Welcome to TEDxPaloAlto
TEDxPaloAlto will take place on Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 10:00 AM–2:30 PM at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, California. Our theme is Identity. We have curated a diverse range of voices to speak on the topic including scientists, artists, authors and technology experts. Some of the world's greatest minds will be on stage at TEDxPaloAlto and we invite you to be a part of this inspiring journey.
Identity at TEDxPaloAlto
Qualities, beliefs, DNA, environment, experiences and choices make an individual or group unique. Commonalities and variances are established largely through identity and its possible interpretations. Speakers will explore these different facets of identity in their various areas of expertise.
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).
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Rhythmic Circus
Performers
Rhythmic Circus is a band of dancers; it is a dance company of musicians; it is a fraternity of class clowns, art majors and jazz poets. The group started as a passion project in Northeast Minneapolis in 2008. Half the group was a funk band, the other half was a street performing tap dance group. They started off with a bang; their first work became their most celebrated: the internationally critically acclaimed theatrical production "Feet Don't Fail Me Now!" They also created a touring holiday production titled "Red and Green" and several other independent pieces. "Our company's mission is more about reaching people with our energy and vibe than it is about the technical elements of music and dance," says artistic director Ricci Milan...for their full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/rhythmic-circus.Watsonville Taiko Group
Performers
Watsonville Taiko Group (WTG), founded by Jim Hooker in 1991, is a taiko drumming community of performers and supporters. Ikuyo Conant, artistic director since 1992, sets the group’s goal to strive through exploration of taiko to develop an art that combines drumming with folklore, mythology and symbolism. Taiko as folk art is emphasized because it places value on joining with others to keep tradition alive. Important values and social meanings are found in the context of full participation and understanding of cultural traditions. By working together, the group learns that each person is valued as an important member of the community. For more info please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/watsonville-taiko-group.Aaron "Heatbox" Heaton
One-Man Beatboxing Sensation
Heatbox is a one-man beatboxing sensation from Minnesota who has been singing since the age of ten. He describes his music as sounding like “a funky a’cappella group from outerspace.” He built a reputation for himself while performing with Twin Cities’ band Root City (voted Best Blues Band of the Twin Cities by the readers of City Pages in 2006), as well as a one man band, Heatbox (1st place at the 2007 “Yo! The Music” Minneapolis beatbox battle.) In addition to performing with Rhythmic Circus, Heatbox is constantly touring internationally with top acts, appearing at the most popular musical festivals in the world and opening for famous musicians such as Cee- Lo, Boyz II Men and George Clinton. For more info please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/aaron-heatbox-heaton.David Crane
Lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and President of Govern for California
David Crane is a lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and president of Govern for California. From 2004-2010 he served as a special advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and from 1979-2003 he was a partner at Babcock & Brown, a financial services company. Crane also serves as a director of Building America’s Future and the University of California’s Investment Advisory Group. Formerly he served on the University of California Board of Regents and as a director of the California State Teachers Retirement System, California High Speed Rail Authority, California Economic Development Commission, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Environmental Defense Fund, Legal Services for Children, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Society of Actuaries...for his full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/david-crane.David Hochschild
Commissioner
David Hochschild was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in February 2013. He fills the environmental position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members by law are required to have professional training in specific areas - engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law. Commissioner Hochschild’s career has spanned public service, environmental advocacy and the private sector. He first got involved in the solar energy field in 2001 in San Francisco as a Special Assistant to Mayor Willie Brown where he launched a citywide $100 million initiative to put solar panels on public buildings. He went on to co-found the Vote Solar Initiative, a 60,000-member advocacy organization promoting solar policies at the local...for his full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/david-hochschild.Desmond Richardson
Dancer
Desmond Richardson was the first African American Principal dancer of American Ballet Theater, received a Tony award nomination for his role in the original cast of "Fosse" on Broadway and performed as the principal character Tony in Twyla Tharp’s Broadway production "Movin Out". He made his Broadway singing debut in the Burt Bacharach/Hal David/Ann Reinking/Scott Ellis Broadway production "The Look of Love" and was a standout in the recent Tony award winning Broadway production “After Midnight". Richardson recently graced the January 2016 cover of Dance Teacher Magazine.With his technical virtuosity and statuesque expressive demeanor, Richardson has been hailed by the NY Times as among the great dancers of his time. Lara Hartley poetically described him...for his full bio please http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/desmond-richardson.Dr. Alicia Jackson
CTO and Co-Founder of Drawbridge Health
Dr. Alicia Jackson is currently CTO and Co-Founder of Drawbridge Health, a new medical technology company focused on making the blood testing process convenient and accessible for Patients, Doctors and Clinical Testing Labs. The company's mission is to make predictive care a reality by bridging diagnostic testing from sample to delivery to decision. Dr. Jackson launched and served as the Deputy Director of the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon’s principal engine for disruptive innovation, managing an annual investment portfolio of >$340MM. In her role Dr. Jackson oversaw investments across neurotechnologies, therapeutics and vaccines, human performance enhancement, diagnostics and...for her full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/dr-alicia-jackson.Dr. Harry Saal
Executive Chair of Retrotope
