TEDxChicago

Speakers

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

• Alesha Miller

  Farmer-Led Problem Solver

  Alesha Miller is Chief Strategy Officer for Digital Green, a global tech nonprofit co-creating a world where farmers use technology and data to build prosperous, resilient communities. She guides the organization's learning, impact, and partnership approach as they scale Farmer Chat, an AI powered pocket advisor. She is also a board member of Proofing Station, an impact-first investor focused on small and mid-sized food enterprises in the Midwest. Prior to serving at Digital Green, Alesha was the Managing Director of the Global Food and Agriculture Program at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where she led research, policy and advisory work focused on challenges and opportunities affecting the food system, including urbanization, booming African youth populations, water scarcity, and digital technology. Alesha began her career at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she held several roles over eight years, all dedicated to growing incomes and wellbeing for farm families.

• Alla Adam

  Smart Human

  Alla Adam has been future-proofing humans across the globe since 2003. An experienced founder, negotiator, mentor, and investor, she has guided leaders and teams at Tesla, Amazon, Google, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Nestlé, and others, helping generate over $12B in venture capital and grants for startups worldwide. She is a mentor at Techstars, Founder Institute, and StartOut, a member of the HeartMath Institute and the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School, and a non-resident fellow at Charter Cities Institute. She serves on advisory councils for Forbes Coaches Council and Harvard Business Review. Her frameworks—including The Adam Method (TAM), Negotiations as a Service (NaaS), and The Adam Curve (TAC)—have become transformational tools for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs alike. Alla holds executive education certifications from Harvard Law, Yale, Kellogg, and Berkeley Law, as well as Master's and Bachelor's from Kyiv National Economic University.

• Chris Jones

  Professional Procrastinator & Hypnotist

  chrisjones (yes, it’s one word) is a self-described “master in failing up,” once a failed magician, track star, and academic who became a world-class hypnotist and comedian. A Chicago native and former nationally ranked college athlete, he studied sociology, psychology, and therapeutic recreation, all while honing his craft by performing magic and hypnosis nightly on campus. His breakthrough moment came in 2015 on America’s Got Talent, when he hypnotized germophobe Howie Mandel into shaking hands with the entire judging panel. Since then, he has performed in all 50 U.S. states and ten countries, and has appeared on The Steve Harvey Show, Penn & Teller, and his own prank series Double Take on Facebook Watch. Outside of performing, chrisjones is a marathon runner and a devoted husband and father who loves making his wife and daughter laugh. A resilient entertainer who turned missteps into magic, he embodies the spirit of reinvention and the power of humor.

• Darlene Jackson

  COMMUNITY LEADER, DJ, AND PRODUCER

  Darlene Jackson, also known as DJ Lady D, is hailed as “Chicago’s House Music Queen” by Chicago Magazine. An international DJ, producer, and remixer, she has toured North America, Europe, Asia, and Russia with her charismatic sets of house, techno, and disco. She has performed at ARC, SXSW, Lollapalooza, Burning Man, and the Chosen Few Picnic, and in 2004 launched her independent label and brand, D’lectable, cementing her role as a trailblazer in electronic music. Jackson’s influence extends beyond the stage. She has appeared in documentaries including The War on Disco and The Godfather of Disco, been featured in Forbes, Mixmag, and Billboard, and contributed to outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, NPR WBEZ, and BBC Radio. A Chicago Chapter Governor for the Recording Academy and a Screen Actors Guild member, she also holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University and shares her expertise on the history and science of house music with audiences nationwide.

• Dr. David Awschalom

  QUANTUM SCIENTIST AND ENGINEER

  Dr. David Awschalom is an experimental physicist and pioneer in quantum technology. He is the University of Chicago’s Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Physics, a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, and the founding director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange- an intellectual hub that advances quantum information science research, prepares the quantum workforce, and drives the quantum economy in collaboration with leading universities, national laboratories and more than 50 corporate, international, and nonprofit partners. Dr. Awschalom is the inaugural director of Q-NEXT, a U.S. Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Research Center. He is a member of the U.S. National Academies of Science and Engineering and has received a U.S. Secretary of Energy Achievement award.

