Theme: A Brand New Day

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

MassMutual Headquarters
1295 State Street
Springfield, Massachusetts, 01103
United States

Amanda Herman

Amanda Herman is a multi-media artist who works directly with communities and individuals to create films, photos and public interactions that address complex social issues. She is also the editor and producer of Live Art Magazine, an annual art and music magazine created for the stage at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA. She holds MFA in Social Practice from California College of the Arts where she was resident faculty from 2008-2011. Her film, The Making of Talzar, a science-fiction tale based on the real-life experiences of an Iraqi refugee in Sweden premiered in a solo exhibition at Galleri Box in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2013. While an Artist in Residence at Riverside Arts in Easthampton she collaborated with a client to make his lifelong dream of being Pat Sajak come true. Together, with a team of artists, they produced a live episode of The Wheel of Fortune. She was a visiting lecturer of Art at Smith College in 2014-15. For details on her projects, see: www.amandaherman.com

Angela Lussier

Angela Lussier is CEO of Angela Lussier Enterprises, and creator of the Do+Make Business District, an online school and community for entrepreneurs escaping the 9-5. Angela is an award-winning speaker and author of 3 books: The Anti-Resume Revolution (2009), Who’s With Us? From Wondering to Knowing, “Should I Start a Business?” (2015) and Now: Do+Make, The Handbook for Starting Your Own Business (2016). Her advice has been featured on ABC, NBC, Yahoo!, About.com, The Ladders, Entrepreneur.com, and CBS Money. Angela is also a blogger for Virgin.com and a TEDx presenter. Her philosophy is “stop waiting and start creating” and teaches the tools and mindset to create with purpose. Angela is a recipient of the 2014 Forty Under 40 award given by Business West and she also mentors startups through Valley Venture Mentors’ in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Bill Miller

Bill Miller has served as Executive Director of Friends of the Homeless (FOH) for the past ten years, first designing and now managing the organization’s unique Springfield campus that includes the FOH Resource Center and its 24-7 emergency shelter and housing facilities. During this time, FOH has aligned itself with the national, statewide and regional efforts to “End Homelessness”. When the “movement” began, Miller was as skeptical as anyone that homelessness could be ended. But, the “Housing First” strategy at the core of the movement is based on the very humanitarian idea that we don’t need to wait to solve all of an individual’s personal problems before helping them obtain housing. FOH data and efforts since they started have continued to bear out what others are finding in many parts of the country that with the right resources and strategies, some of the very hardest to serve individuals can be brought back from living outdoors to something more dignified and cost effective.

Darby Dyar

M. Darby Dyar is the Kennedy-Schelkunoff Professor of Astronomy at Mount Holyoke College, and a Participating Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory mission to Mars. She holds degrees from Wellesley College (B.A.) and M.I.T. (Ph.D.) in geology and geochemistry. She is the author of more than 200 scientific papers and two textbooks on mineralogy and statistics. She studies the distribution of hydrogen and oxygen throughout the solar system through use of spectroscopy at wavelengths ranging from gamma rays to the mid-infrared.

Diane Smith

A New York Times bestselling author, Emmy award winning journalist, documentary producer, and speaker Diane Smith is a media veteran. Her book Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction and My Own written with MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski became an instant best seller. Diane has been on the air in Connecticut for more than 25 years at WTNH-TV, CPTV, and WTIC-Newstalk 1080. She is the anchor and senior producer for program development at CTN. As president of Diane Smith Media she has produced Emmy award winning documentaries, and other programs and videos. Diane serves on the board of CT Girl Scout Council, CT Women’s Council, the Civic Health Advisory Group and the Board of Overseers for the Bushnell Theater. Diane was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle for 25 years of distinguished service to broadcasting and the community. She holds an honorary doctorate from Charter Oak College.

John Ringo Longo

As a host and producer of Kettlebottom Outdoor Pursuits, John has traveled the world seeking adventures on four continents. Whether collecting venomous snakes for scientific study to sticking his head in a hive with 60,000 bees, John continues to pursue his passion as a naturalist, conservationist and sportsman. John is also the founder and CEO of OnSite Support Services Corporation, an information technologies consultancy. Founded in 1985, John’s specialty is cybersecurity and he speaks frequently at conferences nationwide. John has a passion for helping the environment, the disabled, the elderly and those less fortunate, in particularly children. In three decades in leadership roles, John has helped raise millions of dollars for charities in Connecticut At the age of 7, John learned to play the guitar by watching lessons offered on public television. To this day, John, (aka Mr. Sit-In), continues to entertain audiences with his mix of blues, rock, acoustic and original compositions.

