Sally Perkins

Building on her 30-year academic career in rhetorical studies and her 20 years as a story performer, Dr. Sally Perkins has equipped hundreds of clients with easy-to-use storytelling frameworks that give them a strategic edge in their ability to champion their noble causes. Clients have included, among others: United Way, American Cancer Society, Union Pacific Railroad, Bell’s Brewery, Crane Army Ammunition, Indiana and Kentucky physicians and health advocates, Butler University, Augusta University, and numerous others. She also coaches individuals preparing for keynote speeches, TEDx talks, and other public speaking events.

Sally serves as senior manager of insight storytellers at Authenticx, an Indianapolis-based AI company. There, she weaves data into compelling stories that drive patient-centric change in healthcare. She was a recipient of the TechPoint 2021 Tech 25 Award for her pioneering work as an insights data backed storyteller.

When not training or telling data-backed stories, Sally per forms stories of all sorts — historical, wisdom-based, personal, and ghoulish — to audiences of all ages. She has performed for the United Solo Theatre Festival Off-Broadway, the National Storytelling Network, the Indianapolis Spirit and Place Festival, 193 FROM STORY TO ACTION the Tennessee Haunting in the Hills Festival, the Crown Hill Cemetery Festival of Ghost Stories, and the Indy Fringe Theatre Festival. After seeing her one-woman show Digging in Their Heels off-Broadway, a reviewer referred to her as, “the consummate performer and teacher. She is inspirational and clever and knows how to engage the audience from start to finish.”

Holding a Ph.D. in rhetorical studies, Sally has taught and published in the field of rhetoric and public speaking for over 30 years. She has taught at the University of Kansas, California State University-Sacramento, and Butler University, receiving numerous awards for outstanding teaching.

While she loves equipping her clients and performing stories on stage, the most important stories she tells are those at the bedsides of kids at Riley’s Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.