Zachary Dilbeck – Know the Path You Walk

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Assistant Professor of English at CSCC
Enthusiastic, Witty, Affable

Sometimes a path is symbolic of choice and sometimes a path is just dirt. English Professor Zachary Dilbeck discusses the difference between literal and figurative pathways in literature and how the ability to distinguish between the two can help to navigate real life pathways.

He has been teaching literature and composition at Columbus State Community College since 2012. He earned a PhD in English and the Teaching of English from Idaho State University and completed his doctoral dissertation on Tolkien’s construction of race in Middle-Earth in 2015. He have been nominated multiple times for the Distinguished Teaching Award; He presented a paper titled “The Broken Sword, a Meme: Beowulf, Arthur, and Elendil” at the University of Vermont in 2017; organized and contributed to a faculty panel titled “An Historic Election Deserves an Historic Conversation” at the CSCC Delaware Campus in 2016; and currently teaches a fairy tale driven composition curriculum. He is also interested in enlightenment thought and aesthetics, the consilience of higher education, and the anxiety of science and pseudoscience.

Elegra Davis – Why the Future Needs Your Life’s Purpose

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CEO of Davis Depositions, LLC
Loving, Creative, Intuitive

No one thought that Elegra Davis would one day rise to CEO status. As a 14-year-old pregnant teen in poverty, the adults in her life did not see much for her future. She had become a statistic and the odds were not in her favor. But Elegra knew there was more to her story. She believed that all life has meaning to power a future forward. Elegra learned to trust herself and her inner voice and to ignore the naysayers. Her path had many twists but she found her way. Elegra ultimately credits her success as an entrepreneur from the lessons she learned as a teen mother.

Elegra is a purpose-led entrepreneur and CEO of Davis Depositions, LLC, a digital court reporting firm serving all of Central Ohio and neighboring states. Her honors and recent work also include: -One of the youngest to receive the award of “1 of 12 Women You Should Know in Central Ohio,” by the national association, Women for Economic Leadership and Development. Each year WELD recognizes women who are high impact leaders within their organizations, support the leadership and development of others, give time, talent and resources to their community, and invest in the growth of other businesses. She is honored to share space within the small group containing notable women such as the Mayor’s wife, First Lady Shannon Ginther. -Congressional Recognition by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty on being recognized as a 2017 Woman WELDing the Way Calendar Honoree. – Selected Speaker for Microsoft’s National Entrepreneurship Week in both 2016 and 2017. – 2017 Selected Speaker for WELD National Conference on the topic: Outsmarting the Enemy of Innovation: Fear. -2018 Selected Speaker for WELD National Conference on topic: Exposing Success: Unlearning to Reveal Purpose. -2018 Conference Speaker for Ohio Bankers League. -2018 Conference Panelist for Healthcare Financial Management Association. -2018 Moderator for September Leadership Series at OSU Fawcett Center. -One of the first five Ohioans to receive national digital court reporter certification and is past appointed member of the Government Relations and Education Committees of the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers. -She has also authored articles in The Court Reporter Newsletter (trade industry newsletter), and authoring her first book, “Everything I Needed to Know as an Entrepreneur I Learned as a Teen Mother.”

Rosemarie Rossetti – Pathways To Change, Persevere, and Be Resilient!

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President of Rossetti Enterprises
Persistent, Loyal, Trustworthy

Paths can end for no reason at all, a permanent change that was never thought possible. Rosemarie Rossetti has faced such a moment and found hope and meaning in the situation. She shares the five key lessons she learned following a spinal cord injury and provides hope to others by demonstrating how to be resilient, cope with change, and deal with adversity.

Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. is a full time professional speaker, consultant, and author, internationally known for her motivational programs. She is the President of Rossetti Enterprises Inc. Rossetti has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people who were in her audiences over the 19 years that she has been sharing her story about acquiring a spinal cord injury. Her message is focused on living life with conviction. She shares the five key lessons that she lives by that she learned following her injury. She provides hope to others by demonstrating how to be resilient, cope with change, and deal with adversity.

She is the author of:
“Universal Design Toolkit: Time-saving ideas, resources, solutions, and guidance for making homes accessible”, “Take Back Your Life! Regaining Your Footing After Life Throws You a Curve” and “The Healthy Indoor Plant”.

She is also known for the national demonstration home and garden that she and her husband, Mark Leder, designed, built, and live in, the Universal Design Living Laboratory. It is the highest rated universal design home in North America, earning three national certifications. This home in Columbus also received a Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and a Gold certification on the National Green Building Standard.

Matt Stephens-Rich – Decarbonizing the Transportation Highway

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Electric Vehicle Specialist
Passionate, Excited, Sharing

Hilliard is the leading the charge in the Columbus region in tackling greenhouse gas emissions. Our town has the highest rate of electric vehicle adoption, which is decreasing oil dependency. Electric Vehicle Specialist Matt Stephens-Rich explains what this means for Hilliard, the Columbus region and the reduction of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Matt started his career in energy policy and alternative fuels at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs in 2012, where he earned an MPA in Energy Policy. While in school, Matt worked at Clean Fuels Ohio, a statewide non-profit focused on petroleum reduction through alternative fuels in transportation. Upon graduation, he stayed on with Clean Fuels Ohio as Projects Manager, working to secure $25+ million in grant funding and deploy hundreds of alternative fuel fleet vehicles. He was honored to be named a Person to Know in Energy by Columbus Business First during this work. He now provides insight and analysis for how consumers and businesses can best adopt EVs in the region.