Theme: Choice. Chance. Change.

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).

Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts
351 University Ave
Oxford, Mississippi, 38655
United States

Anne Quinney

Anne Quinney is Professor of French at the University of Mississippi. She received her B.A. in Literature and Society from Brown University and Ph.D in French Studies from Duke University. She is the author of three books and numerous articles related to aspects of French literature and French culture more broadly. Her latest project concerns the 20th c. Franco-Algerian writer, Albert Camus, and his relationship to his American editor and publisher, Blanche Knopf

Joe Campbell

Dr. Joe Campbell is an anesthesiologist, medical director of the surgery suite, and a chief medical officer of Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, MS. He has been a practicing board certified anesthesiologist for almost 30 years and has broad experience with all aspects of anesthesia which include pediatric, cardiovascular, vascular, neuro, and orthopedics. He holds a Medical Degree from the University of Mississippi and completed a residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Josh Mabus

Josh has used his varied experiences to bring a holistic approach to raising the creative bar in north Mississippi. Journalist, writer, designer, actor, director, videographer, builder, maker, doer — he uses strategy to focus all facets of marketing into winning results for clients. His advertising agency, Mabus Agency, has grown quickly since its formation at the start of a significant economic recession. An avid supporter of Mississippi’s startup culture, Josh is first in line to mentor entrepreneurs at any stage. Josh’s two part mission: to help people and to raise the creative bar manifests itself in many ways, but his core mantra remains the same: “Whatever you’re going to make, make a difference."

Katherine Dooley

Katherine is from Poughkeepsie, NY where she attended Vassar College, graduating with a B.A. in Physics. She earned her doctorate in Physics from the U. of Florida in 2011 for her contributions to improving the Initial LIGO gravitational-wave detectors. She then moved to Hannover, Germany for a position as a postdoctoral scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational-wave Physics / Albert Einstein Institute where she integrated squeezed light technology to the GEO 600 gravitational-wave detector. After her work in Germany and prior to joining The University of Mississippi in 2015, Kate was a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech. Currently, Kate is active in experimental gravitational-wave research and in teaching physics for physics and engineering majors.

Patrick Woodyard

Patrick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Nisolo. Patrick graduated from the Croft Institute for International Studies and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi. His experience using business as a force for good has led him across the globe ranging from Kenya and Uganda to Argentina and Peru.

Rory Ledbetter

Rory Ledbetter is an award-winning actor, director, filmmaker, and speaking coach. He is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Mississippi, where he trains performers and speakers to engage and utilize their imaginations in various modes of self-expression, and to authentically connect with an audience in performance. Ledbetter is certified in Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and has broad professional experiences and interests ranging from acting and voice over to directing theatre and film. Rory’s work with speakers is focused on promoting the use of breathing and mindfulness to enhance personal growth and development.

Shannon Cohn

Shannon Cohn is a lawyer, documentary filmmaker, and activist who has spent the past decade producing TV series & award-winning feature films. Her latest film is about a rarely discussed and vastly misunderstood disease affecting millions of women today.

Susan Grayzel

Sue Grayzel, a University of Mississippi professor of history, received her A.B. Magna cum laude with Highest Honors in History and Literature from Harvard University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Late Modern European History from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the author of Women's Identities at War: Gender, Motherhood, and Politics in Britain and France during the First World War, which won the British Council Book Prize from the North American Conference on British Studies in 2000; Women and the First World War, At Home and Under Fire: Air Raids and Culture in Britain from the Great War to the Blitz, and The First World War: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford St. Martins, 2012) for the Bedford Series in History and Culture.