FALL 2026 ACL SPEAKER SCHEDULE

Fall2026 ACL SPEAKER SCHEDULE

THERE WILL BE NO CLASS MEETING AT FOOD CITY ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 NOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

TUESDAY, SEPT 15 | TRACEY KENDALL WILSON
Normal Aging and All Aspects of Dementia 

Ms. Wilson is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and Northeast Tennessee 
and Southwest Virginia Regional Director for Alzheimer’s, Tennessee 
(https://www.alzTennessee.org). She will talk to us about their motto, 
“Make Alzheimer’s a Memory”. 
Presentation topics will include normal aging versus dementia, risk 
reduction, advice on what to do if someone does develop dementia, and 
information about local resources. Questions on all aspects of dementia 
are welcome and will be discussed. 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 | MIKE DEITSCHMANN
Addiction Services: Past, Present, and Future 

Mr. Deitschmann, CPA (inactive), FACHE, MBA, is the Executive Director 
of Ballad Health’s Addiction Services. He has the responsibility of one 
of the largest Medication Assisted Treatment Centers in Tennessee 
(Overmountain Recovery), as well as the Strong Futures Program 
for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder in 
Greeneville, Tennessee and a soon to open Strong Futures Program in 
Virginia. He holds a B.A. from Middle Tennessee State University and a 
Master’s from Arizona State University. He is a Fellow with the American 
College of Healthcare Executives and serves as Treasurer for the National 
Alliance for Mental Illness, Tennessee Chapter. 

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22 | JOE MCKENNA
AI Jumpstart: Practical AI Skills You Can Use at Work Today

Mr. McKenna is the CEO of Cloudwise Academy (https://www.
cloudwiseacademy.com) and Executive Director of Crushingit.AI (https://
www.crushingit.ai.com). He helps students, employees, and business 
leaders build practical AI skills they can use in real work. His focus is 
making AI simple, useful, and immediately applicable for communication, 
research, planning, marketing, and problem solving.

AI Jumpstart is a hands-on introduction to practical AI. Participants 
learn how to use AI for everyday work tasks like writing, research, 
brainstorming, planning, and improving communication. The class is 
designed to give people useful skills they can apply immediately, even if 
they are brand new to AI.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 | JANIE GORTNEY
First Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability (FTAAAD): 
Who We Are, Our Services, How to Reach Us, and the ABC’S
of Medicare 

Ms. Gortney joined FTAAAD in 2023 as the Transportation Coordinator 
for the MyRIDE program in the Kingsport, Tennessee area. In 2025, 
she became the SHIP and MIPPA Regional Program Coordinator. She 
is a Kingsport native, and she and her husband Chris have 2 daughters, 
Khazel and Duncan, and a Goldendoodle. She enjoys gardening, holiday 
decorating, beach trips with family, and various church activities.
First Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability serves our local 
area, offering resources and events on aging in place and is part 
of a nationwide system of agencies created because of the 1973 
amendments to the Older Americans Act of 1965. Their mission is 
to assist older Tennesseans and adults with disabilities in Northeast 
Tennessee with information and services that promote quality of life and 
independence. Ms. Gortney will discuss what services and resources 
FTAAAD offers and how to access them. She will also review SHIP, a 
federal program that helps Medicare beneficiaries understand and find 
the best Medicare plans available to them. 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | MICHAEL BUFANO 
Middle East Politics 

Dr. Bufano is a Professor of Political Science at East Tennessee State 
University. He will discuss the history of the Middle East and prospects 
for peace in that area.
Dr. Bufano received a B.A. in Education and a Master’s in History with 
a focus on the Middle East and North Africa from Clemson University. 
He then ran a Social Studies Department at a high school in Egypt for 8 
years. While living through a revolution and a military coup, he obtained 
a second Master’s in Political Science at the American University in 
Cairo. Upon returning to the United States, he received a Ph.D. in 
Political Science from the University of Alabama. He has conducted 
research in Mauritania and Tunisia on topics such as democratic 
backsliding, social movements, political Islam, and migration. He has 
multiple publications on those topics and currently has a tenure track 
position at ETSU. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 | RUTH TAYLOR READ AND 
TINA JOHNSON

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services
As Interim Director of the Office of Professional Development at East 
Tennessee State University, Dr. Taylor Read works with community 
members to implement training programs and utilize the gifts and 
talents of those within our Tri-Cities community.
Dr. Taylor Read holds a B.A. in Women’s studies, an M.S. in Human 
Services, an M.Div. and recently completed her Doctor of Ministry with a 
focus on Family and Congregational Care. Ruth has experience in social 
services, nonprofit leadership, program design, and grassroots activism. 
She has been a dedicated community volunteer, serving as a member 
of the Johnson City Sexual Assault Task Force and as co-founder of 
Women Matter Northeast Tennessee. She currently serves on the Board 
of Directors for Frontier Health SAFE House and the General Foundation 
of Women’s Clubs Monday Club, and she coordinates the Upper East 
Tennessee Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit.
Ms. Johnson serves as the Director of Domestic Violence and Sexual 
Assault Services at Frontier Health. She has dedicated the past 25 
years to supporting survivors and strengthening community response to 
violence. A proud graduate of Milligan University, Ms. Johnson will share 
her experience and passion for helping others heal and thrive. 

 

THERE WILL BE NO CLASS MEETING AT FOOD CITY ON 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 NOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 | KAITLYN NORTH 
Medication Considerations in Older Adults 

Kaitlyn North, PharmD. from Erwin, Tennessee, attended East Tennessee 
State University’s Gatton College of Pharmacy. She is an Assistant 
Professor in Pharmacy Practice at Gatton, with a faculty appointment in 
the Department of Family Medicine at Quillen College of Medicine and is 
a Clinical Pharmacist at ETSU Family Physicians of Kingsport. 
As a group, seniors often take a number of prescriptions and over the 
counter agents. This presentation will focus on drug issues faced by 
seniors, including drug-to-drug interactions and adverse events. Dr. 
North will also address over the counter vitamins and supplements. How 
safe are these agents? Have they been tested? Are they regulated?

