TEDxAltadena

Speakers

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

• Alana Harvard

  Born in Reading, England, Alana moved to the US as a teenager with her family. After film school, she pursued her dreams of working in the industry. Over the past fifteen years she has fostered a successful career as a costume designer for film and television. Alana lives in Los Angeles, and shares her days with her husband—whom she met on set—and their radiant baby girl, who was just twelve weeks at the time of the Eaton Fire. Alana is passionate about staying in Altadena and helping to rebuild her community alongside the other moms in the group she founded “Altadena Eaton fire moms”.

• Alex Athenson

  Alex Athenson, AIA , is a licensed Architect and Urban Designer, as well as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Foothill Catalog Foundation in Altadena, CA. Mr. Athenson has previously earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame. With an expertise and passion for regional traditional design, Mr. Athenson has contributed to a number of architecture and urban design projects throughout the United States. He is a board member of the AIA Pasadena Foothill Chapter.

• Alexis Jeffries

  Alexis Jeffries is a strategist, professor, public speaker, board director, startup advisor and investor raised in Altadena, CA. Currently based in Los Angeles, her professional career has spanned companies like Accenture, Meta, Glassdoor, Disney, OMD, Wunderman Thompson, Essence and Money Magazines, and more. She is an “Expert-in-Residence” and entrepreneurship instructor at USC, serves on the boards of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and Alvin Ailey’s Young Patrons Circle, and is a frequent contributor to podcasts and panels where she shares insights from her previous TEDx talk, “Rest as Resilience.” She holds degrees from Northwestern, The American University of Paris and USC, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Pepperdine University.

• Anthony Honoré

  Singer

  Honoré (honor- ray) is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Los Angeles. Honore’s fuses R&B, Pop, and Afrobeats that is reminiscent of his musical influences: Prince, Miguel, Tems, and Pharrell Williams. Honore has toured Internationally and has major placements in music and film. Honoré recently released his new single/ music video “Haven” which was inspired by the Altadena fires. Available now on all platforms.

• Bridget Fonger

  Bridget Fonger is the author of Superhero of Love: Heal Your Broken Heart & Then Go Save the World, co-author (with Altadena longtime resident, Judie O’Neill) of The Lazy Woman’s Guide to Just About Everything, creator of the Superhero of Love Podcast and Love Forward Talks -- all in the name of helping us all remove the barriers we have to loving and being loved. Bridget was days away from her 10-year anniversary of home-owning in Altadena when the fire took her house. So, her heart healing game has had to go up several hundred notches since January 8th!

• Courtney Linsey

  Courtney “SuNWhoa Love” Linsey is an artist, educator, and creative leader in the Pasadena/Altadena community whose work bridges music, storytelling, and spirituality. As Program Director of Harambee Ministries, he develops culturally responsive programs and productions that empower youth to discover their worth and purpose. A youth pastor and lifelong educator, SuNWhoa believes recovery is not just about healing; it is about reclaiming identity, voice, and legacy. Through his art and teaching, he calls others to walk boldly in their God-given potential.

• Eleanor Smith

  Eleanor Smith is a 15-year-old student, athlete, and activist from Altadena, California. A fire survivor, she transforms her story into fuel for leadership, resilience, and community impact. As a varsity track sprinter and national champion, she brings the same discipline and drive from the field into her projects, from serving as the youngest LA2050 Youth Leader, allocating 1,000,000 dollars of grants to working as an Uprooted Academy Fellow, helping Mae college admissions help and support more accessible for our 10,000 Los Angeles Youth. Eleanor is passionate about global connection, creativity, and service, with aspirations to represent youth voices on the world stage. She believes in living boldly, giving back, and inspiring others to unapologetically follow their dreams.

• Erica Slater

  Erica Slater is a Senior Brand Manager at Califia Farms and a volunteer with the Altadena Community Garden, where she is chair of the Membership & Outreach Team. Born and raised in Altadena, she and her family were among many who lost their home in the Eaton Fire. As they rebuild and reclaim their land, Erica draws on her professional experience in the plant-based food sector to highlight the connection between healthy soil, nutrition, and community. Her work reflects a belief that resilience grows from the ground up.

