2024 SPEAKERS
Emma Tekstra
Remote Work Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Emma Tekstra has spent her 30-year career in the field of human capital and employee benefits as an actuary, pension consultant and global health thought leader with experience around the globe. She has a unique perspective on health and the healthcare industry itself, with “published author” recently added to her list of achievements. Her book “How To Be a Healthy Human; What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Health and Longevity” is available everywhere good books are sold.
Emma’s passion is to help individuals improve their health and navigate a healthcare industry driven by profits. She also advises employers on what actually generates wellbeing and how the latest social norms and culture contribute to poor physical and mental health, ultimately reducing productivity and their bottom line.
Her TED talk focuses on the broken promises of today’s gig economy and how remote work and personal autonomy detract from the very human need for collaboration and purpose.
She explains the goal as human flourishing and provides a blueprint for how to achieve it in your career and life.
William A. Myers, PhD.
History is not Boring!
Dr. Myers is an Adjunct Professor of History at Cal State Fullerton, where he has taught for 27 years, following an earlier career at the Southern California Edison Company. His degrees are in Business Management, Public History (Museum Curation) and Economic History. He believes that, far from boring, History is a quest to satisfy curiosity about peoples and cultures as a way to understand today’s world. His students often comment that they had never liked history before they took one of his
classes. Events of history influenced Dr. Myers’ life in many ways. Sharing a birthday with Thomas Edison fostered an interest in the development of technology and drew him to work for the Edison Company. During the Centennial of Electric light in 1996, he was honored to visit Thomas Edison’s preserved laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, and use the inventor’s original 1876 equipment to construct an operating light bulb. As a member of a pre-Gold Rush pioneer California family, he developed a strong interest in the State’s history and culture. His fascination with railroads stimulated him to write a series of books on California rail history, and also to spend one year driving steam
locomotives. As a technical member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ History and Heritage Committee he identified historic engineering projects that were placed on the nation’s Historic American Engineering Record, Dr. Myers has written 22 books and academic papers on various aspects of the impact of history on society, created a number of museum exhibits, written and produced five films on history topics . . . and even had a cameo appearance in the 1988 film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” But all of this means little compared to Dr. Myers’ eagerness to convey to his students an understanding of, and appreciation for, history and its influence on the present day. After all, as the famous Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Dr. Scott Fujimoto
Will AI Replace Doctors?
Dr. Scott Fujimoto spent 5 years in concussion research at the University of Pennsylvania, with a grant from the NFL. It was there that he got his first exposure to medical imaging. Computers and technology had always fascinated him and he wanted to pursue a specialty that allowed him to be on the cutting edge of science. He decided to specialize in interventional radiology which seemed to be the perfect intersection of innovation, technology, and patient care.
Now, upon hearing that Dr. Fujimoto is a radiologist, the number one question asked is, “Are you worried that AI is going to take your job?” In his TEDx talk, will explore some recent innovations in medicine as it pertains to AI, imaging, and therapeutics as well as the possible future directions of medicine. How will technology shape the future of healthcare?
Dr. Fujimoto is a double board-certified Interventional and Diagnostic Radiologist. He has shown a dedication to medical education, mentorship, and trainee well-being. He has both served on and chaired numerous local and national committees relating to graduate medical education, IR interest groups, and social media. He has 3 boys, ages 6, 11, and 15. On the weekends you can find him on the ballfields/tennis courts cheering them on.
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Elliott Bark
Is it Worth Being a Music Teacher?
Described by the New York Times as “…abrasive outbursts…monstrous climax…yearning melody in a rapturous surge,” music by Dr. Elliott Bark has been performed in many venues, such as Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center, Aspen Music Festival, to name a few.
Dr. Bark has worked with many groups, including Pacific Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, New York Youth Symphony, New York Classical Players, St. Michel Strings (Finland), Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea), Goyang Civic Choir (Korea), Soliall Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea), Orquestra Eleazar de Carvalho (Brazil), Petar Jankovic Ensemble, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Zzyzx Saxophone Quartet and Akropolis Reed Quintet.
Named the youngest two-time recipient (2012, 2014) of The Korean National Composer Prize (the most prestigious award for Korean composers), Dr. Bark received Susan and Ford Schumann Fellowship from Aspen Music Festival and School and numerous prizes including 2016 Agape International Church Music Composition Competition & Festival, 2013 Indiana University Dean’s Prize, 2010 Bowdoin International Music Festival Composition Competition, 2009 First Music Commission, 2008 Kuttner Quartet Composition Competition, 2007 Beethoven Club Composition Contest and 2003 Korean Episcopal Church Composition Competition. He has been commissioned by The New York Classical Players (for Grammy-nominated flutist Carol Wincenc), Barkada Saxophone Quartet (Fischoff Competition Grand Prize Winner), and Linda Strommen (Indiana University Oboe Professor), among many others.
Dr. Bark is currently the Director of Music and Composer-in-residence at Crean Lutheran High School and an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University, Biola University, and Concordia University Irvine. He received his doctoral degree in composition from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he served as an Associate Instructor in the composition department. He has studied composition with Claude Baker, David Dzubay, Don Freund, Jonguk Kim, P.Q. Phan, and Sydney Hodkinson and studied instrumental conducting with David Effron, Arthur Fagen, and Cliff Colnot.