Speakers

Brent Alexander

I’m a web developer by trade, having made or developed 100+ sites in WordPress in my career. I’m also fortunate in that I have a wealth of UI/UX experience. I have a fascination for problem solving, thinking, cognitive psychology and behavioral economics. I love digging into the “Why” behind design and development, as motive and is the most powerful of all heuristics. Figuring out the “why” is how we figure out the “how” and ultimately the “what”. But you will never know what the “what” should be if you don’t know the “why”.

Aisha Adams

Aisha Adams is the blogger behind www.NappyThoughts.com. Her written work has appeared in publications like The Asheville Citizen Times, The Asheville Grit, and The Final Call. Aisha has a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also holds a Masters in Post-Secondary and Adult Education. Aisha is the author of Vegan Curious and the mastermind behind Aisha Adams Media. Aisha helps her clients use WordPress to connect, converse and inspire their ideal clients.

April Wier

April helps individuals and businesses become the best versions of themselves. This may come in the form of a new, or better, web site or coaching to break through self-imposed limitations. She specializes in helping high-performers reach their goals online. She is heavily involved in Atlanta WordPress community, as a co-organizer of the Woodstock WordPress Meetup and as a former organizer for WordCamp Atlanta. For fun, she runs Sugar Five Design, a digital marketing company in Woodstock, GA.

Christine Laikind

Hey, My name is Christine Laikind. I am deaf. I am also an entrepreneur, running a digital marketing agency and virtual assistant service. I am also an advocate speaker – I talk about web accessibility. To the Web Design community. To small businesses. To nonprofit organizations. You may or may not have heard about web accessibility. Or Inclusive design. But anyone that has a website, web accessibility is becoming more important than ever. Why? Because, the Web and Internet as a whole is an increasingly important resource in many aspects of our life which includes: education, employment, government, e-commerce, health care, recreation, and so much more. An accessible web will help people with “different abilities” (my term), the aging population (think baby boomers and upcoming generation X) and even those who are “temporarily disabled” use the website – the way it is intended.

David Wolfpaw

I have been using WordPress personally and as a developer since early 2008. I organize WordPress Orlando, and have helped organize WordCamp Orlando, both from 2012 to present. I travel for WordCamps and a few other conferences several times per year, and enjoy sharing and teaching, including lots of one on one help at Happiness Bars and our monthly WP Help Desk Meetups. “He emphasizes helping small businesses, providing ongoing support, and educating users through his service FixUpFox.

Steve Schwartz

I’ve developed WordPress Websites for about 10 years. After experiencing a hacked site in 2012 I became obsessed with website security and with educating others on “end to end” online security. I’m a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and I am currently pursuing the Offensive Security Certified Professional cert (OSCP) through Kali Linux. My teaching style has always been to try to take complex technical jargon and bring it down to a level where end users can understand it. I differentiate myself as an educator by not just telling students to do (or not do) something, but rather explain the importance of “Why” and through story-telling to get the point across and make it stick.

David Zimmerman

David Zimmerman is an internet marketing consultant who specializes in search. He has several years experience working with B2B companies, especially manufacturers. He started his own consultancy, Reliable Acorn LLC, after working in several agencies. David’s core marketing belief is that all marketing should be measured. Measured marketing is more effective and less expensive. There’s no excuse, in David’s mind, for marketing efforts whose results are not measured. Reliable Acorn LLC: https://reliableacorn.com/

Joel Newcomer

Taylor Craig

I am a content strategist at a local web design and digital marketing agency called Engenius. I’m heavily involved in the beginning of our web design process: asking the client dozens of questions to understand their business, getting to know their different target audiences, and then using that information to structure a website that best meets their needs. I love taking complex problems or mixed messages and helping simplify them and organize them effectively on a website.

Kathy Drewien

In short, I do work that matters for people who care. I show up regularly, consistently, and generously to lead, organize, and build confidence in creative people who can change the world.

I am a web consultant and community leader who recognizes the potential in people and ideas, and have the courage to develop that potential in various capacities and roles.

One, I own a rescue shelter for abandoned, ugly, broken, outdated, and non-productive websites. Under that roof my team builds new sites, repairs broken ones, provides ongoing care, and I coach, teach, counsel, guide, and nurture the site owners.

Two, using the skills honed over a lifetime of self-employment spanning 3 different careers—family therapy, real estate brokerage, and web development—I coach creative professionals to move beyond limitations (often self-imposed) to become a thriving professional.

Three, I volunteer to organize two conferences—WordCamp Atlanta and WordCamp US, a regional and a national conference in the WordPress Community. My volunteer role also includes mentoring WordCamp organizers in nationwide locations.

Ellison Manley

Clifton Canady

Clifton is the Team Lead for WordCamp 2019 and works at Drum Creative. He is a problem solver and likes working with the team to develop the best web designs possible. When he is not developing websites he enjoys the outdoors and is a huge college football fan with Clemson being his favorite team.