Speakers

Email us your topic if you would like to become a speaker at Ignite Dover 2 on October 13th, 2010!

Ignite Dover 1 Speakers from July 14th, 2010:

Greg Hughes
Representing: The State of Delaware
Subject: Find the Unexpected
Bio: Greg Hughes is the Director of the Delaware Government Information Center, the state agency responsible for facilitating the public’s access to government services and information online. His office also manages the design and content of Delaware’s award winning website, Delaware.gov. Greg has over 20 years of State service during which he has served several state agencies in a variety of technology-centered roles.

Ken Grant
Representing: Analtech
Subject: How to Undermine the Government With Social Media
Bio: Ken Grant has worked in Delaware media, politics, and industry for more than 20 years. In addition to his day job as the Sales and Marketing Director for a Delaware manufacturer of lab supplies, Ken is actively involved with a variety of organizations, from the Delaware BioScience Association to the World Trade Center Delaware to the Technology Forum of Delaware to Family Promise, an organization that helps homeless children and families.

Having experienced the serendipity engine that is social media, Ken decided to start pushing for the Delaware Social Media Initiative – encouraging individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and government entities to engage in social media and support each other through the tools readily available there.

Ken is married to Kristin Grant and has two teen-aged children.

Phil Woods
Subject: Riding Your Bicycle
Bio: Small Business Coach? Marketing Expert? Social Media Consultant? SEO Analyst? The fact is that he’s all these things–an evolving professional hybrid who is riding the crest of the mammoth technology wave and bringing his small business clients along with him.

We just don’t have a title yet for what Phil does.

To his clients, though, who need help in adapting to the ever-changing dynamics of web-based information, he currently carries such superhero tags as Marketing Magician, Confusion Clearer, Tech Teacher, Social Media Sherpa, and Google Guide.

And that says more than any title ever could.

Tom Peracchio
Representing: Guru42
Subject: Technology – with great power comes great responsibility.
Bio:  Starting with telecommunications and moving on to office automation
systems long before the acronym “IT” was widely used to describe a career
path, Tom Peracchio has a long and diversified career in technology.

Tom began public speaking and writing on telecommunications and its role
in business long before the internet was widely used used by small
business. Through teaching at various community colleges, and active
participation in numerous professional websites and online communities,
Tom has helped many small business people integrate technology into their
lives and business on a limited budget.

In his current position as an IT Manager in the health care industry, Tom
faces the next wave of challenges with the integration of Electronic
Medical Records into a complex mix of business and technology issues.

Wes Garnett & Steve Roettger
Representing: The coIN Loft
Subject: The Power of Proximity
Bio: Wes is an entrepreneur. For some, that may mean he starts businesses, but to Wes, being an entrepreneur means he has dedicated his life to solving the problems of the world around him. Recognizing the struggles that other entrepreneurs in micro, small and mid-sized companies experience in Delaware led Wes and business partner, Steve Roettger to start Verge, an industry agnostic, brand development firm which provides R&D to small and mid-sized companies. His passion to solve problems for entrepreneurs then led to the The coIN Loft, a Coworking space in Wilmington, DE. coIN offers low-cost, collaborative workspace to micro-businesses in the creative and tech industry. Recognizing the lack of early-stage capital for web-based technologies in Delaware, Wes and Steve started BetaFish, a 90 day startup accelerator designed to connect idea stage ventures with seed capital investors, as well as, the resources needed to bring the ideas to market.

In addition to Verge, The coIN Loft and BetaFish, Wes and Steve are also working on 4 other startups: Copper, a cafe bistro for entrepreneurs; Orange Pomegranate; a meal planning and recipe search tool; BT Golf, a tee time search tool; LoopSpot, a marketing platform for mobile phones.

Bradford Wason
Representing: 23rd & 5th
Subject: Ask Why? – One of the most underrated questions in design, “Why” defines audience, style, application and retention.
Bio: Brad has a serious passion for design, typography and teaching. He currently splits his time as the creative director for 23rd & 5th, and as a professor for the University of Delaware and Delaware College of Art & Design. Brad also works as the area coordinator for Graphic, Web & Digital Design at DCAD in  continuing education.

Tom Nagle
Subject: How the Internet is Rotting our Brain (And What to do About it)
Bio: Tom Nagle runs a publishing firm in Wilmington.

LaToya Wilson
Representing: Witty Working Women
Subject: Food for Thought, you are What you Feed Yourself
Bio: President of Witty Working Women, Connecting Powerful Women! Innovative, social butterfly who is encouraging women to connect & support one another as well as highlight local women in the community for all that they do!  LaToya’s presentation is meant to inspire you to think about the daily things that you choose to empower your vision for your life!

Kris Wilson
Representing: Agel Enterprises
Subject: Getting out of you own way – engaging your dreams, living YOUR lifestyle, etc

Jan Crumpley
Subject: Folk Music – Your heritage, your legacy
Bio: Jan Crumpley is a Dover resident, originally from Oklahoma, she moved to Delaware in late 1993.  A lifelong musician, classically trained but for the past 30 years, a folkie.  She is a working musician with the band Celtic Harvest.  She is also an artist and a good friend to many, a wise and funny woman.  Imagine music, past, present & future.

Erin Guttenplan
Subject: Nepal
Representing: Edge of Seven
Bio: Edge of Seven fuses travel and service. We connect volunteers with projects in developing countries that are sustainable and respond to local needs. www.edgeofseven.org or www.facebook.com/edgeof7

If you would like to be a presenter at Ignite Dover, email us at ignitedover@gmail.com and give us your ideas!

Before Requesting to Be a Speaker…

  • You should know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint (I know it is easy, but it had to be said).
  • Presentations are 20 slides in 5 minutes on auto-play.  That is only 15 seconds per slide!
  • You should take a look at the many ignite presentations that are out there to see what they are all about.   The Sussex County videos are online at http://www.youtube.com/ignitesussex/.
  • IgniteShow.com also has sample Ignite presentations.
  • A popular presentation was this one on “How to not get screwed when buying a car”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH651baH7-c
  • You really have to give away the farm (your best tips) for folks to gain value.
  • Slides full of bullet points are NOT good. Don’t do a bullet point summary at the end either.
  • PASSION is more important than experience. You won’t be as nervous if you have passion about your topic.
  • Ideal topics are tips, strategies, local community projects, the environment, how-to topics, art, business, and technology.