Michelle L. Rusk, Ph.D., knew she wanted to tell stories from an early age, making picture books, mostly about Raggedy Ann. The dream to write never died even through the suicide death of her younger sister, Denise, who had been a major part of Michelle’s creative childhood. The journey took Michelle to writing multiple books on suicide loss, a doctorate in family studies, and speaking and writing worldwide on the topic. However, she never lost sight of her creative side and today spends her time writing fiction and inspiring the world through color and patterns with her lifestyle brand, Chelle Summer.  She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband Greg and their two dogs, Lilly and Ash. Read more about Michelle and her inspirations at www.chellesummer.com.

BIOGRAPHY:  Sharyn Abbott provided training for entrepreneurs for more than 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a published author of 10 books. She is the founder of the Ultimate business University (UBU) and spent 8 years in the Fortune 500 arena in a sales position. She has owned three entrepreneurial companies and spent the better part of 23 years as an entrepreneur. 

Sharyn founded Youth Enterprise in 1977; was on the Board of Directors for American Diabetes Association and Easter Seals; and did fundraising for Rubicon Homes for abused children throughout the 90s. 

Sharyn created the idea for UBU after her adopted brother became terminally ill in 1998. She became his primary health care advocate and through the ten years of his care became aware of the number of children living on the streets because of the stories he told about being in foster care. UBU is designed to take children off of the streets and empower them to live the fulfilling life they deserve through unique educational and wellness programs.

Sharyn’s school is dedicated to Tony.  It will be based in Belize on several properties: one for the school campus, one for agriculture and one for livestock. Because the campus will have around 25,000 employees within seven years, there will be a new town created for the local employees next to the campus.

Four of her 10 books include: Neuro-Emotional Anti-Sabotage Technique, About Face --Traits Tell Tales,  J.O.B.S. Just Over Broke, and Mixing it Up! The Entrepreneur’s New Testament

Meghan E. Brooks is a Clinical Lecturer in Law, Associate Research Scholar in Law, and Robert M. Cover Clinical Teaching Fellow at Yale Law School. Previously, she was a Justice Catalyst Fellow in the Special Litigation Unit and Public Benefits Unit's Veterans Practice at New York Legal Assistance Group, where she handled veterans benefits appeals and worked to advance pro-veteran policy.

J.D., Yale Law School, 2019

A.B., Harvard College, 2014 

Website:  https://law.yale.edu/clinics/vlsc

Dan Eberhart, CEO of Canary, one of the largest privately-owned oilfield services companies in the United States. Served as a consultant to the energy industry in North America, Asia and Africa. Dan's commentaries have been published in CNN, The Hill, Real Clear Energy, and the Economist. Dan regularly appear on Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg and CNBC. Author of "The Switch" about America's path to energy dominance.

Marcus McCutcheon is a 2002 Watkins Award Honoree who played football and graduated from Stanford University.  He was recognized as one of the top high school defensive backs in the country. Coming from a family of athletes, brother played for USC and in the NFL and dad, Lawrence McCutcheon was a well known and respected retired NFL player.  Marcus worked through adversity to play several positions at Stanford.  After graduation, Marcus chose to pursue Law School and now is practicing law in California.    

Neil Farber is a retired academic internal medicine physician. He obtained his undergraduate degree Cum Laude in Biology at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster Pennsylvania, in 1972, and was Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to get his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1976. He then completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He practiced medicine for 40 years, teaching, researching and providing patient care in medical schools initially on the East Coast. For 12 years he was Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of California, San Diego, retiring at the end of April 2019. His academic interests are in education and teaching, especially in regards to patient-physician communication skills and medical ethics. He has received numerous awards, including Top Doctor of San Diego five times, and is a member of the FDA Non-Prescription Drug Advisory Committee. He has published over 60 research papers, and has recently published a book entitled, Recognizing and Utilizing Common Everyday Events to Enhance Your Life and Career.