Speakers
Central Florida Veg Fest features several great speakers on a variety of veg-related topics!
Central Florida Veg Fest features several great speakers on a variety of veg-related topics!
SPECIAL GUEST! John Salley 5:00 p.m.
A proud native of Brooklyn, New York, John found a love for basketball at an early age. He accepted a Basketball Scholarship to Georgia Tech. From there John went on to become a 15-year NBA veteran and was the first NBA player to win four championships with three different teams. After his retirement from the NBA in 2000, Salley explored several opportunities in both television and film. John has served as host for numerous award shows and recently hosted the Reunion Shows of VH-1’s #1 rated show, Basketball Wives. John is also the head of his own production company, John Salley Presents, Inc. John is actively involved with Operation Smile, PETA, and the fight against diabetes. John is involved with PCRM and visited Washington to speak to Congress about the Child Nutrition Act.
John has adopted a plant-based (vegan) lifestyle and is a frequent speaker at Veg Fests across the USA. As a wellness advocate, one of John’s main missions in life is to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits. With a passion for real food and wine, John is a partner in the label Vegan Vine in partnership with Clos LaChance Winery. John also joined in partnership with Natural Products Solutions, becoming the face and spokesperson for VirMax, a line of men’s health and wellness supplements. John has contributed articles to Wine Spectator and LA Confidential.
A proud native of Brooklyn, New York, John found a love for basketball at an early age. He accepted a Basketball Scholarship to Georgia Tech. From there John went on to become a 15-year NBA veteran and was the first NBA player to win four championships with three different teams. After his retirement from the NBA in 2000, Salley explored several opportunities in both television and film. John has served as host for numerous award shows and recently hosted the Reunion Shows of VH-1’s #1 rated show, Basketball Wives. John is also the head of his own production company, John Salley Presents, Inc. John is actively involved with Operation Smile, PETA, and the fight against diabetes. John is involved with PCRM and visited Washington to speak to Congress about the Child Nutrition Act.
John has adopted a plant-based (vegan) lifestyle and is a frequent speaker at Veg Fests across the USA. As a wellness advocate, one of John’s main missions in life is to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits. With a passion for real food and wine, John is a partner in the label Vegan Vine in partnership with Clos LaChance Winery. John also joined in partnership with Natural Products Solutions, becoming the face and spokesperson for VirMax, a line of men’s health and wellness supplements. John has contributed articles to Wine Spectator and LA Confidential.
"Keep Calm and Speak Up for Animals: Progress in Animal Protection"
Heather Carpenter, The Humane Society of the United States 1:00 p.m.
The last 25 years has seen political advocacy for animals grow, and government officials are listening to what is important to their animal-loving constituents. What is grassroots advocacy? How do we translate those ideals into practical action? As a citizen, you have the power to influence your elected officials. We’ll cover tips for being a citizen lobbyist, an effective advocacy checklist, how to find your elected officials, types of grassroots advocacy, successful campaigns, current legislative issues in Florida, and how you can be a tremendous voice for animals. Animals need you to speak up for them! Together, we can be a strong unified voice.
Heather Carpenter is the Director of State Legislative Campaigns at The Humane Society of the United States. With nearly 10 years of grassroots advocacy for animals, she has worked on a national and statewide basis. From ballot campaigns in Florida and Massachusetts to protect greyhounds, and most notably California’s Proposition 2, which bans cruel, intensive confinement of sows, calves and egg laying hens, to grassroots organizing for Congressional briefings on horse slaughter and chimps in research to state and nationally focused humane lobby days, she has worked with national leaders and volunteers all across the U.S. She currently oversees grassroots advocacy campaigns promoting a variety of animal protection legislation in all 50 states.
Heather Carpenter, The Humane Society of the United States 1:00 p.m.
