Keynote Speakers 2018

Mr. Gifford joined U.S. Bancorp in 2008, and directs all of the company’s accounting and
reporting activities, including SEC and regulatory reporting, tax, operational accounting and
balancing. Mr. Gifford also oversees the company’s acquired business integration activities,
resolution planning and corporate insurance risk management.

Growing up in Chicago, like so many others, Curtis found it easy to drift into a life of violence and crime. Curtis made his way to the very top, and quickly became one of Chicago’s most recognizable and notorious gang members. His drug dealing created untold misery and suffering within the community, while earning him over $150,000 per month.

A special task force was put together for the sole purpose of bringing him and his associates down. Curtis’ life of crime came to an abrupt halt when he witnessed the cold-blooded murder of his best friend, who was face planted off the porch of his Southside Chicago home. With his own death staring him in the face, Curtis came to the sudden realization that if he wanted to survive, he’d have to change his life around.

What follows is an inspirational account of how he managed to become an educator/administrator and earn himself two degrees, a Master’s of Arts in Teaching and an Educational Specialist in Administration and Supervision. Curtis brings all of this experience and passion to make sure that every single student who attends his program will never be the same. 

Greg E. Hill is entrepreneur, author, podcast host and professional speaker from Durham, North Carolina. He attended Riverside High School where he played basketball & eventually started his first business making $100 a day selling sodas.

He started his career in corporate finance working for three fortune 500 companies and in 2014 he wrote he wrote his first book titled, “Remember You’re a Genius.”

He currently serves as the host of The Minority Trailblazer Podcast which has been downloaded over 500,000 times and listened to in over 200 different countries. Last fall he took the podcast tour on the road and visited nine different cities across the United States impacting hundreds of entrepreneurs, students and change agents. 

He has given more than 200 presentations to over 25,000 people and has spoken at Harvard University, The Innovation Lab, his alma mater North Carolina A&T State University and many other universities and organizations brandishing the message of genius and authenticity. 

Ms. Stark joined U.S. Bancorp in 2008 and is responsible for overseeing the company’s corporate accounting, financial reporting, and operational accounting and balancing activities. Ms. Stark is also actively engaged in providing direction for the data management and internal control processes for the company.

Prior to joining U.S. Bancorp, Ms. Stark was a Principal with LarsonAllen LLP (now CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) serving financial institutions and is a 1998 graduate of the St. Cloud State University Herberger Business School.

Esera Tuaolo played in the NFL for ten consecutive seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons (1998 Super Bowl contender team) and the Carolina Panthers. He was the first rookie in Packer history to start all 16 games and was a member of the 1991 all-rookie team. In college he was the winner of the Morris Trophy given to the best defensive player in the Pac-10. He was a member of the all-Pac-10 team in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

In 2003, Esera publicly “came out” as gay. Tuaolo had always felt forced to hide his sexuality as a gay man in the hyper-masculine culture of professional football. The secret crippled him, leading him to drink excessively and even contemplate suicide. It also hindered his football performance; he felt that if he were too good a player he would be exposed as a homosexual. He led a double life that deeply depressed him, but which he now looks back on with a new perspective. During this difficult time, he persevered by following his mother’s example and maintaining a strong sense of faith.

After retiring from professional football Tuaolo became fed up with pretending to “be straight.” He publicly announced his sexuality on HBO Real Sports, an experience he describes as “taking off a costume I’ve been wearing all my life.” One of only three former NFL players to ever “come out,” he has received huge amounts of support from old teammates, the media, friends and family.

An interactive program on racism, sexism, and LGBTQ issues especially for college students. Presented by GTC Dramatic Dialogues, You. Me. We. begins with a monologue that exposes the often-unintentional ugliness of prejudice, setting the stage for a lively discussion of diversity. Then in two scenes, we follow students as they attempt to navigate the sometimes-difficult terrain of multicultural campus relationships.

During talk-backs, students can confront the characters and voice their own opinions on issues of race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender. You. Me. We. is a 90-minute program that gets college students talking about diversity.