Theme: Keys to the Future

Bryant University will hold its second annual TEDx event this upcoming February 23rd, 2019 from 11:00 A.M -3:00 P.M. This year’s event theme is Keys to the Future, and will showcase a variety of talks and performances from students, faculty, alumni, and other community members. Be sure not to miss out on this on inspiring and educational event, as we discuss the ideas that will lead us to a better and brighter future.

Janikies Theater
1150 Douglas Pike
Smithfield, Rhode Island, 02917
United States

AJ Collette

Alum

AJ is an alum of the Bryant MBA program and currently works as a Technology Director at Citizens Bank. In his free time, he enjoys freelance photography, reading, and considers himself an aspiring writer. A.J has been inspired by his son Joshua and now finds himself on a journey of hope. By sharing his story (with the help of a symbolic star), he seeks to discover the unique life experiences of others.

Amy Solov

Student

Amy is a senior at Bryant University majoring in Communication and minoring in Marketing and Professional/ Creative Writing. She is currently exploring her love for writing through her capstone thesis, where she hopes to finish a full length novel before graduation. During her time at Bryant Amy has shown leadership through being an IDEA mentor, being a member of the Dean’s Advisory council for the College of Arts and Sciences, and being a Master Writing Consultant at the Writing Center at ACE.

Artvine Torossian

Alum

Artvine is a Bryant Alumni from the class of ’97. Since the beginning of her college career, she has focused on combining arts and sciences through all of her endeavors. She graduated from Bryant with a major in Finance and a minor in International Studies, pulling form her international background to find her passions. She started her career in banking where she developed and moved forward through the industry. Artvine eventually initiated a startup called KarakaLEAD, which aims to achieve and combine both Finance/Business and Humanities/Connections.

Connor Evans

Student

Connor is a current Senior at Bryant University majoring in Communication with a concentration in Literary and Cultural Studies. In his free time Connor enjoys acting, singing, and playing intramural sports. He also devotes much of his time to philosophical pursuits and discussions of metaphysics. In the future, Connor hopes to become a professor of Philosophy or Critical Theory.

Craig Stevens

Alum

Craig is the current Head of Finance for US Life and Health Reinsurance. He is an alum of Bryant, graduating with a BS in Accounting. He then continued his education to receive an MBA from the Columbia Business School in NY as well as the London Business School in the UK. Throughout his career Craig has had a wide range of international experience from working in Hong Kong to Latin America, and the US. Craig has also climbed to the Mt. Everest bas camp at 17,600 ft.

Jacob Lewtan

Alum

Jacob Lewtan graduated with a Master’s of Professional Accountancy from Bryant University in 2018. Through the duration of his Master’s program, he grew an interest in how to ensure the integrity of financial data. Working with Dr. Saeed Roohani, Jacob authored a research paper detailing how blockchain and smart contracts could be used to improve financial reporting. He has presented research the Hawaii Accounting Research Conference and the American Accounting Association Joint-Midyear Conference for Accounting Information Systems and Strategic and Emerging Technologies. Currently, his paper is under review for publication in the American Accounting Association Journal of Emerging Technologies. During Jacob’s undergraduate studies at Bryant he was a member of the Student Government and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization

Justin Pasquariello

Executive Director

Justin is the Executive Director of the East Boston Social Centers, a 100-year-old multi-service organization that impacts nearly 600 diverse individuals of all ages on a typical day. The organization provides programs for everything from ESOL to dance classes to narcotics anonymous meetings. In addition, Justin serves on the board of Silver Lining Mentoring, an organization he founded that empowers foster youth to flourish through committed mentoring relationships and life skills. Besides his work Justin enjoys spending time with his wife Vanessa and two kids, Rocco and Skye.

Kyle Oliveira

Student

Kyle is a current student at Bryant and is pursuing a degree in Finance with concentrations in Economics and Applied Analytics. In his time outside of academics, Kyle has started his own eco-friendly clothing company called Luxury Leaf. His goal in starting the company was to educate people about hemp superiority versus contemporary fabrics used in clothing.

Rick Gorvett

Professor

Rick is currently a Professor and Chair of the Mathematics Department at Bryant University. He started his journey in academia at the University of Chicago where he received his Bachelors in mathematics and subsequently his MBA in statics and econometrics. After this he obtained his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to his start at Bryant just this past September, Rick was a professor and the director of the Actuarial Science program at his alma matter, the University of Illinois. Besides his experience in academia Rick had been a corporate and consulting actuary, holding the role of Senior VP of a large insurer

Robert Cocchiola

Alum

Rob is a recent Bryant grad from the class of 2018. During his time at Bryant, Rob major in Communication and double-minored in Business Administration and Film Studies. He also became quite involved in a number of organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island, Men’s Rugby, and was the photographer/videographer for the Bryant Club Hockey Team. Since his first post-grade job as an email marketer, Rob decided that life was not for him and quit his job to become a prep cook at the Little Donkey in Boston, MA; chasing his life-long dream of opening his own restaurant.