TEDxUniversityofDelaware

Speakers

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

• Alexa Kitay

  Student

  Alexa Kitay is a junior in the Honors College at the University of Delaware, majoring in psychology with a minor in human development. She is a dedicated student, a proud member of the University’s equestrian team and a passionate advocate for mental health. Her advocacy journey began in high school, where she delivered her first TEDx Talk on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as a sophomore and founded U Matter, a mental health awareness club, as a senior. Since then, she has continued using her voice to inspire change—most recently speaking at a 2025 fundraiser for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. Alexa also shares her story and resources on social media, building a platform dedicated to advocacy, awareness and recovery.

• Alexandra Wynn

  Post Doctoral Researcher

  Dr. Alexandra Wynn is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Delaware (UD). She earned her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, where her research focused on health equity, health disparities, and community engagement. Dr. Wynn uses mixed methods to explore barriers and facilitators to preventive health services among Black emerging adults. Currently, she leads the Delaware State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), a five-year strategic initiative developed in partnership with UD, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), and a statewide coalition to reduce health disparities and expand access to care.

• Charlotte Walder

  Student

  Charlotte Walder is an undergraduate honors student studying psychology, sociology and disability studies at the University of Delaware. Their work centers on the empowerment of disabled individuals and examines how disability intersects with mental and physical health, voting accessibility and broader systems of social and civil equity. Charlotte has served as a poll monitor through the CLASI Disabilities Law Program during the 2024 presidential election, a Social Seminar instructor with the CLSC program supporting neurodivergent students with interpersonal connection on campus and a mentor in the UDiscover Program, helping disabled high school students explore future careers and educational paths. Charlotte has also studied abroad in Thailand, gaining a global perspective on accessibility policy and inclusion.

• Ginny Cooper

  Student

  Ginny Cooper is a Senior majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Delaware, whose work bridges scientific research and lived experience. Diagnosed with epilepsy as a child, she first encountered the power of “food as medicine” through the ketogenic diet. That early experience sparked a passion for exploring nutrition’s role in healing — a passion she now applies to the current substance abuse epidemic. On campus, Ginny has been a teaching assistant in health and behavioral science courses for three semesters.

• Kelsey Malloy

  Assistant Professor

  Kelsey Malloy, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection of weather and climate, such as identifying drivers of predictable climate variability, examining how climate influences extreme weather, and advancing the real-world applications of climate science. Dr. Malloy is also an experienced climate science communicator. She co-founded Seasoned Chaos, a blog that explains climate forecasting topics in an engaging format for diverse audiences and has reached over 10,000 readers. She has developed educational and outreach materials for K-12 classrooms, university students and the general public. On the TEDxUniversityofDelaware stage, she aims to share climate science through storytelling of climate’s fingerprint on human history and how modern climate change is both a unique, critical challenge and defining opportunity for society.

• Leah Wentnick

  Student

  eah Wentnick is a junior at the University of Delaware, double majoring in Psychology and Public Policy. As an Honors student, Leah brings her passion for storytelling and advocacy into every space she enters — from leading campus tours as the Recruitment Coordinator for the Blue Hen Ambassadors to fostering sisterhood and engaging in philanthropy through Alpha Epsilon Phi. Based on her own lived experience, Leah has spent years advocating for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. She has worked with national organizations including Bring Change to Mind, The Hidden Opponent and NAMI NJ, and volunteers locally with Sean’s House, a mental health safe haven on campus. Through these efforts, she has become a compassionate and urgent voice for young people facing mental health challenges.

• Michael DiPascale

  Student

  Michael DiPascale is a junior at the University of Delaware, majoring in Cognitive Science and Spanish Studies with a minor in Philosophy. An engaged campus leader and civic collaborator, Michael serves as Mock Trial A-Team Captain, Resident Assistant and President of the Student Alumni Ambassadors, where he channels his passion for advocacy and community-building into impactful collaboration. Outside of his studies, Michael plays the tenor saxophone in the Wind and Jazz Ensembles at UD, using music as another means of language to connect with his peers and listeners.

• William Woelki

  Graduate Student

  William Woelki is a Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, where he studies how youth with foster care experience navigate the transition to adulthood. A former foster youth himself, William brings together academic research and lived experience to confront systemic barriers and amplify youth voice. His work centers participatory action research and community-engaged approaches to policy and practice. He is also the founder of See You Backpacks, a mutual aid initiative that provides care backpacks to individuals experiencing housing instability. William is committed to building a future where no young person is made invisible by the very systems meant to support them.

• Yendelela Cuffee

  Associate Professor

  Dr. Yendelela Cuffee is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and the Associate Director of Scholarship and Research for the Partnership for Healthy Communities at the University of Delaware. She has over ten years of experience conducting research and evaluation in academia and as a healthcare consultant. Dr. Cuffee conducts quantitative research examining the impact of psychosocial and behavioral correlates such as discrimination, home remedy use and spirituality on medication adherence and cardiovascular disease in the Black community. She applies qualitative and mixed methods approaches, such as narrative inquiry, to promote lifestyle and behavioral change among individuals diagnosed with hypertension.