Kalyan Veeramachaneni

Kalyan Veeramachaneni is a Computer Scientist whose research focuses on developing self-assembly and automation technologies for data science. He and his team observe the tasks humans do as data scientists and build machines/algorithms that emulate human intelligence involved in a data science endeavor. He founded “The human data interaction” project which aims to enable humans and machines to interact seamlessly, efficiently deriving insights from the data. During the past three years, Kalyan has built predictive models from data for a number of important societal problems. His models have enabled educators to enhance online learning experience for students and helped doctors personalize treatment and predict outcomes for patients. Kalyan is a Research Scientist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence laboratory at MIT. He co-leads a group called Any Scale Learning for All at MIT. He received his Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Syracuse University in 2009.

Laney Rosenzweig

Laney Rosenzweig, MS, LMFT is the founder of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and the CEO of Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery (RCRR). She has been in the mental health field since 1989. Laney developed ART over seven years ago and has trained over 500 therapists as well as military clinicians in the US and overseas. She spent four years as a Visiting Faculty Member at the University of South Florida (USF) where they have studied her model concluding that PTSD symptoms can be alleviated in an average of three to four clinical sessions by those she has trained. ART has been credentialed by SAMHSA's National Registry as an evidenced-based therapy. Laney spent much of her career at the Wheeler Clinic in Plainville, Connecticut working out of their Adult Outpatient Unit, Substance Unit, Employee Assistance Program and Crisis Unit. She continues to train therapists including military clinicians in the ART model and also uses ART in her private practice out of Connecticut.

Leslie Hinkson

Leslie R. Hinkson is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. Her research explores the role and meaning of race across institutional contexts and its effect on educational, employment, and health outcomes. Dr. Hinkson completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Fellows at the University of Michigan in 2009 where her interests focused on racial differences in treatment, prevalence, and control of disease. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology at Princeton University in 2007, where she was a Woodrow Wilson Society Fellow. She is currently at work completing a book manuscript on how segregated social networks undermine the educational efforts in integrated schools by focusing on Department of Defense schools as well as an edited volume on the relationship between race-based medicine and debt. As a means of enhancing her academic research, Dr. Hinkson also engages in (successful) amateur sleuthing and (mediocre) fiction writing.

Marek Marszycki

Marek, a graduate from The University of Connecticut in 1997, is an accomplished DJ whose music style has thrilled audiences and fueled dance floors for over 20 years. His versatility has allowed him to play in high-caliber clubs like Pacha (NYC) as well as local weddings. In addition, he is a skilled organist and has been associated with various churches throughout CT.

Nick Cummings

Nick Cummings is a third degree black belt, fluent in over twenty languages and once saved multiple kids from a burning orphanage. His father was an ex-KGB agent who defected in order to save America’s secrets, while his mother played a vital, undocumented role in developing the internet and is a world renowned violinist. None of that is true, but it would probably be the coolest thing ever if it was. In actuality, Nick is just like any other teenager. He is a recent graduate from Springfield Central High School and is currently attending UMASS Amherst. He plans to double major in Computer Science and Theatre in hopes to pursue both his passions. With his interest in the growing field of IT he will focus in on the field of Network and Cyber Security and with his love for acting and comedy, he hopes to have a future on a stage one day. Will Nick be able to follow his dreams? Will everything work out him? Will he succeed? Tune in next week for the exciting continuation of Nick’s life.

Randy Pierce

In 1989 a devastating neurological disease transformed Randy Pierce from a healthy and ordinary man to a blind man completely uncertain of his future. Randy’s passion for experience encouraged him to utilize adversity as a positive catalyst for growth and opportunity. He’s earned his second-degree black belt, made history as a blind hiker, won a National Marathon Championship and reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Randy earned his BSEE from the University of New Hampshire and enjoyed a successful career at Digital. The practical challenges of blindness encouraged Randy to pursue other opportunities. Today this includes his responsibilities as Founder and President of 2020 Vision Quest. When not providing corporate keynote addresses, speaking in schools or civic organizations, Randy serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the NH Association for the Blind, and President of the Hudson, NH Lions Club.

Thom Fox

Thom Fox is a Strategy Consultant providing solutions to business and nonprofit leaders. Leveraging an evidence-based approach, Thom helps organizations increase revenue and profitability by discovering what customers want, what they don’t, and what they’re willing to pay for. An educator at heart, Thom has created economic empowerment programs reaching over 3-million individuals and conducted more than 1,200 seminars, workshops, and keynote addresses, including TEDx. Acknowledged as an expert resource, Thom’s advice has been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, Fox Business, and others. He is also an award-winning philanthropist supporting community causes such as Junior Achievement, Valley Venture Mentors, Suit Up Springfield, and other organizations encouraging economic development. Thom shares his personal and professional insights as Host and Producer of The Engine airing on WHYN NewsTalk 560.

Tinsae Erkailo

Tinsae Erkailo is a native of Ethiopia and has been living in the USA since 2012. He is a junior at The Springfield Renaissance School where he is the captain of the varsity soccer team. Tinsae dreams of one day becoming a programmer and an ethical hacker. He has already started pursuing his dream by becoming a member of MassMutual’s IT Academy.