• Dr. Hareder McDowell

  COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTHOR, SEXUAL ACTIVIST AND RESEARCHER

  Dr. Hareder McDowell, affectionately known as Dr. Mac, is a bestselling author, speaker and researcher from the south side of Chicago. Her work focuses on how effective communication around sex and intimacy can lead to better relationships, better sex, long lasting marriages and friendships. Dr. Mac has taught research methods, human sexuality and sexual psychology at various universities including, DePaul, Roosevelt and her Alma mater , National-Louis University, Chicago and has served as a consulting researcher for Stanford University’s organization B.L.A.C.C., focusing on breast cancer and Black women. A passionate advocate for Black women and their inclusion in sexual health research, Dr. McDowell sits on the advisory board for the Congressional Caucus on Women and Girls, addressing maternal mortality under the leadership of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

• Dr. Heather Zheng

  COMPUTER SCIENTIST

  Dr. Heather Zheng is the Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago and co-director of the SAND Lab (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) alongside Prof. Ben Y. Zhao. She received her PhD from University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining UChicago in 2017, she spent six years in industry labs (Bell-Labs and Microsoft Research Asia) and 12 years as a faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Zheng was one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2005, and her research on cognitive radios was featured by MIT Technology Review as one of the 10 Emerging Technologies in 2006. More recently, her work on protecting human creatives from unethical data exploration received the USENIX Internet Defense Prize, the Chicago Innovation Award, a special mention in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023, and the Community Impact Award from the Concept Art Association in 2024.

• Dr. Hossein Zargartalebi

  SCIENCE INNOVATOR IN PRECISION MEDICINE

  Dr. Hossein Zargartalebi is a biotech innovator and entrepreneur developing next-generation wearable and implantable biosensors that monitor protein biomarkers in real time, inside the body. His work enables continuous tracking of inflammation, diabetes, heart failure, and other chronic conditions — opening the door to earlier diagnosis, personalized treatment, and adaptive care. He is an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University, where he works under the supervision of Prof. Shana Kelley. He began his postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto before transitioning to Northwestern to further expand his work in biosensor innovation. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Calgary, where he developed diagnostic tools for cancer and COVID-19. Dr. Zargartalebi has received numerous awards for his research, which has been published in over 20 leading journals and featured in major media outlets.

• Dr. Sammy Ramsey

  Scientist, Advocate, and Inspirational Changemaker

  Dr. Sammy is celebrated as an engaging science communicator who aims to make science more accessible to a broader audience. As a professor at CU Bolder, he teaches students how to communicate science in an engaging way as seen in his popular course “Effective Science Communication.” Dr. Sammy has been featured on Hulu’s Docuseries: Your Attention Please–as well as in the Washington Post, New York Times, on NPR, CNN, Wired, CBS’s This Morning, Khan Academy, Seeker, The Today Show, and several local news segments. His nonprofit, The Ramsey Research Foundation (RFF), works to develop novel pathways for scientific funding by removing paywalls that keep the public from engaging with published scientific work. In each system he studies, Dr. Sammy works to resolve the symbioses at play, further highlighting the interconnected nature of our world and the need to understand the sum of its parts. Through RFF, Dr. Sammy studies how to develop sustainable solutions to environmental issues.

• Joabe Barbosa

  Urban Explorer

  Joabe Barbosa is a clinical psychology doctoral student embarking on an extraordinary journey to become the first person in history to officially run every single street in the city of Chicago. What began as rehabilitation after a life-threatening incident has evolved into a mission now more than halfway complete, spanning nearly 4,000 miles across every neighborhood in the city. Along the way, Joabe has uncovered Chicago – not in headlines, but on foot. His project has grown into a call to challenge fear-driven narratives and connect divided communities, reframing how we view our cities: not as places defined by danger, but as communities full of ordinary people. His story has captured attention and inspired others to step off the familiar path to see the world differently. At his core, Joabe believes exploration has the power to dissolve fear, reframe perception, and illuminate the extraordinary in the ordinary.

