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Speaker Bios
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Theresa Behenna
Australian born Theresa Behenna is an award winning speaker, internationally acclaimed pianist, recording artist, author and totally unrelated to Olivia Newton John. Describing herself as “young, fearless and a diva wannabe” Theresa left her native homeland to pursue a musical career that began on a cruise ship in the South Pacific and resulted in several years of touring the world on a piano bench. With her outgoing personality and musical mastery, Theresa’s success opened global doors from Tahiti to Tokyo, Singapore to Switzerland appearing in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. A business opportunity lured Theresa to Texas in 1982 where she quickly became one of Houston’s most renowned entertainers. Since then she has been in demand at special events throughout the United States and in 2006 her extraordinary career was highlighted when she was hired by Coca Cola to perform at the Winter Olympics in Torino.
A former bank clerk, waitress, secretary and TV talk show host, Theresa delivers uniquely entertaining keynotes combining Aussie humor and outstanding musical talent with a relevant customized message of universal appeal. Her energetic presentations have audiences laughing out loud, clapping along to live music and listening spellbound to personal stories as they gain hope for the future, encouragement to pursue their dreams and inspiration about exciting possibilities within changing times.
Theresa is one of a kind speaker that uses the piano as a tool to help people view Change as a great opportunity for higher levels of success. She shares life changing lessons from the piano bench that took her from playing in a honky tonk pub in Australia to performing at the Olympics. Morale is boosted and stress is eliminated as attendees experience first hand the astounding power of music that positively influences their mood and behavior. Minds are opened to provoke new thought in discovering how tough times can be the catalyst for success, the importance of everyday words vital to achieve goals, the benefits of moving through fear and beyond, the danger in resisting Change and the fundamental value of accepting diverse cultures.
Breaking through the barriers of generations, cultural diversity, social and economic status, the global language of Theresa’s music connects her instantly with a wide range of audiences from the CEO to the admin assistant. Her international experience inspires unity and her humorous speaking style captivates attention while she plays popular songs wrapped around key points promoting long term memory. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Matt Lauer, Princess Grace, Elton John, ‘James Bond’, President Bush Sr. and Andrea Bocelli are just some of the celebrities Theresa has encountered resulting in fascinating stories that enthrall audiences of all ages.
Clients like ExxonMobil write: “Music and humor significantly increased the impact of Theresa’s message and really delivered the results we were looking for at our meeting. Our employees said this was the best program they’ve heard in 20 years! She made my task as meeting planner an easy one with her professional attention to detail, customized content, unique speaking style and positive attitude.
Theresa is a professional member of the National Speakers Association where she won the John Wolfe Award for speaking excellence by her peers in 2007. She is a founding member of the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce and former President of the Piano Entertainers Guild. Her best selling piano CD “Songs for Friends” was recorded in 2001 with her second album soon to be released. She is a contributing author to the anthology "Rekindling the Human Spirit" (Liberty Publishing 2003) and writes a monthly newsletter for local music fans. Theresa resides in Houston where she has yet to sound like a native Texan.
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Jan Coates
At five feet, two inches, Jan Coates delivers a message like she’s eight feet tall. A been-there-done-that kind of gal, Jan connects with audiences from all walks of life.With more than 20 years proven platform experience, Jan’s exceptional presentation skills make her messages the inspired choice for conferences, retreats, seminars, and meetings. Her powerful, passionate presentations—blended with real-life solutions, street-smart insights, humor, and contagious enthusiasm—truly captivate participants.
Jan Coates Consulting www.jancoatesconsulting.com (formerly Creative Consulting/Marketing Solutions), founded in 1991, provides:
Jan’s firm has provided custom-designed presentations and sales/marketing consulting services for hundreds of organizations, including colleges and universities, corporations, non-profit organizations, and associations. She is known for helping organizations maximize their “return on individual” by equipping employees with the skills, motivation, and professionalism to become a sustainable competitive advantage.
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Barbara Fields
Barbara Fields has been a member of the Tomball Charter Chapter for almost 9 years. During that time she has served two terms as President, two terms as Recording Secretary, five terms as Publications Chair, two terms as Business Associate Event Co-Chair, Education Chair, Fundraising Director Elect, and 2005 District II Spring Conference Vice General Chair, as well as serving on numerous committees throughout the years. As Publications Chair for the Tomball Charter Chapter, Barbara has received two Spring Conference Newsletter Awards and a National Newsletter Award.
