Theme: Seeds of Innovation

This year’s theme “Seeds of Innovation” will offer innovative technology, ideas, and/or projects that can help us better serve the world we live in. Oprah Winfrey once said, “whatever our dreams, ideas or projects, we plant a seed, nurture it and then reap the fruits of our labor.” These innovations will offer fresh perspectives on what “seeds of innovation” means to different members of our community pertaining to their personal life, professional life, or a time of adversity in their life that has made them into the accomplished individual they are today.

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

Adam Alpert

Co-founder of Pangea.app

Adam is the co-founder of Pangea.app, a VC-Backed startup based in Rhode Island that connects companies with students from more than 1,500 different schools for remote work. Pangea.app was selected as a Top Startup in MassChallenge RI in 2019 and recently graduated from Y Combinator. They’ve raised $3mm to date. He was named one of the 25u25 in Rhode Island in 2018, and has been featured in Inc., Forbes, Techcrunch, and the Boston Globe. He graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in History.

Alexandra Meise

Bryant University Class of 2022

Alexandra Meise is a senior team and project management student at Bryant University who loves to create. Her years of experience in the arts as a painter, actress, and writer have given her an alternative approach to the business practices taught in school. She firmly believes that the arts are a physical representation of curiosity in the unknown and proof of individual power in everyone. Currently, Alexandra is involved in a wide variety of academic and social clubs, including Bryant Players, Bryant Sales Team, Student Programming Board, and Yoga Club, where she can exercise her ability to create.

Brooke Tomasetti

Personal Finance Consultant and Owner at Money Life

Brooke Tomasetti is a Bryant University Alumni who is passionate about the fact that anyone can pursue their wildest dreams by mastering personal finance. Brooke started Money Life Mentor to help other freedom chasers use money as a tool for creating their dream lives by getting organized with their money and making the most of their income every month. Currently, Brooke works as head Personal Finance Consultant and CEO of Money Life Mentor and is the Director of Financial Education and Community at Carbon Collective. Brooke has been traveling around the world while working remotely for over six years. Her focus is on building a location-independent business and career that she never wants to retire from.

Christopher Ratcliffe

Healthcare Entrepreneur

Chris Ratcliffe is the co-founder of Triple M Productions, a marketing firm founded in 2002. He has extensive experience in the radio industry, including years as a national and local advertising sales manager. Chris also served as the Vice President of MGP Media, a unit of Merv Griffin Productions. He is currently leading an initiative to teach entrepreneurship skills to inmates at the RI Department of Corrections in an effort to reduce the rate of recidivism. He teaches at Bryant University and the Community College of Rhode Island, as well as teaching sales and marketing for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

Daniel Vaquerano

Established sales mgr. growing top-ranked offices for T-Mobile/Sunrun

Daniel Vaquerano is a Creator, Communicator and a Coach. Seasoned as a people leader for sales and operations in various industries, Daniel finds the most fulfillment in helping empower others to find their potential. Professionally, he strives to inspire and create a massive impact in the teams he works with. Personally, he has worked with with charities and non-profit youth organizations to give back to the communities in Greater Boston. He has two children, Jasmine and Daniel Jr. and is married to his loving wife Melissa. Besides leading sales teams, Daniel is the Co-Founder of EPIC ME Growth which a coaching & personal development platform set to launch in mid 2022. The goal is two help improve the lives of people across the globe who are seeking personal development resources of all types.

Dustin Cabral

Principal Consultant at Cleartelligence, Inc.

Dustin Cabral is a data analytics consultant at Cleartelligence who specializes in bringing information to life through data visualization and a Bryant University Alumni. He has broad experience building analytics communities in many industries including retail, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and more. His belief is that data visualization can provide clarity, insight, and value to any industry, role, or profession and it's his mission to deliver on that promise. That’s why he has also dedicated his time teaching 14,000+ eLearning students how to leverage data visualization tools like Tableau in their work lives.

Emily Grossman

Bryant University Class of 2023

Emily Grossman is currently a Bryant University student majoring in Marketing and Team & Project Management, with a minor in Communications. At the age of 20, she started her own Limited Liability Company, in which her mission is to promote campus inclusivity through fashionable styles at affordable prices. Since starting her own company, she became the first student on her campus to open up her very own Pop-Up Shop at athletic games. When asked how to describe herself in one sentence, she states, “I am a pioneering woman encapsulating strong ambitions with an enthusiastic goal-oriented mindset.” There is no limit to where her small business journey will take her, as she constantly expands her ideas into realities through custom graphics and new products featured within her company. She notes not to neglect your personal brand when building your business persona.

Nicole Craig

Bryant University Class of 2022

Nicole Craig is a senior international business major at Bryant University with concentrations in global supply chain management and Spanish. Her identity as a first-generation college student led to the foundation of Rhode Island’s first chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha): A National Honor Society for First-Generation College Students on Bryant University’s campus. She aims to spread awareness for this student population and inspire others to find their “first.”