing commercial and documentary videos.
Kemberly Farrell-Todd
Kem is completing her BA in Business Management
and is a 2013 Phi Theta Kappa UCC Graduate.
She works at UCC’s Small Business Development
Center, connecting business owners with services
and resources that help them to be successful.
When Kem was 15, she was entrusted with the
“Big Sister Award” from her church, recognizing
her friendly nature and desire to orchestrate fun.
Always ready to choreograph a dance routine, be
the lava monster, or go late-night rollerskating,
she calls herself an “Accomplished Auntie.”
A self-confirmed show off, Kem is also a Zumba and
Aqua Zumba instructor and is attempting to design
a new dance-walking workout. She likes travel,
hike, geocache, swim and make new friends and
conversation with people, which can embarrass
her children.
Larina Warnock
Larina grew from a teen mother and high school
dropout to a doctoral candidate at Creighton
University and a high school teacher. Her journey
has included violence, disability and the death
of her youngest son. A survivor of generational
poverty, she has spent much of her life studying
the causes of poverty and the tools used to break
the poverty cycle.
Leila Goulet
Leila is a Montreal-born zoologist with a bachelor’s
degree in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
and a bachelor of education degree specializing in
science. While she began as a high school science
teacher, she transitioned into zookeeping, and is
currently the director of education at Wildlife Safari.
She has traveled to Australia, New Zealand and
Thailand to garner more knowledge in her field and
has acquired more than 10 years of animal care
experience working directly with large carnivores,
elephants, ungulates, birds of prey, reptiles and
small mammals at various zoos across Canada
and the United States.
Leila’s goal is to promote wildlife education and
conservation, including initiating programs that
bring the public into close proximity with animals.
Her passion is working with animals and teaching
about the importance of wildlife and environmental
conservation
Marisa Fink
Marisa is the CEO/executive director of the YMCA
of Douglas County in Roseburg. She earned her
master’s and doctorate degrees in Adult, Higher
and Community Education from Ball State
University, Indiana, where she served on the
Communication Studies faculty for four years.
In 2006 she published her research on emergent
interaction in A Descriptive Study of Letterboxing
in North America.
Pamela Warren
A math and logic teacher at Geneva academy, Paula received her degree in mathematics in 2012. Having taught math at several levels, she observed a common thread woven between the student of all ages and abilities -- namely, that non of the pupils understood the purpose of learning math. So she set out to uncover the ruins of historically classical math, looking to the past to rediscover why this discipline was so highly prize (hint: it wasn't because it would be useful for a job.)
Paula Marie Usrey
Paula is an associate professor of communication
and has taught at Umpqua Community College for
thirteen years. She is passionate about helping
empower others so they can live life to the fullest.
Ryan Melton, Ph. D.
Dr. Melton is the clinical director of the EASA
Center for Excellence at Portland State University’s
Regional Research Institute and an assistant
professor of Clinical Mental Health at Northwest
Christian University.
In addition to his academic work, he provides
clinical consultation to early intervention with
mental illness programs nationwide. Dr. Melton has
published multiple papers and textbook chapters
and has presented at multiple conferences.
His research focuses on the impact of interventions
with individuals experiencing early schizophrenia,
engagement strategies, reducing duration of
untreated illness, and feedback informed treatment.
Dr. Melton also has a private practice in which he
supervises mental health clinicians for licensure
and provides training on diagnosis and evidenced
based mental health practices. He is a strong
advocate for the health care needs for individuals
with mental illness.
Seth Buechley
Seth Buechley is a serial-entrepreneur and business
founder. In his recent book “Ambition: Leading with
Gratitude,” Buechley tackles the plaguing question
of why ambitious people struggle to find satisfaction
and reveals the critical role of gratitude in making
the shift to lasting leadership impact. He pulls no
punches in identifying the painful lessons learned
on his journey and identifies, with great clarity,
some common pitfalls driven people face.
An experienced keynote speaker and emcee, Seth
is a member of Young President Organization (YPO)
and the President of Legacy, LLC, his platform for
writing, speaking, and coaching the next generation
of leaders. Along the way, Buechley has developed
into a seasoned entrepreneur, accomplished speaker,
and coach for the next generation of leaders.