Cultural\Ethnic\International Speakers
Katie Brennan
Northern Ireland Expert
Topics include:
- Northern Irish youth perspectives on their community, antisocial behaviors, and the future
- Irish history, particularly the 1916 Easter Rising
- The women of the 1916 Easter Rising–how their role in the Rising was ahead of their time (and then went away under the leadership of De Valera)
Ingrida Bublys
Honorary General Consul of the Republic of Lithuania
Topics include:
- Traditions and Customs of that Ageless Country by the Baltic Sea
- A country as ambitious as you are- Lithuania
- Business Environment in Lithuania
Paul Burik
Past President of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation
Topics include:
- Cleveland Cultural Gardens
- Czech Cultural Garden
- Bohemian National Hall
Veronica Dahlberg
Founder and executive director of HOLA
Topics include:
- Latino Community
- Northeast Ohio Latino immigrants and their families
Richard Eastburn
The Baha’i Faith
Topics include:
- We are all flowers of one Garden – the Oneness of Mankind
- The Baha’i Faith
Sanjay Garg
Founder of Shiksha Daan (Gift of Education)
Topics include:
- How Asian Indian community is giving back to the Greater Cleveland Community through volunteerism and service
Dan Hanson
Great Lakes Geek and Entreprenerd
Topics include:
- Ethnic Groups in Cleveland
- Cleveland Cultural Gardens – Past, Present and Future
- Interesting Cleveland International Hall of Famers
Debbie Hanson
ClevelandWomen.Com, ClevelandSeniors.Com & ClevelandPeople.Com
Topics include:
- The Cleveland Irish Community
- The Cleveland Polish Community
- Ethnic Holidays and Traditions
Kimberly Kirkendall
President of China Resource Network
Topics include:
- Operate Successfully in China
- International Negotiation Techniques
Ken Kovach
Board Certified Coach
Topics include:
- Cleveland Peoples and Cultures – A tour of the world in your backyard highlighting cultural, nationality, ethnic, and racial groups.
- Cleveland’s International Communities and their organizations –A sociological perspective on intergroup relations in Northeast Ohio.
Joseph Patrick Meissner
Attorney, Green Beret Vietnam Veteran, Author
Topics include:
- Viet Nam: Yesterday in War, Today in Peace
- Ireland, one hundred years after the Rising
- Despite the famine, eight million Irish strong today
- What is wrong with Chief Wahoo?
- Ten famous cities of Asia that I have visited and what they can teach us in America
- The four famous novels of China and how they help us understand our Number One Rival in the world
Judge Michael C. Mentel
Irish History Expert and Author
Judge Mentel speaks about what led up to and followed the events of the 1981 Irish hunger strike. “The hunger strike of 1981 was one of the most tragic events to occur in Irish history. Ten men died over a period of 217 days in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh (Maze) prison, protesting the denial of their basic human rights.
Erika Puussaar
Estonian Community Leader
Topics include:
-
-
- Cleveland Estonian Cultural Garden
- Estonian Community of Cleveland
- Growing up as a Displaced Person in WWII in a Refugee Camp
- The Baltic Nations (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)
- Respecting the Flag and National Anthem
-
Paramjit Singh
Sikh leader promoting Peace and Non-Violence.
Topics include:
- The Real Cleveland Indians
- Sikhs and Sikhism
- Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Johnny Wu
Filmmaker, Asian Community Leader, Festival Producer, Martial Arts Hall of Famer
Topics include:
- Asian Culture
- Cleveland Asian Festival
- Diversity
- One World Day and other events