Barbara was voted Tomball Charter Chapter’s Woman of the Year in 2003, Top Ten Candidate in 2004, and the Federation of Houston Professional Women’s Woman of Excellence in 2005. She has served the Houston Area Council as Secretary, Woman of the Year Luncheon Co-Chair, Publications Chair, and delegate. As Publications Chair for the Council she has received a National Newsletter Award. She has also served as the delegate for the Federation of Houston Professional Women.
Barbara is a member of The Yellow Rose of Texas Republican Women’s Organization in Tomball and publishes their newsletter. She has served on the board for The Regional Arts Council in Tomball and held the positions of Chairman of the Board, Secretary, board member, gala chair, gala co-chair, and has served on numerous other committees. She has also served on the Lone Star Miracle League’s board as Secretary and board member. Barbara also served as Volunteer Coordinator for fellow ABWA member Diane Holland’s mayoral race.
Barbara has been employed by Aarthun Performance Group, Ltd. for almost 14 years as Product Development Manager where she received an Outstanding Personal Contribution Award and has over 19 years experience in the training field. She holds an AS from Lone Star College, a BS in Business Administration from Sam Houston State University, and a Masters in Training and Development from the University of Houston.
Ron Fox (about Gridworks)
Ron Fox is Director of Gridworks Team-Building, Inc. which offers a wide range of meaningful and unique options, all tailored to your specific objectives, in the distinct settings of Texas World Speedway (for years known as "The World's Fastest Speedway") or Arctic Wolf Ice Center.
Half-day sessions at Texas World Speedway. This two mile track was the location for Mario Andretti's world closed course speed record of 214 miles per hour. It is one of only seven "Super Speedways" in the United States, part of an exclusive group including Daytona, Indianapolis, Poncono, Telledega, California, and Michigan. It has hosted racers such as Dale Earnardt, Darrel Waltrip, and Ken Scraeder, and is now the home of car clubs, race care enthusiasts, and GridWorks Team-Building, Inc. Multiple classroom facilities, an outdoor space for additional team building exercies, a low ropes course, and the ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity to "race"in on-site race cars, with trained drivers, on a Super Speedway!
Half day or full day sessions at Arctic Wolf Ice Center. Arctic Wolf offers meeting space for team building or groUp work, along with a rock wall, ice skating, broom ball, and other team oriented opportunities.
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Diane Gottsman
Diane Gottsman is a nationally recognized etiquette professional and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in corporate etiquette training. Diane is also the author of Pearls of Polish, an etiquette guide for today’s busy woman.
Her smart, cosmopolitan approach is peppered with humor and leaves her audience wanting more. From properly setting a table to mixing and mingling with aplomb, Diane can address a multitude of etiquette situations. “The key,” says Diane, “is to put others at ease while presenting oneself in a perfectly polishedmanner.”
Diane is regularly featured as the etiquette authority for San Antonio Living on WOAI-TV Channel 4, an NBC affiliate and has been quoted locally, regionally and nationally in publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Working Mother, Figure, Quick and Simple and The NY Times, just to name a few.
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Merna Jacobsen
Merna Jacobsen is the Coordinator of Organizational and Staff Development for the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University.
Her previous positions in higher education included Director of the Tointon Institute for Educational Change, Assistant Director of Human Resources/Director of the Center for Professional and Organizational Development, and Director of the Teacher Induction Partnership Program, all at the University of Northern Colorado.
In addition to her work in higher education, Merna has worked in the fields of training, consultation, facilitation and mediation for twenty years. Her work takes her throughout North America and to such international arenas as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Great Britain, Qatar and Mexico. She consults and mediates for institutions of higher education, businesses, government agencies, and civic and nonprofit organizations. As a certified mediator, Merna not only conducts mediations, but trains others in beginning and advanced mediation skills.
Merna’s presentations focus on developing the skills of employees, enhancing organizational quality, and facilitating team-based organizational culture. She is a contributing author of a text on mentoring programs for beginning teachers and recently co-authored an article on Texas A&M’s Academy for Student Affairs Professionals for Leadership Exchange, a publication of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). She holds a B.S. in Education from Montana State University, an M.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Northern Colorado, and is in the dissertation stage of her PH.D. in Educational Administration & Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University.
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W.R Bill Klemm
W. R. Bill Klemm, DVM, PhD, “Memory Medic” is a noted brain researcher with over 45 years of experience. His research publications are widely cited, and they include 13 books, four of which are for lay audiences. A recent lay-audience book is on applying scientific discoveries to practical applications for improving memory (Thank You, Brain, For All You Remember. What You Forgot Was My Fault). In addition, he publishes a “Memory Medic” blog and advice column on the Internet (thankyoubrain.blogspot.com).
