Category: Guests (Page 7 of 11)

Salvatore Tagliareni
Author of Hitler’s Priest
Air Date, July 29, 2012

Salvatore Tagliareni is a storyteller,writer business consultant ,art dealer and former catholic priest. For over twenty five years he has successfully engaged private and public companies in their search for outstanding performance. A gifted speaker he is blessed with a great sense of humor and can invigorate an audience with his insights on life and  He was profoundly influenced by his relationship with Dr.Viktor Frankl the author of Man’s Search for Meaning.

Steve Reifman
Author of Chase Against Time
Air Date, July 22, 2012

Steve Reifman has been an elementary school teacher for the past 17 years. After earning his Master’s degree in education and teaching credential at UCLA in 1994, he began his career teaching first grade for two years at Loyola Village Elementary (part of the Los Angeles Unified School District) in Westchester, CA.

During this time Steve discovered the work of W. Edwards Deming and William Glasser and developed a passion for Quality Theory and its implications for teaching and learning in the classroom. He threw himself into the literature, took numerous courses, and created his own philosophical framework. In 1996 he began sharing his ideas with fellow educators through a UCLA Extension course entitled “The Eight Keys to Classroom Quality.” UCLA Extension still offers this course annually in an online format. In 2008 Corwin Press published Steve’s work under the title Eight Essentials for Empowered Teaching and Learning, K-8: Bringing out the Best in Your Students.

Steve’s eight principles comprise a comprehensive approach to organizing and managing classrooms at every level. His philosophical framework encourages educators to embrace quality as the number one priority in their classrooms and describes how to create a productive, enthusiastic team-oriented environment where students are likely to thrive. In his book Steve emphasizes the importance of clear goals, parent involvement, continuous improvement, and intrinsic motivation, and he explains how teachers can create the conditions where students work exceptionally hard, understand the purposes of their learning, experience joy, hold themselves to high personal standards, find meaning in their work, and develop the habits of mind and habits of character that will empower them to live fulfilling lives and contribute to society.

After moving to Roosevelt School in Santa Monica, CA in 1996, Steve continued to develop his teaching philosophy – learning, innovating, and adapting to meet the needs of his students and empower them to reach higher levels of academic success. Class and Personal Mission Statements, The Tower of Opportunity, Student Leaders, and the Quote of the Day are just some of the hallmarks of his approach that have enjoyed great success at Roosevelt and beyond. In addition, since his move to Roosevelt, Steve has earned National Board Certification and traveled to Japan as a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar.

More recently, Steve has developed a passion for brain research and its implications for improving teaching and learning in the classroom. Again, Steve has thrown himself into the literature, presented four times at the annual Cal Poly Elementary Physical Education Workshop in San Luis Obispo, CA, and developed a workshop series for teachers in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. His new book project Rock Your Students’ World features over a hundred strategies and ideas Steve has gathered, adapted, and created over the past few years to help children become more successful and more enthusiastic learners. With a special emphasis on movement, music, and storytelling strategies, the ideas contained in Rock Your Students’ World promise to take student learning to a new level.

Carolyn Berry
Author, Buster Tells It All: Stories From Pony Creek Ranch
Air Date, June 17, 2012

Carolyn Berry was born in Dallas and is a life-long Texan. Her blended family — including four sons, one daughter and two daughters-in-law — has given her the true blessing of being called “Mom.” Her husband, Jim, is the “love of her life and the light of her night.” Jim shared his dream at Pony Creek Ranch and opened the door for Carolyn to share her love of animals. Her involvement with zoos, schools, humane societies, Operation Kindness and other organizations has given Carolyn the opportunity to experience the deep respect that can be forged between man and animal, which can make the world a better place.

Linda Gilleland
Author, Former School Teacher
Air Date, June 10, 2012

Linda Gilleland grew up in an agricultural family and graduated from college with a dual degree in sociology and elementary education. She has always loved the outdoors and animals horses in particular. The first and most loved book that she ever owned was Bambi, and as a young girl she was always bringing home stray animals. Originally, Linda wanted to write this story as a gift for her granddaughter, Grace. She wanted Grace to remember her legacy of agricultural life and how life used to be on the farm as Grace grew older and started her own family. Through this story, Linda wanted Grace to remember what life is really all about. This faith in love, kindness, and friendship between people and animals can be carried over into our individual lives and will give all of us, in time, many opportunities to make life nicer for someone else. So, with the encouragement of her husband and friends, Linda became an unintended author.

