Theme: TEDxAlbany 2019

TEDxAlbany 2019 will take place on December 5, 2019 at Overit at 435 New Scotland Ave, Albany.
Speakers and program information still being finalized.

Overit
435 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York, 12208
United States

Almy Bartis

Climate Activist

21-year-old climate activist and Sustainability major at the Arizona State University School of Sustainability. Passionate about research, education, and the climate crisis, I have written countless essays for a wide range of classes on climate change and the economy. My essays have been recognized by Chris Boone, Dean of ASU’s School of Sustainability as I won the university’s Sustainability Champions Scholarship. I have also recently started submitting my work to essay contests with hopes of publication. As for my activism on a more physical level, I spoke at the Global Climate Strike in New York City in May 2019 and have been featured on The Years Project’s Instagram TV (IGTV). The Years Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is, “To inform, empower and unite the world in the face of climate change.” I have also spoken at the August 30 NYC Climate Strike with Greta Thunberg.

Audrey Wong

Entrepreneur

Audrey is a business and life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. At age 8, she began acting on TV and received an art study scholarship from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Minor in Psychology from Rutgers University in 1995. Audrey began her management consulting career at Accenture where she earned the top-tier ranking (“Band 1″, Top Performer”) every year. She launched her first business in 2000 and became a full-time entrepreneur and business owner in 2005. Combining her computer science, psychology, management consulting, art, and performing backgrounds provided her a unique opportunity to be a proven leader in all aspects of her businesses. These experiences allowed her to advance in the business world and also advise others to do the same.

David Seelow

Educator

I recently edited the book Lessons Drawn: Essays on the Pedagogy of Comics and Graphic Novels, and teach a course on superheroes at the College of Saint Rose. I founded the Center of Game and Simulation Based Learning, an award winning Online Writing Lab, the blog Revolutionary Learning and have 29 years teaching experience in higher education with numerous publications and presentations.

Jennefer Witter

CEO

Jennefer is an in-demand speaker on implicit bias, gender-based communication styles, personal branding, social media and public relations topics. The Pentagon, The Brookings Institution, PA Conference for Women, Brown Brothers Harriman and Columbia University are among the many prestigious venues where she has presented. Jennefer is also an instructor at NYC’s 92Y. She is an experienced chief executive officer (The Boreland Group) with a demonstrated history of providing results via creative PR programs. Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed” (HarperCollins). A highly successful entrepreneur, she is a polished, dynamic speaker with a warm, approachable style.

Joseph Luzzi

Professor

Joseph Luzzi (PhD, Yale) is Professor of Comparative Literature at Bard College. His books include “My Two Italies,” a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and “In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love,” which has been translated into Italian, German, and Korean. Luzzi is a frequent contributor to publications including the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Times Literary Supplement, and American Scholar. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Bookforum, and Times of London. Dr. Luzzi is the founder of DeepRead, which offers a radically new approach to leadership and business education by basing its teaching and “test cases” on the great ideas of literature, history, and philosophy.

Lisa Powell-Graham

Political Consultant

Lisa is a political and strategic planning consultant, inspirational speaker, writer, and women’s empowerment and leadership coach. She is a proven visionary leader, with more than two decades of successes in campaign management, strategic planning, fundraising, communications, and community organizing. Lisa was part of Hillary Clinton’s paid presidential campaign staff in 2016, running a campaign office in Philadelphia, PA. 96% of Lisa’s ward voted for Clinton, and Lisa achieved 225+% on all of her personal campaign and GOTV (Get Out The Vote) goals. Lisa previously planned events for Hillary Clinton in Troy, New York when the former Secretary of State and First Lady was her U.S. Senator in New York. She also worked as a field organizer for Barack Obama in Virginia in 2008, when Virginia went blue for the first time in 44 years.

Mike De Socio

Journalist

Mike De Socio is a storyteller in Troy, working as a journalist at the Albany Business Review, and telling stories all over the Albany region at open mics. He moved to Troy two years ago after studying at Boston University, and has previously done work for NPR’s On Point, Slate, The Dallas Morning News, USA Today and HuffPost. Mike forged his storytelling chops while growing up in New Jersey and reporting, as a young journalist, on Hurricane Sandy and the Jersey shore.

Nick Pozek

Humanitarian

Nick Pozek is an innovator and humanitarian. He serves as the Assistant Director of Asian Legal Programs at Columbia Law School and holds posts in both the Center for Japanese Legal Studies and the Center for Chinese Legal Studies. Working at the intersection of technology, policy, and culture, Nick has held leadership roles at internationally-recognized cultural and charitable organizations such as Asia Society, the League of American Orchestras, and Carnegie Museum of Art. Nick lives in New York City’s Upper East Side.

Rick Collins

Entrepreneur + Veteran

Rich Collins is a veteran, business owner, non-profit founder and manager, entrepreneur, and now on a mission to save lives by teaching everyone how to be more aware about their surroundings.

Sonia Mañjon

Educator

Dr. Sonia BasSheva Mañjon possesses more than 25 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit, and government administration. She is a LeaderSpring Alumna, class of 2006, who returned to the Bay Area from Columbus, Ohio to become the 2nd executive director of LeaderSpring Center. Prior to returning to California, Sonia was inaugural director of the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise, Associate Professor of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, and Affiliate Faculty in Latinx Studies at The Ohio State University. Dr. Mañjon was the Simpson Endowed Professor of Community Arts, executive director of the Center for Art and Public Life and founding chair of the Community Arts major at the California College of the Arts.

Will Trevor

Educator

Will Trevor is currently the President of the American Marketing Association New York Capital Region Chapter and a familiar sight to many local marketing and business professionals from the many events he has hosted across the Capital Region. As a Faculty Program Director in the School of Undergraduate Studies at Excelsior College, Will is responsible for overseeing the college’s marketing, management, HR, and entrepreneurship programs. He has a background in sales and marketing, where he has filled several positions, across a range of industries. His digital marketing experience spans both agency-side and marketing management roles, which have helped to inform his perspective on marketing from both a practitioner and an academic angle.

Yulkendy Valdez

Social Entrepreneur

Yulkendy is a social entrepreneur, storyteller, and public speaker. As the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Forefront, she helps businesses and their leaders enable their cultural competence and inclusive leadership skills to meet the demands of the new workforce. Yulkendy brings a diverse set of both corporate and nonprofit experience to the table. She’s worked with Bank of America, EY, Puma, and Innosight Consulting as well as the International Institute of St. Louis and Betty Jean Kerr People’s Centers. While working in social impact, Yulkendy’s work focused on community-based projects ranging from financial equity for low-income immigrants to affordable health care.