Debbie Wooten

Emcee

Debbie Wooten is an expert in overcoming adversity. Born on the South side of Chicago with Spina Bifida and contracting polio at five months, Debbie entered a world of poverty, racism, abuse and family suicide. Today Debbie has five successful adult children and is a popular speaker and comedian that receive raves from college students to ceo's of companies. Debbie life is an example of how you can prevail over the worst circumstances.

Scott Q. Marcus

Keynote Speaker

Among his many talents, Scott Q Marcus is an engaging and inspirational public speaker, former radio talk show host, marketing and public relations specialist and sales trainer and motivational speaker.

Hundreds come to his meetings time and time again to share in his inspirational and humorous delivery on habit change and improving one’s life on so many levels. His workshops, keynotes, and presentations are true-to-life, insightful, richly described stories; delivered with hope and humor in a manner polished through an award-winning extensive career.

Scott’s remarkable success in maintaining a 70 pound weight loss while going though one of the most tumultuous years of his life is an inspirational story unto itself. However, his talks are NOT about weight loss and diet, but about changing habits to improve your life.

In 2000, he came one step from competing in the world championship of public speaking for Toastmasters International. He has been a host of an AOL chat, and is scheduled to be in two forthcoming “Chicken Soup” books.

Jerry Tello

Keynote Speaker

Jerry Tello comes from a family with both Mexican and Texan roots. He was raised in south central Los Angeles. He is co-founder of the National Compadres Network and the Director of the National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute. He is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of family strengthening, community mobilization and culturally based violence prevention/intervention issues. Mr. Tello has extensive experience in the treatment of victims and perpetrators of abuse and in addictive behaviors. He specializes in working with multi-ethnic populations.

Mr. Tello is the author of a male "Rites of Passage" curriculum, a Young Fatherhood Curriculum, a bilingual Family Strengthening curriculum, and a bilingual Fatherhood Literacy Curriculum He served as a principal consultant for Scholastic Books on a International Bilingual Literacy curriculum. In addition, Mr. Tello has authored a series of children’s books and is the co-editor of Family Violence and Men of Color (Springer Publishing Co., 1998). He has appeared in Time, Newsweek, and Hispanic magazines. In April 1996, he received the Presidential Crime Victims Service award, which was presented to him by President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno. In June 1997 he received the Ambassador of Peace award from Rotary International.

Mr. Tello is presently the Director of the Sacred Circles Healing Center in Whittier, California and a member of the Sacred Circles performance group, a group dedicated to family/community peace and healing. He is also the proud father of three children: Marcos, Renee and Emilio.