Charles Daniels and Shane Jewell
OK Mozart Festival
Air Date, June 3, 2012

OK MOZART’s mission is to bring the highest quality professional musical and cultural experience to the citizens of the Bartlesville area, state of Oklahoma and the mid-America region of the United States by producing a multi-day festival with professional orchestra musicians, concert artists and musical performances of artistic excellence for an event with international significance.

Each individual concert is an integral part of the larger annual Festival event, which also features activities of historical, architectural and cultural significance to the Bartlesville area. These are complementary Showcase Events designed to entertain and educate Festival attendees during the non-concert hours.

The Festival also promotes international cultural exchange with music capitals of the world. It works with educational institutions at all levels, and offers services that are necessary to enrich the cultural options available in the immediate area, state and region.

U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook
Former U.S. Congressman, Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation
Air Date, May 27, 2012

Ernest J. Istook Jr. brings extensive congressional experience to bear on public policy issues as a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

Istook served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before joining Heritage in 2007.

In Congress, representing Oklahoma’s 5th District, he engaged in a wide and robust range of issues as a member of the Appropriations Committee –where he chaired multiple subcommittees– and the Homeland Security Committee.

Istook delved into budget and spending issues in general as well as subjects such as transportation, trade, defense, health care, education, labor, financial services, homeland security and religious liberty. He was a founder of the re-established Republican Study Committee, the principal conservative caucus in the House.

Istook, a frequent fill-in host for several major national talk radio programs, writes weekly opinion columns for outlets that include Newsmax, Human Events and The Daily Caller. His daily radio commentaries are heard on more than 80 radio stations. He is a regular guest on network and cable news and commentary programs.

In 2010, Istook was selected as a Fellow for the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Istook is a former practicing attorney whose background also includes journalism. He served 25 years in elected office –from city council to the Oklahoma state legislature to the U.S. House. He first won public office after moving to Oklahoma in 1972 from his native Fort Worth, Texas.

Istook, the grandson of Hungarian immigrants, successfully sought the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor in 2006 rather than an eighth term in Congress. He lost his challenge to the Democratic incumbent.

The first college graduate in the Istook family tree, he holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and a law degree from Oklahoma City University. His community activities include the Boy Scouts of America, where he served several years as a scoutmaster.

Istook and his wife, Judy, have five adult children and are active in church work. They live in Alexandria, Va., though he still considers himself an Oklahoman.

Paul Spiegelman
Founder/CEO, The Beryl Companies
Air Date April 29th, 2012

Paul Spiegelman is founder and chief executive officer of The Beryl Companies, which includes: BerylHealth, a technology-focused patient experience company dedicated to improving relationships between health care providers and consumers; The Beryl Institute, a research and educational entity that publishes information about improving the patient experience and how that activity links to better financial outcomes for health care providers; The Circle, a training company that helps businesses enhance employee engagement and develop more positive workplace cultures; and the Small Giants Community, a global organization that brings together leaders who are focused on values-based business principles.

Paul is leading a unique, people-centric culture that has remarkably high employee and customer retention rates.  BerylHealth has won nine “best place to work” awards, including being voted the #2 Best Medium Sized Company to Work for in America. Recently, Spiegelman was honored with the Ernst & Young 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Paul is a sought-after speaker and author on executive leadership, entrepreneurship, corporate culture, customer relationships and employee engagement. His views have been published in Entrepreneur, The Dallas Morning News, Inc Magazine., Healthcare Financial Management, Leadership Excellenceand many other noteworthy publications, as well as in hisfirst internationally published book Why is Everyone Smiling? The Secret Behind Passion, Productivity and Profit.  His second book, written by Beryl employees, is called Smile Guide: Employee Perspectives on Culture, Loyalty and Profit.

Paul practiced law for two years prior to starting Beryl. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California Los Angeles and a law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles. He mentors MBA students at Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University, as well as nurse executives in the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program. He also is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and on the board of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of North Texas.