Theme: Empowering Connections

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).

University of Texas at Dallas
800 W Campbell Road
Richardson, Texas, 75080
United States

Amber Soriano

Amber Soriano is a Graphic Designer with 4 years of experience in the Movie/Entertainment Industry and 20+ years of Martial Arts experience. She heads Cinemark Theatres’ Creative Services team, which develops campaigns and marketing materials for over 300 movie theatre locations. She received her Bachelor’s in Communication Design from the University of North Texas, and is currently pursuing an MBA from UT Dallas. Amber is also a 3rd Degree Master Instructor in Sorian-Do, a family developed Mixed Martial Arts System, and has been teaching since 2007.

Anwesha Bhattacharjee

Anwesha Bhattacharjee grew up in New Delhi, India. She received her bachelors in Computer Science Engineering. She and her team were a finalist at the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2010 in Warsaw where they placed third in the "Envision 2020" competition for an innovative technology proposal for food monitoring and delivery in war-ravaged areas of the world. Anwesha moved to Dallas in August 2010. As a Ph.D. student at UT Dallas, she worked under Prof. Vijay Mookerjee on advertising optimization models for Facebook and on empirical research. Anwesha joined The Mercury, the college newspaper in 2010, where she started out as a contributing reporter. She continued on to serve as the newspaper’s Features Editor and Web Editor for four years, winning several state and national awards in collegiate journalism in that time. She also co-produced an award-winning podcast and a TV series for Student Media. A trained classical dancer, she has been an active member and choreographer for the Bangladesh Student Organization at UTD. She has also blogged for The Dallas Morning News. She is currently working full time as a senior Data Scientist at Sabre in Southlake, TX.

Jenna Quinn

Jenna Quinn is a child sexual abuse survivor, author, and the force behind Jenna’s Law. Jenna’s Law was the first child sexual abuse prevention education law in the United States named after a survivor to require that each school district adopt and implement a prevention policy that educates students, teachers, and parents on the likely warning signs of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and how to report. Now, over half the country has passed some form of legislation since Jenna’s Law in 2009. With a master’s degree in communication studies, she is a sought-after speaker who has traveled nationwide, educating and sharing her inspiring story with legislatures, law-enforcement, abuse-prevention groups, schools, communities of faith, nonprofit organizations, and the general public for over twelve years. She has participated in both local and national radio, television, and news programs, and she has dedicated her life to preventing child sexual abuse through education and legislation. For more information visit http://www.JennaQuinn.org

Joshua Danielson

With over a decade of experience in cyber security, Josh Danielson has lead teams across a variety of industries throughout his career, from academia and government contracting, to the financial sector. Josh is an active member of the information security community where he has lead/contributed to numerous open source projects. Josh has received a Master of Science degree in Information Management from Syracuse University.

Samuel Grayson

Our first speaker is Samuel Grayson! Samuel is a student studying computer science, math, physics, and anything else he can get his hands on. He is proud to be an Eagle Scout. His main hobby is also his work: using mathematics to augment programming. When he needs a break from that, he also enjoys camping, singing, piano, and long walks on the beach.

Steven Dunn

Steven Dunn is an attorney with thirty-two years of courtroom experience. In addition to appearing in state and federal courts throughout the State of Texas, he has appeared as lead attorney in at least twenty different federal courts outside the State of Texas. He has been heavily involved in the eating disorder industry and community for at least eight years. When his daughter passed away as a result of severe eating disorders in October of 2016, he dedicated his life to raising awareness for others. He opened the first Texas chapter of Project HEAL, a non profit foundation raising funds for treatment of eating disorders and started The Morgan Foundation, a foundation dedicated to raising funds for research and study of the biological causes of eating disorders.