TEDxNaples

Speakers

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

• Alison Kosik

  Alison Kosik is a Journalist, Author, and Certified Financial Educator Instructor (CFEI). Her book, What’s Up With Women And Money? How To Do All The Financial Stuff You’ve Been Avoiding, was released in March 2025. She is currently a Freelance General Assignment Reporter and Anchor for ABC News, following 15 years at CNN as a Business Correspondent and Anchor. Recognized globally as a face of Wall Street, much of her reporting took place on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She has covered historic financial events including the 2007 financial crisis, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and market turmoil during the coronavirus pandemic; interviewed leaders from Warren Buffett to Hillary Clinton; and reported on landmark IPOs such as Facebook, Twitter, and Alibaba. Her honors include a Scripps Howard New Media Fellowship from Columbia University, a Florida AP Award, and a fellowship from the International Radio and Television Society.

• Anthony Trucks

  A former NFL athlete turned international keynote speaker, author, and consultant, Anthony Trucks has delivered captivating messages to global brands like Amazon, PayPal, and T-Mobile. He is recognized as the leading authority on identity optimization for peak performance through his groundbreaking Dark Work Experience. His mission is clear: to challenge people to rewire who they are so they can rise to who they’re meant to be.

• Bea Hines

  Bea Hines’s journey into journalism began as a young widow working as a maid, when she answered an Equal Opportunity ad at the Miami Herald. She started in the paper’s “morgue” while taking classes at Miami-Dade College, where Fred Shaw, a professor and Herald book editor, encouraged her to change her major to journalism. At the Herald, three white women—her journalism teacher, an assistant editor, and a reporter—became her advocates. With their support, Bea was hired as a writer and, in 1970, became the Herald’s first Black female reporter. Over her decades-long career as a columnist, her heartfelt storytelling earned national recognition, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Today, she continues to inspire audiences nationwide with her warmth, authenticity, humor, and life lessons.

• Christine Miles

  Christine Miles grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where she learned to listen differently to her mother’s silent struggles with depression after the loss of her own mother. Listening became her secret advantage, helping her overcome dyslexia to earn a master’s degree in Psychology in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, a certificate in Structural Family Therapy from the Child Guidance Center at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, and to compete at the US level in field hockey. She is the award-winning author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen? and founder of The Listening Path®, a program adopted by Fortune 100 companies and classrooms in three countries and expanding.

• Cindy Miller

  From a college walk-on to an All-American, Cindy Miller is an LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame Member, former LPGA Tour Player, and member of the Legends of the LPGA. Drawing on her journey as an LPGA Hall of Famer, she combines her elite athletic experience with a certification in behavior, motivation, judgment, and emotional intelligence to deliver keynote speeches, workshops, and seminars that equip individuals and organizations to build stronger teams, resolve conflict, elevate performance, and realize high potential. As the founder of The Pursue Your It Foundation, her mission empowers youths to discover their passion, purpose, and potential. Cindy’s commitment to helping the next generation succeed is deeply rooted in the same dedication that fueled her groundbreaking golf career.

• Dr. Jonathan Marsh

  After training at Clemson University and earning his MD at the Medical University of South Carolina, where Dr. Jonathan Marsh also completed his Internal Medicine residency, he moved to Naples, Florida in 2012 and became a serial entrepreneur in healthcare. He founded Naples Concierge Health to move beyond the constraints of traditional fee-for-service models, creating space for innovation, patient education, and preventive care. Today, he continues to lead Naples Concierge Health, guided by the belief that science and proactive care can help eradicate the world’s most feared diseases.

• Ed Magee

  A decorated combat veteran and former Marine aviator, Ed Magee has led an extraordinary life of service, leadership, and transformation. After his military career, he transitioned to the corporate world, with senior leadership roles at global brands including Harley-Davidson Motor Co. and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Today, he serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Belmont University Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine and as Professor of Practice at Belmont’s Jack C. Massey College of Business. Ed also serves on the board of WD-40 Company and is the Chair of the Nashville Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

• Jeff Kavanaugh

  Jeff Kavanaugh is the Chief Learner and Sharer of the Infosys Knowledge Institute, the global business research hub he founded in 2018. As a consulting managing partner, and adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, he has advised leading companies and taught thousands of students worldwide. His work on durable skills and talent development has appeared in Harvard Business Review and other top publications, and he speaks regularly at global forums including the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. He is also the author of three award-winning books, including Consulting Essentials, recognized as one of the best business consulting books of all time. He lives in the Fort Worth area.

