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Kris Ann Piazza   

Travels From:  Buffalo, New York

Topics:   Bullying, Choices, Disability, Injury Prevention, Inspiration, Life-Strategies, Motivation, Overcoming Adversity, Peer Pressure, SCI, Spiritual Reawakening

Keynote Fee:  Varies based upon length of presentation, location of event and other factors. Typically, travel and expenses are additional costs above speaker fee. Please e-mail websitemail80@aol.com

BIO                                                                                          

Kris Ann Piazza opted not to let a spinal cord injury she sustained as a young girl paralyze her future. She challenged the stereotypes associated with “disability” by believing in her own value and taking the initiative to pursue her goals, graduating summa cum laude from Medaille College with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Kris Ann does not claim to be a representative of people with “disabilities.” She simply hopes to be the role model she never had when she was initially injured at the age of 12, and to be accessible to those who need her words of encouragement to pursue their own goals after adversity. She believes strongly in the power of choice, a positive attitude and the obligation of those who achieve success to give back to those in need. More than 70 percent of Americans with “disabilities” are unemployed, and Kris Ann’s greatest desire is to inspire those with “disabilities” to go to work and change the “face of disability” nationwide.

Accomplishments

Kris Ann pioneered the position of senior writer/editor at Kaleida Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Western New York, to develop a written standard of excellence for the organization (2003-present). Within three years of accepting the position, Kaleida Health written publications won more than 10 international and national awards

Prior to her current role at Kaleida Health, Kris Ann represented the organization as the designer and coordinator of a healthcare careers outreach program for students in at-risk communities (2001-2003). The program was eventually adopted by the Erie-Niagara Area Health Education Center. She also served as the director of the ThinkFirst National Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program (1996-2001), a program Kaleida Health sponsored in area schools, which also became the best practice model training site for new program coordinators in the New York State area (1996-2001).

As a community advocate, Kris Ann currently serves as a member of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County Board of Directors and is a former board member for the Childcare Coalition of Western New York.

As a business professional Kris Ann is a former special topics contributing reporter for the local NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV; published author; 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Torch Relay Torchbearer and Ms. Wheelchair New York 2000.

As a mentor, Kris Ann has helped hundreds of individuals across the United States, as well as Australia, England and Sri Lanka, who are affected by spinal cord injuries (injured individuals and their family or friends) through her personal website www.krisannpiazza.com. She has also provided support through her web site for young students (after they witnessed her volunteer bully prevention presentation) who were experiencing being bullied at school. Kris Ann personally responds to each individual who contacts her through her web site by e-mail or telephone when appropriate. 

As a national public speaker, Kris Ann uses a compelling blend of humor and startling honesty to share her life experiences. During the last 16 years, her passionate deliveries of her perspective on accepting responsibility for your own life choices and the consequences that follow have captivated audience sizes of five to 1,000. She has built a reputation for direct, conversational presentations that have inspired audiences of all ages: students from kindergarten to college, teens with risk-taking behaviors, business organizations and healthcare providers.

PUBLICATIONS                                                                                                                  

Ø      Piazza, K. (2002). IMPACT. Maryland: PublishAmerica

Ø      Piazza, K. (2003, July). Determined. EP Magazine, 76-79.

 Ø      Karp, G. and Klein, Stanley D., PhD. (2004, March) Journey To Self-Worth, 70-75. From There To Here. Stories of Adjustment After Spinal Cord Injury. Pennsylvania: No Limits Communications.