Speakers listed below alphabetically are knowledgeable on various topics. They are members in good standing with WAG. But WAG encourages organizations or individuals wishing to invite a speaker from our Speakers Bureau to do their own research, such as checking the individual speaker’s website and Googling the speaker’s name. WAG in no way takes responsibility for any speaker and the quality of his/her presentation.
WAG members, see Speakers Bureau if interested in volunteering to be a speaker.
Susie H. Baxter
Presentation topic:
- Writing Memoir
- Publishing Memoir
Award-winning author Susie Baxter served for four years as Creative Nonfiction Editor for Bacopa Literary Review. During her career as an acquisitions editor for a health-science publishing house in St. Louis, she commissioned dozens of successful clinical reference books, learned the ins and outs of publishing, and was named a Times Mirror Editor of the Year. She now teaches a memoir-writing course at Santa Fe College. She is the author of C.G. & Ethel: A Family History; Write Your Memoir: One Story at a Time; Pumping Sunshine: A Memoir of My Rural Childhood, winner of the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Award; and I, Susanette…, a coming-of-age memoir. She will speak in person or via Zoom
Contact this author through her website: https://susiehbaxter.com
Robert Crow, PhD
Presentation topic:
- Understanding and Using Insights from Behavioral Science.
The topic will be tailored for the audience; for example, parenting, management and leadership, conservation and sustainability (“save the world”).
After earning a Ph.D. in the experimental analysis of behavior, “Dr. Bob” worked in homes, schools, and communities for over 40 years. His focus was on solving problems and increasing the quality of living for youth, adults, and seniors. He has published on topics of basic behavioral principles, education effectiveness, management and leadership, and the design of supportive social and work settings. His most recent book is Nudge & Boost for Better Living.
Contact this speaker on his website: www.NudgeAndBoost.com
Debbie Miller 
Presentation topics:
- How does a caregiver survive?
- Advocating for another’s health care needs
- Inequities around Alzheimer’s disease therapy
Debbie Miller is a retired nurse and the author of Raising Ricky, a heartfelt memoir about her journey as a caregiver for her brother, Ricky, who has Down syndrome. She has cared for Ricky since they were both children, and she continues to advocate for him. She visits him regularly and is very involved with his care at a long-term facility. Her deep compassion and dedication extend beyond her family, and her fight is now focused on urgent inequities around new Alzheimer’s disease therapies for people with Down syndrome.
Contact this speaker through her website: https://authordebbiemiller.com/
George R. Dekle, Sr.
Presentation topic:
- Abraham Lincoln: Criminal Defense Attorney
Legal Skills Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, Dekle is the author of two books about our sixteenth U.S. president: Abraham Lincoln’s Most Famous Case: The Almanac Trial (2014) and Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln (2017). After serving as Assistant State Attorney of the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida and as lead attorney in the 1980 trial of serial killer Ted Bundy, Dekle wrote The Last Murder: The Investigation, Prosecution, and Execution of Ted Bundy, published by Praeger (2011). He is the author of several other books and is coauthor of The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case: A Critical Analysis of the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann (2016).
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
Lana McAra
Presentation topic:
- Power Up Your Prose: It’s Simpler than You Think
- Your Deepest Darkest Secrets Are the Key to Your Next Bestseller
- How to Find Time to Write When You’re the Busiest Person You Know
Lana McAra is an award-winning, international best-selling author and ghostwriter of forty-five titles through traditional publishing with a million books sold, many under the name Rosey Dow. She has been teaching how to write fiction for twenty years. While her own work is fiction, she has ghostwritten fifteen non-fiction books on health topics, personal development, business, and leadership. She won The Christy Award, The Book Excellence Award, and the Literary Titan Silver Book Award for her historical novel, Reaping the Whirlwind, by Rosey Dow; and her mystery series, Colorado, sold more than 250,000 copies.
Contact this speaker through her website: https://www.lanamcara.com/
Shamrock McShane
Presentation topics:
- Hall of Fools: The Crisis in American Education
- Seven Sides of Shakespeare
Writer, teacher, and actor Shamrock McShane, a 1986 graduate of the University of Florida’s Creative Writing Program, is the author of the novel Rock Beauty and the nonfiction novel Hall of Fools. As a screenwriter, he collaborated with his son, director Mike McShane, on films including The Votive Pit, You Are Not Frank Sinatra, and It’s All Good. A Shakespearean-trained actor as well as a prize-winning playwright, his acting credits include playing Mercutio, Macbeth, and Prospero, as well as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
Mallory M. O’Connor
Presentation topics:
- Before Bartram: Artist-Naturalist Mark Catesby
- Billy’s Wonderful Performances: The Art and Science of William Bartram
- The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art
- Using Art to Explore Climate Change
- What is Cli-Fi?
Award-winning author Mallory McCane O’Connor taught courses in art history at the University of Florida (1969-1978) and at Santa Fe College (SFC) (1995-2005). She also served as director of the City of Gainesville’s Thomas Center Gallery (1984-1994). O’Conner is the author of two non-fiction books, Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast and Florida’s American Heritage River, both published by the University Press of Florida. Since retiring from her position at SFC, Mallory has written three novels, the American River Trilogy. Book One, American River: Tributaries, won First Prize in the Fiction Category from Northern California Publishers and Authors.
Contact this speaker on her website: https://mallorymoconnor.com
Elizabeth Randall
Presentation topics:
- Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley
- Creating In-Depth Storylines and Plots for Fiction and Non-Fiction
Randall is an award-winning book author and a widely published freelance writer. She is a retired English teacher with a Master’s Degree in English education.
Four decades ago, a woman was hacked to death in broad daylight on the front steps of her white mansion bordered by a busy residential street. Only a few people knew the whole truth about this murder. Their words are among those documented in Randall’s book, Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsey.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
Dan Sharp, PhD
Presentation topic:
- Fear and Courage: How to Manage Our Most Debilitating Emotion
Emeritus Professor of Physiology with the Department of Animal Sciences at UF, Sharpe is comfortable speaking to large audiences. Since retiring in 2008, he has studied the mechanisms of fear and believes he can provide a helpful message to those who suffer anxieties or absolute fear. In his studies, he has become a practitioner of mindful meditation, which could also be a subject for a talk.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator