Tom Willner

Speaker, Educator

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Musician

Composer, Playwright

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Technology Director

Georgia State University

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Cancer survivor, Runner

How can I help you?

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What i do

Speaker, Performer, Educator

As a cancer survivor and musician, I share my story and perform original music for organizations and charities, and at various types of conferences and events. I am a TEDx Speaker, and I also do speaking engagements about my work in technology.

Musician, Composer, Playwright

I write, record, and perform music, and have done so for film, TV, video, and musical theater. I have released several albums, I am a published songwriter, and I wrote a musical about my experience with cancer.

Technology Director

I enjoy bringing people and systems together to solve problems. I work at Georgia State University, using high tech and high touch to help our students succeed.

Author

I wrote a book about my experience with cancer called "Having a Ball at Thirty: How I Got Through Cancer by Writing a Musical." I also have an article published in a cancer journal.

“AMAZING! The play was brilliant!”
“Best class EVER!!!”
“Innovative…Thank you for bringing this to us!”

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Audience Feedback
Classes

“Wow. Thank you so much for putting this into the conference schedule. I sure learned a lot and will spend time thinking about this perspective when I get back to work. Powerful presentation. Great speaker and music.”

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Audience Feedback
Keynotes
“Always open to entertaining new ideas and creative solutions”
“Keeps things in perspective, offers alternative viewpoints”
“Willing to stretch beyond where technology was to make us a better team and organization”
“Upbeat, energetic, creative and focused”
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Colleagues

About Me

I love to solve problems. Whether it’s a problem with things or people, if you give me something that’s broken or dysfunctional, I’ll do everything I can to fix it. 

In order to do that, I need to be able to figure things out. I guess that’s why I geek out over data, and I love education. It’s what I love about working in higher education and at Georgia State University in particular. 

I am also a big fan of the arts – the “A” in STEAM. I am fascinated by science, technology, and math, and I’m an engineer by training. But music was my first love. I have been a musician since I was five, and I love composing and performing music.

In fact, when I became a cancer survivor, I wrote a musical about my experience. I have used my musical to teach healthcare workers about the patient experience and clinical empathy. I continue to use my stories and music to help others learn through arts experiences.

Personally, I am so fortunate to be married to an amazing woman and to be the father of three wonderful kids. My family is the most important part of my life. I also love to run. Long-distance running is my meditation –  helping both my physical and mental well being – and it taught me that the key to achieving success comes one step at a time combined with a strong dedication to the finish line.

There you have it. That’s me in a nutshell. If I can be of service to you or your organization, I would love to hear from you. 

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