The last 25 years has seen political advocacy for animals grow, and government officials are listening to what is important to their animal-loving constituents. What is grassroots advocacy? How do we translate those ideals into practical action? As a citizen, you have the power to influence your elected officials. We’ll cover tips for being a citizen lobbyist, an effective advocacy checklist, how to find your elected officials, types of grassroots advocacy, successful campaigns, current legislative issues in Florida, and how you can be a tremendous voice for animals. Animals need you to speak up for them! Together, we can be a strong unified voice.
Heather Carpenter is the Director of State Legislative Campaigns at The Humane Society of the United States. With nearly 10 years of grassroots advocacy for animals, she has worked on a national and statewide basis. From ballot campaigns in Florida and Massachusetts to protect greyhounds, and most notably California’s Proposition 2, which bans cruel, intensive confinement of sows, calves and egg laying hens, to grassroots organizing for Congressional briefings on horse slaughter and chimps in research to state and nationally focused humane lobby days, she has worked with national leaders and volunteers all across the U.S. She currently oversees grassroots advocacy campaigns promoting a variety of animal protection legislation in all 50 states.
"How to Make a Plant-Based Diet Easy and Delicious!"
Tess Challis, Radiant Health, Inner Wealth 11:00 a.m.
Tess Challis will talk about her experience transitioning to a plant-based diet in 1991, including the many health difficulties she overcame. She will also discuss how to meet all of your nutritional needs without animal products; how to transition to a vegan diet at a pace that works for you (and troubleshoot any obstacles to eating an animal-free diet); and most importantly how to make it fun, easy, delicious, and satisfying so that you can thrive for life!
Tess is an author, vegan chef, and wellness coach. She has been on a strictly plant-based diet since 1991. After a lifetime of numerous health ailments (including severe acne, obesity, constant illnesses, anxiety, and depression), she found that a vegan diet along with an inner wellness regime made all the difference. In 1994, Tess began to work as a personal chef. In 2008, she shifted her focus to writing, coaching, speaking, and teaching healthy plant-based cooking.
Her books include Radiant Health, Inner Wealth; The Two-Week Wellness Solution (foreword by Dr. Neal Barnard); and Radiance 4 Life. Her newest book, Get Waisted: 100 Addictively Delicious Plant-Based Entrees, is now available! Tess co-founded Get Waisted (a healthy plant-based weight loss system) with Dr. Mary Clifton in 2012. Tess and her vegan family travel the country, eating delicious food and spreading the message that we really can have it all--delicious food AND vibrant health!
Tess Challis, Radiant Health, Inner Wealth 11:00 a.m.
Tess Challis will talk about her experience transitioning to a plant-based diet in 1991, including the many health difficulties she overcame. She will also discuss how to meet all of your nutritional needs without animal products; how to transition to a vegan diet at a pace that works for you (and troubleshoot any obstacles to eating an animal-free diet); and most importantly how to make it fun, easy, delicious, and satisfying so that you can thrive for life!
Tess is an author, vegan chef, and wellness coach. She has been on a strictly plant-based diet since 1991. After a lifetime of numerous health ailments (including severe acne, obesity, constant illnesses, anxiety, and depression), she found that a vegan diet along with an inner wellness regime made all the difference. In 1994, Tess began to work as a personal chef. In 2008, she shifted her focus to writing, coaching, speaking, and teaching healthy plant-based cooking.
Her books include Radiant Health, Inner Wealth; The Two-Week Wellness Solution (foreword by Dr. Neal Barnard); and Radiance 4 Life. Her newest book, Get Waisted: 100 Addictively Delicious Plant-Based Entrees, is now available! Tess co-founded Get Waisted (a healthy plant-based weight loss system) with Dr. Mary Clifton in 2012. Tess and her vegan family travel the country, eating delicious food and spreading the message that we really can have it all--delicious food AND vibrant health!
"Build a Better Body on a Plant-Based Diet"
Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness 2:00 p.m.
