Meet our
Speakers
All of our speakers have a personal passion for the skills they teach and are sure to authentically connect with your group.
Bruce
Bruce is a native of Pittsburgh and loves living and volunteering in the city! He is married with 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Bruce is also a 2015 retiree from the Port Authority of Allegheny County where he worked for nearly 27 years. For the last 17 years, he was the Director of Service Delivery for the East Liberty and Ross Divisions. Personally, Bruce is involved with his church, where he is an active volunteer, and you should know, he loves to sing!
Brooke
Brooke grew up in the Pittsburgh area and is a graduate of Geneva College with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Public Relations. She enjoys time with her two small kiddos and husband, and enjoys her side business of impersonating the Disney character, Elsa, from “Frozen” at birthday parties! You will regularly find Brooke with her nose in a book or laughing with her four sisters.
JD
JD has a huge passion for connecting with high school students! Since graduating in 2007 from Slippery Rock University, JD and his high school sweetheart now have two kiddos, and he relishes all-things-outdoors. Since college, JD has spoken to over 100,000 individuals in his career, and has a unique and engaging communication style. Fun facts about JD: He talks in his sleep, he was the center fielder for the SRU baseball team, and he currently competes as a one-man volleyball team.
Laura
Laura is the Coordinator and Speaker for the Pittsburgh Essential Speakers program. She is a native Pittsburgher and graduated with a BS in Psychology/Business from Penn State University. In her more ‘youthful’ days, she trained at the US Olympic Training Center in CO, made the USA World Archery Team and National Team, and was Archery’s Athlete Rep to the USOC. Laura now works in the family manufacturing rep business. She and her husband have 2 adult daughters and she enjoys a good round of golf every once in awhile! Laura is all about spreading the Healthy Relationship message to teens everywhere!
dan
Dan guides students to be smart about higher education and has worked with teens for over 40 years in both volunteer and professional capacities. Helping youth with the challenges of building healthy relationships and living lives that matter must be intentional. Dan is committed to equipping teens to make wise choices in order to have a more successful future.