Our second annual Storytelling Inspire Speakers Series is coming up soon, on February 9. We shared a sneak peek of some of our speakers earlier, and are excited to release more of our lineup now. These local presenters are creating places that help our communities thrive, make us healthy and vibrant, and are designed for everyone. Read about them below.
Laura Nettleton has more than 30 years of experience in development, sustainable design, and community engagement. She has been on the cutting edge of affordable housing and low-energy design solutions for the past two decades. Laura is dedicated to the idea that sustainability should be simple, elegant, affordable, and available to everyone. She is actively involved in green initiatives in Pittsburgh, and in spreading the word about Passive House: she founded and developed the PHWPA (Passive House of Western Pennsylvania) and served as its first president. Her current projects include the new Carrick branch of the Carnegie Library, Morningside Crossing- affordable housing for seniors with a community center, and The Maker’s Clubhouse a childhood learning center designed to ignite enthusiasm for learning for elementary school children in Homewood.
Laura finds comfort in the idea that cultures can radically change: she first worked in an architectural office where she was the only non-smoker, and she graduated from Johns Hopkins’ second class to admit women. In the built environment, she initiates drastic transformation.
The following tells you all you need to know about Chuck Herring:
* Parents love him because he always wins debates with children
* Football players want to be him, so they can play “FANTASY CHUCK HERRING”
* Dr. Phil asks him for advice.
* One group of students said, “He is so amazing that he slept through our class and still received a standing ovation!”
* HE’S THE MOST INTERESTING TEACHER IN THE WORLD!!!!
On a more serious note, Chuck is unique in that he has a gift of making the complicated seem simple when people find the obvious has become invisible to them. A nationally acclaimed educator, author, entrepreneur, and speaker, Chuck has a myriad of experiences from which to draw lessons that can be easily chunked into “mentally” digestible pieces that audience members can immediately utilize in their lives. Currently, Chuck is the Kindergarten – 5th Grade Enrichment Teacher in the South Fayette School District. Additionally, he serves as a Board Member of PAEYC (The Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children), and he expects to complete his doctoral studies in April 2017. Finally, through the hectic pace of his life, he also finds time to be a Christine’s husband and Vanessa, Ashley and Imani’s dad.
Dave Moore serves as Executive Director of Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, a K-8 school in Wilkinsburg that he’d love to tell you all about. He previously served as a church pastor in Pittsburgh, Maine, and Indiana, and holds a BA in History and an MDiv with a concentration in Biblical Languages. His research emphases and experience have been in building organizational health and effectiveness, managing personal and organizational conflict, and wiffle ball.
Héctor Sáez works in community development, environmental issues, and economic policy. Currently, he is a professor of Community Economic Development at Chatham University. He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and his B.A. in economics from the University of Puerto Rico. Héctor taught community development, applied economics, and environmental issues at the University of Vermont, and worked as the BioAg Specialist at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University. He also led Beyond Growth, a consulting group that specialized in economic development and environmental issues. Héctor is a volunteer staff economist for the Center for Popular Economics in Amherst, MA, and a director on the board of Water for Humans in Seattle. He hikes everywhere he can.
Join us on February 9 to hear from these storytellers and more!