Amplify Good

Nicolette Ferguson, Educator and Choreographer, is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the Dept. of Theater and Dance at SUNY Geneseo and a 2020 MFA Graduate from The College of Brockport. A registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) and licensed Zumba instructor, she counsels a healthy lifestyle to all, in addition to conducting weekly dance classes for kids and adults throughout the Rochester area. Mrs. Ferguson was a Principal Dancer with Garth Fagan Dance for 21 years and has provided instruction in the Fagan technique to students ages 3-80, beginners, pre-professionals and professionals. Born in Jamaica, W.I. and raised in Queens, NY, Mrs. Ferguson is a wife and mother to two boys, 12 and 8 years old.

 

Links: 

Yoga 4 A Good Hood https://www.yoga4agoodhood.org/

SUNY Geneseo https://www.geneseo.edu/

SUNY Brockport https://www.brockport.edu/

Garth Fagan Dance Company https://www.garthfagandance.org/

YMCA of Rochester https://rochesterymca.org/

Penfield AntiRacist Alliance (PARA) https://www.facebook.com/penfieldARalliance

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Brockport, Garth Fagan Dance Company, Yoga, YMCA of Rochester, family, parenting, dance, modern dance, Jamaica, West Indies, Jamaica, Queens, dream job, joyful movement, spouse, children, graduate school, choreographer, educator, Garth Fagan, mentor, Oprah Winfrey, listen, inner voice, positive energy, truth, honesty

My name is Luva Alvarez. I am the site/alumni coordinator for the Greater Rochester PLTI. I was born in Brooklyn, NY but have resided in Rochester for 20 years.

I am a believer, connector, mom, wife, parent advocate, PLTI ALUM, Girl Scout Leader, Boy Scout leader, Eagle Scout mom, Mom of three Black Scholars, Lover of life, and a PARENT WHO LEADS. I am passionate about parents being engaged and empowered.

I love spending time with my family and of course watching all those Chicago Fire & Chicago P.D shows. My favorite quote is “Her greatest power is believing in herself”.

 

Links: 

Blog Talk Radio 24 Hour Mom Show: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/24hrmom

Rochester PLTI: https://www.greaterrochesterplti.org/

NPLI: https://parentswholead.org/

Girl Scouts of WNY: https://www.gswny.org/

Boy Scouts Seneca Waterways Council: https://senecawaterways.org/

Panama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama

Greece Central School District: https://www.greececsd.org/

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, mother, parent, children, scouts, mental health, self-care, community, citizenship, role model, panama, immigrant, service, kindness, love, family, neighborhoods, neighbors, women

 

Nicole Doyley grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended Dartmouth College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. She worked in church ministry for almost 25 years, authored three books and published numerous articles in the Huffington Post and The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. She currently hosts her own podcast (Let’s Talk: Conversations on Race), speaks in conferences, seminars and webinars and does consulting work with organizations on the topics of diversity, racial sensitivity and racial equity. She lives with her husband and two sons in Rochester, NY. Find her at nicoledoyley.com.

 

Links: 

Podcast: Let’s Talk: Conversations on Race https://podcastrepublic.net/podcast/1516185899

Fame (movie) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080716/

Dartmouth https://home.dartmouth.edu/

University of Rochester https://www.rochester.edu/

Passing (movie) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8893974/

Passing (book) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57640287-passing

The Avenue Theatre https://www.avenuetheatre.org/

Amplify Good Post https://ariastrategiesllc.com/amplify-good/what-about-the-children

When Life is Winter: Navigating the Seasons of Life https://www.amazon.com/When-Life-Winter-navigating-seasons-ebook/dp/B07MKS9VK4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Nicole+Doyley&qid=1560535225&s=gateway&sr=8-1#customerReviews

The Wait: Encouragement for Single Women https://www.amazon.com/Wait-Encouragement-Single-Women/dp/9978362312/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

 