• Joshua Johnson

  MODERATOR & HOST

  Joshua Johnson plays anchorman Dwight Richmond on the satirical Onion News Network. His portrayal helped The Onion win a 2025 Webby Award for Comedy. Joshua Johnson has spent more than 20 years in journalism, helping people see each other despite their differences. He was the founding host of NPR’s national talk show 1A, which grew to a weekly audience of four million listeners during his three years on-air. MSNBC later recruited him to anchor The Week with Joshua Johnson, where he created rare spaces for audience interaction in network news, before becoming the anchor of NOW Tonight, a primetime nightly newscast. His NBC News projects included specials for Black History Month, a live broadcast from New York’s Stonewall Inn for LGBTQ Pride Month, and a focus group of small business owners reacting to President Biden’s 2022 State of the Union Address. Web: www.theresolutiongame.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshualistening/ Social: https://beacons.ai/_joshuajohnson

• Meg Whitty

  ECOSYSTEM INNOVATOR

  Meg Whitty serves as Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Marketing at LanzaJet, Inc., a global leader in sustainable fuels technology and the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel. She leads the company’s global marketing, brand, and community engagement strategies, advancing their mission to accelerate the clean energy transition in aviation and beyond. Meg is a proven strategist, team-builder and communicator with 17+ years of experience spanning the corporate, tech start-up and government sectors. Her work has supported rural communities investing in renewable energy through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, advanced SAF adoption at a major U.S. airline, and helped industrial businesses reimagine operations through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Today, she is at the forefront of decarbonizing the aviation sector with cutting-edge fuel technologies.

• Miki Agrawal

  Chief Steward

  Miki Agrawal is a social entrepreneur and the founder of several acclaimed companies including TUSHY (modern bidet), THINX (period underwear), and now HIRO Diapers (fungi-powered diapers). Named “Fast Company’s Most Creative People” and a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, she has built multiple nine-figure businesses while challenging taboos and pioneering sustainable solutions. With HIRO Diapers, Miki is introducing the world’s first MycoDigestible™ Diaper, using fungi to tackle plastic pollution. A bestselling author and speaker, she blends humor, innovation, and storytelling to spark global conversations about creating a regenerative future.

• Natasha Pearl Hansen

  COMEDIAN, CREATOR & COMMUNITY ARCHITECT

  Natasha Pearl Hansen is a comedian, creator, and entrepreneur who turns life’s detours into unforgettable stories. Her comedy career began at Second City Chicago in 2006, where she wrote, directed, and performed in dozens of shows before finding her voice in stand-up in 2010. Since then, she’s toured internationally, performed at major festivals, and been featured on Hulu, Comedy Central, Prime Video, Apple TV, and Netflix is a Joke Radio. When her wedding was canceled three weeks before the big day, she filmed a comedy special at the venue—on the original date, with the original guest list. That special, I Was Supposed to Get Married Today, became the unexpected launchpad for an innovative platform helping people find support, joy, and community through loss, grief and major life change. Natasha’s work blends humor, vulnerability, and human connection—reminding us that even life’s sharpest twists can leave us laughing.

• Nikki Lynette

  Social Impact Artist

  Nikki Lynette is a suicide survivor and multi-hyphenate artist who fuses mental health activism into her performance art, films, and visual work, creating a lane entirely her own. Her advocacy began in 2016 when she returned from a long hiatus and made public her private struggle with depression and suicidality at a time when such openness was taboo. She went on to write widely circulated articles on mental health for major media outlets. While opening for Pussy Riot’s first U.S. tour, Nikki developed the material that became GET OUT ALIVE, her musical about depression. The show made history: in 2019 she became the first Black female playwright produced by the American Music Theatre Project; in 2022 she became the first Steppenwolf LookOut work selected for NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals. Her passion for bold, mental health centered storytelling is at the core of her second film, Happy Songs About Unhappy Things.

• Nisaini Rexach

  CONNECTIVITY CONDUCTOR, AI CHAMPION, PHILANTHROPIST

  Nisaini Rexach, known in the professional community as The Empowerment Enabler, is a visionary leader whose career is marked by a series of strategic initiatives that have catalyzed digital transformation, community engagement, connectivity, and strategic foresight. As a Digital Transformation Dynamo, Nisaini has been at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technologies into business processes. In Rexach’s current role as a Community Engagement Lead at Microsoft she has fostered robust communication channels and built strong networks, while serving as a Connectivity Conductor who forges meaningful conversations and connections between key stakeholders.