Use a plant-based, whole food diet to fuel a better body for better health. Learn how to: eat to fuel your athletic interests; how to lose weight, gain muscle, lower stress and prevent injuries; create a consistent program to achieve results; eat for nourishment rather than stimulation; save money by eating for efficiency; and much more! Champion vegan bodybuilder and best-selling author Robert Cheeke shares the most important lessons to be learned in the process of building a better, healthier body.
Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, OR where he adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1995 at age 15. Today he is a best-selling author of the book Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness - The Complete Guide to Building Your Body on a Plant-Based Diet. As a two-time natural bodybuilding champion, Robert has been considered one of VegNews Magazine's Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours all over North America regularly giving talks about his story transforming from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder.
Currently Robert works for Vega, a line of vegan whole-food products, as a representative of the pro-vegan film Forks Over Knives, and also works full-time running Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, which includes writing books, touring and maintaining the popular website. Robert recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest and continues to spread the vegan way of life leading by example as an accomplished vegan athlete.
Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness 2:00 p.m.
Use a plant-based, whole food diet to fuel a better body for better health. Learn how to: eat to fuel your athletic interests; how to lose weight, gain muscle, lower stress and prevent injuries; create a consistent program to achieve results; eat for nourishment rather than stimulation; save money by eating for efficiency; and much more! Champion vegan bodybuilder and best-selling author Robert Cheeke shares the most important lessons to be learned in the process of building a better, healthier body.
Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, OR where he adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1995 at age 15. Today he is a best-selling author of the book Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness - The Complete Guide to Building Your Body on a Plant-Based Diet. As a two-time natural bodybuilding champion, Robert has been considered one of VegNews Magazine's Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours all over North America regularly giving talks about his story transforming from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder.
Currently Robert works for Vega, a line of vegan whole-food products, as a representative of the pro-vegan film Forks Over Knives, and also works full-time running Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, which includes writing books, touring and maintaining the popular website. Robert recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest and continues to spread the vegan way of life leading by example as an accomplished vegan athlete.
"The Truth Shall Make You Free: What Big Ag and the Government Don’t Want You to Know About Your Food"
Elizabeth DeCoux, ReMembering Animals 3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth DeCoux will open your eyes to the way in which big agriculture, supported by state and federal governments, conceals the truth about our food. Elizabeth will explain the laws, regulations, policies,, practices, marketing, and deceptions by which big agriculture and government try to keep the public in the dark about GMOs, factory farming, and slaughterhouses. This presentation will empower you to (1) insist on factual information about what you eat, and (2) speak up for the voiceless.
Elizabeth is a law professor and activist based in Jacksonville, Florida. She has taught animal rights law at Indiana University School of Law, Florida Coastal School of Law, and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She frequently speaks about animal rights, both in the United States and abroad. Elizabeth’s publications include, “In the Valley of the Dry Bones: Reuniting the Word “Standing’ with Its Meaning in Animal Cases,” “Pretenders to the Throne: A First-Amendment Analysis of the Property Status of Animals,” and “Speaking for the Modern Prometheus: the Significance of Animal Suffering to the Abolition Movement.” She blogs at ReMemberingAnimals.org and invites you to visit the Facebook page for ReMembering Animals.
Elizabeth DeCoux, ReMembering Animals 3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth DeCoux will open your eyes to the way in which big agriculture, supported by state and federal governments, conceals the truth about our food. Elizabeth will explain the laws, regulations, policies,, practices, marketing, and deceptions by which big agriculture and government try to keep the public in the dark about GMOs, factory farming, and slaughterhouses. This presentation will empower you to (1) insist on factual information about what you eat, and (2) speak up for the voiceless.
Elizabeth is a law professor and activist based in Jacksonville, Florida. She has taught animal rights law at Indiana University School of Law, Florida Coastal School of Law, and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She frequently speaks about animal rights, both in the United States and abroad. Elizabeth’s publications include, “In the Valley of the Dry Bones: Reuniting the Word “Standing’ with Its Meaning in Animal Cases,” “Pretenders to the Throne: A First-Amendment Analysis of the Property Status of Animals,” and “Speaking for the Modern Prometheus: the Significance of Animal Suffering to the Abolition Movement.” She blogs at ReMemberingAnimals.org and invites you to visit the Facebook page for ReMembering Animals.
