Theme: Succor the Southwest

Watch our Official TEDx Videos from 2022 here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM3SgaWhKx2CwKqlpfACgQlXjFaQdYOFA

TEDxFremontEastDistrict presents 'Succor in the Southwest', a COUNTDOWN event.

Succor in the Southwest will focus on issues and challenges of the southwest, highlighting community solutions to global issues and transforming ideas into action.

COUNTDOWN is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action.
COUNTDOWN events focus on covering topics relating to Materials, Transportation, Food, Nature, and Energy.

To view details of this event, apply to be a speaker, presenter, artist, or volunteer visit www.tedxfremonteastdistrict.com

To RSVP for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxfremonteastdistrict-presents-succor-the-southwest-a-countdown-event-registration-397981492357

These tickets are for RSVP purposes for the event. Seating will be first come first serve for all attendees.

10am-1pm: TEDxFremontEastDistrict Presenters
1pm-3pm: "Intermission" to include clothing mending workshop, climate poetry workshop, compost workshop, community art project and more
3pm-6pm: TEDxFremontEastDistrict Presenters

Organizers for this event:
Cassie Snow: cassie@climaterealitylasvegas.com
Lauren Louzau: lauren@climaterealitylasvegas.com

Fergusons Downtown
1028 E. Fremont Street
Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101
United States

Alex Harper

Ecologist

Bird biologist and science communicator for a conservation organization based in southern Nevada, Alex believes that nature is more than space in the natural world, but a place where curiosity, creativity and resilience can be expressed through practices like mindfulness.. His past experiences include biological field monitoring on renewable energy sites, documenting Peregrine Falcon migration in important habitats, and conducting integrated bird population surveys across the western United States. More recently, he has become interested in connecting people to the natural world in urban areas, especially influenced by the wellness effects that come with increased exposure to nature. Inspired by recent research, authors, and his family of social workers. Now more than ever, he believes that valuing nature is more than a conservation initiative; it’s an investment in ourselves. Alex is an occasional writer, wildlife photographer, and naturalist for an expedition travel company.

Alexa Aispuro-Loaiza

Digital Campaign Manager, Chispa Nevada (League of Conservation Voters)

Alexa was born in Los Angeles, and has roots in Sinaloa, Mexico, and Las Vegas, Nevada. These were key environments where she grew up and learned more about herself, who she wanted to be, and who she wanted to fight for—nuestra gente. Alexa is passionate about music, food, hiking, and Madre Tierra. Her first civic engagement action was in 2016, as a senior year in high school, when she canvassed for the presidential election and has since deepened her involvement by canvassing for Mi Familia Vota. Her work with Chispa Nevada centers on environmental justice where she mobilizes youth to ensure everyone has access to clean air, clean water, clean energy, and the right to live in an equitable and just society where our Latinx community and communities of color can thrive. Earlier this year, Alexa graduated from the 2022 Emerge class, where women and women of color are trained and equipped to run for office and represent our amazing community in Las Vegas.

Anand Nandakumar

Founder & CEO, Halo.car

Driven by his dedication to solving climate change, Anand Nandakumar has become a noteworthy figure in the electric vehicle space. In 2019, Nandakumar launched Halo.car with one goal: to help reduce the carbon emissions caused by gas vehicles, the most significant contributor to global warming. In the next three years, the driverless electric carsharing program is projected to keep over 20 million tons of emissions out of the air and remove over 4 million gas cars from the road. Prior to becoming the founder and CEO of Halo.car, Nandakumar led trailblazing technology divisions at some of the best-known companies in the world, including Uber, Disney, and Sony. Nandakumar grew up in Chennai, India, and holds degrees from the University of Madras and the University of Sheffield. He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ashley Hemmers

Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Tribal Administrator

Ashley is an enrolled member of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, whose reservation spans the states of California, Arizona, & Nevada. She is the Tribal Administrator for her Nation with specialization in multi-state cross-jurisdictional development & management of Tribal economies and government. She holds over 15 years of experience in Tribal enterprising & operational development, with emphasis in sovereign fiscal & capital wealth strategies, Nevada gaming, and public service operations. Ashley holds a B.A. from Yale University, and a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Management & Masters of Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She enjoys creating dialogue with Tribal Nations & federal/state partners, as well as sharing content that amplifies indigenous voices in the areas of business management, social policy, and climate action. Follow her on Instagram @tribalreclamation.

Carmen Gonzales

Water Specialist and Permaculture Designer, Navajo

Carmen Gonzales is an environmental specialist, water maiden, permaculture designer, poet, and musician who has been dedicated to helping communities develop resilience by remembering our sacred relationship with water. Carmen has worked in the Environmental Science field for over 20 years serving Tribes and rural communities and is inspired by the hope of watershed restoration through the lens of indigenous wisdom. Always an “edge walker,” Carmen has been working to find the balance between good science, traditional ecological knowledge, personal healing, and cultural evolution. Carmen is driven by the vision of supporting the work of revitalizing watersheds and communities through strengthening relationships that nourish land and life to serve as a model for change that can ripple out and benefit all beings everywhere.

