COURSE SPEAKERS
ROMAN BACA, EXIT 12 DANCE COMPANY
Roman Baca is a U.S. Marine Iraq War Veteran and the Artistic Director of Exit12 Dance Company in NYC. After a career in dance, Mr. Baca served as a U.S. Marine and was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq from ‘05-’06. Mr. Baca serves as Fellowship Alumni Associate with The Mission Continues and is a spokesperson for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. His priorities are defined by his desire to help veterans realize their potential in the civilian world and the impact they can make in their communities.
BRANDON BRYANT, PROJECT RED HAND
The founder of Project Red Hand, Brandon Bryant joined the US Air Force in 2005, started training for the drone program April 12th of 2006, flew his first mission on December 3rd of that year, and fired his first hellfire shot on January 26th the following year. After leaving active duty on July 4th of 2011, he was the first drone operator to publicly speak out about the realities of the program. Seen on Democracy Now, CNN, Fox, published in GQ, Time Magazine, and collaborating on the first article by The Intercept, Brandon seeks to answer all questions and get as much information to the public as possible. He was a part of Robert Greenwald’s documentary “Unmanned” and in Tonje Hessen Schei’s documentary “Drone.” He has spoken in front of the Security Council, and schools and parliaments across Europe. He advocates for transparency, questioning the nature of justice, open access to the internet, and veteran support.
LUCY CHINEA DEL GAUDIO, U.S. ARMY
Lucy Chinea Del Gaudio is is a Veteran of the U.S. Army (1990 - 1998) and the Chapter Captain for Team Red, White and Blue Northern New Jersey. Team Red, White and Blue is a National nonprofit that enriches the lives of transitioning Veterans. Lucy has been with Team Red, White and Blue since September 2014. In 2015, Lucy became the Chapter Captain of the newly formed Northern New Jersey Chapter. In this short period of time, Team Red, White and Blue Northern New Jersey has made an impact in the Bergen County Veterans community. The Team has assisted and partnered with different organizations to end veteran homelessness. The Team partners with Hope for Warriors and provides meals and encouragement to the residents of the Alfred J. Thomas Transition Home for Veterans in Garfield, NJ. The Team provides weekly physical activities that help promote wellness to the transitioning veterans such as weekly runs and walks, yoga, swimming, and Crossfit workouts. They also host monthly socials to continue camaraderie that veterans are adapted to in the military. Lucy is a wife and mother of 4. She is an IT Infrastructure Specialist with Prudential. Lucy also serves as an Advisory Board Member for CARE FOR LIFE and LIMB and Women's Veteran Advisory Council of the YWCA Bergen County.
BRIAN MCDONALD, VETERAN ARTIST PROJECT (VAP)
Brian McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran who served 7 years as an Arabic linguist and Special Operator in the Joint Special Operations Command. BR deployed 3 times to Southeast Asia during his Army career and 4 times as an Operations and Intelligence Consultant for the Department of Defense. After getting out of the Army in 2008, McDonald decided to get back to his roots as an actor/singer and founded the Veteran Artist Program (VAP), which takes artists, who are also veterans, and propels their works and careers into the mainstream creative arts community through networking, mentorships, collaborations with professional artists and original productions.
BROCK MCINTOSH, IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR (IVAW)
Brock McIntosh served 8 years in the Army National Guard as a combat MP, including a tour in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009. He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and has been involved in numerous veteran support and advocacy organizations. After applying for conscientious objector status as a secular humanist, his sociology research focused on the ethics of military social science and adapting sociological theory to developments in neuroscience and artificial intelligence. He is currently a Harry S. Truman Scholar pursuing an MPA at New York University.
TOBY MILLER, PROFESSOR OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CARDIFF
Toby MIller is a British-Australian-US interdisciplinary social scientist. He is the author and editor of over 30 books, has published essays in more than 100 journals and edited collections, and is a frequent guest commentator on television and radio programs. His teaching and research cover the media, sports, labor, gender, race, citizenship, politics, and cultural policy. He taught at Murdoch, Griffith University, and the University of New South Wales and was a professor at New York University from 1993 to 2004, when he joined the University of California, Riverside. Miller was Distinguished Professor of Media & Cultural Studies at UCR until the end of 2013 and is now Professor of Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies at the University of Cardiff and Sir Walter Murdoch Professor of Cultural Policy Studies at Murdoch University.
CHARLES PENCE, PROFESSOR PHILOSOPHY, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Charles Pence is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosphy and Religious Studies at Louisiana State University. He specializes in the philosophy of biology and the application and ethics of contemporary technology. He has taught courses at Notre Dame in the John R. Reilly Center on the ethics of emergent technologies. He received the Sir Karl Popper Prize from the British Society for the Philosophy of Science in 2013 and the Philip R. Sloan Prize from Notre Dame in 2012.
MELISSA SIEW, SVA & FOURBLOCK
Melissa Siew is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps (2009 – 2016). She serves as the President of the Student Veterans America (SVA), Baruch College Chapter. SVA is a national nonprofit that provides active duty servicemen, veterans, reservists and National Guardsmen with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation. Melissa has been volunteering with the SVA for 2 years where she has been working in conjunction with the Committee on Veterans in NYC City Hall to address homelessness, financial support, academic services and career development on-campus. She is concurrently volunteering with The Mission Continues; a nonprofit that empowers veterans to find purpose through community impact and inspires future generations to continue their service in their local community. Finally, Melissa is the Program Coordinator for NYC at the FourBlock Foundation; bridging the gap between transitioning veterans and employers in a supportive learning environment by helping to foster the business relationships that will support veterans' professional and personal development.
JOSE VASQUEZ, IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR (IVAW)
Jose is a former Sergeant with the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve. He joined IVAW in June 2005 and co-founded the NYC chapter serving as the president. He also served on the interim board of directors and was elected to the first official board in 2006. He helped organize numerous actions and events including the Veterans’ and Survivors’ March to New Orleans, Operation First Casualty in NYC, and Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan. He represented IVAW in the editing process for the Winter Soldier book published by Haymarket. Jose is completing a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center where he is conducting research on militarization and the politics of sacrifice among veterans in contemporary American society.
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