Speakers
Shannon Gray, Director of Research, North Star
Shannon was born with an insatiable curiosity about people and what drives them to do the things they do. When she discovered anthropology, the study of human behavior, she never looked back. Shannon received her BA in Cultural Anthropology from Eckerd College and the dual degree of an MA in Anthropology and an MBA with emphasis on marketing and market research from the University of Colorado at Boulder–Leeds School of Business. These days Shannon is a consumer anthropologist and ethnographer for North Star, which means instead of digging up bones or studying tribal ritual she studies the humans in our current society: their choices and decisions, traits, motivations, relationships, needs, joys, experiences and day-to-day lives.
Shannon’s demand as a public speaker is a direct result of everyone else’s insatiable curiosity about people and what drives them to do the things they do! Her speaking star is certainly rising; in the last few months Shannon has spoken at the Travel and Tourism Research Association, the Nebraska Travel Conference; the Ohio Association of CVBs; the Georgia Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Visit South Bend National Tourism Week Luncheon and WNIT Northern Indiana’s cable show on economic outlooks. She consistently receives accolades not only for her expertise but for her ability to translate all intimidating research subject matter into presentations that are as interesting as they are helpful.
John Kennedy, John Kennedy Consulting
For well over a decade, John Kennedy has inspired over 100,000 audience members throughout North America, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean.
John's success was galvanized in the hospitality & tourism industry as a restaurant & hotel executive with a strong sense of teamwork, sales and leadership. He learned from the best and now speaks to many who want to be their best. "Bringing out the best in others is the most rewarding aspect of my life, right behind being a dad."
John's topics include: "Creating World-Class Teams," "Total Leadership Development" (from his book Management That Cooks!), "Non-Stop Customer Awareness" (from his book Fantastic Customer Service…Inside and Out!), and "Building The Optimal Workplace Culture" — a highly sought after consulting program.
John's success list includes: Marriott Hotels, General Electric, Elizabeth Arden, Canada Bread, Air Care Bermuda, Taco Bell, Exxon Mobil, Strathfield Austraila, Baltimore Ravens, Precision Tune as well as over 50 associations and government agencies worldwide. John is often invited back after his first engagement, due to the invaluable insight and immediate impact he brings.
John's greatest offering to his clients is his total immersion into their culture, issues and interests. He then creates a program targeted directly to the audience.
Session:
Wednesday March 14, 2012
(8:30 - 9:30 AM)
Riding the Blue Train
Whittenberger Auditorium
Jill Bolte Taylor, whose inspirational story of recovery from stroke is recounted in the best-selling book My Stroke of Insight, will deliver the keynote address at the opening Conference session on Tuesday, Mar. 13, at 8:30 a.m. Taylor's presentation, "The Wonder of What We Are," will inspire tourism, lodging, and restaurant professionals as we strive to be leaders in our respective fields.
Taylor is a Harvard-educated and published neuroanatomist who chose the field to be able to help people like her brother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. On Dec. 10, 1996, Taylor came face-to-face with her chosen field when she experienced a severe left hemisphere brain hemorrhage. "In the course of four hours," Taylor said, "I watched my brain completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information." The rare form of stroke, known as an arterio-venous malformation (AVM), left her unable to walk, talk, read, or write, and wiped clean all memories of her life before the stroke. "I essentially became an infant in a woman's body."
In a presentation recorded for TED (a free website of "riveting talks by remarkable people"), Taylor recounts her story in detail, describing her loss of the ability to consider the past, future, and her place within it—in short, the ability to say, "I am…" Instead, she was left with only the right-brain ability to exist in the present moment, but unable to distinguish herself from the energy she perceived flowing from her surroundings. "In that moment, my brain chatter—my left-hemisphere brain chatter—went totally silent, just like someone took a remote control and pushed the mute button. Total silence." In the weeks after the stroke, as she struggled to come to terms with what she experienced, Taylor was inspired to recover.
The presentation, recorded Feb. 27, 2008, is the most-viewed ever on the TED site.
Over the next eight years, with her mother's help and her own resolve, Taylor rebuilt her memory and neural functions, relying on her brain's right hemisphere to compensate for and help repair the damaged left half. Taylor completely recovered her mental and physical capacities—and more—by seeking a new balance between left- and right-brain capabilities. Now Taylor seeks to help people maximize their quality of life by "tending the garden of our minds" to balance the particular aptitudes of the right brain with those of the left.
She recounted her story in her book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, which spent 17 weeks on The New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction Bestseller list. Since then, she has given numerous presentations and speeches, including an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Remarkably, Taylor doesn't consider her experience with stroke in a negative light but rather feels fortunate to have had the experience. She recalls her left brain telling her during the stroke, "This is so cool—how many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their own brains from the inside out?" Though her surgery and subsequent recovery were challenging, Taylor views her experience as worthwhile. She is now a passionate advocate not only for the ability of the brain to recover, but also for individuals' ability to choose, moment by moment, who and how they want to be in the world.
"I believe that the more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner-peace circuitry of our right hemisphere," Taylor said, "the more peace we will project into the world, and the more peaceful our planet will be. And I thought that was an idea worth spreading."
Dr. Taylor is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, a Bloomington resident and native Hoosier.
Howard Tietjen, Madden Media Senior Vice President of Research and Starategy
With 30 years of real-world experience and a passion for new challenges, Howard has helped Madden Media become true innovators in the travel and tourism industry. Since he joined the Madden team in 2000, Howard has utilized his wide range of interests to excel in many roles. He led the team that developed VacationFun.com, including the electronic fulfillment options that help Madden’s clients save thousands of dollars on fulfillment expenses every year. He was the primary architect of Madden’s demographic targeting systems, which allow for the most effective and efficient distribution of Madden’s newspaper insert programs. And, he led the team that launched the travel inserts in O, The Oprah Magazine.
Today, Howard and the Madden Media team have focused their efforts on the development of online marketing campaigns that are both effective and cost-efficient. Working together with industry leaders, Howard is helping to bring new ideas, new technology, and new partnerships together that allow Madden’s clients to get the most “bang for the buck” during these difficult economic times.
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