Theme: Shifting Paradigms

The inaugural TEDx Event of North Park University

Anderson Chapel
3225 West Foster Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60625
United States

AJ Acierno

Dr. Alan J. Acierno is the CEO of DecisionOne Dental Partners, headquartered in Schaumburg, IL. After receiving his DDS from Creighton University, he practiced dentistry in both corporate and private environments, where he discovered the benefits and challenges of each practice. Compelled with a vision to make a difference in the way dentistry is practiced, Dr. AJ and his brother and fellow dentist, Dr. Michael Acierno, founded DecisionOne Dental Partners in 2011.

Amy Williams

Amy “Hope Dealer” Williams, a 22-year youth ministry veteran and certified Gang Intervention Specialist, follows her passion to minister to teens involved in gangs, and those lost in the criminal justice system. Amy is a deeply engaged advocate in the national movements Ending Mass Incarceration and Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline. Amy is a task force member for the National Institute for Juvenile Justice Ministries, a steering committee member for the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) Mass Incarceration Task Force, and an advisory board member for North Park University Center for Youth Ministries Studies (CYMS). Amy teaches and trains churches, ministries, and youth across the country including Youth Specialties, CCDA, Urban Youth Workers Institute, and DeVos Urban Leadership. She’s changing the hood one kid at a time!

Ashley Allen

Ashley Paige Allen is the Director of Postsecondary Programs at Horizons for Youth, an educational nonprofit that provides Chicagoland students academic and cultural enrichment, one-on-one mentorship, and social- emotional support. Prior to joining Horizons for Youth, Ashley developed S.T.E.M. education and workforce development programs within the biotech industry and worked as a food scientist for a market research company. Ashley has been a community organizer with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless for 9 years and shares her personal story of battling homelessness to educate the community and bring awareness to the issue. She holds a B.S. in Food Science from Florida A&M University, an M.P.A. from Governors State University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Cultural and Educational Policy at Loyola University Chicago.

Azat Toroev

Azat Toroev is an exchange student at North Park University from the Kyrgyz Republic. As a disabled person, Azat is an advocate of persons with disabilities, especially those in his homeland of Kyrgyzstan. He is the founder of Disabilities Do Not Limit Possibilities, Future Leaders in the Making, a program for the empowerment of female high school students, Social School for Orphans in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, and co-founder of a volunteers collective V Club in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In addition to his activist work, Azat is a freelance writer and has been working in Central Asia and Eastern European industries for 3 years. His work can be seen in GQ Russia, among other publications. As a writer, Azat hopes to bring awareness to disability rights issues and give a voice to those who have been marginalized by society.

Daniel White Hodge

With 23 years of youth work experience, Daniel White Hodge, PhD, is a recognized urban youth culture expert & cultural literacy scholar. Dr. Hodge is the Director of the Center for Youth Ministry Studies and Associate Professor of Youth Ministry at North Park University in Chicago. His research interests are the intersections of faith, Hip Hop culture, race/ethnicity, and young adult ethnic-minority emerging generations. Dr. Hodge is the author of three books including Hip Hop’s Hostile Gospel: A Post Soul Theological Exploration (Brill Academic 2017) and is currently working on a co-authored book titled Between God & Kanye: Youth Ministry in a Post-Civil Rights Era (IVP Academic, late 2017).

Dominique Jordan Turner

Dominique is the President & CEO of Chicago Scholars. Chicago Scholars provides Chicago’s young leaders with the support they need to achieve their dreams: mentorship, college admissions support, and access to summer internships and career programming. CSF reaches out to academically talented, under served, and first- generation high school students from Chicago neighborhoods communities and nurture their talent through an innovative five-year program lasting from the senior year of high school through the senior year of college. CSF’s academically ambitious Scholars are not only investing in their own career growth and success, but also ensuring that Chicago remains competitive in the global economy for years to come.