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 | JENNIFER BAUER
Celebrating the History of Sycamore Shoals During the 250! 

 As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, 
Jennifer Bauer, retired park manager and ranger from Roan Mountain and 
Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, has released a new and exciting 
book, Sycamore Shoals of The Watauga, released on February 3, 2026 by 
Arcadia Publishing/History Press. Her book presents fascinating history 
of the Watauga Settlement during the mid to late 18th century.
Born in Maryland, Ms. Bauer found her way to Upper East Tennessee 
not long after her high school graduation. She has a B.A., a Master of 
Arts, and a Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from East Tennessee 
State University. She has also published A Naturalist’s Teaching 
Manual; Wildlife, Wildflowers, and Wild Activities; Exploring Appalachia; 
Roan Mountain: A Passage of Time; and Roan Mountain: History of An 
Appalachian Treasure. She retired after serving 43 years with 
Tennessee State Parks and continues to reside in our beautiful 
Appalachian Mountains. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 | JOANNA CULLEN AND 
JENNIFER SWEET 

Untapped Talent: Autism and the Employment Crisis 
Ms. Cullen is the Executive Director of Jeremiah School in Johnson City, 
a non-profit school exclusively serving autistic students. Ms. Sweet is 
the owner of Jeremiah Café, also in Johnson City. Both women are also 
proud parents of autistic children.
This presentation examines the striking disconnect between the abilities 
of many autistic individuals and their employment outcomes. Despite 
increasing awareness of autism, unemployment and underemployment 
rates remain alarmingly high. This presentation will explore the 
structural, social, and cultural barriers that contribute to this problem 
while also highlighting the unique strengths autistic employees 
frequently bring to the workplace. It will invite you to reconsider 
traditional assumptions about employability, communication, and 
productivity in the workplace, while highlighting one local employer 
committed to turning hope into opportunity for the autistic population. 

 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 | TED OLSON 
The Johnson City Sessions,1928-1929:
What Happened Here (And Why It Remains Important) 

Mr. Olson has lived many years in Johnson City, where he has worked as 
a naturalist, a park ranger, and a college professor. His poems, articles, 
essays, encyclopedia entries, reviews, and oral histories have appeared 
in a wide variety of books and periodicals. His books include Blue Ridge 
Folklife (1998), The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of 
Country Music (2005), and A Tennessee Folklore Sampler (2009). He 
is the editor of The Charles K. Wolfe Music Book Series (Univ. of Tn. 
Press) as well as the music editor for The Encyclopedia of Appalachia. 
Mr. Olson is a Grammy nominated record producer and album notes 
writer. He is currently a Full Professor of Appalachian Studies at East 
Tennessee State University. 
The Johnson City Sessions, conducted by Columbia Records in Johnson 
City during October, 1928 and October, 1929 were recently researched 
and reintroduced to the world, but the recordings obtained in Johnson 
City are unquestionably significant in that they have had enduring, if 
overlooked, impact on subsequent musical developments in America and 
beyond. Mr. Olson will share and interpret samples of specific recordings 
from those sessions. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 | LUKE CARTER AND 
LINDA CATALDO MODICA 

Impact of Uranium Processing for Nuclear Fuel and 
Weapons Manufacturing 
Mr. Carter is a Jonesborough native and has worked nearly 3 decades 
in the financial sector. He has served our community through Citizens 
Climate Lobby, Friends of Rocky Fork State Park, Tri-Cities Mutual Aid, 
The Appalachian Commons Project, and the East Tennessee Community 
Coalition. 
Mr. Carter will discuss the legacy and current reality of uranium mining 
and processing from Church Rock to East Tennessee.
Ms. Modica is an industry economist who grew up in the New York City 
Area during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. For the past 
40 years she has lived in Washington County, Tennessee, 5 miles from 
BWXT Ordnance in Jonesborough and 10 miles from BWXT – Nuclear 
Fuel Services in Erwin.
Ms. Modica is a co-founder and president of NRC watchdog Erwin 
Citizens Awareness Network, co-lead of Appalachian Peace Education 
Center’s Peaceful Planet Committee, and a member of the Pax 
Christi (USA) Disarmament Working Group. She has served Christian 
Peacemaker Team’s Stop-DU delegations to Jonesborough and in 
leadership roles in our area’s Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, Green 
Interfaith Network, and United Religions Initiative groups. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 | CONNIE DEEGAN
Behold the Bat!

Ms. Deegan is the naturalist for the City of Johnson City, specializing 
in herpetology. She helps with park trail design, signage, maps, 
and maintenance. Her interpretive programs are known for simple, 
straightforward explanations that help all ages lock in and comprehend. 
Ms. Deegan runs summer nature camps with different themes, offering 
a professional guest speaker each day, multiple field trips to send 
home the lesson, and many opportunities to get wet at the pool, splash 
pads, or area creeks. She has won the Tennessee Wildlife Federation 
Conservation Achievement Award for Conservation Educator of the year, 
along with other awards. She has been a state certified motorcycle 
instructor for 19 years and enjoys long distance riding. She has also 
logged thousands of miles on the Appalachian Trail. 
 Bats! These winged mammals live almost everywhere on Earth, and 
while you may rarely see them, there’s a good chance they live near 
you. Bats are astonishing and one of the most mysterious and least 
understood mammals. Learn of their benefits and struggles. Get the dos 
and don’ts of attracting them to your property with a bat house.