Theme: Innovation

Innovation is value. It is details. It is intuition. We are all born with it, but so few take advantage. Why is this? Many people believe that in order to innovate, you simply need some inspiration. While this is partially true, innovation takes much more than that; it takes grit, passion, and heart. It is not our past experiences, rather our skills and perseverance that we bring to the table. Inspiration is easy, but innovation takes the courage to explore.

Here at TEDxBryantU, we believe it is worth it.

Janikies Theater
1150 Douglas Pike
Smithfield, Rhode Island, 02917
United States

Amanda Garber

Digital Media Professional, VideoAmp

Amanda Garber represents the BryantU class of 2011. She was a Bulldog on the Bryant University Division I Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Team. Garber recently moved to NYC embarking on her new professional endeavor in Digital Media Sales at a TV Data startup called VideoAmp. Prior to that, Garber resided in the San Francisco Bay Area, at the heart of the technology epicenter. Professionally, her former role was at CBS Interactive in Digital Media managing clients such as Hulu, NBC and Beats by Dre, to name a few. She has 6+ years of media sales experience, industry insights and product knowledge. In terms of interests, you will find her hiking along the California coast or enjoying a wine flight in Napa Valley. Garber was the VP of Membership for Toastmasters International at CBSi and thoroughly enjoys public speaking. Therefore, she is so excited to be a part of this TEDxBryantU program to put her skills to the test and give back to Bryant in a big way!

Andrew Viveiros

Child Nutrition Professional, Sodexo Education

Andrew Viveiros is a Child Nutrition professional and General Manager with Sodexo Education for Providence Public Schools. He has over 22 years of experience in child nutrition programs with both public and private schools. Andrew is an advocate for children and works with many state, city and community partners to address child food insecurity in Rhode Island. His prior career was in banking and he graduated from Bryant College with a BS in Finance and an MBA in Business Management. Andrew lives in Smithfield, RI with his wife Kate and two daughters Emma and Grace.

Bary Fleet

Adjunct Professor of Applied Psychology, Bryant University

Bary Fleet is an Adjunct Professor at Bryant University and Johnson and Wales University. Fleet is a retired parish minister and pastoral counselor with a passion for helping people find their personal strength through inspirational speaking, teaching and coaching. His work explores the truth found at the intersection of religion, science and philosophy. Bary recently launched a Blog on finding what he calls “Your Inner Magnificence.” He enjoys outdoor activities, having completed three Triathlons and he celebrated his seventieth birthday by earning his first of two Trifectas in Spartan Obstacle Course Racing.

Brian Blais

Professor of Science and Technology, Bryant University

Brian Blais is a Professor of Science and Technology at Bryant University and a research professor at the Institute for Brain and Neural Systems, Brown University. With a Ph.D. in Physics from Brown University, he has taught and published in such diverse areas as computational neuroscience, robotics, epidemic modeling, paleoclimate, and environmental resource dynamics. He maintains his blog, bblais on the web, https://bblais.github.io/ where he explores the intersection of science and society.

Corey Page

Student, Bryant University

Corey Page is a junior at Bryant University studying Management. Aside from academics, he works as an Intramural Supervisor for Bryant Recreation, and he currently serves as the Chapter President for the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity chapter at Bryant. His hobbies and interests include golf, basketball, reading, technology, and structured interviews.

David Donlan

Chief Revenue Officer, Crayon, Inc.

David Donlan is the Chief Revenue Officer of Crayon, Inc., which provides market and competitive tools to help businesses take advantage of the intelligence data available to them. As a sales leader, he is responsible for developing market intelligence strategies for Mid-Market and Enterprise companies looking to increase sales and top line revenue growth. Prior to Crayon, he graduated from Bryant University in 2000 and joined HubSpot as an early employee and helped grow the company from 100 customers to more than 15,000 and ultimately IPO. His interests include spending time with his wife and two daughters, listening to Frank Sinatra while cooking and watching or reading anything that has to do with Larry David.

