Keynote Speakers

In addition to a wonderful variety of pre-conference workshops and sessions to choose from, the Meeting of the Minds conference will feature several keynote speakers.

Inspirational Comedy
Judson Laipply
Take the power and entertainment value of laughter, add in the educational and uplifting ability of inspiration and the result is a program that is truly one of a kind. Inspirational Comedy is a combination of important messages and useful ideas with hilarious tactics and gut-busting stories. Judson Laipply is funny enough to be labeled a comedian but his message is powerful enough to help people change their lives. During this program, Jud talks about the changes in life and what it entails for college students. He’ll cover such topics as: alcohol, drunk-driving stats and realities, seat belt laws, choices, change, dating, and more.
Inspirational Comedy helps pack the house and the students love it! Whether it is for freshmen orientation, Greek events, leadership conferences, or a monthly comedy slot, this is a show that will be a success.

Nominated for Speaker of the Year by Campus Activities Magazine and CampusAwards.com, Judson presents a program that is a sure fire hit. The finale, "The Evolution of Dance," is guaranteed to be six of the funniest minutes of your life. Your students will laugh, listen, and most of all, learn.

Energizing & Activating Students in Tobacco Control
Adam Dahlgren and Ken Dahlgren, College Action Project Against Tobacco
In this innovation session, the speakers will be discussing how the revelation of the tobacco industry's global human rights abuses can serve to energize and activate students to fight back against tobacco industry attempts to target them. The speakers will discuss examples of bonded child labor, targeting of women and minority groups, unfair labor practices, environmental destruction, and severe poverty and agricultural slavery that exists around the world as a result of the multinational tobacco company's deliberate practices. This session will also provide examples of how this information has been utilized on college campuses to achieve these goals.

Be Heard; Talking About Mental Health
Kevin Hines, The Heard- National Mental Health Awareness Campaign
Mental health issues are some of the largest problems facing colleges today. One in four students experience a mental disorder and suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses.
Millions of students are dealing with stress, lack of sleep and change, but less than 66% seek help. This presentation removes the stigma surrounding mental health issues, empowers people to take action in their lives and provides insight into students living with mental disorders, the barriers they face and what can help them.

Asleep At The Wheel
Rusty Burris
On June 3, 1990, Rusty Burris fell asleep behind the wheel of his car and crashed, paralyzing him from the mid chest down. He was only 90 seconds from home. Since that time he has devoted his time and efforts into educating people on the dangers of poor decision making behind the wheel, specializing in drowsy driving awareness. Though it is rarely talked about, drowsy driving is an important issue for college students. In this important keynote, Russ will discuss the dangers of drowsy driving including the extent of the problem, who's at risk, warning signs, preventative measures, and personal stories. Under certain conditions, drowsy driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence. Come learn about Rusty’s story and what you can do to educate others on your campus about this important safety topic.