Theme: The Overlap

Join us at TEDxJacksonville’s 2024 conference, The Overlap, on November 16 at UNF’s Lazzara Performance Hall. Featuring national and local thought leaders in fields like AI, healthcare, behavioral economics, and placemaking, this event promises a day of transformative talks, stirring performances, and meaningful connections.

Don’t miss the chance to hear from a diverse range of thinkers, changemakers, and trailblazers like Future Caucus‘s Layla Zaidane, Afrofuturist Robert Jackson, activist Desmond Meade, and Colonel Eries Mentzer, the first Black woman to command Maxwell Air Force Base. With interactive experiences, networking opportunities, and a session inspired by the TED Democracy Initiative, it’s a must-attend event for those seeking fresh perspectives and breakthrough solutions. Get your ticket today and be part of a conversation that goes beyond limitations, beyond labels, to imagine a more dynamic future — because the next big thing starts with us.

University of North Florida - Lazzara Performance Hall
1 UNF Dr.
Lazzara Performance Hall
Jacksonville, Florida, 32224
United States

Aishwarya Reganti

AI Researcher

As an AI researcher and tech lead at Amazon, Aishwarya Reganti is a highly recognized industry expert at the forefront of AI and social media. Her work, which includes over 30 research papers published in collaboration with top universities such as Stanford and the University of Michigan, focuses on social media aggression, fake news detection, fact verification, and meme interpretation.Aishwarya's thought leadership is evident in her frequent invitations to speak at industry and academic conferences. She also shares her expertise as a guest lecturer on AI topics at institutions like MIT andOxford.

Colonel Eries Mentzer

Status Quo Challenger

Breaking barriers as the first Black woman to command Maxwell Air Force Base, she launched initiatives honoring military history while securing investments for future generations. Her career culminated at Air Force Special Operations Command, where she launched the new Air Commando Development Center, training highly specialized warfighters for global campaigns, conflict, and crisis. Now a veteran and advocate, Eries is featured in the National World War II Museum's film "Our War Too: Women in Service." She serves on the board of Operation Lifeline to deliver safe, accessible, and affordable homes for displaced Veterans and on the Truman Library Institute board to inspire rising leaders through President Truman's legacy.

Daniel Stone, PhD

Behavioral Economist

Dan Stone is Associate Professor and chair of the Economics department at Bowdoin College, author of Undue Hate (MIT Press, 2023), and advisor to the anti-polarization organizations Starts With Us, More Like Us, and Braver Angels. His team's submission to Stanford University's Strengthening Democracy Challenge yielded the largest reduction in emotional polarization among the 25 tested. Stone has taught behavioral economics at Bowdoin and Oregon State University since 2011, and his research is on polarization, biases in beliefs, media, sports, and socially responsible capitalism. He has also served with Americorps, worked for the consulting company Novantas, and coaches youth baseball, basketball, and soccer. Originally from Charlottesville, VA, Stone lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his spouse and two children.

Desmond Meade

Activist

Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, a Ford Global Fellow, and a 2021 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. As President and Executive Director of FRRC, which is recognized for its work on voting and criminal justice reform issues, Desmond led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida.

Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang

Deathbed Alchemist

Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang is a hospice and palliative care physician. She has comforted thousands of dying patients and health space for their deepest secrets, biggest regrets, and final wishes. She has made it her mission to share these life-changing insights so people can benefit from them before they reach their deathbeds. Dr. Zhang also uses her coaching expertise to share practical, neuroscience-based steps to empower people to transform their lives without the pain and suffering of facing one's mortality. She hopes one day, death will no longer be feared but instead embraced as the catalyst for a better life.

Dr. Matthew Thompson

Physician Innovator & Virtualist

Dr. Matthew Thompson is an emergency physician, telehealth innovator, and the co-founder/CEO of Telescope Health, a national virtual healthcare, analytics, and technology company that removes barriers to care. He and Telescope Health have been recipients of multiple awards, including Tech Leader of the Year, AWS Health Equity Innovation Grant, and JBJ Community Impact Award. Thompson currently partners with many Jacksonville non-profit organizations to improve access to care in at-risk populations. He is an optimist and problem solver who helped the City of Jacksonville provide testing and virtual care for 45,000 members of the NE Florida community during the pandemic.

Dr. Moain Abu Dabrh

Medical Humanist

Dr. Moain Abu Dabrh is a medical humanist, researcher, and physician-coach at the Mayo Clinic, committed to redefining well-being as more than the absence of illness. Drawing on decades of evidence-based research, clinical and coaching practice, and innovative collaborations, his work empowers individuals, communities, healthcare systems, and policymakers to navigate the dynamic complexities of modern life demands and healthcare delivery with intention, resilience, and confidence. Bridging the science of well-being with the soul of humanity, his work inspires a path toward a more meaningful life and a thoughtful approach to healthcare.

