In it's inaugrual year, TEDxTuscaloosa is adopting the same theme as TED: "Ideas Worth Spreading." We're sharing a variety of ideas from a variety of speakers who are truly passionate about what they have to share. This is an opportunity to begin sharing ideas and starting new lines of communication in Tuscaloosa.

Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center
620 Greensboro Avenue
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35401
United States

Alan Blum

Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the history of smoking and cigarette marketing. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises one of the world’s largest collections on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement. Dr. Blum is a recipient of the Surgeon General’s Medallion, presented by Dr. C. Everett Koop, the first National Public Health Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians, and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Amherst College for a career dedicated to ending the tobacco pandemic.

Chris Hill

Chris Hill grew up in Atlanta, GA and later attended The University of Alabama, where he earned a double major in English Literature/Spanish, and a Master’s in Marketing. After a short post-grad school stint as a marketing consultant in Atlanta, Chris took a leap of faith, followed his heart, and became a chef. Though he worked in restaurants throughout high school, Hill never attended culinary school. In 2010 Chef Hill opened up his first restaurant in Norfolk,VA at the age of 28, and his second is slated to open in summer 2015. Hill attributes his writing style to his mother, who lost a five year bout with cancer while Chris was in middle school.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown is a social entrepreneur and clinical professor at the University of Alabama. His research focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. He studied at Cal Poly and MIT prior to a long career in industry. In addition to teaching, Mr. Brown has an extensive consulting background in business startups and operations improvement. His work with non-profit companies and people in poverty led him to co-found The Moses Project, an organization dedicated to the promotion of worker-owned cooperatives in Alabama.

Josh Sahib

Josh Sahib is a serial entrepreneur. Throughout college he performed as a DJ at house parties and local bars. Shortly after graduating, Sahib started his first formal business, an educational video production company that published a DVD and completed a contract with a national textbook publisher. Over the course of 2014 he accelerated his efforts, co-authoring a book and co-founding the software company, Brewery Buddy which took home first place in the inaugural Tuscaloosa Startup Weekend and received a cash prize in a statewide startup competition. Sahib’s overarching belief is that with collaboration and a bit of motivation, big things can happen.

Linda Parsons

Linda Parsons, PhD, CPA, is an associate professor at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Accountancy. Her passion is studying nonprofit organizations, she teaches government and nonprofit accounting, and she researches the value of accounting information in giving decisions. In her personal life, Linda works with several community organizations dedicated to promoting and preserving the quality of life in Tuscaloosa neighborhoods. Her biggest challenge to date has centered on her work to assure the recovery and rebuilding of the Forest Lake Neighborhood, which was heavily damaged by the April 27, 2011 tornado.

Mark Raines

An award-winning television and film teacher at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, CA, Mark Raines, is passionate about helping students find and share their voice through film. He was named National New Teacher of the Year by the Association for Career and Technical Education in 2008 and also received teaching recognition from the Toyota International Teacher Program, USAToday, and the Radio Shack National Teacher Award. For the past 15 years, Mark has been the executive producer of a weekly student-produced television broadcast along with hundreds of student films and videos, often showcased in the nation's largest film festivals.

Pamela Payne Foster

Dr. Pamela Payne Foster is a Preventive Medicine/Public Health physician who currently serves as Associate Professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Tuscaloosa as well as Deputy Director of the Institute for Rural Health Research. Dr. Foster’s current research area of interest is the study of HIV/AIDS related stigma in rural African Americans in Alabama, particularly in faith-based settings in rural Alabama. She also works as a HIV/AIDS activist particularly around health equity issues in the rural Deep South and has written two books: Is There a Balm in Black America? and Practicing Prevention.

Terrence Lonam

Terrence Lonam is an undergraduate at The University of Alabama with a focus on Social Justice. Terrence began debating in high school where he enjoyed national success in Lincoln Douglas debate, ending his career ranked in the top ten nationally by The National Debate Coaches Association and The National Speech and Debate Association. After graduating high school, Terrence continued on as a coach and started working with the Texas Debate Collective, the largest non-profit debate institute in the country, and with the National Symposium for Debate, one of the most prestigious for-profit summer debate institutes.