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About the Episode: The International Convention and Expo is taking place in New Orleans October 20th to the 23rd. To get ready for the event we have 3 convention preview episodes for you to check out.
In this final episode before convention, host, Gabe Schauf, is joined by the 2024 International Convention and Expo keynote speakers, Amy Herman and Jason Arday. Amy and Jason will share a little about themselves and their experiences and give an idea of what to expect from their keynote addresses. This episode is sponsored by NGL and Carriage.
Learn more about the 2024 International Convention and Expo
Learn more about our Keynote Speakers
About Amy Herman: Amy Herman, a lawyer and art historian, uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making.
She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students’ observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, retailers, and the military. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the necessity for astute visual literacy and how the analysis of works of art affords participants an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and skills necessary for sharper performance and effective leadership.
The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Her TED talk, A Lesson on Looking, went live in December 2018. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, was published in May 2016 and was on both the New York Times and Washington Post best sellers’ lists. Her second book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem- Solving was published in December 2021. Her third book, smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain, was published in October 2022.
About Jason Arday: Professor Jason Arday is a social commentator, presenter and public speaker. He is currently the 2002 Professorial Chair of Education (Sociology of Education) at the University of Cambridge, making him the youngest-ever Black academic to hold a Professorship at Cambridge and one of the youngest academics ever appointed to a Professorial Chair in Oxbridge’s history. At three years old, Jason was diagnosed with global development delay and autism spectrum disorder. He did not speak until he was eleven years old, and could not read or write until he was eighteen.
His Professorial appointment in July 2021, at the University of Glasgow, made him one of the youngest Professors in the UK. He holds an Honorary Professorship at Durham University and Visiting Professorships at The Ohio State University, University of Glasgow and Nelson Mandela University. Jason is also a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality thinktank, and the British Sociological Association (BSA). He sits on the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) national advisory panel and the NHS Race and Health Observatory Academic Reference Group. Jason is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and sits on the ITV Cultural Advisory Council.
Outside of academia, Jason has been a prolific fundraiser having raised over £5 million pounds for 80 national charities over an 18-year period most notably Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice and Shelter. He has won numerous prodigious national and community fundraising awards for fundraising and community engagement achievements. His fundraising achievements include running: 30 marathons in 35 days, 300 miles in 3 days and 600 miles in 6 days. He has also undertaken and completed relief work in South America and West Africa with WaterAid installing water points, which provide drinkable and clean water. The highlight of these fundraising achievements culminated in selection to be an Olympic Torch Bearer for the London 2012 Olympics. He has also been shortlisted three times for the Mirror’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year Award. Additionally, Jason has set up homeless drives across London to develop mobile soup kitchens and cleaning facilities for individuals experiencing homelessness.
In April 2023, Jason was nominated for the Powerlist, a list comprising of the most influential 100 Black Britons and the Genius Within, and was the recipient of the Neurodiversity Achiever of the Year in June 2023. He is the recipient of five Honorary Doctorates for outstanding contribution to global higher education, social justice and charity. He was also named Most Inspirational Person of the Year at the 2023 MBCC Awards and made an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association for outstanding contribution to equality and diversity. He was listed 4th Most Influential Person with a disability on The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100. He has also had the honor of being the Guest Editor for the BBC’s Today Program.