Latest news with #SpeakerSeries
Scoop
12-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Ngā Manu Winter Speaker Series Launches 21 May With Zealandia CEO Danielle Shanahan
Press Release – Nga Manu Danielle will speak on Zealandia: The Sanctuary that Changed a Nation, sharing how a bold vision for nature restoration in Wellington helped reverse biodiversity loss and sparked a movement thats now influencing urban environments across the … WAIKANAE, Kāpiti Coast — Ngā Manu Nature Reserve is proud to launch the 2025 Winter Speaker Series on Wednesday 21 May with a compelling talk by Dr Danielle Shanahan, CEO of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, and a leading voice in regenerative tourism and urban ecological restoration. Danielle will speak on 'Zealandia: The Sanctuary that Changed a Nation', sharing how a bold vision for nature restoration in Wellington helped reverse biodiversity loss and sparked a movement that's now influencing urban environments across the globe. Drawing on powerful visuals and years of impact data, Danielle will explore: 'how regenerative tourism has helped reverse the loss of nature in Wellington amidst a global context of biodiversity decline. I will show you visual evidence of this change, outline the social movement that made this possible, and unpack what it means for people's health and wellbeing. By focusing on hope and pragmatic optimism, we can create a better future for people and nature.' Guests are invited to arrive at 1:00pm for complimentary tea and coffee, with the talk beginning at 1:30pm at Ngā Manu Nature Reserve in Waikanae. Entry is by koha (donation). Danielle is an internationally recognised researcher and conservation practitioner, currently CEO at Zealandia and Adjunct Professor at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. She has made significant advances in improving biodiversity outcomes and quantifying the social, physical, and mental wellbeing benefits of nature. 'It's a privilege to have Danielle open our 2025 series,' says Anna McKenzie Hawea, from Ngā Manu. 'Her work at Zealandia has been transformational and offers inspiration and practical insight into the future of conservation in Aotearoa.' 2025 Winter Speaker Series Line-Up Held annually and supported by Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Winter Speaker Series brings together an exciting line-up of scientists, storytellers and conservationists. This year's programme includes: 21 May – Dr Danielle Shanahan, CEO of Zealandia: Zealandia: The Sanctuary that Changed a Nation 4 June – Professor Michael Knapp, University of Otago: Conservation Genomics and the Future of Biodiversity 18 June – Speaker TBC 2 July – Dr Heidi Meudt, Te Papa Botanist: Why New Zealand's Forget-Me-Nots Are So Special 16 July – Giselle Clarkson, Illustrator of NZ Geographic & Critter of the Week: Drawing the Natural World 23 July – Paul Ward & Jeff Hall, Capital Kiwi Project: Bringing Kiwi Home: Community, Conservation, and the Return of Aotearoa's Icon to Wellington's Backyard This series is a must for anyone passionate about Aotearoa's wildlife and its protection—from Forest & Bird members and science students to creatives, conservationists and curious locals.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explains the Luka Dončić trade was 'about the future'
Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explained at a speaking engagement last month that the Luka Dončić trade was about the "future" and creating the "most competitive team." Dumont was a guest at the Real Estate Council's Bank of Texas Speaker Series on Feb. 13 and discussed business matters as well as the shocking trade of Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] 'Tough decisions are never easy and a part of leadership is looking at risk and looking at all the factors of a decision and being willing to act at that time and look to the long-term and not only think about the short-term or how it may be received immediately,' said Dumont. Dumont noted how the Mavericks were 26-23 at the time of the trade and that teams that were around them in the Western Conference standings were improving. Now that we are over a month into the Dončić-for-Davis swap, he feels the team is ready to begin an upward trend. 'For us going into the trade deadline last year, we were not competitive, if you recall, we were not a playoff-bound team and we were able to do some things to reconstruct the roster and enable the team to become very competitive, and after the trade deadline last year, we actually had the best record in basketball. Which was a big accomplishment and we got to the championship games and we didn't win and so we had to decide: how do we get better?" Dumont said. "What can we do to improve our team? And so we looked at our trajectory during the season and realized that we did not get better, but the teams that we competed against, some of which we beat, did get better. So this was a decision about the future. If you look at our roster today and who we have, we feel like we position ourselves to be incredibly competitive against the best teams in the NBA.' In an interview with the Dallas Morning News last month, Dumont cited "character" and "culture" as reasons for the trade and said there were no financial