Eric Brown

Dr. Eric Michael Bratsolias Brown is an Associate Professor of Biology at North Park University. Dr. Brown’s research is entirely driven by undergraduate and high school students and focuses on the development of biologically and chemically-modified nanoparticles for use in three different applications of nanomedicine: cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, sequence-specific gene targeting, and medical surface sterilization technology. He is experienced in mentoring undergraduate and high school students in long-term, student-centered research projects that lead to publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals (research as a manner of teaching the scientific method). Dr. Brown received his PhD from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in nanomedicine, cellular biology, and molecular biology.

Halleemah Nash

A proud product of Compton, California – a city that has greatly shaped her ambition, values, and interest in reaching back as she climbs. She is a first generation college graduate who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Howard University, and a Master of Divinity and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. Halleemah is the Executive Director of the iMentor Chicago Office. She enters this role with a diverse background as a demonstrated executive in nonprofit management and developing signature community based outreach programs and fundraising strategies for sports entities, faith based organizations, government agencies, and individuals.

Mark Gavoor

Mark Gavoor has over 35 years of experience working in the automotive and consumer products industries. He has an expertise in bringing process analysis & improvement skills to organizations tailored to best fit their cultures. Currently, as an Associate Professor of Operations Management in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University, Professor Gavoor teaches operation management & associated analytic courses both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Beyond his consulting and academic work, Professor Gavoor is a speaker, writer, published poet, and musician. Professor Gavoor has degrees in mathematics, industrial engineering, and statistics from both the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

Melanie Lofgren

Melanie J. Lofgren is an undergraduate student at North Park University studying psychology. She is passionate about social justice as is co-president of both the Faith & Justice and Queers & Allies clubs on campus. After experiencing marginalization for her own sexual identity, she began to research microaggression, and in particular LGBTQ microaggressions. She is now conducting her own research on this topic and hopes to bring awareness to the impact microaggression can have.

Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom

Growing up in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom’s was drawn to North Park. As Professor of Theology & Ethics, in her classes, students learn how to read, analyze, interpret, and apply a variety of theological and biblical texts to ministry. Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom is a passionate advocate for people and groups who are marginalized in society and in the church. Her interests include virtue ethics, Christology, children, women’s participation, and education for persons who are incarcerated. She currently teaches one course a semester at Stateville Correctional Center.

Nestor Gomez

Nestor “The Boss” Gomez was born in Guatemala and moved to Chicago in the mid 80’s. As a way to get over the stuttering that plagued his childhood, he told his first story at a Chicago Moth Slam. Surprisingly, he won the slam that night and has not stopped sharing stories ever since. He currently holds the record for the most Chicago Moth slam wins and has won several slams in Milwaukee and Madison. However, if you ask him, he’ll tell you that his greatest achievement are his two kids, making his mother & family proud, and winning the heart of his fiancé “sweet Mel”. Nestor has produced his own solo show which he performed at the Fillet of Solo storytelling festival and is currently working on a new solo show, a collection of poetry and his first novel.

Nilwona Nowlin

Nilwona Nowlin is a redemptive artist, someone who believes in the power of the arts to bring about positive transformation in individuals and communities. In addition to the arts, her passions include leadership and intercultural development, racial/inter-ethnic reconciliation, and helping others discover & pursue their purpose. A native of Chicago’s Roseland community, she is a defiant dreamer and a proud introvert and polymath. Nilwona is a member of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and is on the ministerial leadership team of Kingdom Covenant Church Chicago. She has an MA in Christian Formation and a certificate in Justice Ministry from North Park Theological Seminary and a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management.

Pam Schilling

Associate Professor at North Park University's School of Business and Nonprofit Management

