Theme: VISION

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Zeiterion Theatre
684 Purchase Street
New Bedford, Massachusetts, 02740
United States

Dorian Mintzer

Licensed psychologist, aging expert Dorian Mintzer, M.S.W., Ph.D., facilitates workshops and speaks to community and professional groups on topics related to mid-life issues, retirement transition, psychology of money issues, spirituality, and positive psychology. Over the past 40 years of working with couples, women and men individually, and facilitating groups, she has developed her own model of Interactive/Problem Solving. She utilizes her life experiences and expertise in adult development and life planning in her work with helping individuals and couples navigate the second half of life, which she refers to as the BONUS years, and she will touch on these topics on stage.

Joe Biron

As VP of IoT Technology at ThingWorx, a PTC business, Joe leads a team that guides the technical architecture between the ThingWorx IoT platform and ThingWorx Ready partners. Joe has broad knowledge of IoT solutions and has led engineering teams focused on edge technology as well as cloud services, and has been deeply involved in the solution architecture for many ThingWorx customers.

Keith Lovett

Keith Lovett is the Director of the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Under his guidance, the zoo has developed a dynamic master plan that will expand its community impact and establish it as one of the leading education and conservation organizations in the Northeast. Mr. Lovett has been involved in the design and development of the construction of $40 million of zoological exhibits. Mr. Lovett holds many leadership positions in the area of wildlife conservation and has been involved in several field biology projects including carnivore biological corridor development in Argentina, sea turtle protection in Venezuela, reintroduction programs for Beach Mice in Florida, and wildlife rehabilitation in South America and the United States.

Kim Fuller

Kim is a student of Buddhism and Mindfulness because she feels understanding our mind is the pathway to peace. Kim is a 1986 graduate of the Rhode Island School of design with a BFA in photography. She is a mother of two birth children and one adopted son. She and her husband live in Middletown, RI on an old farm property that is her sanctuary.

LaToya Rene Robertson

LaToya Rene Robertson survive the struggles of being raised in an impoverished and drug infested neighborhood to become an accredited television and music composer, songwriter, property owner, philanthropist, world traveler and PhD Candidate. LaToya Rene was raised in a tumultuous household. The lack of guidance and structure did not aware LaToya René a traditional upbringing which fostered a nomadic lifestyle for her. Despite her unfathomable challenges she has grown through being abnormally tall being bullied, living a nomadic lifestyle, the shame of have an unconventional family structure, the plight of having a mother with mental illness, and the challenge of growing up around drug activity she managed to be triumphant time and time again. LaToya shares her experience with body image, struggles of self-worth, combating poverty, being woman in male dominated industries, pursuing goals, daring to stand out, overcoming adversity and finding ultimate happiness.

Leonard D'Avolio

Dr. D’Avolio has spent the last dozen years working to make data our most valuable resource for improving healthcare. He’s done so as an Assistant Prof at Harvard Med School & Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Director at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a Director at Ariadne Labs, the co-founder and CEO of Cyft, as an advisor to several healthcare related non-profits, researcher, and writer. He showed that real time data feedback can save the lives of babies and mothers in Uttar Pradesh, India despite average incomes of just over a dollar a day with 60k interventions and counting.

Lisa Haisha

Lisa Haisha, M.A., is showing women, men, and couples how to “show up” in their own lives personally, professionally, and passionately with her fearless expression in all media as a globally sought-after life counselor. Lisa’s continued fascination with what makes people tick compelled her to travel for three decades to over 60 countries on seven continents, compiling social and cultural research by studying the likes of the Sufis in Cappadocia, Shamans in Peru, Bedouins in Petra, the Massai Tribes of Tanzania (including hundreds of orphans for her book Whispers From Children’s Hearts) about how they give and receive love, and what they want their legacy to be.

