DR. DAVID CUTLER balances a varied career as a jazz and classical composer, pianist, educator, arranger, conductor, author, blogger, advocate and entrepreneur.  His book The Savvy Musician, available now, helps musicians build a career, earn a living and make a difference.  Cutler is a regular contributor to the Entrepreneur the Arts blog and is the Coordinator of Music Entrepreneurship Studies at Duquesne University.  More information on The Savvy Musician can be found at www.SavvyMusician.com.  David Cutler can also be found online at his official site, www.TrunkMusic.org.

JASON WILLIAM JOHNSON is the founder of Identity Engineers, an entrepreneurial development and brand development consulting firm.  Jason’s life mission is to help individuals express their individuality through knowledge of self, creativity, and entrepreneurship.  Through Identity Engineers, Jason uses his understanding of personality and color psychology along with his creative talents as a writer, musician, and graphic designer to help individuals start businesses based on their personality strengths and talents; as well as help small businesses develop brands, advertisements, and websites that accurately their core brand values.  Jason graduated with honors from Roosevelt University in 2010 with a Masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology. More information on Identity Engineers can be found at www.identityengineers.com.

DR. DEANA McDONAGH is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design within the School of Art + Design and a faculty member of the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology.  She has focused on developing Empathic Design Research approaches and tools to support successful new product development.  She joined the University of Illinois in 2004 from the Department of Design and Technology at Loughborough University (UK). Research funding to date has included Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (GR/M98654), European Commission (QLK6 CT 2002 02576), and The Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Research Bursaries (AT/100/00450/A)(AT/100/99/0039). Research under these grants have resulted in 17 journal publications, 48 Conference publications and 4 edited books.  She is the Co-Editor of the Design Journal, and Special Guest Editor of the Journal of Engineering Design Special Edition “Design and Emotion” (due out in 2009).  Recent University of Illinois Campus Research Grants have included “Transgenerational Learning: Communication through visual stimuli”, “Disability + Relevant Design” and “Visual Data Capture”.

REID HYAMS has over 35 years of in depth professional experience in music, recording and music business related industries. Reid is a performing artist, published author, previous faculty member and administrative staff at Columbia College, and founder and owner of an award winning multiple recording studio complex, Chicago Trax Recording. Reid is currently a co-founder and the Vice-President of EARS (Engineering and Recording Society of Chicago). He is also a member of the Chicago Music Commission, an Associate (X•ART) of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM: a2im.org) and a former VP, Governor and current Voting Member of The Recording Academy. Reid's current business, The X•ART Entertainment Management Group, is focused on the management of the behind the scenes talent that is paramount to making great/hit records: Producers, Engineers & Mixers. Presently, X•ART represents high end - high profile award winning producer/engineers. X•ART is also involved in artist development & production.

MIKE RASPATELLO is an honors graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Marketing and Communications. After spending four years founding and developing Rivalfish, Inc., the leading rivalry-themed online comedy brand regularly featured in national print, broadcast, and radio outlets such as WGN, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and Entrepreneur Magazine, Mike and his partners sold Rivalfish to National Lampoon in January 2008. A serial entrepreneur in entertainment production, Mike has also founded Kingtello Presents, producing the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival and other nationally recognized live music events.  Mike also produced and directed the nationally syndicated Mancow Radio Experience and Mancow & Cassidy Show, and is in pre-production of two independent documentary projects.  Forever aiming to keep his wits, Mike is currently pursuing his M.B.A. at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

KATHE TELINGATOR has an MFA in Arts Administration from Brooklyn College, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Michigan. Kathe began her professional career as a literary/theatrical/talent agent with the Lucy Kroll Agency in New York, working with such clients as James Earl Jones, Horton Foote, Uta Hagen, and the Carl Sandburg Estate. She subsequently established her own literary/theatrical agency in New York and was responsible for the publication of the highly acclaimed memoir, Motherwit: The Story of the Last Granny Midwife in Alabama by Onnie Lee Logan and Katharine Clark. Returning to Chicago in 1990, she worked for the Chicago International Film Festival for two seasons, the second year as a consultant. In 1992, she founded the not-for-profit organization, Stories on Stage, Chicago's only live dramatic short story reading series. At the same time, she approached Chicago Public Radio and negotiated a deal to air the series beginning that same year. In 1997, Stories on Stage became a production of Chicago Public Radio for both its live and broadcast series. Over the course of its 15-year history, Kathe produced more than 125 live theatrical performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Steppenwolf Theatre, among other venues, and 130 broadcasts, which aired weekly on Chicago Public Radio.