Joe Trunzo

Professor of Applied Psychology, Bryant University

Dr. Trunzo earned his undergraduate degree in 1993 from Marywood University in Scranton PA and completed his graduate work in 2000 at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the University of Vermont and his post-doctoral fellowship at the Centers for Behavioral & Preventive Medicine at Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI. He is a Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Applied Psychology at Bryant University. He is also a licensed, practicing clinical psychologist with expertise in the psychological management of chronic medical illnesses such as cancer and Lyme disease, as well as the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, especially obsessive compulsive disorder. He serves on several professional committees and belongs to a number of professional organizations. In his spare time, he enjoys being with his family, live music, running, and mountain climbing.

John Bly

Principal and CEO, LBA Haynes Strand

John Bly is a Principal and CEO of LBA Haynes Strand, which has been named to the Inc. 5000 list and the Charlotte Business Journal’s Fast 50 list. John steers the Firm’s consistent growth of personnel and expansion of client services. The Firm has expanded from two to 12+ services under his strategic leadership. John’s far reaching professional influence expands into the business community, where he often shares business ideas and proactive growth strategies with professionals. In 2014, John published his first book titled, “Cracking The Code: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Growing Your Business Through Mergers and Acquisitions For Pennies On The Dollar.” John’s passion for M&A has led him to advise on 20-30 M&A transactions a year, both on the buying side and the selling side. John has a passion for listening, learning, and transferring knowledge. He sits on the Global Board of Directors for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

John Boccuzzi, Jr.

Marketing and Customer Experience Executive

John Boccuzzi Jr. has more than 20 years’ experience as a sales, marketing and customer experience executive, with a proven track record of strategic thought leadership in both private and public companies. John most recently served as Vice President of Sales & Edible for Business for Edible Arrangements, LLC were he led a team of 5 Senior Directors and Directors and total personnel of over 100 across several key departments including: Business Gifting, Business Development & Brand Partnerships, Franchisee Support, Customer Care and Training & Development. Wanting to share his passion for developing and delivering the best possible solutions and customer experiences, John formed Boccuzzi LLC. John has a Bachelor’s Degree from Bryant University in 1990 with a focus in Entrepreneurship. When John is he enjoys spending time with his two amazing children and wife of 21 years. He is also a foodie, cook, bee keeper, mico fruit farmer and runner and has completed several marathons.

John Logan

Digital Content Associate, New England Patriots + Magician

John Logan’s ultimate goal in life is to promote his personal message: “Always remember that ‘impossible’ is just a word.” He has an array of experiences such as publishing two books, hosting his own show on Patriots.com with numerous players from the New England Patriots, speaking at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Live Summit, and performing as a contestant on NBC’s hit-show, “America’s Got Talent.” Traveling the country as a keynote speaker for leadership conferences and summits, he combines his research on magic, creativity, and entrepreneurial skills to help others. John’s presentations demonstrate the connection between the art of magic and the world of leadership with years of primary and secondary research as he explored why (and how) thinking like an entertainer can help entrepreneurs achieve success. John graduated from Bryant University in 2016 where he received a degree in Entrepreneurship.

Melissa Gurzenda

Student, Bryant University

Melissa Gurzenda is a freshman at Bryant University studying entrepreneurship and marketing. As an entrepreneur, her hobbies are creatively driven. She enjoys adventure seeking, art, photography, writing, learning, and community service… along with watching sports games in between. She spends time developing new business ideas that can benefit the dignity of others, as well as ways to motivate others to benefit society. At Bryant University, she is involved with the CEO Marketing Team for BUNEEC and is the Vice President of the Community Activism Leadership Organization (CALO).

Michael Roberto

Professor of Management, Bryant University

Roberto has consulted with or taught in the leadership development programs at many leading firms including Google, Apple, FedEx, Target, Morgan Stanley, Mars, and Disney. He also has delivered presentations at government organizations including the U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NASA, Air War College, Naval War College, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Tom Roach

Associate Professor of English and Cultural Studies, Bryant University

Tom Roach came to Bryant University in 2006 after receiving his PhD in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society from the University of Minnesota. At Bryant, he holds the positions of Professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies and Coordinator of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His first book, Friendship as a Way of Life: Foucault, AIDS, and the Politics of Shared Estrangement, was published by SUNY Press in 2012. His second book, Screen Love: Queer Intimacies in the Age of Social Media, is currently under contract with SUNY Press.