Lisa Luckett

Lisa Luckett is a social visionary, an activist for kindness and an advocate of gaining wisdom by experiencing life head-on. Her mantra “Choose Courage” is the foundation of her social vision reminding us that we are strong, resilient and have a choice in how we live our lives. For the past 15 years, she has extensively studied and analyzed the human condition from macro to micro, local to global, personal to cultural. She brings her vast life experience and the wisdom gained from delving in and dissecting personal traumas, events and life-situations to better understand her world and the people in it. This has led to a deep and exponential understanding of our American culture, our global neighbors and the possible trajectories for our future. With a decade-by-decade analysis of social trends and behaviors we can better understand our current social environment and project our potential future options.

Loretta LaRoche

Mark Parsons

Mark Parsons is an artist, designer, educator, and technologist. He is the founder and executive director of the Consortium for Research & Robotics in New York City, and the Director of Production Technologies for Pratt Institute Architecture, where he teaches advanced design studios and materials seminars. Parsons has held teaching positions in art and design at Pratt Institute, Hunter College, and Cornell University. He has lectured at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China, SUNY Purchase, UMass Dartmouth, ISE Cultural Foundation, Grounds for Sculpture, and elsewhere.

Matt Baker

Matt is the Executive Director of Enterprise Strategy for Dell’s Enterprise Solutions organization. He and his team are responsible for the development and implementation of an integrated set of business and technology strategies across the breadth of Dell’s Enterprise business. Prior to joining Dell in 2005, Matt held a variety of roles at Intel Corporation over 10 years including many years as an “end user” in Intel’s IT organization specializing in Remote Access, Network Security, and Data Centre Networking solution design.

Pamela Pavliscak

"Pamela advises designers, developers, and decision-makers on how to create technologies that promote well-being, as founder of Change Sciences. As a researcher, she creates experiments that challenge us to see technology—and ourselves—in new ways. Whether it is asking people to confront their digital alter egos or write break-up letters to their favorite apps, Pamela’s work is aimed at understanding how technology can help people live with greater happiness and purpose. Pamela has taught at Parsons School of Design, Stanford Design School, and ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination. She often speaks on creativity in the digital age, generation Z, and emotion and technology for conferences like SXSW and Collision."

Roger Mandle

Roger Mandle is president and CEO of Roger Mandle Associates LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to assisting museums and universities in strategic planning, board and senior staff development and mentoring, and advice during important transitions. Clients have included the Newark Museum, Johnson & Wales University, the University of Maryland, University of New Haven, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Phillips Auctions, Qatar Foundation International and Qatar Museums Authority, where Mandle was senior advisor to the chair of the Board of Trustees. His firm is also advising a number of private clients in collections formation and mentoring senior members of the academic and museum community in career development as well as leading in the creation of alternative models of art and design education, including online education.

Sally Simms

Sally Simms is the founder of Group Project, a team and collaboration design company, and co-founder of Lateral Labs, a global network of innovation hubs. She is available for strategic, product, and narrative consulting in New York and elsewhere. She loves public speaking and meeting intriguing strangers for coffee. Sally is focused on using new data models to envision the future of employment and transportation. Several years at Google got her interested in how algorithms can build and reinterpret data to change how we live. Now she's building new data models and algorithms to thoughtfully, intentionally shape how big data comes online and is used in important areas like how we work, and how we get around every day.

Susan Riegler

Susan Riegler is a national speaker, writer and consultant in the field of addictive behaviors. She is an advocate and an educator for addiction and trauma and has spent the last 23 years helping people to see a future free from the daily obsession of drugs and alcohol. Susan provides families, friends and other loved ones a compassionate framework to start a difficult conversation about drug and alcohol dependency and the understanding that there is a clear path out of addiction.

Timothy Crombleholme

"Children's Hospital Colorado Surgeon-in-Chief Renown fetal surgeon Dr. Timothy Crombleholme practices at Children's Hospital Colorado as Surgeon-in-Chief where he treats twin-twin transfusion syndrome, neonatal surgery, conjoined twins and more. Originally from New Bedford, Dr. Crombleholme is at the top of his field, and he will discuss his vision for frontier medicine."