Keynote Speakers
Nikki Barnett, LMSW
Nikki Barnett is a seasoned educator and social worker with 20 years of experience in higher education, guiding students and alums in career education and development through teaching, coaching, and mentorship. A Stony Brook University Social Work graduate, she specializes in integrating positive psychology in the workplace, focusing on well-being and mindfulness.
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As an integrative mind-body social worker in private practice, Barnett uses a trauma-sensitive approach to help individuals manage and cope with anxiety and depression. In her practice, she employs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Additionally, she serves as faculty for Project Present, where she equips K-12 educators with strategies to enhance their well-being through cohort training and self-care coaching.
Ryan Miller thrives at the intersection of big ideas, communities, and action. As Director of MVCC’s ThINCubator—a startup incubator and co-working space in Utica, NY—he’s helped over 400 entrepreneurs, want-repreneurs, students, makers, hackers, and even the occasional mad scientist turn ideas into businesses and businesses into movements.​
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He’s also the mastermind behind Rust Belt Startup, where for over 20 years, he’s been building websites, crafting marketing strategies, launching podcasts, and helping businesses (both rust-belt and beyond) tell their stories and grow. More recently, he’s developed online courses and toolkits designed to give entrepreneurs the tactical know-how to build, launch, and thrive. And if that wasn’t enough, his Rust Belt Startup podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs, artists, and unconventional thinkers doing unconventional things in unconventional places.
Ryan is a Figure-outer-er—the kind of person who thrives on solving problems, making connections, and constantly diving into new interests (like learning way too much about wine). When he’s not helping businesses scale, you can find him traveling, writing songs, or chasing after his kids. He’s also a husband, a dad, and an all-around curious human who probably has a new side project brewing at any given moment. Learn more (or just see what he’s up to) at ryancmiller.com, rustbeltstartup.com, and thINCubator.co.