He presents seminars on how modern memory research can help people with everyday memory problems. His audiences have included executives, professors, secondary-school teachers―even cruise-ship vacationers. His memory improvement talks have been given at several state-wide meetings of school teachers, and at both of his recent presentations, many teachers said that Bill’s talk was the best of the meeting.
His “day job” since “retiring” has been to function as a Program Manager on five school outreach grants funded in excess of $7.5 million by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (see peer.tamu.edu).
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Randi Mays-Knapp
Creative, energetic, busy, involved, positive, dedicated. These are adjectives describing Randi Mays-Knapp. Other labels include native Houstonian, Aggie, mother, volunteer, leader, and friend.
While working as the Director of Recruiting for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Houston, Texas, Randi found that although the candidates she hired were academically bright, they did not always know how to handle themselves as business professionals. The result was the development and conduct of a class that provided expectations on appropriate business protocol. Included in that class was information on business dining etiquette. She has taken this information and blended it with business wisdom and shares it with participants who enjoy a great meal and learn something while eating.
“As I travel to restaurants, I am amazed at the number of adults who do not know how to properly hold their utensils when eating,” says Randi. “Sometimes I have to force myself not to go over to someone and show them the proper way to hold their knife and fork. And unfortunately, if the parent does not know how to eat, he or she cannot teach their child.”
Ms. Mays-Knapp has had the opportunity to work with a variety of students and business professionals in navigating through business meals. “A great deal of business takes place while eating. You have to remember it is always business first and if you are talking, you might not be doing a great deal of eating,” comments Randi. “Knowing the rules is important as you might encounter a situation where the rules cannot be applied and then you have to use common sense.”
A native Houstonian and graduate of Texas A&M University, Randi is married and the mother of three teenage daughters. She currently resides in College Station. When not in front of a class, Randi participates in a women’s Bible study, is active in A&M Consolidated High School PTO, coordinates the Symphony Belles program, is an avid scrapbooker, and head chef at the Knapp house. In the past, she has served as the first woman president of the Houston A&M Club, on the Executive Committee of the 12th Man Foundation, and as General Chair of the TAMUS Chancellor’s Century Council. She has provided leadership for volunteer groups such as Camp for All, the Junior League of Houston, National Charity League, the Episcopal Church Women at St. Martin’s Church, and with the A.D. Players Guild.
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Kelli Peck-Parrott
Dr. Kelli Peck Parrott is the Director for the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education Program. She earned her Ph. D. in Educational Administration from Bowling Green State University, with an emphasis in higher education law. Additionally, she holds a M.A. in Student Affairs and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Western Kentucky University.
Kelli has had a variety of work experiences in both higher education administration and student affairs. She has held positions in the Office of the Provost, Office of the Dean of Students, Student Activities, Residence Life, Judicial Affairs, and Student Disability Services. Additionally, she has worked abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Kelli is also active in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), serves on the editorial board for the NASPA Journal, and served for several years as the Chair of the Research Committee for the Association for Student Judicial Affairs.
Kelli’s research to date has had a focus on judicial affairs and student development. She and fellow colleagues from Bowling Green State University published an article in the Journal of College and University Student Housing entitled “An International Study of Burnout Among Residence Hall Directors,” for which they received the ACUHO-I Journal of College and University Student Housing, Betty L. Harrah Manuscript of the Year. Additionally she has been working closely with Dr. Cole and the National Academy of Educational Administration in Beijing, China. Together they have provided training for Chinese student affairs administrators (receiving a $55,000 training grant) and are in the process of assisting Xi’An Jiaotung University develop a student affairs master’s program, the first of its kind in China.
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Dennis Rosen
Sales and service are not opposites. They work together to build your business. The secret to success for each is understanding customer needs and how the customer makes decisions. That's why Dr. Dennis Rosen developed WinFluence® -- influence and persuasion techniques to win customers and win sales. He will show your team how to get inside the mind of your customers, understand their decision processes and use this information to increase sales and improve perception of customer service.
With a Ph.D. in consumer psychology and over 20 years of experience as a speaker, trainer, academic and consultant, Dennis has unique customer insights that can improve your business. His entertaining style keeps participants involved while learning. Keynote presentations provide an overview. Half- and full-day training are tailored to you needs. Click on the Website link below for more information and video examples.