Keynote Speakers 2015

Executive Director of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee

Keynote Address: The New Social Protest: Education and Entrepreneurship today

Aldrete asks when you have 10,000 people reaching retirement age every day, who will fill that void? It's not just about filling the jobs, but about the opportunity for minorities in regard to business, entrepreneurship and education. This is the opportunity for Gen X, Gen Y and Millennials to take us into the next century while using our new tools: entrepreneurship and education.

Inspirational speaker, educator, business mentor, and author

Keynote Address: It’s Not Where I’ve Been or Where I Come From but Where I Am Going that Matters: Leadership for a Global Marketplace

Students from low income families often think “who am I to accomplish this or that?” Who are you not to? It does not matter where you come from; what matters is where you are going. Have you noticed how dramatically different the world is today compared to the world your parents inherited and worked in? An emerging global community is changing exponentially and requiring a new set of skills, which includes values, perspectives, and attitudes. Learn the seven key leadership principles to support our rapidly changing world and know where you’re going.

Poet, and author; playwright of Kung Fu Zombies vs Cannibals

Keynote Address: From Words to Practice: Artists as Progress Instigators

Vongsay will present a scene from her play Kung Fu Zombies vs Cannibals, set in a post-apocalyptic world fifteen years from now. The play tells of the far-reaching impacts of war. Historically, Laos is the most bombed country per capita. From 1964-1973, the US dropped 260 million cluster bombs on Laos, changing its landscape forever. To this day, unexploded ordnances live beneath the ground and when the bombies are struck by a farmer's shovel, they explode. Like the zombies in the play, these bombies reanimate decades after being buried, causing death, maiming children, hurting a country. Vongsay will talk about the power of telling our own narratives, histories, and how we can move forward confidently. In particular, she’ll address her own use of poetry and theater as catalysts for these important conversations and social interrogations.

Entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and author

Keynote Address: Get Up, Get Out and Get Something (Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Greatness)

Uncover three secrets to create a “can’t fail” mindset that will ensure that you graduate and achieve big results! Love will share how to break out of the status quo, “be-like everyone-else” mentality that stifles success; how to quickly identify people as mentors who will push you up or “tormentors” that will pull you down; how to find the “Motive” that fuels their motivation, which will keep you moving forward in the midst of adversity; how to overcome the #1 mistake most students and advisors make that stops their success immediately; and how to make intelligent choices about choosing.

Documentary film maker and educator

Keynote Address: The New Black: The Intersection of Race, LGBTQ Rights, and the Fight for Equality

Richen will be speaking about the intersection of the gay movement and the civil rights movement and why that is important for issues of diversity and inclusion today.

Founder of the American Indian Movement and activist

Keynote Address: Past, Present and Future: A History of American Indian from 1968 to Present

In the 45 years of its formal history, the American Indian Movement has given witness to a great many changes. We say formal history, because the movement existed for 500 years without a name.

Musician, songwriter, activist, and flutist

A Mohican Indian from northern Wisconsin, Bill Miller has long been one of the most admired figures in the Native American music arena and beyond. As an award-winning recording artist, performer, songwriter, activist, painter and world-class accomplished flute player, he's been a voice for the voiceless, a link between two great and clashing civilizations. Bill Miller has won five Nammys at the Native American Music Awards including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Song of the Year in 2000. Over the past four years, Miller has produced two incredible albums, received two Grammy Awards and led Wisconsin’s La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.