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, DEI, piano, New Hampshire

Literature, ministry, education, teach, write, healing, Rochester, parenting, mother, podcast, author, remote work, blog, racism, faith, friendship, encouragement, spouse, partner, home, nurture, nature, biracial, rest, physical activity, spiritual growth, children, listen, adventure, race, racial identity

 

Camaron Johnson is currently the Acting Executive Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics. I began my tenure in the district 25 years ago as a physical education teacher. After 5 years of teaching, I became the Athletic Director at Wilson Commencement HS where I graduated from. After two years, I transitioned to an Assistant Principal role and then worked my way to Principalship. I had the honor of opening up the newest elementary school in the RCSD in 2009 called Dr. Walter Cooper Academy.

 

Links: 

Michigan State (Track/Athletics): https://msuspartans.com/sports/track-and-field/

Rochester Central School District (RCSD): https://www.rcsdk12.org/

Loretta Johnson, RCSD Superintendent: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2017/04/24/loretta-johnson-rcsd-superintendent-obituary/100842418/

Dr. Walter Cooper Academy: https://www.rcsdk12.org/10

Dr. Walter Cooper: https://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/finding-aids/D385

EL Education: https://eleducation.org/

Restorative Practice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_practices

 

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, education, integrity, athletics, college, school, track and field, academics, children, teenagers, growth, learning, administrator, teacher, physical education, assistant principal

 

Sheila Schuh, is a Master Level Credentialed Religious Educator and serves as the Director of Religious Education at First Unitarian Church of Rochester on Winton Rd. She has served the Unitarian Universalist denomination for over 17 years.

 

She has recently authored Jubilee Kids, Junior Youth Jubilee, and has served on the denomination’s creation team for the Lifespan Faith Development Accountability Assessment Tool. Sheila develops ongoing offerings on Race, Racism, and Relationships and has developed JUST Communication for parenting groups. She was the 2018 Gould Lecturer and has won awards for intergenerational worship and writing.

 

She also holds a Masters in Expressive Arts Therapy, is a trained sexuality educator and mentor. Sheila’s priorities are inclusion, building restorative systems, non-violence, and supporting parents in their roles as spiritual guides. To relax, she loves to run, play volleyball, dance, climb trees, x-country ski, and spend time with her three young adult children and her partner, Ed!

 

Links: 

Tree climbing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_climbing

OWL (Our Whole Lives): https://www.uua.org/re/owl

Unitarian Universalist Association: https://www.uua.org/

Judaism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism

Catholicism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church

First Unitarian (Rochester): https://rochesterunitarian.org/

St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (Camillus, NY): https://stjosephscamillus.org/

Youth Jubilee (UU Youth Program): https://rochesterunitarian.org/circle-of-beloveds/

Benefits of Naps (Mayo Clinic): https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/napping/art-20048319

 

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, religious education, spiritual 

LGBTQ+, teacher, children, families, Unitarian, Universalist, church, Judaism, Buddhism, practice, Catholic, community, advocacy, creed, family, parent, partner

 

Before her current role as the local host of WXXI's Weekend Edition and reporter at WXXI News, April spent 12 years working in the Emergency Department at URMC. Her passion for community and storytelling led her to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Broadcast from SUNY Brockport. 

April is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the current Vice President of Rochester Association of Black Journalists. 

Above all, she is a mom and community member who wants to elevate the voices of the marginalized in Rochester

 

Links: 

Rochester School for the Deaf https://www.rsdeaf.org/

NTID/RIT https://www.rit.edu/ntid/

WXXI https://www.wxxi.org/

Section 8 https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8

Rochester Rhinos https://rnyfc.com/

Rochester Housing Authority https://www.rhanh.org/

URMC Strong Hospital https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/strong-memorial.aspx

Swillburg (neighborhood) https://swillburg.com/

The German House https://thehistoricgermanhouse.com/

African American Vernacular English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Vernacular_English

American Sign Language https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/

The Black ASL Project (Gallaudet) http://blackaslproject.gallaudet.edu/BlackASLProject/Welcome.html

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, housing, deaf, asl, Black, African American, journalist, public radio, public television, racism, racial health disparities, gentrification, soccer, urban, city, neighborhood, entertainment, AAVE, Black ASL, African American Vernacular English

Can purposeful businesses that balance the needs of all their stakeholders compete with profit-driven companies that prioritize their stockholders above all? Conscious Capitalism has proven that they can…and the movement is growing! 

