About the Show

Darryl E. Owens

Darryl E. Owens serves as associate vice president of communications and engagement at Beacon College. He is the creator of A World of Difference, shepherding the show from its early episodes on Leesburg’s local cable outlet to growing its audience through the PBS partnership.

Prior to his time at Beacon, he worked for 25 years as a general assignment reporter, lifestyle writer, columnist, and editorial writer at the Orlando Sentinel.

During his journalism career, Owens stood side-by-side with neurosurgeons chronicling every cut of their scalpels during two brain surgeries, covered the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, interviewed Hall of Fame athletes, and won a handful of awards — including First Place and Commentary and Criticism in the 2012 Sunshine State Awards and First Place and News Commentary in the 2010 National Association of Black Journalists “Salute to Excellence Awards.” 

Owens is the proud father of two children, one a Beacon College graduate with attention and learning differences. His experience as the father of a neurodivergent child helped influence and inspire the show’s creation, and together, with his team at the college, Owens aims to build a far-reaching community for neurodiverse families through A World of Difference. The program does more than provide resources and expert guidance—it shows families that they are not alone.

Owens earned his Bachelor of Arts in journalism at Howard University.

Cindy Peterson

Cindy Peterson serves as a videographer and correspondent for A World of Difference.

Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the University of Central Arkansas, Peterson has worked as a multimedia specialist for The Daily Commercial newspaper, Lake Front TV, and most recently with Akers Media as a digital media editor for Lake and Sumter Style—working as a writer, photographer, and videographer.

During her career, Peterson has had the honor of photographing President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Her work has been picked up by other news outlets including the two-time Pulitzer-winning Herald-Tribune and The Daytona Beach News Journal.

Brad Kuhn

Brad Kuhn is an award-winning author, reporter, and multimedia producer based in Jacksonville, Florida.

He has been a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, The Orlando Sentinel, and Orlando Business Journal. He is a graduate of Leadership Orlando, a founding director of the Jack Kerouac Writers in Residence Project of Orlando, and a former executive director of Bike/Walk Central Florida. He and his wife, writer Darlyn Finch Kuhn, run the annual JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival.

Kuhn has co-written three books and ghostwritten several more. His most recent offering is Dirty Work: The Untold Story of My Secret Mission to Steal Back TWA Flight 847 from Hezbollah, an Amazon nonfiction bestseller co-written with the late TWA Captain Richard Vaux.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MBA from The Crummer School of Business at Rollins College.

Mabel Jong

Mabel Jong is a special correspondent at HealthDay, the largest producer of health education and news content worldwide, who serves as a special correspondent for “A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity.” She is also creator, producer, and host of the interview segment “Valid Points” on behalf of the Validation Institute.

An award-winning journalist with over two decades of experience working in business news production in the United States, Asia, and Europe, she produced a weekly show out of London for CNBC Europe and has worked as an anchor and correspondent for CNBC, NBC News and ABC News. She reported in Asia during a pivotal time in the region’s history, landed a one-on-one interview with Britain’s prime minister and has done live shots out in the middle of the ocean aboard an aircraft carrier.

In addition to her current on-camera work, she served as a media advisor to several noteworthy thought leaders including Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

She is a recipient of a Knight Foundation Fellowship and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

David DeJohn

David DeJohn is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several National Press Photographers Association and Associated Press awards.

DeJohn began his career as a photojournalist but now enjoys the entire newsgathering process from interviewing people to writing the story. He says that if a story is weaved correctly with the right flow, it can compel viewers to watch from beginning to end, and that’s his goal.

DeJohn grew up in Buffalo, New York, and has worked for news outlets in Fort Myers, Tampa, and San Francisco. Throughout his career, he has covered many stories, but none more terrifying than the events of civil unrest in the city of St. Petersburg. While covering the riots between local residents and police, he was working in a news truck to get live coverage back to the station quickly. It wasn’t long before his truck was doused in gasoline and he had to run to safety before it was set on fire. After that day, he followed the story through and saw firsthand how the community was abused and the reforms it had to make.

Ryan Peterson

Ryan Peterson serves as a videographer for A World of Difference. 

He began his tech career in network engineering and most recently became certified in software development. Peterson is an avid photographer and videographer, always incorporating new technology and innovative techniques. Additionally, he is a certified drone pilot.

