The Special Olympics Georgia Speakers Bureau is organized to be a resource for civic, service and educational organizations and corporations across Georgia. Speakers serve as resources for information about the organization and the 26,620 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Speakers may also be interviewed on the topics of expertise below.

Respected speakers from a variety of fields are available to deliver presentations on a wide range of interesting topics, including, but not limited to:

  • Benefits of Special Olympics Georgia in Communities
  • Benefits of Corporate Volunteer Initiatives
  • Corporate Partnerships
  • Coaching a Special Olympics Athlete
  • Special Olympics Sports Rules
  • Hosting a State Games
  • Organizing a State Competition
  • Tips for Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities
  • Growing a Local Program with Grassroots Fundraising
  • Status of Dental Health for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Georgia
  • Law Enforcement Participation in Special Olympics Georgia

To inquire about scheduling a presentation for your group contact Special Olympics Georgia at 770-414-9390 ext 1104.

Special Olympics Georgia Speakers

 

Specialized Topics:
*Corporate Visibility in Communities
*Local Market Presence in Assigned Markets by Incorporating Employee Volunteerism
*Sponsor Perspective of Supporting Special Olympics Georgia State Competition

jeanne wilson headshotJeanne Wilson, Parent, Special Olympics Public Speaking Instructor
Jeanne Wilson is a retired teacher of language arts, drama, and communication, teaching for over 30 years in Georgia and New York.Wilson has been a volunteer for Special Olympics for 27 years where she is well-known as “Katy’s Mom.” Katy is an active Special Olympics athlete and Global Messenger; and Wilson serves as a speech coach to prepare Katy and other athletes to be speakers and self-advocates.
Wilson has presented at leadership workshops for nonprofits including Special Olympics Georgia, The National Down Syndrome and Agnes Scott College. Wilson has participated in the S.O. Global Athlete Congress in the Netherlands and the Global Athlete Summit in Anchorage, Alaska.

Specialized Topics:
*Athlete Speech Writing and Public Speaking
*Parenting a Special Olympics Athlete
*Parental Expectations When Their Child Becomes an Athlete

elenafinalElena Weaver, Special Olympics Georgia Gymnast, Public Speaker
Elena Weaver was born with multiple birth defects.  And, she was given no hope for a long and normal life.
Seemingly impossible, Elena decided she wanted to be a Special Olympics gymnast at 18. She was named as the Georgia Special Olympics first Torch Run Ambassador.  This November, Elena was selected as one of the award recipients of the 2013 LETR International Executive Council Athlete.
In April, Elena received the 11Alive Community Service Award for her volunteer service to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she has volunteered more than 4,000 hours in four years.

 

Specialized Topics:
*Benefits of Special Olympics Georgia
*Public Speaking Tips
*National and World Gymnastics Competitions

Lisa Hughey, Former Local Coordinator for Dalton City/Whitfield County Special Olympics
Lisa Hughey has served as local coordinator for Dalton City/Whitfield County Special Olympics since June 2005. She also serves as therapeutics programmer for the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department.
In 2010, Hughey summated the winning bid for State Fall Games to be held in Dalton 2011-2013. She and her volunteer management team then secured local facilities for competitions and recruited volunteers.
She was named 2012 Georgia Parks and Recreation Association’s Outstanding Therapeutic Professional of the Year.
Hughey’s entire family is involved with Special Olympics. She has a son who is an athlete, a daughter who is a long-time unified partner and her husband as the bocce director for Fall Games.

Specialized Topics:
*Hosting a State Games
*Parenting a Special Olympics Athlete for Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities
*Coaching Special Olympics Athletes

jonathan_dubinDr.Jonathan Dubin, Clinical Director for Athlete Dental Screenings
Dr. Jonathan Dubin is clinical director of two annual athlete dental screenings, where he recruits about 50 dental professionals at each dental screening and provides free sealants and fluoride treatments to athletes.
Dubin has educated future dental professionals for almost 30 years. He is an associate clinical professor at Medical College of Georgia’s School of Dentistry and an adjunct professor of dental ecology at the University of North Carolina’s School of Dentistry.
Dubin is a co-chairman of Georgia’s first Mission of Mercy, a two-day dental clinic that provides high-quality, free care to low and no-income Georgians.
Dubin earned a bachelor of science in microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Georgia and his Doctor of Dental Medicine from Medical College of Georgia.

Specialized Topic:
*Status of Dental Health for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Georgia

billy_groganDunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan, Former Director of Torch Run Executive Council
Chief Billy Grogan is a former Law Enforcement Torch Run Director for Georgia. This year, he represented Georgia’s Law Enforcement as a torch runner at the 2013 Special Olympics World Games in South Korea. More than 100 law enforcement agencies and 1,000 officers participate in Law Enforcement Torch Run in Georgia, the largest annual fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Georgia.
Recently, Grogan has served as vice president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. He is an active board member for the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Advisory Board, the IACP Civil Rights Committee, the GACP Alarm Management Committee, and the Atlanta FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Executive Board.

 

 

Specialized Topics:
*Growing a Local Program with Grassroots Fundraising
*Law Enforcement Participation in Special Olympics Georgia