Theme: Change

We’re excited to announce the return of TEDxRVA for the fifth consecutive year! Join us on Friday, June 23rd at the Carpenter Theater for a full day of talks and experiences exploring this year’s theme: Change

Change is an ever present part of life. From the shifting seasons to the greying of our hairs, change is a force that shapes our stories and futures.

Whether on a global scale, at the community level, or in our personal lives, change will either happen because of us, or in spite of us. So what does it take, and what does it look like, to lean into meaningful transformation? To become a changemaker rather than a witness? And where do we begin?

In June 2017, TEDxRVA will be a place to hear and explore stories about change-making by local, national and international voices. We’ll hear success stories that shed light on the “how” of creating change. Stories of change longed-for that will inspire us around what could be. And we’ll learn about change currently in-action and ways we as individuals and communities can directly lean-in.

Join us as we hear incredible stories and ideas that will empower and inspire us all around living a life of intention and to embrace change head-on!

Richmond CenterStage
600 E Grace Street
Richmond, Virginia, 23219
United States

Amber Phillips

Podcast Host

Washington, D.C.-based social justice organizers Jazmine and Amber are co-creators, -producers, and -hosts of the weekly podcast, The Black Joy Mixtape, connecting with women, girls, and femmes as they tackle weekly headlines through comedy and sisterhood. Amber J. Phillips is working to advance the rights of all Black people and people of color. Her writings on Black women at the intersections of politics, pop culture, and the media have been published on new sites like Huffington Post and Rewire, and she’s been featured as a leading voice for Black feminism on The Breakfast Club and ESSENCE. In addition to being the Senior Manager of Youth Leadership and Mobilization at Advocates for Youth, Amber is the Co-Director/Founder of the digital marketing firm, BLACK that uses culture to elevate Black progressive power in politics and media. Their talk explores embracing Blackness and cultural pride for societal healing.

Amy Pruden, PhD

Biologist

Dr. Amy Pruden grew up in Toledo, Ohio and attended the University of Cincinnati for her Bachelors in Biology and Ph.D. in Environmental Science. Since then, she’s been a professor at Colorado State University, and now teaches at Virginia Tech in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as part of the Flint Water Study team. She has worked closely with professor Marc Edwards since 2008, advising a team of students working to understand what exactly triggers Legionella and other pathogens to bloom in plumbing. Her work draws from new high-throughput DNA sequencing tools to understand how factors like water chemistry, plumbing material, and water fixture design are shaping the thousands of species of microbes inhabiting tap water and how such factors could be engineered to prevent pathogen growth. Amy’s talk focuses on her research, understanding of the Flint, Michigan water crisis, and other unexpected lessons informed by her research.

Arthur Burton

Community Activist

Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Art Burton was raised here in Richmond. He plants a two-acre farm once purchased by his great, great grandfather in Chesterfield County in 1896. After working with the United States Air Force, he started his own landscaping and home improvement business, Pro Home Services, and has held a number of professional positions in community and environmental development throughout Richmond. As the Founder and Director of Kinfolk Community Empowerment Center, Art Burton reads between the lines of poverty and despair to see where there are possibilities and opportunities that could improve the lives of local residents. Through the nonprofit organization, Art takes a holistic, grassroots approach to community action in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods around Richmond, and believes in the power of organizing and empowering the members of such marginalized communities to do the work of enacting change.

Ben Sollee

Cellist, Activist

Kentucky-born cellist and composer, Ben Sollee is a genre blending musician who mixes classical artistry with bluegrass and pop. His music has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk series, and TV shows like ABC’s Parenthood and HBO’s Weeds. Ben is also a thoughtful sustainability activist. Whether raising awareness for environmental causes like mountaintop removal strip mining in his home state, or championing livability infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians nationally, Ben leverages music and storytelling to grow empathy and affection for these topics. His talk brings together his two passions, activism and music, to show how art can connect us with challenging issues and in turn create meaningful change.