In The Midst

Hip Hop Dance

In the Midst is a Jacksonville-based dance platform representing and honoring the dance culture experiences from past to present. For more than eight years, In the Midst has served as a stepping stone for up-and-coming and established dancers alike, and has collaborated as a dance coordinator for festivals such as Love Fest 2023-2024, James Weldon Johnson Hip Hop Festival 2021-2022, and many more. The motto for the platform is “For the Community, By the Community.” Dance Platform est 12/3/16 providing community dance opportunities in Jax! Founder and Creative Director - Rochelle Underdue

Kady Yellow

Social Architect & Tactical Urbanist

Kady Yellow is the Vice President of Placemaking for Downtown Vision, bringing over fifteen years of experience in creative placemaking and community-building expertise from her work in New Orleans, California, Alaska, New York, and Western Europe. She holds a master's degree in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans and two bachelor's degrees in Mathematical Sciences and Graphic Design from Binghamton University. Yellow is known for her work in civic entrepreneurship and the night time economy and specializes in "making public space(s) more public" through partnerships around the world. She has received special training from Federal Resources for Creative Community Development, City Repair Project, and Project for Public Spaces, has taught at university and authored a book on the topic, and is a recipient of prestigious grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Planning Association.

Layla Zaidane

Optimistic Democracy Realist

Layla Zaidane is the President & CEO of Future Caucus, the largest nonpartisan organization of young lawmakers in the U.S., working with over 1,800 Gen Z and millennial leaders in Congress and state legislatures to bridge divides and shape future-focused policies. A nationally recognized expert on youth engagement, Layla has been featured in Forbes, People Magazine, and The New York Times. Prior to Future Caucus, she led advocacy efforts at Generation Progress and managed campaigns like It's On Us with the White House. A Georgetown University graduate, Layla is a Fellow of the Civil Society Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Morley with Daniel Mintseris

Singer-Songwriter

Morley is a dynamic recording artist, singer, and composer who blends jazz, soul, and folk traditions into a powerful voice for human rights and environmental justice. Educated at the United Nations School, Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts, and Alvin Ailey, Morley travels globally to perform for visionaries on the frontiers of social change. Her music, a powerful tool for advocacy, has appeared on network television, in commercials, and in human rights documentaries, and has touched such figures as His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, and Ela Gandhi. Her work includes performances at the Nomad Women’s Festival, the UN, Carnegie Hall, and TEDWomen. Lithuanian-born, New York-steeped Daniel Mintseris has performed/recorded with St. Vincent, David Byrne, Marianne Faithfull, Joe Jackson, Martha Wainwright, Trixie Whitley, Meshell Ndegeocello, as well as share technical expertise with Alvvays, Danielle Ponder, and Elvis Costello & The Imposters.

Nicole Snell

Global Adventurer & Personal Safety Expert

Nicole Snell is an award-winning international speaker, trainer, and self-defense expert specializing in gender-based violence prevention and empowerment. As CEO of Girls Fight Back and Empowered Journeys and the founder of Outdoor Defense, Nicole has trained millions worldwide through her work with universities, Fortune 500 companies, and every branch of the U.S. Military. A passionate and well-traveled solo adventurer and advocate for outdoor safety, Nicole's groundbreaking efforts have been featured in prominent media outlets and over 40 podcasts. With a career spanning more than two decades, Nicole's mission is clear: to empower individuals—especially women and historically excluded groups—with the skills to overcome fear and experience the freedom of a life lived without limits.

Robert Jackson

Afrofuturist

Robert Jackson, an Afrofuturist and entrepreneur, is not just working to create more equitable systems for black and women-owned businesses. Since the launch of Cypher in 2021, Jackson has helped his clients acquire $1.2 million in grant revenue for black- and women-owned businesses. His belief in emergent strategies that intersect progress with recovery and healing is a testament to his innovative thinking. Remembrance is a campaign for resurfacing shared values and rebuilding intergenerational communities that nurtures our interest in the bonds we’ve forgotten.

The PanMarco Players

Musicians

The PanMarco Players is an ensemble comprised of John Guinta, Elise Dietz, Chris Staton, and Krishna Acath. They are skilled practitioners of the handpan, a 21st-century musical instrument first created in Switzerland. When this instrument is played with hands, it creates soft, mallet-like notes rich in harmonics.