Peter St. Jean

Dr. St. Jean is Associate Professor, Chair, and Director of Criminal Justice within the Department of Sociology, and Chair of Criminal Justice Major in the School of Professional Studies, at North Park University. He is a faculty senator, and serves on several committees including Catalyst 606 and Urban Studies Major. He is a native of the Caribbean island of Dominica, and a US Army veteran. In 2010, Dr. St. Jean founded the Peaceful World Movement, an international nonprofit organization headquartered on Chicago’ south side, and whose mission is to develop a peace industry as a sustainable antidote to crime, violence, and delinquency. He says the foundation of that work is spiritual, based in the idea that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. “Good spirituality is not defined by how well you speak, but how well you do it,” he says. His students participate in Chicago’s neighborhoods to examine not only the social problems occurring, but also what he refers to as the social promise, or possibilities for positive change and peace. He is also the founder of a newly developing epistemology in the social sciences, entitled peaceology. Dr. St. Jean defines peaceology as the scientific study and application of peace and peacefulness in multiple context, with the belief that a major solution to violence and trouble, is to make peace profitable. Dr. St. Jean formerly taught for seven years at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He’s a member of the American Sociological Association, Illinois Sociological Association and Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Dr. St. Jean is the faculty founder of North Park’s student Criminal Justice Club, funding director of the Dominica Association of Chicagoland, and funding director of the Urban Peace Lab.

Robby Celestin

As a professional singer/songwriter, Robby Celestin is no stranger to the stage. Known for his energy and on- stage charisma, Robby has performed at thousands of venues including the White House, Chicago Theatre, Star Plaza Theatre and Staples Center in LA. He has also entertained in Rome, Canada, Mexico, Tahiti, and for a USO tour in Kosovo and Bosnia. He was an on-air radio personality for WLUP’s Danny Bonaduce Show in Chicago and worked as a head of DePaul University’s in-house production team before starting his own production company. As a songwriter, Robby’s second solo CD Voiceprints earned critical acclaim. He currently performs nearly 200 shows a year and hosts the entertainment podcast A Chatter of Fact.

Sarah Marshall

Sarah Marshall is the CEO of North Side Community Federal Credit Union, a 43 year old community development financial institution in Chicago. She is a leader and visionary, and serves on various committees and boards that promote economic equity, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Credit Union Advisory Committee. She is monthly contributor to CUInsight, a credit union industry forum as well as a frequent speaker at industry conferences. Under her leadership, the credit union has successfully outperformed peer averages and launched products and services designed to promote financial inclusion. Sarah has been an adjunct instructor at North Park University since August of 2016, teaching undergraduate business courses on leadership and management.

Seanna Wong

Seanna Wong, originally from Miami, is currently an undergraduate student at North Park University. Dubbing herself as an ethnographic storyteller, Seanna hopes to highlight the importance of stories concerning the oftentimes marginalized. Currently studying theatre performance & communication, she is looking forward to a graduate future.

Soong-Chan Rah

Dr. Soong-Chan Rah enjoys helping students find answers to difficult questions. For Dr. Rah, engaging in urban ministry is a passion. “The urban environment is complex, constantly changing, and always challenging.” Dr. Rah sees North Park’s location as an important piece of what the Seminary provides. “Chicago is part of the classroom we’re offering. As an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Dr. Rah has seen firsthand the denomination’s significant growth in urban areas, and an increasing need for intercultural ministry. He was the founding senior pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church, Cambridge, Mass., a multi- ethnic, urban ministry-focused church committed to living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context.

Timothy Lowly

Timothy Lowly is the Assistant Professor of Art and Gallery Director at North Park University. “While the community of students is always unique, there is a persistent tendency towards a seriousness of faith and a desire to grow as artists,” he says. In addition to teaching, Tim is the University’s artist-in-residence, and, during the 2012–2013 academic year, he chose to bring this practice to a gallery space in North Park’s Brandel Library as he worked publicly on a painting titled Bower. Tim has worked as a professional artist for more than three decades. His work has been featured around the world and is greatly influenced by his disabled daughter, Temma, who was born in 1985.

Trevor James

Dr. James has an extensive background in higher and adult education, as well as marketing, management, and HR experience in both the nonprofit and public sectors. Currently, Dr. James oversees the business administration as well as organizational management and leadership major in North Park’s School of Professional Studies. Dr. James received master’s degrees in business administration and theological studies from North Park, along with academic certificates in human resources and marketing. In September 2016, he successfully obtained his doctorate degree in leadership for the advancement of learning and service in higher education at Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WI.