Theme: What if...

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).

Adelphi University Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, Westermann Stage
1 South Avenue
Garden City, New York, 115303
United States

Anthony Zenkus

Anthony Zenkus is a licensed Social Worker and is an adjunct faculty in the School of Social Work at Adelphi University, as well as serving as the Director of Education at The Safe Center, a non-profit that serves victims of family violence and sexual assault. Anthony has trained thousands of professionals on the issues of interpersonal violence, income inequality, and the effects of trauma and chronic stress on the brain, body and behavior. In addition, he has been trained by Vice President Gore as a presenter in his Climate Reality Project. Anthony is also an activist and has been an organizer with Occupy Wall Street as well as being involved with Black Lives Matter and environmental causes. He has appeared regularly in print, online, and television media as an expert on family violence, trauma and the effects of inequality.

Bernadine Waller

ernadine Y. Waller is passionate about eradicating gendered violence. She is an Adjunct Professor and doctoral candidate at Adelphi University School of Social Work whose trauma-informed work as a clinician inspires her research. Her interests also include developing culturally competent interventions for male perpetrators. She is currently the principal investigator of a project analyzing a UN Women-developed batterer intervention program in Barbados and her work was most recently published in a top academic journal, Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Dr. Christine Riordan

Adelphi University President Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert in leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and team performance. Dr. Riordan is the first woman to serve as president of Adelphi. Dr. Riordan has published more than 60 academic and business press articles and has received numerous awards for her academic and practitioner work. She consults regularly with organizations and is a frequent speaker on leadership, strategy, diversity and inclusion, and team performance. Dr. Riordan serves on the board of directors of RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RMAX) and on its audit committee. She is on the board of directors of the National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, and the Long Island Association (LIA), a leading organization on Long Island.

Dr. Deborah Serani

Dr. Deborah Serani is a go-to expert on psychological issues. Her interviews can be found in ABC News, Associated Press, CNN, Newsday, New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Scientific American Mind and affiliate radio station programs at CBS and NPR, just to name a few. Dr. Serani is in clinical practice over 25 years, and is an associate adjunct professor at Adelphi University, with research interests in depression and trauma. She is also the author the award winning books, ”Living with Depression,” “Depression and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers” and “Depression in Later Life” published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Dr. Francine Conway

rancine Conway, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, Professor and Chair of Psychology in the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies. She has written articles and books on ADHD treatment and supervised undergraduate and doctoral students in conducting research on ADHD. Working with colleagues, Dr. Conway was instrumental in establishing the Derner Hempstead Child Clinic—a satellite clinic in Hempstead that provides psychotherapy services for underserved minority children who experience tremendous difficulty in their families and schools. She currently serves as the clinical director for the clinic and also supervises beginning therapists in an empathic treatment of children.

Dr. Robert Goldfarb

Robert Goldfarb, Ph.D., Fellow, ASHA, is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders (with the Professor Recognition Award) at Adelphi University and Emeritus Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Lehman College and The Graduate Center, CUNY, where he was also Executive Officer. He has published extensively in the areas of adult aphasia, the language of dementia, and the language of schizophrenia, and is also co-author of two tests: The Stocker Probe for Fluency and Language(1995) and Time-Altered Word Association Tests (TAWAT, 2013). He was a Fulbright specialist in applied linguistics in Bogota, Colombia (2013).

Jennifer Krol

Jennifer Krol is an undergraduate student at Adelphi University. She is currently majoring in Creative Writing, in a 5 year masters program for Childhood Education. Jennifer is a writer, artist and future educator—who is passionate about gender equality and human rights.

Madeline Dressner

Madeline Dressner is an elementary school teacher at E.M. Baker School in Great Neck, New York. As an educator, she is committed to the academic, social, and emotional development of her students and to the belief that students should leave her classroom feeling empowered to enact positive social change in their school, community, and world. Her professional interests include character education, human rights, social justice, and STEM. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Master’s Degree in Childhood Education from Adelphi University, where she developed a passion for advocacy through various leadership positions such as President of the Student Government Association and Resident Assistant. Her experiences there included the facilitation and development of leadership training programs, along with research projects focusing on health education advocacy, resiliency in special education, and curriculum development.

Rabbi Glenn Jacob

Rabbi Glenn Jacob D.D. is one of the interfaith chaplains and Hillel Director at Adelphi University. He is also the executive director of the New York chapter of Interfaith Power & Light, an organization dedicated to bringing together faith and climate science to safeguard the Earth. Before coming to Adelphi University he served synagogues from the Deep South to Long Island for over 25 years. In the Deep South, Rabbi Jacob was a civil rights advocate on issues of church and state, reproductive rights, hate group monitoring with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and funding for public education. In Philadelphia Rabbi Jacob was the founding chair of the Interfaith Gathering of Lower Bucks (County). He is also an accomplished storyteller and a presenter at national conferences on Jewish Education.