Carlos Betancourt

Multi-Disciplinary Visual Artist

Carlos Betancourt is a contemporary visual artist based in Miami, Florida. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, he developed a love for nature and a passionate interest in the syncretic cultures and traditions of the Caribbean. Betancourt’s personal journey—physical, emotional, and intellectual—is the creative force behind his work. He eventually defined his general inspiration as personal-memory-oriented. In his multi-disciplinary artworks, Betancourt explores issues of memory and personal experiences, while also dwelling in matters of beauty, identity, and communication. By means of re-examination, he recycles and reinterprets the past and delivers it in a new and relevant context. Carlos’s talk addresses why he believes art is informed by one’s own experiences, not necessarily the reverse.

Courtney Cogburn, PhD

Psychologist

Dr. Cogburn is an assistant professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work, and faculty of the Columbia Population Research Center where she directs the Cogburn Research Group. Through her research, Dr. Cogburn explores innovative approaches to better understand and address the role of racism in producing racial inequities in health. This includes leveraging the power of virtual reality to create immersive, visceral experiences with racism, examining the effects of exposure to media-based racism on acute stress responses, and using “big data” to track the prevalence of media-based racism and associations with population health. Dr. Cogburn completed postdoctoral training at Harvard University, received her Ph.D. in Education and Psychology, as well as her Master’s of Social Work, from the University of Michigan, and earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Her talk discusses using virtual reality as a tool for creating empathy to heal social divides

Dave McCormack

Community Developer

Turning challenges into opportunities could be Dave McCormack’s mantra. As the President of Waukeshaw Development, Inc., Dave is interested in markets that have been overlooked by traditional real estate developers. Recognizing nearly-universal struggles of small town America for identity, population, and economic development, he is inspired to lead the charge of transformation. For example, in Old Town Petersburg, Dave’s projects have brought six city blocks back to vibrant life, while simultaneously launching thirteen businesses. He works with communities across Virginia and North Carolina to revitalize their forgotten treasures, and has also launched two brewery brands, a popular coffee destination, and hundreds of apartments throughout the state. Dave’s talk is about how businesses and communities revitalize our economies and shape our local stories.

Dean Whitbeck

Photographer, Educator

Over the last 15 years, Dean Whitbeck has captured intimate stories about the dignity and courage found in marginalized communities. His recent work includes “The Survivors Project” where he photographed the remaining Holocaust survivors living in Richmond, and “Refugees” – a collaboration with ReEstablish Richmond – that captures the stories of those who have sought sanctuary in Richmond away from their home countries due to war. A San Francisco native, Dean received his graduate degree in Education from St. Mary’s College in California where he spent over 20 years working with inner-city students. He’s worked with schools throughout the country developing curriculum that uses student photography to develop literacy and critical thinking skills. He’s also a recipient of Yale University’s National Fellowship in Urban Education where his published writing and photos focused on the collaborative effect of visual media and storytelling for students in under-resourced communities.

Elda Downey, PhD

Global Citizen, Educator

A resident of Roanoke, Virginia, Dr. Elda Stanco Downey was born in Venezuela and grew up trilingual, speaking Spanish, Italian, and English. Dr. Stanco Downey earned an Honors Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Romance Languages & Literatures at The University of Chicago. She holds an MA and a PhD in Hispanic Studies from Brown University, and has been a visiting scholar at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain and at Harvard University. She is the Founder of Roanoke Spanish, a cultural intelligence services firm, a faculty member of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, and the Director of Operations for VALHEN (Virginia Latino Higher Education Network). In her talk, Elda shares how embracing one’s vulnerability gives us a deeper and more meaningful toolbox for leaning into change.

Eneuri Acosta

Communications Strategist

Eneuri Acosta thrives at being a powerful marketing influencer. He is driven to connect; local stories with luxury brands, large American Corporations with culturally diverse consumers, and the fashion and art world to an authentic individual experience. In his most recent role, Eneuri was the Manager of Marketing Communications for Cadillac. He filled a number of key positions within General Motors managing an overall brand marketing strategy, namely for one of the company’s largest PR campaigns, “Dare Greatly.” Currently, Eneuri is the Chief Operating Officer at Hodinkee, an online content platform for all things luxury wristwatches—trends, editorials, resources, etc.—where he activates continued growth of all aspects of the brand. Eneuri earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in public relations from Ramapo College of New Jersey. He was born in the Dominican Republic and is fluent in Spanish.

