Theme: The Power of Intention

Go beneath the surface and explore the drive behind the leaders of our generation. Join us as we question not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ behind the innovation that will define our future. TEDxNorthwesternU 2017: The Power of Intention encapsulates how intention is a powerful source of creativity and the fuel to manifesting one’s goals and passions at Northwestern and around the world. Explore what it means to act willfully and passionately, what people attribute meaning to and how intent can transform dreams into a tangible reality.

McCormick Tribune Center
Northwestern University
1870 Campus Drive
Evanston, Illinois, 60208
United States

Abhinav Talwar

Northwestern University Student

Abhinav is currently a sophomore at Northwestern majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in Computer Science and enrolled in the Honors Program for Medical Education. Abhinav has a passion for educational innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors. As such, with his brother, Abhinav has been growing a non-for-profit called Global Project Hope for the past few years; the organization is now involved in several health and education initiatives across the country. Global Project Hope’s pilot initiative has been finding the most optimal way for elementary school children to learn about health and wellness. After a few years of refinement, the organization has developed its own health education curriculum that is being introduced to several schools in New York.

Alexandra Levit

Business workplace author, speaker and consultant

Alexandra Levit’s goal is to prepare organizations and their employees for meaningful careers in the future workplace. A former nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and writer for the New York Times, Fast Company, and Forbes, Alexandra has authored several books, including the international bestseller They Don’t Teach Corporate in College. Alexandra recently became a partner with organizational development firm PeopleResults. She consults and writes on leadership development, human resources, entrepreneurship, career and workplace trends on behalf of numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Brendan Belz

Kellogg School of Managment student

Brendan Belz has a deep passion for the emerging markets and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by working in them. Most recently, he spent four years in Africa helping Cummins expand its global footprint by establishing six new businesses. Belz traveled across the continent learning about what it takes to not just launch, but to scale businesses in some of the world’s fastest growing markets. Belz is currently a first-year Master of Business Administration candidate at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from DePauw University.

Daniel Wozniczka

Physician, MBA and MPH candidate

Dr. Daniel Wozniczka, M.D., is a Chicago physician with a passion for creating real world solutions which improve healthcare for both patients and physicians. Along with practicing medicine, he is currently completing his MBA and MPH degrees at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He believes the upcoming generation of physicians will completely revolutionize medicine as a whole both locally and globally. He has firsthand healthcare experience not only in Chicago, but also in Sub Saharan African, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Inger Burnett-Zeigler

Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Feinberg School of Medicine

Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She is also the Founder/CEO of BecomingOne Wellness, LLC, which provides education, training and consultation to individuals and organizations looking for ways to manage stress, improve functioning and wellness. Dr. Burnett-Zeigler utilizes traditional psychotherapy and complementary and integrative health approaches to help clients with mood and anxiety disorders, stress management, interpersonal relationships and functioning. Dr. Burnett-Zeigler is an advocate for normalizing participation in mental health treatment and assuring that all individuals have equitable access to high-quality, evidence based mental health care. Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and she regularly gives presentations of her work nationwide.

Joseph Holtgreive

Assistant Dean of the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University

Joe Holtgreive is a pragmatic humanist, he is an engineering Dean who teaches emotional intelligence. As an Assistant Dean of Northwestern’s School of Engineering for the past two and a half decades a big part of Joe’s work has been helping struggling engineering students think and act productively when facing a challenge. His passion is helping students and professionals recognize that, with the power of intention, they possess the capacity to respond effectively during moments of intense uncertainty. Joe teaches that accurate self-awareness, intentional attention, and self-compassion are the true path to peak performance. Joe collaborates with colleagues to develop and deliver curricula on mindfulness, emotional intelligence, design thinking, and improvisational performance.

Omar Farha

CSO at NuMat Technologies, Research Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University

Omar K. Farha is a research professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, Distinguished Adjunct Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Chief Scientific Officer of NuMat Technologies, and Associate Editor for ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. His research accomplishments have been recognized by several awards and honors including the Royal Society of Chemistry “Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division Early Career” Award; the American Chemical society “The Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science; and an award established by the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University in his honor: the Omar Farha Award for Research Leadership. Prof. Farha has more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, holds 10 patents, and has been named a “Highly Cited Researcher” by Thomson Reuters in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Reyhaneh Maktoufi

PhD student in Media, Technology and Society at Northwestern University

Reyhaneh is a PhD student in Media, Technology, and Society at Northwestern University. Her main field of interest is science communication in particular in Astronomy and Physics. She works at the Nonprofit Network and Social Impact Lab where she researches nonprofit mergers and attitudes toward nonprofit-corporation partnerships. Her working background is mainly in audience outreach in nonprofits, mostly in the field of health. Rey currently enjoys working with different nonprofits such as the Adler Planetarium and the Brave Initiatives as a workshop facilitator. In her free time, she does doodling and scares away the birds by singing high-pitch with her ukulele.

Steven Banks

Master of Music in Saxophone Performance at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music

Classical saxophonist Steven Banks has been described as “a breathtaking performer” by the Classical Voice of North Carolina. He is a graduate teaching assistant in the Bienen School of Music. Steven performs nationwide as a soloist and as the baritone saxophonist of the award-winning Kenari Quartet. Steven is passionate about raising awareness for diversity in classical music and empowering minorities to pursue the arts.