Theme: Creating Conversations

TEDxHarkerSchool aims to spread cutting-edge ideas throughout its community and reach out to embrace the culture of Silicon Valley, a place where breakthrough concepts are supported and realized. We provide guidance for some of the brightest minds of the new generation–the future of what TED stands for: technology, entertainment, and design. With the help of our corporate booths, speakers, and mentors, TEDxHarkerSchool supplies the unique toolkit that enables our audience to imagine, innovate, and inspire.

We are a completely student led initiative, having students curate the event, find speakers, run activities, and bring awesome innovations to our students. Our goal is to bring students to greater intellectual heights. We hope to lead students to wisdom, revolution, innovation, and passion. TEDxHarkerSchool fully believes that young people will make positive change in the world.

The Harker School
500 Saratoga Avenue
San Jose, California, 95129
United States

Alan Kropf

Executive Director of Education

Alan Kropf is the Executive Director of Education at Anchor Distilling Co. and the founder of an exclusive beverage magazine, Mutineer Magazine. He has won many awards, including Forbes, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and Zagat 30 Under 30, along with Folio 13 Under 30 and MinOnline 10 to Watch.

Andy Semenza

Near Scholar + senior at the Harker School

Andy Semenza is a senior at The Harker School. An ardent pianist, he has performed and competed widely and often spends his summers around the country or abroad participating in music festivals such as in Beijing or South Tyrol. In the academic sphere, Andy strives to embrace the ideal of the polymath: his intellectual interests range from the evolution of the conservation movement to evolutionary biology. In that vein, Andy considers interactions and interfaces to be of crucial importance to understanding the world around us, whether between humans and society or humans and the environment. In his free time, Andy is fond of tackling brutal hikes deep in the wilderness or rummaging about in the kitchen.

Julie Campistron

CEO and Co-Founder of Stop, Breathe & Think

Julie Campistron is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stop, Breathe & Think. Julie is a former EVP for Demand Media, where she lead the web properties and content studio divisions of over 120 people, 100M monthly unique visitors and $70M in revenue. She was part of the leading team driving the growth of the company through its IPO and beyond. She previously worked as a marketing executive at Yahoo! where she managed multi-million dollar campaigns, talent and OEM partnerships for Yahoo! Music and drove the international expansion for Yahoo! Search Marketing. She started her career at L’Oreal as a brand manager.

Ray Wang

Founder of Constellation Research, Inc.

Ray Wang is the Founder of Silicon Valley based Constellation Research, Inc. and also the author of the business strategy and technology blog "A Software Insider’s Point of View,” which provides insight into how disruptive technologies and new business models such as digital transformation impact brands, enterprises, and organizations.

Ryan Evans

CEO of Inboard Technologies

Ryan Evans is the CEO of Inboard Technologies, the former Vice President of the Association of Wind & Water Sports Industries (AWSI), and the former President of North America Pure Action Sports. He has appeared on Shark Tank representing Inboard, securing a deal with Kevin O’ Leary and Lori Greiner for $750,000. Ryan has spoken at a variety of tech conferences, including TOA Berlin, CSC, SVIVE, Berkeley, and the Autotech Council here in San Jose. Additionally, he is currently working in industry trade organizations, companies in transportation, and urban planners in infrastructure.