Theme: Shaping the Future

TEDxKGI will be on February 2, 2018 from 1-3 pm on campus. The theme is “Shaping the Future”, which symbolizes our speakers and their inspirational stories that will provide our community with the determination and optimism to drive their passions. With a diverse array of talks, the theme will stimulate intellectual discussion among our students, faculty, and the greater KGI community, making a difference in their future endeavors.

If you are interested in attending the event or are considering presenting a topic, please see the link below. All speaker applicants are welcome!

Click here to visit TEDxKGI: http://www.tedxkgi.com/

Questions? Please email tedx@kgi.edu

Keck Graduate Institute
535 Watson Drive
Claremont, California, 91711
United States

Alex Goryachev

When Alex arrived in the United States as a teenager raised in the Soviet Union, he immediately faced disruption. He discovered new freedoms all around him as well as the power of the ultimate equalizer-the Internet. . He immediately set out on a life course far different from his upbringing as the son of a high ranking official in the Russian diplomatic corps. He has been disrupting individuals, cultures, companies, and industries ever since. His journey started early when he got to know the local hacking community, become involved with Electronic Frontier Foundation, and taught himself as a teen-ager to master UNIX operating systems and design web pages and later using his skills to develop innovative apps and platforms for the digital entertainment industry. He had extended gigs with music pioneers Napster and Liquid Audio. He also adapted innovations to other industries, consulting with IBM Global Services and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. For a while he was also a partner in a music production and promotion company that produced hundreds of shows coast to coast. Alex is the Senior Director of Innovation Strategy and Programs at Cisco, where he applies his go-getter entrepreneurial spirit to ignite co-innovation among employees, customers, startups, and partners. He oversees companywide innovation programs for all employees in every function, as well as global innovation centers where we co-innovate with our customers. In the end, for Alex, its all about turning ideas into solutions that disrupt markets for social and economic good.

Branwen Williams

Oceanographer Branwen Williams studies the health of our Arctic ocean. She uses measurements of the skeletons of marine creatures to collect data about changes in ocean chemistry and temperature. Branwen is an associate professor of environmental sciences at the Claremont Colleges, where she leads the Williams Marine Environmental Research Lab. Her work has taken her from the tropics to the Arctic to investigate factors driving the natural and human-caused changes in our oceans.

Dr. Desiree Zerquera

Dr. Desiree Zerquera is a professor, public scholar, and consultant. Her work centers examining ways opportunity are shaped by policies, practices, and ideologies and discovering alternatives that advance equity and social justice primarily within higher education. She is faculty in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at the University of San Francisco, which centers advancing a vision of a more just system of higher education through work in student affairs. Originally from Miami, Florida, she now calls Oakland, California her second home.

Dr. Larry Grill

Dr. Grill is the Dean of Research at the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) in Claremont, California, and is also the Director of the Vaccine Research Center. He and his students have been involved in developing low cost vaccines for economically important diseases in Africa. The primary collaborators in Africa include researchers at the University of Botswana and the Botswana Vaccine Institute, which are located in Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Grill also teaches courses at KGI and at the Claremont Colleges Keck Science Department. He has published over 25 scientific articles and is an inventor on more than 30 issued US and international patents.

Ross Steinberg

Ross Steinberg began his career in strength and conditioning coaching, working with athletes at the professional and Olympic level. His TEDx talk evolved after he witnessed some of the challenges elite athletes and everyday people face when considering their next meal. He is passionate about health, fitness, and nutrition, and is an entrepreneur in these fields. Ross graduated from the University of La Verne with departmental honors in Kinesiology. He will graduate from Keck Graduate Institute with a Master's in Business and Science in the Spring of 2018.

Ruthann Russo

Ruthann Russo creates self-care programs that improve both organizational and individual health. She is a life-long learner and is board-certified in integrative medicine.

Shan Ahmad

Shan Ahmad is a second-year MBS candidate interested in the commercialization of novel therapies for rare diseases. Prior to KGI, Shan attended the University of Florida where he received a degree in Materials Science & Engineering. Aside from his interest in biotech, Shan has a passion for helping youth in underprivileged communities achieve their full potential through equal education access and increased alumni engagement. After graduating from KGI, Shan looks to start his career as a life science consultant.

Torie Weiston-Serdan

Dr. Torie Weiston-Serdan is a scholar-practitioner with over twelve years of teaching and youth programming experience. She is the author of Critical Mentoring: A Practical Guide and does extensive work with community-based organizations in support of their youth advocacy efforts; specializing in training mentors to work with diverse marginalized youth populations.