• Jasmin Shupper

  Jasmin Shupper is the Founder and CEO of Greenline Housing Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to close the racial wealth and homeownership gaps and reverse the effects of systemic racism in housing by granting access to homeownership for Black and Brown people. Additionally, Greenline has played a leadership role in responding to community needs after the Eaton fire. Jasmin is also the Founder and President of The Greenline Group, a community-minded real estate development and consulting company. Prior to starting Greenline, Jasmin worked as the Business Director at a large nonprofit for four years, where she managed an $8 million dollar budget. Jasmin also worked as a corporate credit risk underwriter and financial analyst for ten years. She holds a BS in International Business from Pepperdine University, as well as a California Real Estate Salesperson's license and a Certificate in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. Jasmin serves on the Board of Directors of Harambee Ministries and Heritage Housing Partners, an affordable homeownership developer, both in Pasadena. She was also appointed by the City of Pasadena to their 710 Reconnecting Communities Advisory Body. When she’s not busy trying to dismantle systemic injustice, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two girls, speaking French, hosting gatherings, cooking, and eating at new and exciting restaurants.

• Katie Clark

  Dr. Katie Clark is a longtime Altadena renter, organizer, and local elected official. She has served as an elected Trustee of the Altadena Library District since 2018, and is one of the founders of the Altadena Tenants Union, created to ensure that renters had a voice in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire. She is a steering committee member for the Altadena Earthseed Community Land Trust, working towards community ownership and permanently affordable housing in Altadena. An Oxford-trained historian, she is also the founder and principal of The Applied Humanities, a creative consulting firm serving nonprofits locally and nationwide.

• Kristen Ochoa

  Kristen Ochoa is a physician, a UCLA associate professor, and the founder of the Chaney Trail Corridor Project. She leads community- and science-driven efforts to monitor wildlife recovery and protect land in the Altadena foothills, especially after the Eaton Fire. Through trail cameras, ecological partnerships, and public engagement, Kristen and the Chaney Trail team are building data to support local conservation and resilience.

• Mark Gibson

  Mark Gibson is the most renowned Mentalist of the 21st Century. For over 20 years, he has been a Headliner at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA - showcasing his extraordinary abilities to sell out audiences for Fortune 500 companies, theaters, cruise lines, and international clientele in over 15 countries. On January 7th, 2025, Mark and his wife lost their home in the Eaton Fire, an event that tested and deepened their understanding of resilience. Mark’s performance explores the enduring strength of memory—not just as fragments of the past, but as sparks of hope that guide us in rebuilding, reconnecting, and reimagining what the future may hold.

• Michael Davis

  Michael and the rest of "Capoeira For EveryBody" are a group of musicians who are also survivors of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, CA.

• Mimi Brown

  Emmy-nominated journalist, national news anchor, and storyteller Mimi Brown is the Host and Creator of To Altadena, With Love — a multimedia storytelling project amplifying community voices in the wake of the Eaton Fire. As a national news anchor for iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network and a news contributor for The Breakfast Club, Mimi’s work bridges culture, community, and impact. Through storytelling, she continues to reimagine how local narratives can shape national conversations. provide comprehensive support to our clients.

• Nanyamka Redmond

  Dr. Nanyamka Redmond is an applied developmental scientist whose work explores how supportive relationships shape adolescent performance, wellbeing, and long-term success. With experience as a high school teacher, track coach, youth pastor, mentor, and therapist, she bridges research and practice to make science meaningful in real-world settings. Dr. Redmond is passionate about equipping families, educators, and youth workers with tools to foster thriving environments, ensuring that young people are not only prepared for the future but empowered to lead and flourish today.