Elijah Grant

Elijah Grant is a videographer and video editor with a passion for creating engaging content through unique concepts and stories.

Inspired by storytelling, Grant takes pleasure in forming a vision and working to ensure that vision becomes a reality. He strives to challenge the status quo and be a part of creating video content that inspires, educates, and entertains others.

He has created video content for clients including A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity, Napapijri, Sadlers Wells, Loft Films, The Montgomery Group, Good Chance Theatre, Finite Films, Sonia Friedman Productions & Underbelly.

Robert Deary-Andall

Robert Deary-Andall is a devoted filmmaker. He is an information systems graduate from Howard University in Washington, DC. With a strong foundation in technology and a creative spirit, he emerged as a former startup founder and tech consultant and his commitment to community engagement is evident through his efforts in teaching children how to code and volunteering at tech-focused events for the youth.

His filmmaking prowess shines through a diverse portfolio, featuring projects with esteemed brands such as A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity, Asus, Planned Parenthood, Voice, and more. Andall’s work is a testament to his ability to seamlessly blend creativity with technical proficiency, delivering high-quality visual content.

Bassey Arikpo

Bassey Arikpo is a video producer based out of Las Vegas. Applying his love of storytelling through videography, he primarily works on documentaries, short films, commercial work, and music videos.

Arikpo has been recognized for his videography work, winning an award at NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) for co-producing the web series Facts with Francis for the UNL Student Involvement Organization as well as winning a National Storytelling in the Animation category in the National Broadcasting Society.

He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in broadcasting.

Luisa Ardila

Luisa Ardila is an award-winning video producer based out of Florida. Her work in broadcast television has taken her through news stations from New York to Wisconsin to Florida. She has also put her storytelling and production skills to work in corporate media, marketing, communications, and live event production.

Ardila’s work has been recognized with various awards including a Gold Telly Award for social media video production. She has also received recognition from the dotCOMM Awards, the Viddy Awards, and the MarCom Awards.

She is a graduate of Syracuse University’s renowned S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a dual degree in broadcast journalism and international relations. She’s a first-generation immigrant, having been born in Colombia.

NG Production Films

NG Production Films is a premier Orlando, Florida-based, full-service, video production company, specializing in television, corporate, videography, and faith-based video production. Drawing upon their extensive 18+ years of industry expertise, they excel in various facets of video production, ranging from dynamic commercial productions for large brands, to capturing live concerts and events, crafting compelling corporate training videos, deploying skilled camera crews, and producing engaging television shows. NG Production Films is the proud owner of one of the very few LED volume studios in Florida. The company specializes in fully immersive, cutting-edge, 4K virtual productions to enhance the quality of any project. With fully customizable set design options that can be viewed in real time, NG Production Films uses its LED volume not only in the production of “A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity,” but also to enhance a wide variety of projects. LED volumes allow for faster, more efficient productions to be shot in the comfort of a quiet, well-lit, air-conditioned studio and often deliver higher quality than shooting on-site.

Dr. A.J. Marsden

Dr. A.J. Marsden is a former U.S. Army surgical nurse who now serves as an associate professor of psychology and human services at Beacon College. 

Marsden specializes in human development, motivation, emotion and attitudes,, human sexuality and health psychology, and  abnormal psychology, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and eating disorders.

Dr. Nicki Nance

Dr. Nicki Nance serves as an associate professor of psychology and human services at Beacon College. 

Her expertise lies in relationships and addictions. For 17 years, Nance owned and operated Nicki Betts Inc., which specialized in mental health and employee assistance services.

Dr. Oksana Hagerty

Dr. Oksana Hagerty serves as the dean of the Center for Student Success at Beacon College. The Center is the home of more than 20 learning specialists serving the individualized academic support needs of all students.

With a doctorate in educational and developmental psychology as well as a post-doctoral certificate in applied behavioral analysis, she specializes in academic support, cognitive abilities, and learning disabilities interventions. She joined Beacon in 2014 as a learning specialist and academic advisor and transitioned to the leadership role in the Center in 2020.

Rose DeJarnett

Rosemarie DeJarnett is the assistant chair of general education and distance learning and a senior instructor in the humanities department at Beacon College. She has extensive teaching experience, having worked as a reading specialist and classroom teacher for 12 years in both public and private schools, and was recognized as teacher of the year twice during her career.