TEDxBaylor University

Speakers

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

• Devan Stahl

  Associate Professor of Religion, Baylor University

  Devan Stahl is an Associate Professor of Bioethics and Religion at Baylor University and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology at the Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics from St. Louis University and her M.Div. from Vanderbilt University. She specializes in disability theology, bioethics, and the visual arts within medicine. Dr. Stahl also volunteers clinical ethicist consultant for the Supportive and Palliative Care Team at Baylor, Scott, and White Hillcrest and has trained as a hospital chaplain. She is the author of, Disability’s Challenge to Theology: Genes, Eugenics, and the Metaphysics of Modern Medicine (Notre Dame Press), which develops a Christian response to genetic technologies using the insights of disability scholars. Dr. Stahl also hosts the popular podcast Bioethics for the People, which explores the work of bioethicists for a general audience.

• Erik Carter

  Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing, Baylor University

  Dr. Erik Carter is Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities. His research and writing focus on principle-driven and research-based strategies for promoting full participation, relationships, and valued roles for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He serves as Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing, which aims to promote the thriving of people with disabilities and their families. He joined the Baylor faculty in 2023.

• Felecia Mulkey

  Head Coach, Acrobatics and Tumbling, Baylor University

  A transcendent leader on the forefront of the growing sport of acrobatics and tumbling, Felecia Mulkey has won all 14 of the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) championships offered and boasts a career record of 140-4 over 15 seasons as a head coach of acrobatics and tumbling in the NCATA. In the 2025 season, she was in her 11th year as the head coach at Baylor and has completely changed the program since arriving in Waco in June of 2014. After winning four-straight NCATA titles at the University of Oregon, she has led the Bears to 10-straight NCATA championships with a 107-2 record in Waco and compiled a 50-meet win streak (2021-25) as she has tutored 34 NCATA-All-Americans in 11 seasons.

• Jaja Chen

  Cha Community Co-Owner & Private Practice Therapist

  Therapist and social worker in private practice; co-owner and Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Business Partnerships, Cha Community; and co-founder, Asian Leaders Network.

• Jordy Dickey

  Director of Student Activities

  Jordy Dickey serves as Director of Student Activities in Baylor University Student Life. The Department of Student Activities encompasses campus programs, Greek life, student organizations, Spirit and Traditions, Waco Hall, and the Bill Daniels Student Center. Each component works together to enhance and expand the university experience for Baylor students.

• K. Leigh Greathouse

  Associate Professor of Nutrition Sciences, Associate Professor of Biology (Joint Appointment)

  Dr. K. Leigh Greathouse is an Associate Professor at Baylor University with joint appointments in the Department of Biology (College of Arts & Sciences) and Nutrition Sciences (Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences). A cancer biologist, epidemiologist, and registered dietitian, her work focuses on understanding how diet and the microbiome converge to influence cancer development, treatment response, and survivorship. Her research is driven both by her expertise in molecular biology and her personal experience as a young adult cancer survivor, fueling her passion for advancing precision nutrition approaches to improve cancer outcomes.

• Leslie Hahner

  Professor of Communication, Affiliate Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies

  Dr. Leslie Hahner serves as Professor of Communication at Baylor with an expertise in the ways rhetoric shapes public culture, moves audiences, and forms public sensibilities. Dr. Hahner has published her research in numerous journals and is the author of To Become an American: Immigrants and Americanization Campaigns of the Early 20th Century.

• Makayla Williams

  M.A. Communication Candidate, Baylor University

  Makayla Williams is a M.A. Communication Candidate and Trailblazer Scholar at Baylor University. A proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Makayla has served as president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and as the Fraternity and Sorority Life Intern at Baylor.

• Michael Scullin

  Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University

  Dr. Scullin completed his doctorate in the Behavior, Brain, and Cognition program at Washington University in St. Louis and then a post-doctoral fellowship in the Neurology and Sleep Medicine program at Emory University School of Medicine. He is involved in service committees for the Sleep Research Society, he is a columnist for Teaching Current Directions in Psychological Science at APS, and he co-founded the APA journal Translational Issues in Psychological Science.

• Mito Diaz-Espinoza

  President & CEO, Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

  Dr. Mito Diaz-Espinoza (PhD) serves as the President and CEO of the Central-Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Throughout his career, he has led initiatives that amplify voices, dismantle barriers, and create sustainable change. Previously Mito served as the Director of Equity Initiatives at Waco Family Medicine and his work centered on building a culture of respect and belonging among staff and patients. He spent over 20 years in various areas of higher education including admissions, academic advising, diversity programs, leadership, Title IX, and civic engagement. Mito earned his undergraduate degree in History from Texas A&M University and his Master’s degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs from Baylor University. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where his dissertation research investigated the motivations of first-generation Latino men to pursue college degrees.

• Spencer Yim

  University Scholar, Political Science and Economics Major, Student Regent, Community Leader Mentor, and Innovation Fellow

  Spencer Yim is a student in Baylor University’s Honors College. A native of Connecticut, he is a University Scholar with majors in political science and economics and minors in Chinese and history. Yim has served as a community leader for the Honors Residential College at Baylor for the last two years, being named CL of the Year for the HRC in 2025. He currently serves as the community leader mentor. In 2024, Yim co-founded the Baylor cohort of Stanford University’s University Innovation Fellows (UIF), a nationally competitive global program that empowers student leaders to tackle campus challenges through innovative solutions. In addition, he is a William Carey Crane Scholar through Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning. He previously served for two years in Student Government as a student senator and as a committee chair from 2024-25 and was recognized as the Student Government Member of the Year.