motivations behind it. Since the trade, the fanbase has turned sour against the organization; Davis has played only one game after suffering an adductor injury; Kyrie Irving has been lost for the season with a torn ACL; and the Mavericks have a 7-10 record, while Dončić is averaging 24.5 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the 40-23 Lakers, who sit fourth in the conference. Dumont described making the trade as "hard" and "emotional," and he understands the fans' frustrations. Going forward, he's hoping the organization can win back those disillusioned supporters. "I heard from the fans, I respect their voices, I listened, we know that this wasn't easy," Dumont said. "If we lost any of our fans' trust, it was hard and I apologize, but I hope over time we can regain that trust through hard work, and that's our plan. And hopefully people will believe in the long run that what we did was the right decision. Time will tell."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Civil rights figure Ruby Bridges will headline this year's Frederick Speaker Series
Over the course of 12 seasons, the Frederick Speaker Series has featured a number of trailblazing Black Americans. During the 2016 season, there was Bryan Stevenson, who began his education at a "colored school" in rural Delaware and went on to found the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization based in Alabama. In 2023, there was Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour, the first Black female aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps and the first Black woman to serve as a combat pilot in any branch of the U.S. military. And on March 6, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges is set to join the ranks with her appearance at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in downtown Frederick. Born in Mississippi in 1954, Bridges and her family moved to New Orleans when she was 4 years old. By 1960, she would become the first and only Black student at the city's William Frantz Elementary School. The backlash to Bridges' enrollment at the school was severe. Many white families withdrew their children from classes, and crowds of protesters greeted the 6-year-old by hurling objects and racial epithets at her. For her safety, Bridges was escorted into the building each day by U.S. Marshals. This scene served as the inspiration for Norman Rockwell's painting "The Problem We All Live With," published in 1964. As an adult, Bridges established a foundation dedicated to educating young people about racism and other forms of bullying. She is also the author of several books, including "Ruby Bridges: A Talk with My Teacher," a children's book published just this year. In 2024, Bridges was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Talent agents, audience members and representatives of various community organizations continuously suggest people to be considered for the annual Speaker Series, according to Weinberg Center executive theater manager Stephanie Chaiken. In an interview with 72 Hours, Chaiken said Bridges had been on the list of possible speakers since 2019, but she stopped making public appearances for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Weinberg Center was finally able to reach an agreement with Bridges for the 2025 Frederick Speaker Series. The reaction to Bridges' inclusion in the Speaker Series has been overwhelmingly positive, Chaiken said. Local groups, as well as groups from Montgomery County and Baltimore, have expressed interest in attending the event, which was sold out at the time of publication. Chaiken says she and others at the Weinberg hope Bridges' speech will inspire audience members to become active in their own communities as society continues to contend with some of the same issues Bridges faced as a child. The speech could also shed light on Frederick's own history of racial segregation, Chaiken added. Patricia Gaither, 82, is part of that history. In 1958, she was part of a group of students who transferred from Lincoln High School, an all-Black institution, to Frederick High School, which until then had been entirely white. In 1960, Gaither became the first Black woman to graduate from Frederick High School. But it took until 2023 for Frederick County Public Schools to officially award her a Maryland High School Diploma. Gaither told 72 Hours that, until seeing this year's Frederick Speaker Series lineup, she had never heard Bridges' story. After reading about it, Gaither was impressed by how well Bridges kept her composure despite her young age — and the fact that she integrated William Frantz Elementary School all alone. Gaither saw some parallels between Bridges' and her own experience with racism in school. On one occasion, Gaither said some white classmates asked to have a piece of her hair so they could study it for a biology class. Another time, a teacher pulled Gaither aside to warn her that the class would be discussing Black history. Gaither could not recall if she and her fellow Black students, like Bridges, were jeered at on their way into Frederick High School that first day. "All I know is that I was scared," Gaither said. "As old as I am, I've been through it, and it should be gone. But it's still there. It still bothers me."