Cheyenne Kyle

Food Justice Activist, The Obodo Collective

Growing up cooking in her grandmother’s kitchens Cheyenne soon realized that food was her passion. After graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts, Kyle has held senior positions ranging from healthcare to fine dining, resulting in over 10 years of experience in the field. Kyle has also been devoted to food justice work and activism within Southern Nevada participating as a member of the Southern Nevada Food Council and consulting on municipal food sovereignty projects. Kyle has developed food justice programs such as teaching cooking classes, preparing large community meals, stewarding a 5-acre community garden, and operating Southern Nevada’s first mobile farmer’s market. Working alongside other local organizations Cheyenne has led a live cooking show focused on food justice and education. Currently, Cheyenne is focusing on developing programs that will increase food security in marginalized communities including building an urban farm within the Historic Westside.

Ciara Byrne

Founder, Green Our Planet

In March, 2013 Ciara Byrne and Kim MacQuarrie co-founded Green Our Planet, a nonprofit based in Las Vegas that runs the largest and most comprehensive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) school garden and hydroponics programs in the United States. The mission is to increase student academic performance in STEM through project-based education, which includes nutrition, financial literacy, and conservation education in PreK-12 schools. Green Our Planet has built more than 200 outdoor gardens and over 400 hydroponics laboratories in 31 states impacting more than 250,000 students across the United States. Green Our Planet has trained more than 7,000 teachers, helped organize over 800 student-run farmers markets and more than 600 chef demos. Ciara was selected along with 19 other nonprofit leaders from around the world, from 5,000 applications to be a 2019 Obama Fellow.

Dana Kay

Dana Kay Community Architect, Medicine Woman & Ceremonialist at Rooted Lounge & ReWyld Collective

Dana is a woman of passion, poetry, plants, and people. She has traveled extensively, immersing herself in many cultures, studying various ancient and indigenous wisdom practices, and working deeply with plant and earth medicines. This education has inspired Dana’s work in many fields as she weaves together storytelling, movement, music, art, and ritual to harness our collective human potential and reestablish a connection to ourselves, each other, and our planet. As the founder of Rooted Lounge & the ReWyld Collective, Dana is dedicated to creating spaces of education, connection and co-creation that ignite the power within local communities. She believes that by integrating ancient and modern wisdom and returning to our roots in community, we can activate the best potentials of both nature and culture and usher in a new way of thriving together on this earth.

Dr. Melissa Giovanni

Professor of Environmental Science and College of Southern Nevada

Dr. Melissa Giovanni is a tenured professor of environmental science at the College of Southern Nevada. She also leads backpacking and whitewater rafting trips in Grand Canyon National Park for the Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute, indulging in her passion for conservation education. She earned her Ph.D. from UCLA and her B.S. from the University of Arizona, both in geology. Over the first decade of her career, Melissa discovered that teaching in the field was the best part of her job. Immersing her geology students in world-class locales around the Southwest was not only the most engaging but also the most fun. Taking those skills to the Grand Canyon, she was thrilled to learn that guiding is teaching at its best. It is in sharing the natural and human stories of her favorite place with her guests that Melissa has found her purpose. She serves on the board of directors for the Southern Nevada Conservancy, she is the faculty advisor for the environmental student club at CSN.

Jennifer Inaba

Conscious Communicator

Jennifer is an award-winning communicator with 15 years of experience in the environmental conservation and advocacy space. She is focused on sustainability and environmental justice with a specific interest in the fashion industry. As a PhD candidate in Sustainability Education at Prescott College, Jennifer’s research centers on sustainable fashion and the environmental and social impact of consumerism with a focus on consumer education and consumption habits. Jennifer received her master’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and her bachelor’s degree at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Communication Studies, specializing in Leadership and Social Influence. Jennifer is a Climate Reality Leader, an Ambassador for Remake, a global advocacy organization fighting for fair pay and climate justice in the clothing industry, as well as a member of the International Environmental Communication Association.

Jesus Solis-Leon

Literary Artist

Jesus is a Las Vegas-based dancer, singer, poet, and writer whose work focuses on the queer immigrant experience as well as social and environmental issues. As a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Jesus touches on issues that mottle identity for those taught to hide in plain sight. Informed by the added complexities of queerness, culture, and social paradigms, Jesus makes it a point to highlight and underline the nuance in various aspects of life which continue to suppress individuals taught to hide in plain sight. In doing so, Jesus’ work asks questions regarding solutions often overlooked by those stagnant in theory.

