TEDxNewHaven

Speakers

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

• Anne-Marie Knight

  "Anne-Marie Knight, MBA, is a visionary leader, strategist, and speaker whose journey bridges engineering, ministry, and more than 40 years of nonprofit and entrepreneurial leadership. Trained in engineering and serving for several years as a design draftsman, she developed a systems mindset and a love for building. She later pursued ministry training, which deepened her commitment to human flourishing and gave her a unique ability to connect purpose with practice. Today, Anne-Marie serves as Executive Director of the Black Business Alliance (BBA) in Connecticut, where she advances business growth and community development through access to capital, coaching and cooperative economics. Her leadership has made her a trusted voice at the intersection of business, equity, and community transformation. She has facilitated international workshops, including Pen to Profit in Jamaica and Puerto Rico, and has delivered keynote addresses at the Legacy Wealth Builders Conference and the Thrive360 Conference. Inspired by the resilience of her late mother, Hortense Hall, Anne-Marie’s work reflects her belief that joy is not a luxury, but infrastructure — the fuel that empowers lives, legacies, and communities to thrive."

• Chineye Anako

  N. Chineye (Chie) Anako, MPH, CHES, is the Vice President of Health Equity and Human Impact at Trinity Health, where she leads initiatives that advance inclusive care and equitable health outcomes. She spearheaded Trinity’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SO/GI) Initiative and oversees the Communication and Language Assistance program, expanding access for underserved patients. Chi also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Sacred Heart University and the University of Houston-Down and serves on the boards of the Copper Beech Institute and the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut. A nationally recognized leader, Chi has earned honors such as the National Diversity council’s Healthcare Diversity Leader award and UCONN’s 2025 MLK Legacy Award for her commitment to leadership, advocacy, and social justice.

• Dr. Kelly Hope

  Dr. Kelly K. Hope is an educator, author, trainer, motivational speaker, and curator of brave spaces. She is a proud product of the New Haven Public School System and the owner of Kelly Koren Unlimited Education and Leadership Consulting Group. She has over 20 years experience in secondary and post-secondary education. She has served as an adjunct faculty at both community colleges and 4-year institutions, taught high school English, developed curriculum around African American and Latino Studies, and facilitated workshops for the State of CT Education Resource Center on cultural humility in the classroom. She was also featured on WTNH for her work in community education in the city of Waterbury. Currently, Kelly serves as the Associate Dean of Student Development and Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Connecticut State Community College- Capital Campus. Dr. Hope has earned a Master of Science degree in English Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University.

• Earl Bloodworth

  "Earl Bloodworth is the Executive Director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV), an advocacy and educational organization. In his first legislative session, he successfully led the effort to pass HB 7042, making Connecticut the first New England state and the tenth in the nation to enact a law that allows residents to hold firearm manufacturers and dealers accountable for illegally selling weapons that cause harm. A native of New Haven and a UCONN graduate, Mr. Bloodworth is a dedicated community leader. He is an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., serving as the District Social Action and Voter, Registration, Education, and Mobilization Chair for all six New England states. Additionally, he is Co-Chair of the Governor's Workforce Council Reentry Committee for DEIA. With extensive experience in reentry services, Mr. Bloodworth has previously overseen reentry departments for the cities of New Haven and Bridgeport. In Bridgeport, he relaunched the Mayor’s Initiative for Reentry Affairs (MIRA), helping establish the city's first reentry welcome center and a family reunification program. He also secured over $90,000 in funding for a rental subsidy program for formerly incarcerated individuals, in partnership with the Alliance for Community Empowerment. His work has focused on building bridges and creating opportunities for those returning to the community. "

• Jessica Sager

  Jessica Sager, co-founder and CEO of All Our Kin, is an unwavering advocate of child care reform, focused on uplifting family child care, which stands at the nexus of equity, education, and the economy. Twenty-five years ago, when Jessica founded the organization, no one in the U.S. was talking about home-based care. Today, thanks to the work of All Our Kin and the educators and partners the organization serves, there has been a shift. Public systems are now acknowledging the power of family child care and investing accordingly. Jessica continues to raise awareness of child care as not only important but also necessary work. A graduate of Barnard College and Yale Law School, she is a Trustee of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Vice-Chair of the Low Income Investment Fund, a Board Member of Social Impact Partners for Connecticut, and a Lecturer on “Child Care, Society, and Public Policy” at Yale. She is also a Pahara Aspen Fellow and an Ashoka Fellow. In 2020, she was named to the CARE 100 list of Americans doing the most to re-imagine and re-humanize our care system, and in 2024, she received the Heinz Award for the Economy.

