TEDxMiami

Speakers

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

• Camille Carlton

  Ethics Policy Strategist

  Camille is Senior Director of Strategy and Impact at the Center for Humane Technology, where she works to ensure AI is guided by the public interest. Recognized as one of Business Insider's AI 100, she shapes national debates through litigation, legislative engagement, and public narrative strategies that translate complex technology issues into public action. With a background spanning public policy, industry, and academic research, she brings a cross-disciplinary lens to the most urgent technology questions of our time. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, NBC News, MIT, and more. She holds a master's from the London School of Economics, where she studied technology and development.

• Deering Quartet

  The Deering quartet is a dynamic string ensemble dedicated to bridging the gap between classical tradition and contemporary innovation. Based in Miami, they deliver captivating performances that blend timeless masterpieces with modern favorites. Their mission is to inspire diverse audiences, foster a love for string music across generations, and create a lasting legacy.

• Dr. Elie Haddad

  Cardiologist

  Dr. Elie Haddad is a triple board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cardiac Electrophysiology. As a practicing cardiologist, he has spent decades studying the human body and the forces that shape health and disease. Beyond clinical medicine, he is the co-founder of the Homo Plasticus movement, an initiative that uses art, science, and public education to raise awareness about the impact of micro and nanoplastics on human biology. Through his work, Dr. Elie seeks to bridge medicine, environmental health, and public awareness to inspire action for the future of human health.

• Dr. Marcus Fontoura

  Technologist

  Marcus Fontoura is currently in his second tenure as Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, where he works as CTO for Azure Core. He is also the author of A Platform Mindset: My lessons from developer to CTO, published in 2025 by 8080 Books. Most recently, he was the CTO at Stone.co (2022 2025), where he led the engineering organization. Previously, in his first tenure as Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft (2013-2022), Marcus worked as the chief architect for Azure Compute and led the Azure efficiency team. Marcus also had posts at Google, Yahoo, and IBM Research. He was a post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University and has received his Ph.D. in Computer Science by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil (PUC-Rio)

• Dr. Roman Yampolskiy

  Professor, Computer Scientist

  Roman V. Yampolskiy is a tenured associate professor in the department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville (2008-). He is the founding and current director of the Cyber Security Lab and an author of many books including Artificial Superintelligence: a Futuristic Approach. During his tenure at UofL, Dr. Yampolskiy has been recognized as: Distinguished Teaching Professor, Professor of the Year, Faculty Favorite, Top 4 Faculty, Leader in Engineering Education, Top 10 of Online College Professor of the Year, and Outstanding Early Career in Education award winner among many other honors and distinctions. Yampolskiy is a Senior member of IEEE, AGI and Member of Kentucky Academy of Science. Dr. Yampolskiy’s main areas of interest are AI Safety and Cybersecurity. Dr. Yampolskiy is an author of over 300 publications including multiple journal articles and books.

• Ruthe Farmer

  Policymaker, Founder

  Ruthe Farmer is the Founder and CEO of Last Mile Education Fund, the only nationwide safety net addressing the graduation gap among aspiring STEM talent from low-income communities. A serial social entrepreneur and former Obama White House advisor, Ruthe has spent her career expanding access to technology and innovation workforce pathways. She envisions a world where the tools and technology used by all, are created by all. She has launched and scaled multiple enduring national education initiatives, including tech and engineering programs and strategy for Girl Scouts of the USA and Aspirations in Computing. Her work has led to bipartisan federal legislation that unlocked millions in Department of Defense funding to expand computing education at 3421 JROTC host schools, increasing access for 4 million US high school students each year.

• Tony Cho

  Founder, Entrepreneur

  Tony Cho is an entrepreneur, community builder, and leading voice in regenerative placemaking. A catalyst of Miami’s urban renaissance, he played a key role in transforming the Wynwood Arts District and founded the Magic City Innovation District, helping position Miami as a global hub for creativity and innovation. As the Founder of Future of Cities, Tony continues to advance community-centered developments worldwide that activate creativity, restore ecosystems, and shape future-ready cities. Through education, storytelling, and hands-on demonstration of regenerative principles, he brings “ecosystems thinking” to life at projects such as the Climate & Innovation HUB in Miami, ChoZen Center for Regenerative Living in Sebastian, Florida, and the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District in Jacksonville, Florida.

• Zack Kass

  AI entrepreneur

  Zack Kass has spent more than sixteen years at the forefront of artificial intelligence. As Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, he led the teams responsible for sales, partnerships, and customer success, turning the company’s cutting-edge research into real-world business solutions, and growing revenue from millions to billions. Since then he has advised more than 500 of the Global 5000, taught at University of Virginia and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and published his first book, an international bestseller, The Next RenAIssance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential. His mission is to ensure everyone can be an active participant in future that delivers more agency, dignity, and time.