• Professor Wendy Freedman

  ASTRONOMER, OBSERVATIONAL COSMOLOGIST

  Professor Wendy Freedman is one of ten named University Professors appointed by the president of the University of Chicago. She is a trailblazer in astronomy and observational cosmology, and her current research focuses on increasing the accuracy of measurements of the universe’s expansion rate and testing for potential new fundamental early-universe physics. She previously served for eleven years as the Crawford H. Greenewalt Director of the Carnegie Observatories and was the founding chair of the Board of Directors for the Giant Magellan Telescope, a 25-meter optical telescope scheduled for completion in Chile in the 2030s. Professor Freedman received her doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Toronto and began a Carnegie Fellowship at their Observatories in 1984. In 2025, she was named one of TIME100’s most influential people in the world. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator of a James Webb Space Telescope program.

• Red Clay Dance Company

  AFRO-CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY

  Red Clay Dance, Chicago’s premier Afro-contemporary dance company, is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dance Artivists that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally. The company is the brainchild of Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the institutions’ Founding Artistic Director & CEO. Red Clay Dance is committed to taking its signature “Artivism in Motion” from the stage into learning environments, with community engagement serving as a vital part of its creative process and village-building work. Over its 17-year history, the company has toured and performed at venues such as the Jacob’s Pillow, The Yard, The Harris Theater for Music & Dance, Dance Center of Columbia College, the DuSable Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, ODC Theater, Dance Mission Theater, The Painted Bride, Joyce Soho, and the National Theater of Uganda. Learn More Instagram: @redclaydance Facebook: redclaydance

• Roquiya Sayeq

  Champion for Educational Equality & Data Scientist

  Roquiya Sayeq is the co-founder of Victory Afghanistan, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking down barriers in education for women in Afghanistan. She is also a data science consultant, applying machine learning to tackle complex business challenges across industries. Drawing on her expertise as a data scientist, Roquiya shapes data-driven strategies at Victory Afghanistan. Since founding Victory Afghanistan, Roquiya has mobilized volunteers from 24 countries around the world to deliver over 144,000 hours of learning to 800 students in Afghanistan. She leads programs that empower students and volunteers alike, emphasizing growth and meaningful change. Remarkably, 22 of the organization’s project coordinators are current mentees, turning students into leaders and proving that true empowerment multiplies.

• Tim Cernak

  CHEMIST AND CONSERVATIONIST

  Tim Cernak is an Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan, with appointments in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, the Center for Global Health Equity, the Rogel Cancer Center, the Michigan Institute for Data Science, and the Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats. His research spans chemical synthesis, ecology, data science, automation, sustainability, and drug discovery, with applications ranging from oncology and neurology to agriculture and conservation. Before joining Michigan in 2018, Tim spent nearly a decade at Merck Research Laboratories, advancing C–H functionalization, reaction miniaturization, and drug design for major diseases. He studied at UBC Okanagan, completed his PhD at McGill University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. He is also a co-founder of Iambic Therapeutics and has been a Research Fellow of the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

• Tony Menias

  PHOTODOCUMENTARIAN

  Driven by curiosity & fascination with the world, Tony's love of capturing life began when his father handed him his first camera at age seven. From medical school to global missions serving the impoverished, photography was his guiding light in finding beauty in the simplest things. Witnessing the resiliency of souls he treated inspired a life change. Tony left medicine to pursue his craft. Within his first year as a photographer, he was recognized by National Geographic, held multiple exhibitions, & won an Award for Excellence. Photography was no longer a hobby, but calling. Known under the artist name ‘Beloveful’, Tony's passion for capturing the raw & unfiltered aspects of life led him on a profound journey of self-discovery. With a keen eye for detail & unwavering commitment to authenticity, he portrays beauty & chaos equally. Whether capturing bustling markets, serene landscapes, or intimate daily moments, he conveys connection & commonality among people– the rhythm of life.