• Johnnie Bird III

  Johnnie Bird III, also known as Introverted JB, is an author, business owner, and proud introvert committed to shifting the way the world sees quiet strength. A first-generation college graduate of both the University of Connecticut and Yale University, JB first proved his persistence as a walk-on to UConn’s Men’s Basketball national championship program. That same resilience now fuels his mission to advocate for introverts and create spaces where they can thrive without apology. Through speaking engagements, writing, and community-building, JB works to de-stigmatize introversion and highlight its value in a noisy, extroverted world. His vision is simple yet powerful: a culture where introverts are not only understood, but celebrated for the balance, depth, and connection they bring to our lives.

• Kwadwo Adae

  Kwadwo Adae is a Ghanaian-American visual & muralist based in New Haven, CT. He is the Founder & Director of Adae Fine Art Academy; an independent art school specializing in the individualized instruction of drawing and painting to children, teenagers, and adults. He is an award winning, collaborative muralist responsible for the installation of over thirty works of public art since 2014, including four international collaborative mural project installations installed with children in India, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Finland.

• Rebekah Sookdeo

  Rebekah Sookdeo is a communications and development professional whose work bridges storytelling, health equity, and community research. Based in Connecticut, she leads programs that connect refugee and immigrant women with language and health resources through the nonprofit Elena’s Light. Drawing on her background in marketing and an MBA from Cumberland University, Rebekah has helped shape regional relationships and uplift community leadership. Her approach combines strategic communication with cultural insight, helping organizations translate complex systems into narratives that build trust and action. Rebekah has coordinated multi-language engagement projects, collaborated with universities, and grassroots partners in the state. Outside her organizational roles, she consults with nonprofits on social-impact storytelling and inclusive outreach. Her work centers on joy, perception, and communication.

• Stuart DeCew

  "Stuart moved to New Haven as a joint degree student at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE) and the Yale School of Management (SOM) in 2008. Since 2011, he has led the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, a joint initiative of YSE and SOM, where an interdisciplinary team of students, staff and faculty connect Yale’s expertise with partners tackling urgent environmental challenges, from accelerating climate tech innovation here in New Haven to advancing sustainability solutions with impact around the globe. He serves on the board of ClimateHaven, a platform for startups building breakthrough solutions in energy and climate resilience. He and his wife Amanda are raising two sons in the community, Bradley and Luke, and you can often Stuart running along New Haven’s and Hamden's trails or sidewalks in the morning with a very friendly dog named Piper. "

• Yexandra Diaz

  "Yexandra Díaz is a professional storyteller, educator and full-spectrum doula whose work bridges art, culture and advocacy. A lifelong New Haven resident, Yex has established herself as a community leader with deep roots in youth development and civic engagement. Her intersectional approach is evident in her current strategic development roles with Hang Time CT and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, where she advances initiatives at the crossroads of community, creativity and justice. As an acclaimed spoken word poet and facilitator, she has delivered trainings and performances statewide and nationally including ACS National Conferences and the Connecticut Against Gun Violence Annual Luncheon in addition to championing prestigious stages such as the historic Shubert Theatre, August Wilson Cultural Center and Woolsey Hall alongside the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Her artistry and public speaking captivate audiences while sparking dialogue on some of today’s most urgent issues. Her TEDx talk, Death Decolonized, draws from lived experience and ancestral practice to challenge how we approach sudden loss in Black and Brown communities and to reclaim death as a space for cultural continuity, resilience and humanity."