Theme: REimagine REconfigure REconnect

See Things In A New Light
This is the kaleidoscope moment – an opportunity to see things in a new light, and create something new and beautiful. The change and disruption challenge us to reimagine our world, reconfigure our organizations and reconnect to ourselves and our communities.
Join us at TEDxSonomaCounty 2024 to hear speakers who will inspire you with ideas and opportunities for growth and transformation. Together let’s embrace this moment of disruption and use it as a catalyst for positive change.

Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School
4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
United States

Alex Lazarow

Venture Capitalist, Author and Speaker

Alex is a global venture capitalist and Managing Partner of Fluent Ventures. He’s invested in seven “unicorns” - privately held startups valued at over $ 1 billion. He is the author of Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs - from Delhi to Detroit - Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley. His new writing is focused on what he has termed The Great Diffusion, where centralized platforms that have shaped the last 150 years will be dissipated.

Brooke Deterline

CEO of Courageous Leadership, LLC

Brooke is the CEO and Founder of Courageous Leadership. She and her colleagues use evidence-based tools to help people, executives, and teams develop the understanding and skills to act with ethical leadership, courage, and creativity under pressure. Concerned about the polarized political climate, Brooke, colleagues, and advisors across the political landscape formed Courageous Democracy. Their programs help people decrease distress and reach across divides to collaborate.

Cal Fussman

Strategic Storyteller

Cal is a New York Times best-selling author, storyteller, writer-at-large for Esquire, and host of BIG Questions with Cal Fussman podcast. Cal has transformed the act of asking questions into an art form and conducted probing interviews with many of the influencers who have shaped the last half century, including Muhammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Serena Williams, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Bruce Springsteen and more.

Daniela Fernandez

Social Entrepreneur, Thought Leader

In 2014, as a college freshman, Daniela Fernandez started the Sustainable Ocean Alliance right from her college dorm room at Georgetown University. Today, her global organization has become the premier model designed to accelerate planetary solutions, offering mentorship and support to young leaders, grassroot initiatives, and entreprenurial ventures across more than 165 countries. Additionally, Daniela established the world's first Ocean Solutions Accelerator, a platform dedicated to assisting startups in bringing innovative, ocean-positive solutions to the market on a large scale.

Dawn Gross

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician, Author, Podcaster

Dawn is a Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine physician, author, and podcaster aiming to transform how we think and talk about death. Dawn thinks of herself as a fairy godmother making wishes come true, and not just for those at the last stage of life. Her work inspires us to discover what is uniquely essential and to talk about it with those who care about us so that they know how to support us throughout our lives.

Guy Kawasaki

Chief Evangelist of Canva

Guy is a Silicon Valley marketing specialist, venture capitalist, and best-selling author. As one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh computer in 1984, he went on to work with many Silicon Valley companies. Currently the creator of Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast, Guy features inspiring interviews with leaders, thinkers, and iconoclasts. His goal is to get you on a path to transform your life, make a difference, and achieve a remarkable life.

Jess Nichol

facilitator, mediator, and teacher of communication and leadership

Jess is a survivor of the kidnapping and murder of her sister, Polly Klaas. Public outrage around the case was used to pass the Three Strikes law in Polly’s name, increasing mass incarceration in the U.S., often for low-level crimes. Jess does not support Three Strikes and in 2020, began a podcast to help shift our beliefs about those incarcerated by connecting with people who have suffered because of Three Strikes and disrupting cycles of harm through social action.

Lawrence Beamen

Recording Artist, Entrepreneur, Designer

Lawrence’s musical career took off at 16 when he was invited to sing for Rosa Parks. He has continued to express himself and his values through music. Lawrence was in the Top 5 on the NBC hit show America’s Got Talent ™. His music today connects to overcoming oppression, racial equity, social justice, and climate change and he uses his amazing voice to help build a more just and equitable society.

Luz Hernandez

College Access Fellow

Luz Hernandez grew up in Santa Rosa after immigrating from Mexico in 2006. Luz benefited from the 10,000 Degrees program and many people who supported her throughout high school. She recognized that mentoring students working for the 10,000 Degrees program could make a significant difference. She has helped many students change the trajectory of their lives through her work.

Mark Shapiro, MD

Hospitalist

Mark is a Hospitalist and Accredited Medical Practitioner at Providence Medical Group – Northern California. He’s also the creator and host of Explore The Space, a popular podcast that brings those who provide healthcare and those who seek healthcare closer together. His current work with the US Surgeon General addresses how to counteract the loneliness epidemic affecting our health and well-being through meaningful connections.

Quinn Halleck

Filmmaker

Quinn is a Hollywood director whose newest documentary is about a sentient AI, and he uses AI to make the film from ideation to distribution. His work showcases how independent filmmakers can use AI to unlock the tools once only available to large studio systems. Quinn believes AI democratizes the entertainment industry and isn’t replacing filmmakers; it’s empowering them.

Steve Pile AND Jali Bakary Konteh

Singer, songwriter, educator AND Kora Master

Jali is an international musician and kora master who carries on Gambia’s rich kora tradition, passed on from father to son. Steve Pile is a Sonoma County singer, songwriter, guitarist, and educator whose music is influenced by Americana, jazz, Delta blues, and African rhythms. Jali and Steve are long-time collaborators who co-founded the Konteh Kunda School of Music in Gambia and expose global audiences to the richness of world music.