Theme: Engage

TEDxFSCJ is a unique, single-day conference inspired by TED and produced by a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff For our third annual event, TEDxFSCJ aims to ENGAGE. Our theme is both a statement of our intent to engage with ideas, social issues, and various Jacksonville communities and a challenge to our audience to take the next step after the event to truly engage with what they’ve heard.
Our conference will feature nine speakers and a musical performance, and will engage attendees for an entire day. A gourmet lunch will be provided courtesy of Black Sheep. Throughout the day, attendees will have access to the Downtown Campus Gallery to see Faces of Engagement, a portrait series presented by our organization and featuring community members who are involved in making a difference.

Florida State College at Jacksonville - Downtown Campus
101 W State St
Auditorium
Jacksonville, Florida, 32202
United States

Allishia Bauman

Allishia Bauman is a proud graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville and recently finished her Bachelor’s Degree at The American Women's College at Bay Path University for Organizational and Leadership Studies. Currently in her third year at City Year Jacksonville, Bauman has worked as Teacher Pipeline Coordinator, Corps Support & Career Services Manager, Learning and Development Manager and now Chief of Staff. She is a board member for the Leading Ladies 904 group and a member of the Community Advisory Team for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund where she has been a part of their Power up Jax team, as well as an emcee for the ONE by ONE Convention and dedicated volunteer.

Emily Michael

Emily K. Michael is a blind poet, musician, and writing instructor, living in Jacksonville, FL. Her poetry and essays have appeared in Wordgathering; The Hopper; Artemis Journal; Compose Journal; Disability Rhetoric; Breath & Shadow; Bridge Eight; Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics; I Am Subject Stories: Women Awakening; BREVITY’S Non ction Blog; and Mosaics: A Collection of Independent Women (Vol. 2). She develops grammar workshops for multi- lingual learners and participates in local writing festivals. Find her on Twitter (@ModwynEarendel) and at her blog On the Blink.

Jared Rypkema

Jared Rypkema is a writer and community builder. He is the founder and executive director of Bridge Eight, Inc. a non-profit publishing company based in Jacksonville, FL. A New Jersey native and graduate of the University of South Carolina, he has developed a love for the Southern landscape and the people who live in it. Today, he lives in Downtown Jacksonville where the city lights—and all they represent—shine through his windows.

Jen Deane

Jen Deane is the President of Pit Sisters and the Director of the TAILS (Teaching Animals and Inmates Life Skills) program. She is a CPDT-KA (Cer- ti ed Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) and is an evaluator for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers CLASS program. Jen is also a Regional Director for the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation and is a board member of Clearly Jacksonville.

Jessica Gregory

Jessica Gregory is a registered nurse and a proud FSCJ alum. Jessica specializes in psychiatric nursing and substance abuse. During her tenure as an FSCJ nursing student, Jessica had the opportunity to present an original research paper on the use of restraints and seclusion in psychiatric nursing practice at an FSCJ student conference. Jessica won an award of recognition for best panel speaker for her contribution. Originally from Long Island, New York, Jessica moved to the Jacksonville area in 1999. She currently resides in Mandarin with her husband, Tom, and 14 year old son, Matthew.

Marq Mervin

Marq Mervin is a graphic designer and CG artist focusing on visual identity/branding, animation and digital illustration. He has over seven years of experience as a professional artist, developing animations and graphics for clients such as WJXT Channel 4 and several start-up businesses. Mervin holds a Master's of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics from New York Institute of Technology, as well as a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Animation from Jacksonville University. A native of Jacksonville, Marq is a passionate advocate for developing young artists in his hometown.

Ranna Abduljawad

Ranna Abduljawad is a vice president within the technology sector for a major nancial corporation and has served as a member of Bank of America LEAD for Women (Leadership, Education, Advocacy & Development for Women). A native of West Bank, Ranna’s time in the Middle East encouraged her to understand con icts as human problems with human solutions. Having spent her free time volunteering in refugee camps in Palestine, Ranna’s experiences have encouraged her to act as an advocate for the refugees. She plays an active role in the FRRC (Floridians Responding to Refugees) and additionally serves as an executive board member at Atlantic Institute of Jacksonville, a nonprofit organization that aims to facilitate interfaith dialog locally and bridge cultural divisions around the globe.

Rebecca Levy

Rebecca R. Levy is a choreographer, performer and educator, and holds an MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts. Levy is currently Professor of Dance & Director of the Dance Repertory Company at Florida State College at Jacksonville.  She is a founding member and artistic director of Jacksonville Dance Theatre, a critically acclaimed modern dance repertory and performance art company based in Jacksonville. Levy’s choreographic work has been featured in festivals and concerts internationally and throughout the country, and she is the regional coordinator for The National Waterways Dance Project, a site-specific dance and movement project funded by the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

Travis Pinckney

Travis Pinckney is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of the College R-E-D program. Ten years ago Travis was filling buckets of water from his church so that he and his mother could take a bath, earning poor grades in high school, and trusting drug dealers as his mentors. He made a sharp turnaround while he was in high school and had to take the ACT and SAT a combined seven times before passing and receiving a $80,000 scholarship to attend the University of North Florida. He used the investment of David and Ann Hicks to graduate with a Bachelor's and a Master's in Education.