“Reformation in the Face of Assimilation”

We hope to curate a collection of talks centered on our theme: having our environment reform to the changes we make as a collective system rather than us assimilating our beliefs to outdated norms.

4200 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260
United States

Bobby Fry

With Pennsylvania servers making as little as $2.83 an hour, the industry can be a low-wage grind. Bar Marco, a restaurant in Pittsburgh's Strip District, intends to pay servers $35,000 a year for a 40-hour work week, plus health care and profit shares of the restaurant. Co-owner, Bobby Fry, comes to share his perspective on being the first in Pittsburgh to adopt such a policy. He co-founded Food Revolution Pittsburgh and cooking clubs in local high schools and began encouraging and empowering other first time entrepreneurs with his small business ideas.

David Harris

David Harris studies, writes and teaches about police behavior and regulation, law enforcement, and national security issues. Professor Harris is the leading national authority on racial profiling and has testified three times in the U.S. Senate and before many state legislative bodies on profiling and related issues. His 2005 book, Good Cops: The Case for Preventive Policing, showed that citizens need not trade liberty for safety. He has appeared on The Today Show, Dateline NBC, National Public Radio, and has been interviewed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. In light of recent events across America, David Harris' talk is a necessity for everyone affected by the current policing climate.

La'Tasha D. Mayes

La’Tasha’s track record of community leadership is evident through the founding of New Voices Pittsburgh, experience in county and state government, and as the first Vice Chair of the inaugural Allegheny County Human Relations Commission. La'Tasha’s honors include the Pittsburgh Pirates Community Champion Award, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh Tribute to Women Young Leaders Award and Pitt Business College of Business Administration Outstanding Alumni Award. La'Tasha addresses the idea of #Blackwomen'slivesmatter in order to spread awareness about gender specific difficulties within African American communities across the country.

Peter Salk

Dr. Salk graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1965 and Alpha Omega Alpha from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1969. He worked in his father’s laboratory at the Salk Institute from 1972-1984 conducting research on the biology and immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune disease and strategies for vaccine production. He worked again with his father from 1991-1995 on a project to develop an inactivated vaccine for HIV infection, and subsequently worked on the introduction of AIDS treatment programs in Africa and Asia. He is currently President of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation, where he is devoting attention to educating the public regarding his father’s life and work and to extend and apply his father’s vision. This aims to help address humanity’s present challenges and opportunities, particularly in the realms of vaccines, global health, and creating a sustainable human future.

Saik-Kia Goh

Originally from Malaysia, Kia is a Bioengineering PhD candidate and student leader at University of Pittsburgh. In May of 2014, Kia conceived and co-founded a non-profit consulting organization called Fourth River Solutions (4RS), which furnishes students with opportunities to explore the business side of science while providing local start-ups with valuable insights to overcome obstacles and achieve growth. Kia believes experiential learning can transform the way students learn by integrating real-world experiences with academic lessons. He was featured in Nature Careers for his effort on continuing education and was a winner for GPSG Leadership and Service Award 2014.

Tara Sherry-Torres

Tara Sherry-Torres is a Brooklyn native, now living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been working in community-based organizations for over 10 years. In January 2014 Tara founded a food-art initiative called Café Con Leche, which hosts pop up Latin events around Pittsburgh focused on building relationships and promoting Latino culture within the region. Tara believes that strong relationships are central to community organizing, advocacy, and capacity-building. She is a 2014 Pittsburgh Magazine 40 Under 40 recipient and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2015 People to Meet.