Mauricia Baca

State Director, Nevada Chapter of the Nature Conservancy

Mauricia M. Baca’s (She/Her/Hers) first outdoor experiences were with her dad, who hiked with her on his back in the mountains of Mexico. Ms. Baca moved to Nevada in 2005 to work with TNC, serving first as the Truckee River Project Manager and then leading the southern Nevada office. Ms. Baca has 30 years of experience working across a wide range of environmental issues and took over the helm as State Director for the Nevada Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in November 2020. Previously, Ms. Baca served as Get Outdoors Nevada Executive Director for 10 years, and as a trial attorney for the U.S. DOJ (2000-2004) in the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division. Ms. Baca’s served as a summer associate for the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund while in law school, canvassed for Greenpeace in high school, and worked as an organizer for the NY Public Interest Research Group’s Straphanger’s Campaign.

Ms. AyeVee -

Literary Artist

Ms. AyeVee is an award-winning Afro-Latina Literary Artist from Las Vegas, NV. She is a woman of many hats with a passion for Poetry. Her work has been featured by the legendary All Def Poetry, Write About Now & Button Poetry. She has been published by Bookleaf Publishing, The Red Rock Review, Zeitgeist-Press, Hardy Publications, Tolsun Books & Nevada State College. In 2020, Ms.AyeVee was recognized by NPR’s, Desert Companion Magazine for their annual “Ones to Watch” issue. Also in 2020, she founded an online poetry competition called, Beyond The Neon Poetry Slam, which has since grown into a poetry anthology series & poetry festival. In 2021 she was nominated for The Crystal Bookmark Award from the Las Vegas Book Festival for advancing the cause of literacy and extraordinary literary achievement. That same year, she received Special Congressional Recognition from NV Rep. Susie Lee for Outstanding Poetry. In 2022 Ms.AyeVee released her new collection of poetry entitled, Broken Silence.

Peter Gower

Strategy Director for Energy, Infrastructure, and Land Use at Nevada Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

Peter Gower grew up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where he enjoyed nature daily. He also learned at a young age to appreciate and respect it. Peter has spent the better part of two decades working with smart and passionate people to address climate change and protect the environment. He works at The Nature Conservancy in Nevada as the Strategy Director for Energy, Infrastructure, and Land Use. The title is a long way of saying he helps advance smart-from-the-start renewable energy, infrastructure, and land use plans that also conserve land, water, wildlife, and communities in Nevada. Peter is serving in his eighth year as a Reno City Planning Commissioner where he ensures projects and plans address environmental sustainability. He has a master’s degree in land use planning from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a certified environmental planner. He lives in Reno and enjoys playing in the Sierras with his family.

Ray Delahanty

Content Creator, CityNerd

Ray is the creator behind CityNerd, a YouTube channel that explores urbanism, transportation, and all the things that make cities unique. Every Wednesday, Ray takes viewers on a guided tour of cities at their best and worst when it comes to walking, biking, transit, livability, and sustainability, with a deadpan approach that StrongTowns.org describes as, “a hint of non-venomous, non-judgmental snark. It’s your favorite, funny, smart colleague you might Slack with a couple times a week, if you’re in the business.” The channel’s point of view is strongly influenced by Ray’s professional background in urban planning and traffic analysis. Prior to starting CityNerd in 2021, Ray’s career spanned 15 years as a planner and project manager for consulting firms & public agencies in Portland, Oregon, leading planning and design work for a diverse portfolio of projects including bus rapid transit lines, light rail station areas, central city protected bike networks, & congestion pricing studies.

Sarah Park

Youth Climate Activist, Sunrise Movement Vegas Hub Coordinator

Sarah Park is a senior at Clark High School who is passionate about youth representation in the fight for climate justice. She is a climate activist, Hub Coordinator of the Sunrise Movement Las Vegas Hub, and President/Founder of Gen Z for Green, a 501c4 nonprofit focused on climate education and encouraging more sustainable alternatives. As a politically involved young person, she feels that it is imperative to educate the youth and other individuals about the climate crisis. In her school and outside community, she strives to include varying perspectives to ensure that the fight for climate justice is inclusive and equitable.

Tanna Marie

Literary Artist

Tanna Marie is a literary artist born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. Through her music and poetry, Tanna Marie aims to use her artistic lens and voice to highlight the magic that is Las Vegas as well as the areas in need of growth. Her passion and compassion are key components to her art and she hopes to continue to shine a light on the beauty that is her home state of NV.

Vanessa Latrice Williams

Literary Artist

Vanessa Latrice Williams is a Las Vegas Poet, teacher, spoken word artist and author. Her most recent published work is in the Young, Gifted & Black Anthology by Spotlight Poetry; Beyond the Neon anthology with Zeitgeist Press, and her own poetry book entitled “Poetically Affirmed,” available on Amazon. Vanessa is a Regional Slam champion, 2X Beyond the Neon Slam champion and has been teaching and performing for over 10 years. Her voice was silenced for many years due to the sudden death of her mother. Through the support of family, friends, prayers and inner healing Vanessa desires to inspire all who hear her; proclaiming through poetry, “there is life after loss.”