Theme: Bold + Brilliant = Badass: Now What?

TEDxUStreetWomen is a local, independently organized event to be to be held in Washington DC. We want this to be an event that strives to recreate the unique experience found at TED, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers congregate to share what they are most passionate about. At its core, the fundamental goal of TED and TEDxUStreetWomen is to foster and spread great ideas. We aim to provide a platform where the smartest thinkers, greatest visionaries, and most fascinating teachers will be inspired and will have the opportunity to inspire others.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEDxUstreetWomen team decided to make this year‘s conference virtual. It was a very difficult decision for us because we value the networking opportunities that is offered to our attendees by being face-to-face. Although we are going virtual, I believe that we can present a conference that has the feel of an in-person experience with the added benefits of being virtual.

The most deciding factor for moving to a virtual environment was our theme – “Now What”. We didn’t want the pandemic to be a barrier for individuals wanting to hear the amazing ideas that you, as a potential speaker, will present at this conference. We are looking for fresh ideas, relevance to the theme and any under emphasized ideas that answer the call – “Now What”. As a community and nation, we are all faced with the uncertainty of the effects of the COID-19 pandemic. As the states and federal government try to get a handle on this invisible threat, we [as citizens] can't help but to wonder what the effects will be on individuals and businesses in years to come. What will our new normal look like? How can we contribute to the development of this new normal? Now is the Time to answer the question, Now What?

Our society is built on individuals, not just states and the federal government. Our society need individuals with fresh ideas to help our nation recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The red carpet is the perfect place to showcase your ideas and thoughts on ways we can shape this new normal to a global audience. In addition, to the pandemic, this is also an election year. The timing can’t be any more perfect and our topics are ever so important to the future of our community/nation.

The TEDxUStreetWomen team is very excited about this year’s conference going completely virtual and hope that you are too. I ask that you strongly consider the opportunity to present your idea on how you believe this world needs to move forward because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
United States

Cheryl Wood

Entrepreneur

Dr. Cheryl Wood is the CEO of VOCALIZE Women Speakers Academy, an international empowerment speaker, 11x best-selling author, and leadership expert. She equips women entrepreneurs with the tools to unleash the power of their voice and transform other people’s lives with their story. Dr. Wood has trained countless women leaders & influencers across the United States and abroad in South Africa, India, France, United Kingdom, Canada and the Bahamas. She empowers women entrepreneurs to face their fears, get out of their comfort zone, take calculated risks, and pursue their big dreams. Dr. Wood has been featured on ABC, Radio One, Forbes Magazine, Huffington Post, ESSENCE, Black Enterprise, Rolling Out, Sheen Magazine, Good Morning Washington, Fox 5 News, Fox 45 News, The Washington Informer, The Baltimore Times, Afro-American Newspaper and numerous other media outlets. Dr. Wood received her doctorate degree from Global Oved Dei Seminary and University.

Jody Kent Lavy

Juvenile Justice & Prison Reform Advocate, Executive Director

Jody Kent Lavy (she/her) is the executive director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), and was the first staff person hired upon the organization’s founding in 2009. Under Jody’s leadership of the CFSY, the national movement to end extreme sentences for children and particularly life without the possibility of parole has grown significantly in size, diversity, and sophistication. The number of states that ban life without parole for children has more than quadrupled, and nearly 700 people told as children they would die in prison have been freed since the CFSY’s founding. Jody has prioritized engaging and elevating the leadership of those directly impacted by the justice system, and it is because of their contributions that the CFSY has made such significant progress. Jody previously served as public policy coordinator for the ACLU National Prison Project where she focused on media relations & advocacy for prison reform in state legislatures and on Capitol Hill.

Marcy Pusey

Rehabilitation Counselor, Trauma Practitioner-Clinical, Children's Book Author

Marcy Pusey is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Trauma Practitioner-Clinical, best-selling author, international speaker, wife, and mommy. Since 2000, Marcy has worked with children, adolescents, families, and couples through private practices, group homes, foster family agencies, community-based services, wrap-around programs, and workshop trainings. She loves the smiles and giggles of kids who see themselves in her pages and the tearful nods of adults who realize they’re not alone by her words. Marcy is the best-selling While We Slept: Finding Hope and Healing After Homicide, Reclaiming Hope: Overcoming the Challenges of Parenting Foster and Adopted Children, and Parenting Children of Trauma: The Foster-Adoption Guide to Attachment Disorder for adults, and a number of books for children.

Mary O'Connor

Professor, Medical Doctor

Dr. Mary O’Connor is a national leader for health equity, she chairs the multi-stakeholder coalition, Movement is Life. She is Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine and Emerita Professor of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic. She is co-founder and chief medical advisor of a new and innovative musculoskeletal company, VOYA Health, focused on transforming the delivery of patient-centered and value-driven care for all. A trailblazer for gender equity since college, Dr. O’Connor participated in the 1976 Yale Women’s Crew Title IX demonstration to secure equal facilities at the boathouse, heralded as the first stand for gender equity in college athletics. In the male dominated field of orthopedic surgery, she was the first woman member in many professional societies and often the first woman president. Dr. O’Connor has published innovative research in sex and gender differences in arthritis and regenerative medicine therapies.

Maud Arnold

Tap Dancer, Entrepreneur

Maud Arnold is a tap dancer, entrepreneur, writer, director and philanthropist. Maud Arnold is a founding member of Syncopated Ladies and has performed all over the world and in film and television. Maud’s Television Credits Include: BET Experience: 106 and Park, The Late Late Show With James Corden, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Switched at Birth, Secret Talents of the Stars as a featured dancer with Mya, The Today Show and Syncopated Ladies winning Season 11 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance: Dance Crew Battle. Maud can be seen in national commercials and print ads for Toyota, GAP and CANTU and has worked with Beyoncé on several commercials and music videos. Maud is the co-founder and producer of the largest tap dance festival in the world, The DC Tap Festival, pioneering new experiences for dancers and artists worldwide and with her sister Chloé Arnold. They are recipients of the DC Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Performing Arts. Maud holds a degree In Film Studies from Columbia.

Shakir McDonald

Educator, Teacher, Entrepreneur

Shakir McDonald, “The Queen Bee” is an educator, entrepreneur, author, parenting and education expert and the founder of The B.E.E. Academy and The B.E.E. Kid’s Box. The B.E.E. model developed by Shakir is a dynamic program and product model combining nearly 20 years of supplemental educational programming with social emotional learning and character formation for youth success. Shakir is at the forefront of advocacy and advancing youth development and the creator of the “Regenerative Parenting Paradigm” and has been recognized locally and nationally for her advances in educational excellence. Mrs. McDonald is dedicated to the mission of equipping parents with tools to ensure that they can raise Brilliant, Educated and Empowered children through education, advocacy, character and skills building. Mrs. McDonald uses her platforms to share dynamic programs, tools and solutions for the advancement of today's youth.

Stephanie Shabazz

Entrepreneur

Stephanie Shabazz is a Peak Performance Strategist, Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, and Talent Acquisition Consultant. An expert in teaching the art of manifestation and maximizing momentum, Mrs. Shabazz travels frequently to speak on the topics of leadership development, diversity & inclusion, entrepreneurship, mindset productivity, and personal transformation. She has brought her leadership and expertise to several Fortune 500 corporations including Goldman Sachs, Ernst & Young and Microsoft, as well many non-profit organizations and governmental entities based both domestically and abroad. Currently, Mrs. Shabazz regularly conducts workshops and trainings on personal empowerment, leadership development, career strategy and entrepreneurial success for leaders and change-makers across the globe. She is a graduate of the University of Richmond, studied at Yale University and Northwestern University.