Taylor Hagood, Ph.D., is a professor of American literature at FAU. He has published several books, including “Faulkner; Writer of Disability”, (winner of the 2014 C. Hugh Holman Award for Best Book in Southern Studies), has lectured in venues throughout North America and Europe and was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Munich (2009-10).

Russell D. Hamer, Ph.D.,is a visual neuroscientist who studies how the eye and brain process light information to create our rich visual world. He did research for 22 years at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (San Francisco), followed by seven years of research and teaching at the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the visual development of human infants. His research interests and writings also include Analyses of Art & Aesthetics from the point of view of visual brain mechanisms, Perception & Illusions, the relationship between Science & Human Values, and Precision of Human Musical Rhythm.

Derek Boyd Hankerson, is a faculty member, world traveler, and documentary film maker who has produced 4 films on accurate American history. These films have aired nationally and on PBS. Mr. Hankerson is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a B. A. In government and politics and Webster University with a M. A., in Management and Leadership. He has been actively engaged in government and politics for 38 years. At the age of eighteen, he started his career with the Reagan-Bush 1984 Presidential Campaign in Washington, DC and worked with “Africans- Americans for Reagan-Bush” Mr. Hankerson’s great, great grandfather Rev., J. P. Hankerson, was a free man before the Civil War. He was President of the Florida General Baptist Convention for two terms 1894-1899 and 1903-1909. During that time the Florida General Baptist Convention worked with the freedmen’s bureau to educate the newly freed slaves and poor whites. Rev., J. P. Hankerson and others were instrumental in establishing the Florida Bible Institute, which later became Florida Memorial University located in Miami, Florida. Rev., J. H. Hankerson graduated from the Florida Bible Institute with a degree in Theology. Rev., J. H. Hankerson was one of the first Black Postmasters in the state of Florida and was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson from February 9, 1915- June 10, 1918 as the first Black Postmaster of St. Johns County. St. John’s and Escambia county were the first counties established in Florida on July 2, 1821.

Helene Herman retired as President of a 400-member lifelong learning club in Florida that evolved from Brandeis Women. She lectures on a variety of historical and cultural topics. Herman has more than 30 years of executive-level experience in global marketing for a variety of American manufacturers in diverse product areas. She earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from NYU; her background in cultural anthropology was instrumental in putting her on the path to her marketing career and her career as a Lifelong Learning lecturer.

Jeff Hessel, BS Mechanical Engineering, is a graduate of City College of New York (CCNY). He continued his engineering studies at University of Michigan and NYU. Upon graduating in 1968, he worked at Cape Canaveral during the height of the Space Race and the time of the Apollo Program. He has presented to numerous communities and organizations about this topic. He is currently working on a book recounting the early days of Cape Canaveral.

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