TEDxPeachtree

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Bill Nussey

  Technologist, Clean Energy Advocate

• Cara Turano Snow

  connector

  Native Atlantan and successful technology executive Cara Turano Snow lives life to the fullest. She manages teams that generate millions of dollars in revenue, is a respected community leader and runs marathons for fun! But the loss of her mother to cancer helped her discover her true passion and an important life lesson.

• Dana Kanze

  researcher

  Former startup CEO Dana Kanze’s research interests lie at the intersection of implicit gender bias, investor and entrepreneur behavior and the impact on startup funding, growth and survival outcomes. Dana is a doctoral fellow at Columbia Business School. Findings from her work has been featured in The Academy of Management, The Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, BBC News, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Inc., TechCrunch and Quartz. She graduated magna cum laude from The Wharton School and began her career as an investment banker and strategic consultant with Citigroup and the Winterberry Group.

• Erich Netherton

  Sound Engineer

• James Beckerman

  cardiologist

  As cardiologist and medical director of the Providence Heart Institute’s Basecamp Cardiac Prevention + Wellness initiative in Portland, Oregon, James Beckerman collaborates with the community to create free programs such as Play Smart Youth Heart Screenings and Heart to Start, a multi-state exercise program. He is the team cardiologist for the Portland Timbers Major League Soccer franchise and is a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Leadership Council on Sports and Exercise, WebMD’s Clinical Advisory Board, and the Ironheart Foundation’s Board of Directors. James holds degrees from Harvard University and Harvard Medical School and completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford University

• Jasmine Crowe

  Anti-hunger Activist

• Jason Martin

  Public Education Activist

• Juana Mendenhall

  Biochemical Engineer

• Justin Daniels

  cyberspace connector

  Justin Daniels believes government-private collaboration and public debate about balancing innovation versus security are imperative in the face of persistent and sophisticated cyber threats. He is the founder of Atlanta Cyber Week, a week-long series of events organized by members of the Atlanta cybersecurity ecosystem to connect business leaders, innovators, policymakers, and academics. Justin is a shareholder at law firm Baker Donelson Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, and creator of its Cybersecurity Accelerator, which facilitates the growth of emerging domestic and international cybersecurity companies. Justin holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and an MBA and a law degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

• Krzysztof Czaja

  neuroscientist

  Krzysztof Czaja’s obesity research focuses on changes in the human brain following a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. His lab at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia is investigating the role of neural gut-brain communication in the development of obesity with the goal of finding non-surgical ways to overcome it. His work has been featured in Science 2.0, ScienceDaily, and Quartz. Krzysztof, an associate professor at UGA’s Department of Veterinary Biosciences & Diagnostic Imaging, has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed research papers and several book chapters. He holds a D.V.M. from the Veterinary Medicine College at the Academy of Agriculture and Technology in Olsztyn, Poland and a doctorate in neuroanatomy from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

• Lonnie Johnson

  Inventor

• Louise Wasilewski

  Criminal Justice Reformer

• Matt Meister

  Research Engineer

• Rickey Bevington

  journalist

  Atlanta native and two-time Emmy Award recipient Rickey Bevington believes the contract between the news media and the people, is broken. To restore this contract, we, the people must become savvier consumers of news. Rickey is Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Senior Anchor/Correspondent, and local host for NPR’s nationally syndicated “All Things Considered” during afternoon drive. Her work has been recognized by journalism organizations including the Southeast Emmy Awards, RTDNA’s Edward R. Murrow Awards, Georgia Association of Broadcasters, the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists. Rickey was the only Georgian awarded a Marshall Memorial Fellowship by the German Marshall Fund of the United States in 2014.

• Siana Altiise

  sensory artist

  Music is color for Siana Altiise. Patterns, depth of tones, shapes and their thickness are her “sheet music.” Siana uses her extrasensory condition known as synesthesia to compose songs according to their vivid color patterns and tones and to give life to emotions that music evoke through her paintings. An Atlanta resident, Siana has created experiential, interactive spaces for Synesthetes and non-Synesthetes alike in the United States and Asia. Siana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Experimental Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and was previously an English language instructor in Asia.

• Susan Sparks

  Pastor, Comedian, Attorney

• Tejas Athni

  neurocience explorer

  Tejas Athni is a high school senior at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia and a student researcher at Detroit’s Karmanos Cancer Institute and Georgia’s Fort Valley State University. His research on the effects of certain plant compounds on glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer cells is being readied for submission to peerreviewed journals. Tejas’ other interests lie in community service and journalism. He founded CPR Education NovoToro, a nonprofit focused on teaching basic life saving skills, and is the editor-in-chief of an international online magazine known as the Publizette. Tejas’ long-term goals include pursuing a career in the medical field, either as a physician or a medical researcher. He is the winner of the 2017 American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Neuroscience Research Competition.