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).

Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center
100 Edgartown Vineyard Haven Rd
Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, 02557
United States

Antwaun Sargent

Antwaun Sargent, Writer, is currently a contributor to Vogue.com, Vice, W Magazine, Dazed Magazine, Interview Magazine, and i-d magazine while also frequently lecturing on topics at the nexus of culture, politics, and art, in addition to maintaining a blog at the Huffington Post. Prior to writing for the culture sections of these publications, Antwaun was an Editorial Fellow at Buzzfeed before independently consulting on content strategy for online publications. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Culture and Politics from Georgetown University and a Masters in Education. Antwaun first became interested in culture and politics as a senate intern for Hillary Rodham Clinton and as a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Antwaun's work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune Book Review, The Root, PolicyMic, and various other publications.

Asha Gomez

Asha Gomez launched Cardamom Hill Restaurant in January 2012 in Atlanta. An instant success, the restaurant received praising reviews, Cardamom Hill was named one of Bon Appetit’s 2012’s 50 Best New Restaurants, was on the 2013 James Beard Semi-Finalist List of 20 Best New Restaurants, one of Southern Living’s 5 Best Restaurants in the South. Asha was also named one of the 2013/2014 Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef - People’s Choice semi-finalists. Currently, she is working on her first cookbook : “My Two Souths”, with Running Press (Perseus Books) slated to launch fall 2016. In her spare time she is passionate about her advocacy work as a CARE Global Ambassador as well as raising her 10 year-old son Ethan.

Dean Bragonier

Dean Bragonier is a social entrepreneur in the EdTech space. Shaped by the challenges associated with his dyslexia, Dean became an advocate for learning and disability equality and has founded, managed and served on the boards of organizations working to create systemic change in this field. As the Founder and Executive Dyslexic of NoticeAbility Inc., Dean leads a collaborative team from Harvard University, Tufts University and the Carroll School that is building curricula designed to offer authentic inquiry experiences in vocational subjects that cater to the neurological strengths of the dyslexic mind. Upon graduation, Dean embraced his entrepreneurial instincts and acquired a small seasonal restaurant on Martha's Vineyard Island that he transformed into a successful full-scale enterprise (see Boston Magazine, July 2001). It was through this endeavor that he was able to contextualize his years of laborious academic learning and discover the true gifts of his dyslexic mind.

Eugene Berardi

Eugene served as Director of Emergency Public Communications and a senior policy advisor in the office of the New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In this capacity, Gene coordinated implementation of task force recommendations following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2003 blackout, and managed a day-to-day portfolio of projects related to public policy development and the city’s operations.

James Moody

James graduated cum laude from NYU School of Law and became a public defender in Miami, Florida. After litigating hundreds of cases at the trial level, James found his home in the appellate department, where he focused on sentencing proportionality issues, specifically related to juveniles convicted of murder. His case regarding the imposition of sex offender status upon defendant acquitted by a jury is currently under decision by the Supreme Court of Florida.

Jeffrey Deskovic

Jeffrey Deskovic, M.A., served 16 years in prison prior to being exonerated by DNA nine years ago. Jeff has a masters degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which included a thesis on the causes of wrongful conviction and the reforms needed to address these cracks in the system. He has delivered more than 100 presentations across the country; authored more than 200 articles; lobbied elected officials as well as testified in several legislative hearings where wrongful conviction prevention measures were considered; given hundreds of print, radio, and television interviews. Jeff committed $1.5 million dollars from the compensation he received to launch The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, a 501 C which fights wrongful convictions by raising awareness, seeking changes in the law, freeing wrongfully convicted, and helping exonerees reintegrate.

Jia Jia Fei

JiaJia Fei is the Director of Digital, Jewish Museum and the former Associate Director, Digital Marketing at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she catalyzed the museum’s embrace of digital media through integrated social media, e-mail, web, mobile, and new media marketing initiatives to bring art to a broader public online. JiaJia received her BA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College, and has lectured widely on social media and digital marketing at museum conferences and universities worldwide, including Museums & the Web, CultureGeek, College Art Association, Sotheby’s Art Institute, New York University, University of Oregon, Fundación Proa, and MIT Media Lab.

Julie Anne Mcnary

Julie Anne McNary is currently executive director of the Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard. She has previously worked as a philanthropy consultant in fundraising and development at various schools within Harvard University and at Wellesley College for the past 12 years. She received her undergraduate degree in English language and literature from Wellesley College, her master’s in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a master of arts in British-American literature and creative writing from the University of Utah. In 2011, she was the recipient of the James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award.

Michael Shellenberger

Michael Shellenberger is an American author, environmental policy expert, and the president of Breakthrough Institute. He was named a Time magazine Heroes of the Environment (2008), winner of the 2008 Green Book Award, co-editor of Love Your Monsters (2011) and co-author of Break Through (Houghton Mifflin 2007) and The Death of Environmentalism (2004). He and his co-author Ted Nordhaus have been described as "ecological modernists" and "eco-pragmatists."

Michel Nischan

Michel Nischan is a three-time James Beard Foundation award winning celebrity chef with over 30 years of leadership experience advocating for a more healthful, sustainable food system. He is Founder, President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, Co-Founder of the Chefs Action Network, as well as Founder and Partner with the late actor Paul Newman of the former Dressing Room Restaurant. He and his Wholesome Wave team were successful at influencing legislative language for the recently passed Federal Farm Bill, supporting affordable access to healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables for low income consumers. He's also the author of three cookbooks and a variety of articles focused on sustainable food systems and social equity through food. A lifetime Ashoka fellow, Nischan serves on the board of the Amazon Conservation Team, and The National Young Farmers Coalition.