In addition to co-founding a local chapter of this worldwide movement, Andrew is the Chief Evolutionary Officer of The XLR8 Team, where he works with leaders to evolve themselves toward realizing their purpose and evolving their company’s culture into a competitive advantage. 

Using cultural assessment tools, XLR8 takes a democratic approach to cultural transformation that creates shared ownership of the culture and integrates values into every aspect of company processes. XLR8 believes that “leaders have to grow for the organization to grow”, and their EVOLutionary Leadership executive coaching program has enrolled hundreds of leaders, including more than 200 senior leaders at Wegmans Food Markets. After Wegmans was honored as the Best Company to Work For in 2005, Danny Wegman credited this program as “one of the reasons we made it to #1!” This combination of bottom-up and top-down culture change has been proven to transform organizations across industries, sectors and even internationally.

Andrew’s forthcoming book, For The EVOLution of Business, explores how the principles of evolution reveal a path toward a more “conscious” capitalism and why the only sustainable path to a thriving planet is through inclusive prosperity for all. Andrew holds an undergraduate degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He was named as a 2017 honoree of the Rochester Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Awards and a Trust Across America 2019 Top Thought Leader in Trust.

Links: Privilege Footrace - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5fbQ1-zps

Savasana - https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/shavasana-corpse-pose

Marty Seligman & Positive Psychology - https://www.neh.gov/article/martin-seligman-and-rise-positive-psychology

UPenn: Applied Positive Psychology - https://lpsonline.sas.upenn.edu/academics/bachelors-degree/baas-course-blocks/applied-positive-psychology

Biz Kids - https://www.bizkids.com/

Junior Achievement - https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/programs

RIT EMBA - https://emba.rit.edu/executive-mba

Humanistic Capitalism - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_capitalism

Institute for Cultural Entrepreneurship for Museum Leaders - https://www.schoolandcollegelistings.com/US/Cooperstown/190560077627609/Institute-for-Cultural-Entrepreneurship-for-Museum-Leaders

Conscious Capitalism - https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/

XLR8 Companies US - https://www.xlr8companies.us/

Wegmans - https://www.wegmans.com/

Elevate Rochester - https://elevaterochester.org/

Firms of Endearment - http://firmsofendearment.com/

Bentley University - https://www.bentley.edu/

Babson College - https://www.babson.edu/

Pitchfork Economics podcast - https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episodes/

For the Evolution of Business podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-evolution-of-business/id1437955281

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, business, capitalism, humanism, education, podcasts, book, read, radio, small business, family business, privilege, equity, author

Greg Sorin is a Los Angeles-based writer and producer, about to begin a position as a showrunner’s assistant. Previously, he served as writer's room production assistant on Marvel’s Helstrom (a horror/superhero show streaming on Hulu). Before that, he worked as a producer, under multiple Emmy Award-winning director Ric Burns, on a number of nationally broadcast documentaries to air on PBS and streaming services. He writes dark science fiction drama pilots, two of which brought him to the finals of NBC’s Writers on the Verge fellowship program in 2020. He’s currently a mentee in the Hollywood Radio & Television Society mentorship program.