• Niki Marin

  Niki Marin’s time serving at Arlington National Cemetery, where she led time-honored ceremonies, deepened her appreciation for sacrifice and the strength required of a leader. She later brought that clarity and courage into the fast-paced world of technology, where she guided teams at Google and shaped global programs across policy and innovation. Her work challenges the culture of quick fixes, showing instead that leadership, like life, demands the courage to know yourself. Today, Niki is the founder of Beneath the Service, a national nonprofit that develops leadership programs to help the military community renew their sense of identity and purpose after service.

• Peter Tragos

  Peter L. Tragos is the managing partner at the Law Offices of Tragos, Sartes & Tragos in Clearwater, Florida, where he dedicates his practice to fighting for victims of wrongful death, truck and car accidents, and premises liability cases. He honed his passion for trial work as a national champion on the Florida State University College of Law mock trial team and has since tried cases in both federal and state courts across criminal and civil matters. His passion for justice extends beyond the courtroom: he has served on the Florida Bar Association Civil Procedure Rules Committee, the Traffic Court Rules Committee, and as a board member of the Florida Justice Association, shaping fairer, more effective rules for statewide. Beyond his legal practice, Peter shares his expertise with his 500,000+ subscribers on his YouTube channel, the “Lawyer You Know”, where he reviews and breaks down high-profile cases and trials.

• Renato DePaolis

  Renato DePaolis is CEO and Teammate at Oberweis Dairy, leading a multi-channel teams across QSR, food manufacturing, distribution, and home delivery throughout the Midwest. A former Naval Aviator and Weapons School Instructor, Renato carried the nuclear football at the White House and served under both the Trump and Biden-Harris administrations. A collegiate football player and lifelong athlete, he brings the same discipline, resilience, and team-first mindset into his current role as a Strategic Operations Executive, guiding high growth companies. A graduate of MIT Sloan, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Boston College Law, and Tufts, he has built a life around learning, service, and reinvention. Grounded by Catholic faith, his experience as a cancer survivor, and fatherhood of six, he now lives on a mango farm in Southwest Florida, continuing his mission of building inclusive, high-performing organizations that thrive under pressure and deliver lasting impact.

• Richard Stevens

  Richard Steven’s deep understanding of the power of words also stems from writing and maintaining the standard book of civil jury instructions used in every D.C. civil court trial for 25 years. Now retired from law practice, Richard published his methods in “Investigation Defense: What to Do When They Question You and continues to write on human consciousness and artificial intelligence, while occasionally assisting people facing high-stakes questioning.

• Rick Rekedal

  Rick Rekedal is an award-winning storyteller with more than three decades of experience using story and the arts to bring truth, light, and meaning. He spent over 20 years at DreamWorks Studios, serving as Chief Creative for Global Franchises (and other senior leader roles), shaping beloved properties such as How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, Spirit, Shrek, and The Prince of Egypt. His work has earned two Annie Awards, two Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, and multiple honors across books, games, and toys. Beyond DreamWorks, Rick has developed projects with Imagine Entertainment, created an animated preschool series for YouTube, and co-authored books with VeggieTales co-creator Mike Nawrocki. He is the author of the graphic novel series Shapes: Rise of the Jaggeds, One Small Step, and the forthcoming YA novel The Cry of Ramah (2026). Today, he serves as Chief Creative Officer and Senior Fellow for Storytelling, and the inaugural AWC Chair of Faith, Hope & Culture in Cinematic Arts at Belmont University in Nashville.

• Shawn French

  Shawn French is a Naples, Florida - based mental performance coach, bestselling author of Blood Type: Determined, and the founder of The Determined Society, a globally ranked podcast that has cracked the Top 10 on Apple and Top 5 on Spotify. With millions of downloads and a fiercely loyal audience, Shawn has hosted high-impact conversations with cultural icons like Jay Leno, Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Tyrese Gibson, Rob Gronkowski, and Jamie Kennedy, unpacking the mindset it takes to overcome adversity and become unstoppable. Through The Determined Society, Shawn has created a movement rooted in grit, mindset mastery, and radical personal evolution.

• Tom Henske

  Tom Henske, a two-time All-American and three-time NCAA National Champion at the University of Virginia, carried that high-pressure discipline into the world of personal finance. With nearly 30 years as a Certified Financial Planner, he founded his own firm, guided it through a public acquisition, and earned credentials including CFP®, ChFC®, and SE-AWMA®. He is the author of NIL Financial Playbook, It Makes Total Cents, and From Me to We. He also founded Total Cents, a platform that helps parents teach their kids real-world money skills. Today, Henske equips college athletes to prepare for the financial realities of NIL opportunities, driven by his mission to make financial literacy timely, practical, and part of everyday life.