Jazmine "Da K.O.S." Walker

Podcast Host

Washington, D.C.-based social justice organizers Jazmine and Amber are co-creators, -producers, and -hosts of the weekly podcast, The Black Joy Mixtape, connecting with women, girls, and femmes as they tackle weekly headlines through comedy and sisterhood. Jazmine “The King of the South” Walker is a Southern Development Strategist supporting social justice organizations working in the Deep South and Central Appalachia. Growing up and earning a Master’s Degree in Sociology in Mississippi, her life and career have been deeply influenced by Southern rap & hip hop, leading her to connect thoughtful, comedic, and timely commentary on politics, news, culture, and movement organizing. Their talk explores embracing Blackness and cultural pride for societal healing.

Jen Siomacco

Wedding Innovator

Jen’s work hasn’t been all white lace and roses. After working as a UX Designer for the better half of a decade, studying how customers browse and access content, Jen switched paths and became co-owner and Creative Director for Catalyst Wedding Co., a publication increasing the representation of diverse and unconventional love and weddings; all genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, and body sizes welcome. “Inclusivity” and “social perception and acceptance” might not be concepts we intuitively mix with the high-drama, high-romance of the wedding industry, but in her talk, Jen shares ideas on how to shift the traditional narrative.

Linda Cendales, M.D.

Surgeon

Linda Cendales is an Associate Professor of Surgery, a Duke Health Scholar, and the Director of the Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) at Duke University Medical Center. Trained in hand surgery, microsurgery, and transplant surgery, she helped organize the first VCA team in the U.S. and participated in the country’s first and second hand transplants. She was the first surgeon accepted into the Transplant Surgery and Immunobiology Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and while there, published her own model of VCA in non-human primates. Establishing VCA programs at both Emory University and Duke University, Dr. Cendales led multidisciplinary teams at each school to perform Georgia’s first hand transplant in 2011, and North Carolina’s first in 2016. Linda will share how her willingness to take risks and make changes in her life resulted in a new specialty that has forever impacted the field of medicine.

Lindsay Ellyn

Singer-Songwriter

Lindsay got her start in 2010 playing original music merging country, folk, and pop in the East Village & Lower East Side of New York City. After growing an audience in New York following her 2012 EP release, Shores, she relocated to Nashville in April of 2014. In 2015, she released an EP, Out of Road, that was named EP of the Year by Queens of Country. In 2017, Lindsay launched Writer Crush Wednesday in Nashville, a monthly music and networking night for local and traveling songwriters. She is currently working on a full-length album. In her talk with Taylor Alexander, Lindsay discusses adapting to change in the music industry.

Mark England

Language Geek

A researcher, coach, and presenter on the power of words, Mark does more than teach people how to communicate. As the co-founder and lead presenter of Procabulary, he offers practical tools to individuals and organizations, and helps his clients clearly express their intentions. Before entering the human-potential movement, Mark earned a Master’s Degree in International Education and taught elementary school sports, and he continues to make time for travel, dance, and practicing martial arts. Mark’s talk addresses the power of words as a tool for change in perception.

Melody Barnes

Lawyer, Art Advocate

Melody Barnes is a Principal and Co-Founder of MBSquared Solutions LLC, a domestic policy strategy firm, and a senior fellow in presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. From January 2009 until January 2012, she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama. A Richmond native, Melody chairs the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund, is vice chair of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a volunteer with Communities in Schools of Richmond. Combining her passions for the arts and civic engagement, Melody discusses how Richmond can utilize art as a catalyst for positive change.

Mo Regulinski

Wearable Art Designer

Richmond based designer Mo Regulinski was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of three. Inspired by the materials used for her condition, she creates wearable art from medical disposables used by diabetic persons. When she’s not working on projects, she leads statewide workshops including Teen Stylin’ and Creative Clothing Design at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. In addition, she collaborates with community partners inspiring teens to become health advocates through the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and runs her own business, Affirmative Health and Art Alliances, LLC, where she drives change through creativity. Mo’s talk highlights how we can put a new twist on healthy living.

Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD

Fetal Surgeon

Dr. Olutoye is a Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, and is Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Fetal Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, Texas. He completed his medical education at Obafemi Awolowo University, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria and received his Ph.D. in Anatomy from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has specialized clinical expertise in fetal and neonatal surgery, with specific interest in congenital diaphragmatic hernia and complex wounds. Dr. Olutoye’s research interests include topics like understanding the role of the fetal inflammatory response in scarless fetal wound healing and in utero correction of severe congenital malformations. In addition, he has participated in medical missions to Russia, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, Botswana, and Liberia. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics and the West African College of Surgeons.

Rachel Pater

Storyteller

Open Mic Night winner, Rachel Pater is an English and Speech teacher, and founder of the Richmond Story House (RSH). What started as a dream in Denver, Colorado, blended with reality when Rachel began collecting the stories of her high school students and residents at a youth homeless shelter where she worked. While pursuing an MA in Social Change, she helped youth write and later perform their experiences as LGBTQ homeless youth in a production called Intersections. Here in Richmond, she leads RSH to get communities reading, writing, and listening to each other’s stories. RSH provides a space for readers of various genres to connect, and writers of varying skills to participate in in-house and mobile workshops. In her talk, Rachel explores how technology will influence the future of storytelling.

Semi Ryu

Virtual Reality Artist

Semi Ryu specializes in 3D animation and virtual puppetry based on Korean ritual and oral storytelling. Her artworks and papers have been internationally presented in screenings, exhibitions, performances, and publications in 20 countries, including the Chelsea Art Museum, and the book The Point of Being (Cambridge Scholars, UK). Since 2014, she has been working on the project “VoicingElder: Avatar Life-Review for Older Adults” to support memory and intergenerational relationships of older adults. Her next project is “VoicingHan: Avatar Life-Review Empowering Selves”, to support the creation of personalized narratives for individuals with trauma-related memories. Semi is an associate professor in the Department of Kinetic Imaging at Virginia Commonwealth University. A South Korean native, she earned a BFA from the Korean National University of Arts, and an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. In her talk, Semi discusses the use of virtual reality as a tool for expression and empathy

Taylor Alexander

Singer-Songwriter

Taylor may have been deemed “too country for country” by a music row executive in late 2015, but it was his country flip of Cher’s Believe on season 12 of The Voice this year that won over coach Adam Levine, and a new, highly engaged national audience. Fresh off his appearance on the show, he’s back on the road supporting his AMA-charting 2016 EP Real Good at Saying Goodbye. He’s committed to proving there’s still a place for thoughtful narratives and honest storytelling in the music coming out of Nashville. In his talk with Lindsay Ellyn, Taylor discusses adapting to change in the music industry.

Tom Doland

Health Advocate

As a lover of creativity, Tom founded Spiral Richmond Arts Collaborative to change the world through art, performance, and collaboration in 2014. Before his vision came to fruition, his momentum short-circuited when he was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, overweight, and hypertensive. The state of his health and a subsequent series of events caused him to question his ways of living. From there, he initiated a massive diet change and in a short time, was no longer pre-diabetic or hypertensive. His remarkable recovery led him to study horticulture, and nutrition and food science. Tom takes the stage after winning one of our TEDxRVA Open Mic competitions in March, 2017. His talk involves his own story, teaching people of all ages and walks of life, especially children, that good nutrition is not only attainable, but necessary to live our fullest lives.

Vida Williams

Data Scientist

An innovation advocate determined to not let new technology leave humanity behind, Vida utilizes her experience as a data scientist to drive social and economic change. A promising start as a tech writer spurred a nearly 20-year career with data, technology, and innovation, spanning several industries including energy, healthcare, and education. In 2013, she co-founded a small social enterprise consulting firm, Axis Partners, Inc., to serve mission-driven organizations with data architecture, process engineering, and data sciences. Recently her endeavors as an adjunct professor at VCU’s da Vinci Center have led her to be named the school’s first, “Innovator in Residence.” Vida also remains active in her community through board memberships with Code VA, Podium, and Virginia Union University’s Center for Undergraduate Research. Her talk explores how changing the perspective and practices of innovation create good for our community.