Theme: TEDx Rochester 2024 Reflection

Welcome to TEDx Rochester 2024!
Join us for an exciting day of inspiring talks and innovative ideas at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. Get ready to be amazed by our lineup of speakers who will share their unique perspectives on a variety of topics.

At TEDx Rochester 2024, you'll have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, network with professionals, and engage in thought-provoking discussions. Don't miss out on this chance to be part of a community that values creativity, curiosity, and collaboration.

Mark your calendars and get ready for an unforgettable experience at TEDx Rochester 2024!

Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Avenue
Rochester, New York, 14607
United States

Heather Layton

Heather Layton is a contemporary artist and associate professor of art in the Art and Art History Department at the University of Rochester. Her interests include narrative painting, art diplomacy, narrative painting and drawing, and socially engaged art. Current sociopolitical events often serve as inspiration for Layton’s work, which has been exhibited globally in spaces including the At Home Gallery and Contemporary Art Centre in Šamorín, Slovakia, and the Haslla Art World museum in Gangneung, South Korea. Nationally, she has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Arts Long Island (MoCA L.I.), the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage, Alaska, and the George Eastman International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, NY. Layton has worked on numerous intercultural bridging projects with artists in countries including Saudi Arabia, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Gambia. Layton Layton received her MFA in painting from SUNY New Paltz. Despite all that is happening in the world, she remains stubbornly

Jahshanti Henry

Flutist Jahshanti Henry, a native of Rochester, NY, is an alum of the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Professor Bonita Boyd and Anne Harrow, graduating in May 2024 on a full tuition scholarship. His credits include playing flute and piccolo for the Gateways Music Festival conducted by Anthony Parnther, marking its first New York tour to Carnegie Hall. He was also invited to play with Jon Batiste’s American Symphony Orchestra presented at Carnegie Hall, now featured in a documentary on Netflix. Jahshanti is deeply passionate about helping underrepresented students. Thanks to his scholarship from the Rochester City School District, he occasionally offers free lessons to students and holds talks about college readiness and the importance of arts in schools.

Katie Scalzo

Katie Scalzo is not just a mother of five, but a staunch advocate for mental health, using her personal journey to inspire change and resilience in others. A graduate from the University of Dayton, Katie has always been driven by a profound sense of purpose and compassion. Motivated by her own experiences and fueled by a desire to make a meaningful impact, Katie and her family founded "MEG's Gift Inc.," a 501 (c) (3) public charity, dedicated to advocating and educating for mental health awareness and support in the Rochester Community. Named in honor of her sister Meg, whose tragic passing by suicide profoundly reshaped Katie's perspective, "MEG's Gift" has become a beacon of hope for those struggling with mental health challenges. Through "MEG's Gift," Katie and her family have established innovative approaches to mental health advocacy. Personally, Katie continues to leverage her passion for physical wellness as a vehicle for changing her own mental health and wellness, as well as those around her. By organizing community events, fundraisers, and awareness campaigns, Katie and her small grassroots team of friends and family have raised nearly half a million dollars to support mental health initiatives in our community. As a TEDx speaker, Katie brings a message of resilience, empowerment, and hope to audiences. Drawing from her own journey of healing and transformation, Katie's talk inspires individuals to embrace the power of vulnerability, self- reflection, and community support in navigating life's challenges. Join Katie as she shares her remarkable story and invites us all to become agents of change in the fight for mental health awareness and wellness.

Ram Haddas

Bio: Dr. Ram Haddas is a biomechanist, engineer, academic, athlete, dreamer, learner, and doer. As the current director of UR Medicine Motion Labs, he actively bridges the gap between Medicine and Science. He also holds the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Beyond his clinical services, research, teaching, and mentorship, Dr. Haddas is both an avid student and a cultivator of leadership. His passion extends to consulting for medical device companies, healthcare organizations, and investors aiming for significant enhancements in quality of life and injury prevention. Among his areas of expertise are disability and functional diagnosis, biomechanics, movement science, injury causation, neuromuscular analysis, brain activity analysis, human interaction with orthopedic bracing, walking aids, and protective equipment, as well as validation and implementation of injury prevention technology, including wearable sensors. Furthermore, Dr. Haddas’s expertise extends into the legal domain, offering invaluable forensic engineering services. For legal professionals seeking a seasoned expert witness, Dr. Haddas provides insights related to biomechanics and injury causation, movement science and gait analysis, and product liability. He is particularly skilled at evaluating slip/trip/fall incidents, especially in relation to musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. His testimony and analytical skills have been crucial in numerous legal proceedings, making him a sought-after expert witness in the field. A relentless pursuer of excellence, he believes in leading by example. Throughout his daily activities, he strives to grow mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially with the vision of inspiring and elevating those around him to reach their full potential. Outside of the professional realm, Dr. Haddas enjoys cooking, reading, writing, weightlifting, basketball, swimming, snowboarding, and traveling internationally during his leisure time.

Ray Mahar

Ray Mahar is a musician and community organizer living in Rochester, NY. He currently works as the Executive Director for the Local Sound Collaborative, a nonprofit he co-founded with the mission of creating more opportunity for musicians to thrive and grow in our city. He believes strongly in the power of music, and its ability to foster connection. When not working for the collaborative, he plays in the band A Girl Named Genny, and has been able to tour and record with the group since 2016. But most of all - his story starts with a big love for family - and how experiences in our youth can inevitably define the people we become.

Susan Daiss

Susan Dodge-Peters Daiss, MA, MDiv, joined the staff of the University of Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) in1987 as the head of the museum's Education Department. In her role as the McPherson Director of Education, connecting people and art was always at the heart of her work. To her training as an art historian and years as a museum educator, Susan added an MDiv to her educational credentials in 2007. It was during her training as a hospital and hospice chaplain in 2002-2003 and again in 2012-2013, that she began to imagine Art at the Bedside, a practice that combined art and chaplaincy. Since 2014, Susan has divided her time between MAG and the Department of Heath Humanities and Bioethics, overseeing, among other responsibilities, Art and Observation, a program using works of art to build skills of observation into healthcare education.