 

Links: 

Cooperstown Graduate Program: https://cgpmuseumstudies.org/

SUNY Geneseo: https://www.geneseo.edu/

Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights: https://www.amazon.com/Driving-While-Black-African-American/dp/1631495690/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Cursive writing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive

Harry Potter Series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter

Dark: https://dark.netflix.io/en

Ira Glass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Glass

District 9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9

Apartheid (South Africa): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid

Helstrom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helstrom_(TV_series)

Haunting of Hill House: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_of_Hill_House_(TV_series)

 

 

 

Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, hulu, Netflix, entertainment, writer, author, read, books, documentary, history, film, tv, African American, black, America, green book, automobiles

Ahlia is the founder of Little Black Buddha, (LBB) which offers women help in making career transitions and figuring out their next move in their lives and careers. LBB also creates the space to honestly look at the entire picture of one’s life by incorporating a life design ethos into the work and programming, advocating wholeness, wellness and a complete sense of self. She is a RYT 200 certified yoga instructor.

Little Black Buddha is currently developing LBB Pathways, which is an App that helps people figure (a) what their transferable skills are and (b) what industries those skills can be used in. Ahlia has navigated 5 successful career transitions over a fifteen-year period.

Prior to starting Little Black Buddha, she was a Lead Engineer at a Fortune 500 company for 10+ years. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Monroe Community College. She has a BS in Electrical Engineering (2001) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MA in Math Education (2009) from the City College of New York. Ahlia is married to a wonderful and supportive partner and most importantly, she is a mother of three beautiful and bright children (4, 9 & 12 years old).

 

Links: 

Little Black Buddha: https://littleblackbuddha.com/

Middle Skills Gap: https://www.the74million.org/article/the-middle-skills-gap-half-of-americas-jobs-require-more-than-high-school-diplomas-but-less-than-4-year-degrees-so-why-are-they-under-so-many-students-radars/

 

Keywords: Black-owned Business, Career Transitions, Middle Skills, Parenting, Self-determination, Legacy, Advocacy, Dignity, Communication, Self-discovery

Jenn Beideman is the advocacy manager for the Healthi Kids initiative at Common Ground Health. Healthi Kids is a grassroots coalition advancing whole child health in Finger Lakes region of New York. In her role she leads and provides expertise to several campaigns across the region that advance policy, systems and environmental changes to support kids health and well-being.

 

These campaigns range on topics advancing children's play in schools and neighborhoods, to building healthy equitable communities, and supporting healthy learning environments for all children. Jenn brings to her role 15 years of experience in public policy advocacy and research, government relations and community engagement.

 

Prior to joining Common Ground Health, Jenn worked for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario offering policy and procedural support to Standing Committees of the House, and at World Vision Canada as a policy researcher. She has a masters in Public Administration from SUNY Brockport, a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and a B.C. in Public Administration & Leadership from Ryerson University. Active in her community she currently Chairs the Strong Museum of Play's Associate Board; is President of the Board of the Child Care Council; Co-Chair's the Greater Rochester After School and Summer Alliance policy committee and is a member of the Network for Youth Success' Policy Committee. She's a member of many local initiatives including: Project CLEAN's Steering Committee, Roc the Future's Children Developmentally on Track, the Rochester City School District's High Quality Learning Experiences Task Force and the Rochester City School District's Wellness Task Force.

 

Jenn is a Canadian transplant to the Rochester area, and will take any opportunity to explore the mountains. In her spare time, Jenn also enjoys practicing yoga, baking, craft cocktails, and exploring the City of Rochester where she resides with her husband.

 

Links: 

Common Ground Health: https://www.commongroundhealth.org/

Canadian Rocky Mountains: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Rockies

Canada Provincial Government: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/provincial-government

Noam Chomsky: https://chomsky.info/

Social Emotional Learning (SEL): https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

Protective Factors: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/promoting/protectfactors/

Infant Mental Health (IMH): https://www.nysaimh.org/about-babies/

Society for the Protection and Care of Children (SPCC): https://www.spcc-roch.org/

Community Evidence: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/community_defined_evidence_as_a_framework_for_equitable_implementation

National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG): https://nncg.org/

 

 

Keywords: Family, Play, Advocacy, Evidence, Philanthropy, Canada, Rocky Mountains, Government, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Protective Factors, Children, Infants, Mental Health