TEDxUA Pulaski Tech

Speakers

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

• Alese Johnston

  Best-Selling Author + CEO, Agora World Project

  Alese Johnston is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and community builder who has navigated the full technological arc from pre-television to the age of AI. With a career spanning software development, bank consulting, and self-storage ownership, she has spent decades witnessing how human connection is formed—and lost—within professional systems. Today, as the founder of the Fabulous 70 Movement, Alese serves as a "translator" between lived experience and emerging longevity science. She advocates for the human voice as a critical biological signal, helping audiences rediscover connection as a vital form of medicine for modern life.

• Christopher Dicke

  CEO Peak State Recovery

  Christopher Dickie is an Arkansas-based recovery and community leader with nearly two decades of experience working at the intersection of behavioral health, education, and systems change. He is the founder and CEO of Peak State Recovery and has lived in sustained recovery for 18 years. Christopher has also worked in higher education, including with the University of Arkansas System, where he helped launch the state’s fully online eVersity. His work focuses on creating environments where people can speak honestly before silence becomes crisis, blending lived experience with practical, human-centered frameworks.

• De'Ja Johnson

  Speaker

  De’Ja K.Johnson is a communication professional, writer, and certified NeuroShine Technology coach whose work explores self-awareness, emotional wellness, and the power of inner dialogue. She holds a master’s degree in communication, where her research examined intrapersonal communication and the internal narratives formed after relational loss. Through her writing, coaching, and facilitation work, De’Ja helps individuals reconnect with their voice, rebuild self-trust, and return to themselves after life transitions. Her work blends personal experience with research-driven insight to guide meaningful transformation.

• Dr. Rhonda Mattox

  Psychiatrist + Speaker + Author + Storyteller + Money Mindset Strategist supporting purpose-driven, faith-based speakers in cultivating joy while increasing impact and income using their authentic voice.

  Dr. Mattox's story begins in an unlikely place. She once lived in the very house Maya Angelou called home. As a child, she read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and learned about a young Marguerite Johnson who stopped speaking to survive trauma. Understanding how close the world came to losing one of the most powerful voices of our time is a cautionary tale that stayed with her, not as literature, but as a warning. Dr. Mattox's story begins in an unlikely place. She once lived in the very house Maya Angelou called home. As a child, she read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and learned about a young Marguerite Johnson who stopped speaking to survive trauma. Understanding how close the world came to losing one of the most powerful voices of our time is a cautionary tale that stayed with her, not as literature, but as a warning. Today, Rhonda Mattox, MD explores how silence often becomes a learned survival strategy, especially for women of color and high-achieving professionals.

• Dr. Tywanna Smith

  International Sports Manager + Professor + Award-Winning Filmmaker + Best-Selling Author + Speaker

  Dr. Tywanna Smith is an international sports advisor, former professional athlete, best-selling author, and transformative speaker whose work bridges global business, leadership, and education. With over 18 years of executive experience, she has advised more than 60 NBA, NFL, WNBA, MLB, and international athletes. Smith serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis and is co-founder of the Athletes Abroad Summit. She has also authored two books, designed a nationally-facilitated curriculum, and produced an international sports documentary. Dr. Smith received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 and earned the 2025 International Ambassador Award for her sports diplomacy efforts.

• Malcolm "Penn Davis" Pennington

  Rapper + Poet + Educator

  Malcolm Pennington, professionally known as Penn Davis, is a hip hop artist and songwriter from Little Rock with over 15 years of experience creating music that blends emotion, storytelling, and urban perspective. He has opened for a range of major artists, showcasing his dynamic stage presence, and is currently collaborating with Eminem's artist Westside Boogie In 2022, he was named Hip Hop Artist of the Year by Arkansas Times, and in 2025, he was the first and only rapper so far to receive the prestigious Catalyze Grant from the Mid America Art Alliance. Penn Davis continues to push the boundaries of contemporary hip hop while inspiring audiences with authentic, impactful music

• Nyah Peyton

  Author + Marketing Specialist

  Nyah Peyton is a poet, writer, and marketing professional from Arkansas. First published in the award-winning Labyrinth magazine, she is a three-time poetry slam champion and author of In Favor of Everything Right, self-published at 19. Nyah has led writing workshops through the Central Arkansas Library System, contributed to Noire Magazine, and founded Honeycomb Words, a creative storytelling company. As a Marketing Specialist and former Internal Communications Coordinator for the City of Little Rock, she developed communication strategies and led trainings for leaders and commissioners. A 2025 finalist for Outstanding Minority Young Professional, Nyah merges creative voice with strategic leadership.

• Rikki Turner, Ed.D

  Student Success Activator + Engaging Public Speaker +Dynamic Workshop Creator + Kindness Advocate

  Dr. Rikki Turner is a passionate advocate for mental health, suicide prevention, and kind leadership. A dynamic keynote speaker, she blends humor, storytelling, and interactive engagement to spark meaningful conversations in education and the workplace. Holding a doctorate in Higher Education Administration, her research focuses on faculty willingness to intervene with suicidal students, offering a unique perspective on how professionals can foster supportive environments. Creator of the EASE framework for suicide intervention and host of the Suicide Prevention Lady Podcast, Dr. Turner equips audiences with practical strategies to navigate difficult conversations with confidence and compassion. Her mission is simple: kindness saves lives.

• Tanner Critz

  Martial Artist + Author

  Tanner Critz was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated magna cum laude from the Donaghey Scholars Program with a degree in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a martial artist, author, and community leader in Little Rock, where he teaches a Vietnamese mixed martial art called Cuong Nhu full time at Unity Martial Arts in Little Rock. He serves as the President of the Cuong Nhu association's Board of Directors, and has published two memoirs (End to Ending - about his 1995 Appalachian Trail Thru-hike, and End to Beginning - about his recovery and transformation following hospitalization with Covid).