Laura Barbero Switalski is a partner of Darwin Associates (darwinassociates.net), a consulting firm in Buffalo, New York, specializing in organizational development, and creativity training and facilitation. Laura works with organizations across North America, Central America and Europe to enhance teamwork and leadership, facilitate creativity and innovation, and help manage change and transition. Born and raised in Italy, Laura now lives in Buffalo, NY, and has extensive experience working internationally and facilitating cross-cultural teams. A social psychologist and expert in consumer communication research, Laura has over 20 years of experience in qualitative market research. Laura holds a M.S. in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College and is an ICSC adjunct faculty member. She is one of the founders of CREA Conference (creaconference.com) and is president of CREA Italia, the non-profit foundation that promotes CREA Conference. She is also a long time leader of the annual Creative Problem Solving Institute.

To email Laura use: laura@darwinassociates.net

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Creativity specialist Paul Reali trains, facilitates, and writes about creativity and Creative Problem Solving. He has led innovative companies for more than 20 years, and now brings his experience to other organizations that want to foster creative thinking and performance.

Paul has an M.S. in Creativity from Buffalo State College, and an M.B.A. from Syracuse University with a major in innovation management. He is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, the International Society for Performance and Instruction, the Creative Education Foundation, and is a faculty member of the Creative Problem Solving Institute. Paul is a runner, convertible driver, husband, and father of two young daughters. He lives in Charlotte, NC, and can be reached via the website omniskills.com.

Gerard J. Puccio, Ph.D., is Department Chair and Professor at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, Buffalo State; a unique academic department that offers a Master of Science degree in Creativity and a graduate certificate in Creativity and Change Leadership (www.buffalostate.edu/creativity). Gerard has written more than 50 articles, chapters and books. In recognition of his outstanding work as a scholar, Gerard received the State University of New York Chancellor's Recognition Award for Research Excellence and the President's Medal for Scholarship and Creativity.

Dr. Puccio is an accomplished speaker and consultant; he has worked with major corporations, universities, and numerous school districts. His list of more than 200 client organizations include: the BBC, Fisher-Price Brands, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Kraft Foods, Rich Products, BNP Paribas, Rubbermaid, Rochester Institute of Technology, Oklahoma State University, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and many more. Due to his international reputation as a thought leader in applied creativity, organizational innovation, and creative leadership, Gerard has delivered creativity workshops, presentations and keynote speeches in over a dozen countries across the globe.

Based on his research, Gerard developed a self-report measure called FourSight that identifies individuals' preferences within the creative process. Numerous organizations have used this tool to help their associates and teams sharpen their creativity skills and to increase the probability of developing breakthrough ideas (see www.foursightonline.com).

Gerard holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Manchester, England. To e-mail Gerard use 'pucciogj@buffalostate.edu'