• Nick Stentzel

  certified Grief Educator and grief coach, and owner of a multi-national television production company, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer

  Nick Stentzel is a certified Grief Educator and grief coach focusing on widowhood. He also serves as a group facilitator and journey sitter, supporting individuals through transformative experiences. Through Soaring Spirits International, Nick frequently presents at national workshops, covering topics such as creativity and healing, love after loss, men’s grief, and support for the newly widowed. Nick is the owner and Chief Creative Officer of The ATS Team, a multi-national television production company. He is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer. Nick lives in Altadena with his husband, Jonathan, and their dog, Jeb.

• Nicole Ellis

  Nicole Ellis, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, FFCP-T, is a celebrity dog trainer, author, and pet lifestyle expert behind the brand @TailsWithNicole. Seen on Amazon’s The Pack, she’s trained everything from bears to rescue dogs and helps people—from Hollywood stars to everyday pet parents—do more with their dogs through positive reinforcement. Her dogs, Maggie and Rossi, work in film, therapy, and public demos—showcasing the fun and possibilities of life with a dog. After she and her husband lost their home in the Eaton Canyon fire, they launched @TailsOfRebuilding to share their journey of resilience, community, and rebuilding.

• Onochie Chukwurah

  Musician and storyteller

  Baba Onochie Chukwurah is a Nigerian-born musician, folklorist, and griot who carries the living legacy of African storytelling, music, and history. In 1969, he toured America with Fela Kuti as bassist on the iconic L.A. Sessions album. Today, Baba Onochie is a professor at Cal State Los Angeles, where he teaches Yoruba and Igbo language as well as African History. A master storyteller, he weaves ancestral wisdom with modern relevance, captivating audiences through music, rhythm, and parable. His life’s work—through teaching, performance, and cultural preservation—embodies the power of heritage as a tool for healing, unity, and transformation.

• Sam James

  Sam James is the CEO and co-founder of the Altadena Recovery Team (ART) created after the Eaton Fire to support the financial and mental wellbeing of the community through distribution drives and community events. She was born and raised in the Altadena area where she is a sixth-generation resident after her family originally placed roots in the area in 1890. Outside of ART, Sam has a BA in Political Science from UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy (MPP) at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs as a Luskin Leader in the Field scholarship recipient.

• Shawn Maestretti

  Shawn Maestretti is a regenerative landscape architect, landscape medium, and educator dedicated to earth-aligned futures. He is the founder of Studio Petrichor, an Altadena design practice rooted in ecological restoration, spiritual ecology, and whole-systems thinking. After losing his home in the 2025 Eaton Fires, the resilience of his nurtured landscape deepened his commitment to design as relationship, not control. Shawn also co-founded Poly/Ana, an educational nonprofit for regenerative systems. Honored with the Design Futurist Award for A Resilient Cottage, he has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Horticulture Magazine, and NPR, and continues to teach across California and beyond.

• Steven Seagle

  Steven T. Seagle is a co-founding partner of MAN OF ACTION Entertainment; the bi-coastal collective that created the BEN 10 franchise for Cartoon Network and the BIG HERO 6 team and characters for MARVEL/Disney. With his partners, Seagle has created, executive produced, and written the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble (MARVEL/Disney); Generator Rex, Power Players, Mega Man: Fully Charged, Bakugan (Cartoon Network); SONIC: Prime, Zak Storm (NETFLIX); and their most recent series is Hello Neighbor (YouTube/Amazon) for which Seagle also voices Otto Kinander. Seagle is a multiple Eisner Award and Ringo Award nominated and Inkpot and Wizard Award winning graphic novelist whose works include Uncanny X-Men (MARVEL), Sandman Mystery Theatre, it’s a bird... (DC), Camp Midnight, and Get Naked (Image). Seagle is a proud foster/adoptive parent and lost his home and office in this year’s Eaton Fire in California.

• Sunny Singh

  An entrepreneur with over 14 years in the luxury watch and jewelry industry, now focused on reimagining neighborhood retail through George’s Liquor in Altadena and A1 Liquor in Pasadena. Raised in Altadena and a UC San Diego graduate, he’s committed to transforming local businesses to better serve and uplift the community.