"Coping When Others Don't Eat the Way You Do"
Ellen Jaffe Jones, The Veg Coach 12:00 p.m.
An interactive, fast-moving session filled with ideas on how to bring everyone together around the dinner table, even if it is a conflicted one. Ellen Jaffe Jones, author of "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," and "Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households," shares best practices in setting up a divided kitchen. Bring your questions and concerns.
Ellen is the author of the best-selling books, "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," and "Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households." "Eat Vegan" continues to be among the top 10 Vegetarian books on Amazon. Ellen is 7th in the US in her age group (W60-64) in the 1500 meter sprint, and is 3rd in Florida in the 200, 400, and 1500 meters. She has placed in 57 5K races and is a certified personal trainer and running coach. She is under contract for 3 more books, two of them on fitness. A recent guest chef at the Dr. McDougall Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa, CA, Ellen taught Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine cooking classes for 6 years, and still teaches her own classes at the Anna Maria Island Community Center near Sarasota.
Ellen Jaffe Jones, The Veg Coach 12:00 p.m.
An interactive, fast-moving session filled with ideas on how to bring everyone together around the dinner table, even if it is a conflicted one. Ellen Jaffe Jones, author of "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," and "Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households," shares best practices in setting up a divided kitchen. Bring your questions and concerns.
Ellen is the author of the best-selling books, "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," and "Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households." "Eat Vegan" continues to be among the top 10 Vegetarian books on Amazon. Ellen is 7th in the US in her age group (W60-64) in the 1500 meter sprint, and is 3rd in Florida in the 200, 400, and 1500 meters. She has placed in 57 5K races and is a certified personal trainer and running coach. She is under contract for 3 more books, two of them on fitness. A recent guest chef at the Dr. McDougall Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa, CA, Ellen taught Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine cooking classes for 6 years, and still teaches her own classes at the Anna Maria Island Community Center near Sarasota.
"Future Trends: The Impact of Meat on Global Hunger and Global Warming"
Dawn Moncrief, A Well-Fed World 4:00 p.m.
Find out the causes and consequences of the drastically increasing global meat consumption. Specific attention will be paid to the impact of meat and other animal-sourced foods on global hunger and global warming. Also addressed is why switching to local, grass-fed, or "just chicken" isn't enough and why it's especially important for Americans to take a lead role in reducing national and global meat consumption.
Dawn Moncrief is the founding director of A Well-Fed World, a hunger relief and animal protection organization that partners with vegan feeding programs for people in need, farm animal care and rescue, and pro-veg outreach campaigns in the U.S. and internationally. She holds two Master's degrees from The George Washington University: one in International Relations, the other in Women Studies, both with a focus on economic development. She is the author of "Rethinking Meat--Recentering Global Hunger Paradigms", which will be available in 2014.
Dawn Moncrief, A Well-Fed World 4:00 p.m.
Find out the causes and consequences of the drastically increasing global meat consumption. Specific attention will be paid to the impact of meat and other animal-sourced foods on global hunger and global warming. Also addressed is why switching to local, grass-fed, or "just chicken" isn't enough and why it's especially important for Americans to take a lead role in reducing national and global meat consumption.
Dawn Moncrief is the founding director of A Well-Fed World, a hunger relief and animal protection organization that partners with vegan feeding programs for people in need, farm animal care and rescue, and pro-veg outreach campaigns in the U.S. and internationally. She holds two Master's degrees from The George Washington University: one in International Relations, the other in Women Studies, both with a focus on economic development. She is the author of "Rethinking Meat--Recentering Global Hunger Paradigms", which will be available in 2014.