Dr. Harry J. Saal is the Executive Chair of Retrotope, Inc. a pharmaceutical startup, based here in Silicon Valley. He is confident that the compounds under development stand an excellent chance of revolutionizing the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of untreatable neurodegenerative diseases of aging. Dr. Saal has served as director of several private and publicly traded high technology firms. Ernst & Young named him the Bay Area 1990 Software Entrepreneur of the Year and he is also the recipient of the ADL Torch of Liberty Award, the ACM/Computer Museum 1994 Computer Bowl MVP, and the JNF Tree of Life Award. He is active in philanthropy and community affairs, serving as Chair of the Arthritis Foundation Northern California Chapter for 2010 and 2011, among...for his full bio please http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/dr-harry-j-saal.Dr. Jonathan Trent
Founder and Director of the OMEGA Global Initiative (OGI)
Jonathan D. Trent, Ph.D is the founder and director of the OMEGA Global Initiative (OGI), a non-profit dedicated to expanding global access to potable water, food from the ocean, and alternative energy, while improving coastal environments, promoting circular economies, and adapting coastal cities to climate change. He is also currently an adjunct professor at UC Santa Cruz and a civil servant scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. He has published and lectured on topics in sustainability, marine microbiology, astrobiology, and nanotechnology. Jonathan earned a PhD at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and conducted research at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Copenhagen University, University of Paris, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine at...for his full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/jonathan-trent.Dr. Leila Takayama
Human-Robot Interaction Researcher
Leila Takayama is a human-robot interaction researcher. In 2016, she founded Hoku Labs and joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as an acting associate professor of Psychology. Prior to UC Santa Cruz, she was a senior user experience researcher at GoogleX, and was a research scientist and area manager for human-robot interaction at Willow Garage. She is a World Economic Forum Global Future Council Member and Young Global Leader. In 2015, she was presented the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society Early Career Award. In 2012, she was named a TR35 winner and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. With a background in Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Human-Computer Interaction, she examines human encounters with new...for her full bio please http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/dr-leila-takayama.Dr. Mehret Mandefro
Film Producer/Writer, Anthropologist, Harvard-trained Physician, and Health Policy Expert
Dr. Mehret Mandefro is an award-winning film producer/writer who draws from her background as an anthropologist, Harvard-trained physician, and health policy expert to craft textured narratives that explore the social determinants of health. She uses her interdisciplinary training as the foundation to approach social issues she has chosen to tackle as an artist and filmmaker and create what she calls “visual medicine”. Dr. Mandefro’s work stems from a shared belief that storytelling is the most powerful tool we can use to bridge societal divides in our world. Her goal is to create art that engages the public in a deeper conversation about cultural change and challenges audiences to rethink the way they see the world. Integral to her work is the development...for her full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/dr-mehret-mandefro.Ibtihaj Muhammad
Member of the United States Fencing Team
Ibtihaj Muhammad is a member of the United States Fencing Team and currently ranks No. 2 in the United States and No. 7 in the world. Named to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential list, Ibtihaj is an important figure in a larger global discussion. Her voice continues to unite both the sports and non-sports world. Ibtihaj is a 2016 Olympic medalist, 5-time Senior World medalist, including 2014 World Champion in the team event. In August 2016, she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab. Muhammad was a 3-time All American and graduated from Duke University with a dual major in International Relations and African Studies, and minor in Arabic. In 2014, Muhammad launched her own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest fashionable...for her full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com.Marci Bowers
M.D. of Burlingame
Marci Bowers, M.D. of Burlingame, California, is acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of Genital Reassignment Surgery and is the first woman worldwide to hold a personal transgender history while performing transgender surgery. She is also the first US surgeon to learn the technique of functional clitoral restoration after Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Dr. Bowers is a pelvic and gynecologic surgeon with more than 26 years’ experience. She is a University of Minnesota Medical School graduate and former class and student body president. Her Ob/Gyn residency was at the University of Washington. She continued in Seattle as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist at the Polyclinic and Swedish Medical Center, then joined Dr. Stanley...for her full bio please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/dr-marci-bowers.Nina Simon
Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Nina Simon has been called a “museum visionary” by Smithsonian Magazine and a Silicon Valley Business Journal “40 under 40” for her audience-centered approach to design. She is the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, where she led an institutional turnaround based on grassroots community participation. Nina is the best-selling author of The Participatory Museum (2010), The Art of Relevance (2016) and the popular Museum 2.0 blog. Previously, Nina worked as an independent consultant and exhibition designer with over one hundred museums and cultural centers around the world. Nina began her career at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. She lives off the grid in the Santa Cruz mountains with 14 people, 27 chickens, 5 dogs, and 1 zipline. For more info please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/nina-simon.Okieriete Onaodowan
Actor
My name is Oak. I have done things. Broadway: Hamilton, Rocky, Cyrano de Bergerac. Off-Broadway: Hamilton (The Public), Luce (LCT3), Neighbors (The Public), Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment. First national tour: American Idiot. Regional: The Brothers Size, The Royale (The Old Globe), Ruined (Berkeley Rep, Huntington Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse). Film/TV: Blue Bloods, NY 22, Thank You for Sharing. I studied at the William Esper Studio with Karen Chamberlain. Her voice reminds me to "Go limp with anger" in my work and in life. I have achieved all things through the kindness of strangers and faith from loved ones. I strive to be like water in every sense. Shake and bake. @OakSmash. For more info please visit http://www.tedxpaloalto.com/okieriete-onaodowan.Organizing team
