TEDxAtlantaWomen

Speakers

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

• Akissi Stokes-Nelson

  entomophagy evangelist

  Akissi Stokes-Nelson builds resilient food systems that also restore the environment. Insects are her unlikely partners. The devastation of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and a childhood spent on her grandfather’s farm moved Akissi to start WUNDERgrubs, a manufacturer of edible insects for humans, and feed for animals and plants using sustainable farming methods. Akissi’s pioneering efforts resulted in Georgia’s first manufacturing guidelines for human edible grubs. Subsequently, WUNDERgrubs successfully debuted a nutrient-dense grub-based flour and chocolate chip cookie during the pandemic. WUNDERgrub’s test lab at the Atlanta Beltline regularly attracts those interested in learning about equitable food systems with insect protein at the core.

• Anne McLaughlin

  applied experimental psychologist

  Long-time collaborators Anne MacLaughlin and Maribeth Gandy Coleman explore the psychological biases hindering breakthrough innovation and how to overcome them. Over the course of 20 years, their joint projects have received support from an array of organizations including the National Science Foundation and NASA. Anne McLaughlin designs better human-computer interactions that solve real world problems by studying human ability and the mind. She directs North Carolina State University’s Learning, Aging, and Cognitive Ergonomics Lab (LaceLab) and co-directs its Gains Through Gaming Lab.

• Chanel H. Frazier

  gender equity champion

  Innovation executive Chanel H. Frazier believes in the transformative power of the arts to unlock the full potential of girls. A 20-year financial services industry veteran, Chanel began her career as an M&A tax attorney. She currently directs the innovation hub at a global financial technology firm. She was a board member of the New York Chapter of the I Have a Dream Foundation and its national board. Additionally, Chanel served on the board of Gibney Dance, a New York based dance organization focusing on performance arts and social justice. Her philanthropic efforts in the arts, youth mentoring and the bridging of the educational and wealth gaps in underserved communities have resulted in multiple keynote addresses at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

• Han Pham

  civic activist

  Equitable representation in all levels of government matters deeply to Han Pham. Han is on a mission to accelerate civic engagement among women and diverse communities. An attorney by training and profession, she now focuses on initiatives that strengthen representative democracy. Han is the executive director of Her Term, an initiative to increase the number of women in Georgia’s elected office. She is also chair of the board of directors at the Global Village Project, a school for refugee girls. The daughter of immigrant parents, Han is an avid ambassador of Georgia’s Asian community. In 2022, she partnered with local schools to launch the city of Decatur’s first Lunar New Year Festival celebrations.

• Kenzie Rowland

  comedian, mental health advocate

  Kenzie Rowland is a comedian, podcaster and writer whose mental health advocacy runs parallel to her every creative endeavor. Through the openness in which she discusses her OCD and PTSD diagnoses, Kenzie seeks to uplift others. She is the host and producer of the podcast, “Therapy Would Be Cheaper,” which tackles real world stories of mental illness with a dose of humor. Kenzie is also a published poet, musician, fitness instructor, and devoted cat-mom who believes her cat deserves the most lavish of lifestyles.

• Mariana Stephens

  public health advocate

  Mariana Stephens is working toward eradicating intestinal worm infections in children everywhere. She is an accomplished veteran of the international public health sector solving complex challenges associated with delivering maternal and child health as well as ensuring food security and nutrition. Throughout her multi-decade career, Mariana has served in various leadership roles at global non-government organizations including CARE, World Vision International and Habitat for Humanity International. She is currently the deputy director of The Task Force for Global Health’s Children Without Worms program, the first of its kind to focus exclusively on soil-transmitted parasitic worm infections in children across the globe.

• Maribeth Coleman

  computer scientist, AR expert

  Maribeth Gandy Coleman works at the intersection of mobile/wearable computing, augmented reality, human computer interaction, assistive technology, and gaming. Maribeth directs the Interactive Media Technology Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Meredith Moore

  finance whisperer

  Meredith Moore’s passion lies in empowering women to achieve their goals by demystifying money management matters. Her professional acumen, curiosity and passion for advancing women’s issues launched a multi-year research initiative into relationship power dynamics as it pertains to money, earning power, and perceived gender roles. She is the founder and CEO of financial planning and management firm Artisan Financial Strategies. Well-respected in the financial services sector, she is frequently invited to speak on women and personal finance, and the power dynamics of money in interpersonal relationships. Meredith has presented at the Wall Street Journal’s Women in the Workplace event, numerous corporations nationwide as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business.

• Precious Price

  housing justice advocate

  Precious Price operates at the intersection of housing justice and capital gain. Through technology and community activation, she seeks to transform the real estate industry from the inside out. Starting as a short-term rental operator in 2018, Precious moved on to purchasing property and even completing tiny home builds. The pandemic sparked a business and personal epiphany around housing injustice and inspired a pivot in her thriving real estate investment and rental enterprise. In 2022, Precious founded LANDRIFT, a unique digital real estate marketplace, amidst the national conversation around the impact of short-term rentals on housing affordability and availability. She previously served as a consultant at Accenture Interactive before founding digital marketing consultancy The Brand Table.

• Sucheta Kamath

  executive function expert

  Sucheta Kamath architects systems that aid in developing the mental skills needed to focus attention, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses. She is an award-winning speech language pathologist, entrepreneur, podcaster, and multiple patent holder. Sucheta invented ExQ®, an online learning platform that leverages AI, gameplay, error analysis and metacognitive lessons to help middle and high school students build executive function skills. She hosts “Full PreFrontal®: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function,” a podcast exploring new frontiers in brain science. Sucheta also founded GSHA Gives!, a free communication and executive function job-readiness training program for previously homeless, incarcerated, and disenfranchised men.

• Tosinger ABiKE Music

  singer, songwriter

  Tosinger is a sweet spirited multigenre, afro-indie, singer/songwriter, actress & storyteller with almost 20 years musical experience spanning across Nigeria (West Africa), the UK and currently in Atlanta, Georgia. Her afro flavored soulful, folksy sometimes jazzy, theatrical sometimes ambient style of music is soothing in sound and lyrically inspirational. She has been featured in a number of television productions including “Black Lightning” and “American Soul by BET” and, stage play productions “Wedlock of the Gods” and the afro-futuristic “A Song for Adaeze.” In her spare time, she channels her creative writing talent through short stories and poetry.

• Zoe Oli

  entrepreneur, author

  With her mom Evana Oli’s support, 10-year-old Zoe Oli gracefully juggles being in school and running Beautiful Curly Me, a social impact toy and media company that offers a popular line of diverse dolls and books authored by her. Her work to empower girls has been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, Good Morning America, People named a Time and Nickelodeon Kid of The Year Finalist. Zoe is a proud Atlantan who loves reading, art, music, all things STEM, and giving back to the community.