Rochester Speaks

Peter Soufleris, founder of IngenID and University of Rochester alum, pulls back the curtain on one of the most quietly important technologies being developed right here in Rochester, voice biometrics and deep fake detection that protects millions of people from identity fraud every day. Discover what voice biometrics actually is, how companies like Spectrum use the sound characteristics of your v...

Albert Nocciolino, producer and presenter for the Rochester Broadway Theater League, joins the show fresh off the big reveal of the 2026 to 2027 M&T Bank Broadway Season at West Herr Auditorium Theater, and the crowd reaction said everything. Discover the full lineup for next season, including four Rochester premieres. Boop the Musical, the brand new Betty Boop stage production directed by Jer...

Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of blindness in working age Americans, and most people do not notice vision problems until something significant has already happened. Dr. Connolly and Margaret Whelehan from Retina Associates of Western New York join the show to talk about why early screening changes everything, and how Rochester is getting its very own free diabetic eye screening event o...

In the 1940s a woman named Sylvia Lawry placed a two line classified ad in the New York Times because her brother had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she had no idea what to do next. That ad became the National MS Society, and Rochester was one of its founding chapters. Andy Yates, Executive Director of the Upstate New York chapter, tells that story and brings it forward 80 years to wha...

Dr. Junior Dillion, President and CEO of Volunteers of America Upstate New York, brings a personal and urgent perspective to the challenges facing Rochester's most vulnerable residents, and explains why the work of VOA has never mattered more than it does right now. Discover how VOA connects housing, health and human services into a unified continuum of care serving over 10,000 people across Monro...

Nearly 6,500 businesses in Monroe County alone are owned by someone over the age of 55. If even a third of those close without a succession plan, Rochester loses 2,000 businesses, 25,000 jobs and over a billion dollars in payroll. Chloe Handelman and Bruce Peters, co-founders of Beyond Ownership, are doing something about it. Discover what Beyond Ownership actually does for second and third stage...

Most people hear the name Holy Childhood and think school or church. In reality it is an 80 year old Rochester organization serving over 400 individuals with developmental disabilities, from kindergarten all the way through retirement age, and it is one of the most quietly powerful nonprofits in our community. Nate Zelesnikar, Director of Programs and Services, and Jillian Nalivyko, Public Relatio...

When true economic independence for women was still a radical idea, a group of Rochester women showed up through a blizzard in 1978 to change that. Nearly 50 years later Rochester Women's Network has over 200 members and is still growing, and Kristi Mitchell, board member and Marketing Committee co-chair, is one of the people making sure it stays that way. Discover what makes RWN different from ev...

Barry Howard, President and CEO of the Webster Chamber of Commerce and RocEnroll, joins the show with an urgent reminder that Medicare Advantage enrollees have until March 31st to make a one time plan change for 2026, and what you do not know could cost you. Discover why thousands of Monroe County residents needed to switch plans this year after major carriers including UnitedHealthcare discontinu...

Ann Marie Stephan, Executive Director, and Mike Hoskins, Director of Development and Marketing at Rochester Child First Network, pull back the curtain on one of Rochester's most quietly impactful organizations, one that has been serving children and families since 1857 and is approaching its 170th year. Discover how RCN provides a full continuum of care for children ages six weeks through 12, incl...

Dr. Cait Loury, Chief Education Officer at Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts in Greece, pulls back the curtain on one of Rochester's most distinctive public schools, where arts integration isn't an elective, it's the engine of academic achievement. Discover how teaching artists co-teach alongside classroom teachers every single day, weaving music, dance, drama, and visual arts into co...

Dr. Ryan Kimmet, Head of School at the Harley School in Rochester, makes a compelling case that academic rigor and student wellbeing are not opposites and that the century old progressive education model pioneered by John Dewey might be exactly what kids need right now. Discover what progressive education actually means at Harley, where students from age three through 12th grade learn by doing, co...

Veronica Ryan, creator of the blog Borderline Babe , shares her deeply personal journey with borderline personality disorder, diagnosed at age 21, and how treatment, vulnerability, and radical honesty became the foundation of her recovery and her mission. Discover what BPD actually is at a neurological level, including the physical processing deficits in the frontal lobe that affect emotional regu...

Miranda Grazioplene, Hunter Johnson and Connor McKenna, co-chairs of the Cancer Support Community Rochester bachelor auction, are back for the 16th year of one of the most beloved and high energy fundraising traditions in Rochester. Discover what Cancer Support Community at Gilda’s Club actually does for cancer patients and their families beyond the doctor's office, including support groups, music...

Mike McOrmond, Executive Director of Flower City Outreach, shares the remarkable four decade story of a mission rooted in faith, neighbor love and the belief that serving your community is serving God. Flower City Outreach is a Christ centered nonprofit that exists to mobilize the Church into service that the city might see Jesus. Learn more at flowercityoutreach.org . Discover how Flower City Wor...

Michael Solis, Executive Director of Writers and Books , makes the case that reading and writing are not school assignments to survive but lifelong creative practices that build confidence, community and civic connection in a city that badly needs all three. Discover how Writers and Books has served Rochester since 1981 through programming that spans every age group, from eight year olds writing t...

Sueann Lipman, Second Vice President and Board Member at Embrace Your Sisters, shares the story of a fully volunteer nonprofit that has spent 20 years quietly paying the bills of women in our community who are fighting breast cancer. Discover how Embrace Your Sisters provides emergency short term financial assistance covering mortgage and rent payments, utilities, car insurance and car loans for i...

Claire Corwin, Program Director of the Alzheimer's Association Rochester and Finger Lakes chapter, cuts through the confusion around one of the most misunderstood and far reaching diseases in the world, and explains exactly what families in our community can do right now. Discover the critical difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease, why an accurate diagnosis leads to a better care pla...

Chris Fox and Taurean Uthman, directors at Hope City Rocks Basketball , make a compelling case that Rochester is one of the most overlooked basketball cities in America and that the pipeline producing NBA players, Division One stars and college athletes runs straight through their program. Discover how Hope, which stands for Having Only Positive Expectations, is developing student athletes from fo...

Katlyn Newberry, Community Outreach Coordinator at the Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes, joins the show during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with an urgent and potentially life saving message for anyone living in Monroe, Livingston, Seneca, Yates, Ontario or Wayne County. Discover how the Cancer Services Program provides completely free breast, cervical and colon cancer screenings f...

Rochester’s heart beats through its arts scene, and no show captures this more than Wicked at the West Herr Auditorium Theatre. Holly Valentine, Director of Education and Community Engagement at Rochester Broadway Theater League, shares the magic and energy filling the theater as hundreds of students join each weekend, transforming Wicked into a community-wide experience. Discover how RBTL’s Arts...

Jennie Noll, Executive Director and professor of psychology at Mt. Hope Family Center, and Simone Edwards, Vice President of Health Equity at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, share how their partnership transforms lives in Rochester. Discover how Mt. Hope delivers evidence-based trauma treatments and comprehensive programs for children, youth, and young families. Learn about innovative efforts to...

Mike Evans, Executive Director of the Southeast Area Coalition, shares how SEAC impacts 60 percent of Rochester through initiatives focused on anti-poverty, youth health, education, safety, small business advocacy, and community revitalization. Learn about their unique Tool Shed program that offers affordable access to over 1,500 tools for individuals and businesses across nine counties, along wit...