Theme: Diamonds From Pressure

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).

401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4
Canada

Andrea Dinardo

Dr. Andrea Dinardo is a professor at St. Clair College, psychology blogger, and former school psychologist who applies positive psychology to facilitate personal growth and positive change. Her blog “Thriving Under Pressure” was created in response to rising levels of student stress and anxiety in efforts to help students develop positive coping techniques in fun, interactive, and uplifting ways.

Chantal Vallée

In 2002, after years of research on successful enterprise and leaders, Chantal Vallée submitted her master’s thesis at McGill University on “How to build a successful program”. In 2005, she was hired by the University of Windsor to become the Head Coach of the Lancers Women’s Basketball Team. At the time, the Windsor Lancers had only 4 winning seasons in a span of nearly 50 years and the team was in the bottom of the standings in Canada. But Chantal had a dream and a plan and told anyone who would listen that the team would win a national championship within 5 years! In 2011, the mission was accomplished. The Lancers Women's Basketball team were crowned National Champions for the first time in history. The team then went on to win five consecutive National Championships in a row from 2011-2015, holding the record for women’s basketball in Canada. Since the program’s transformation, Chantal has received over 20 Coach of the Year Awards, developed seven professional players and one Olympian, and maintained a winning percentage of 86%.

Emily Branton

Emily became the President and part-owner of Link2Feed at only 24-years old. In five years, she’s grown the company from a side project to an international business that has impacted nearly 1.6 million lives and been named one of B Corp’s “Best for the World” companies. Her work has also involved a launching pad for her travels, having visited 19 countries including 8 Canadian provinces and 19 US states. Emily is a writer, speaker and yoga instructor who struggles to decide what she likes more- tea or red wine. She lives in Sarnia with her spouse Matt, and dog Clay.

Leigh Ann Hello

Leigh Ann is a proud Odette Alum. She is the daughter half of Windsor’s Mother-Daughter Kitchen design team, The Cabinet Studio. They are the designers of the only green, non-toxic cabinets in the area. She's been volunteering for various charities for over 25 years which include children's literacy programs. Her main charity for the last 15 years has been Crohn’s and colitis Canada.

Maher El-Masri

Dr. Maher El-Masri is a full professor and Faculty Research Chair at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Nursing with an expertise in research methodology, biostatistics, and clinical epidemiology and evidence-based Practice. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research (CJNR). He is also an adjunct professor at Western University, Schulich School of Medicine – Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; and is a visiting scholar with the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines at the University of North Dakota During his academic tenure, Dr. El-Masri received a number of teaching and research awards that include the 2012 the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Leadership in Nursing Research award, the University of Windsor's Mid-career (2013) and emerging scholar (2006) awards. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. El-Masri has published over 85 manuscripts that include peer reviewed research reports, book chapters, and short articles.

Robert Eliott

Robert Elliot had a stroke, which affected his memory and impacted his focus. He was diagnosed with Neurosarcoidosis, which caused him a lot of stress and lost his will to live. Robert will be discussing how he overcame this with the help of his family, counsellors, and Ten Friends Diner: a restaurant in Windsor, Ontario that trains consumer survivors to overcome the difficulties of mental health in a work environment.

Ronnie Haidar

Meet Ronnie Haidar, born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he has always had a deep dedication to enhancing the community around him. He has held various positions throughout the Windsor- Essex Community, such as Media and Public Relations Director of the Windsor Islamic Association, Vice-President of Finance of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance as well as President, and Student Director of the University of Windsor Humanities Research Group. Ronnie has also partaken in volunteer projects that have taken him to all corners of the globe. Most recently, he has travelled to Peru, Nicaragua, and Honduras to assist in the establishment of elementary and secondary schools in unprivileged communities. He has worked with the Windsor Police Service, the Public Safety Ministry of the Government of Canada, and the Syrian Canadian Council.Ronnie is pursuing a career in international law and hopes one day to become a judge.

Tasnia Nabil

Tasnia Nabil is a grade 12 student enrolled in the enriched program at Vincent Massey Secondary School in Windsor, Ontario. With a strong passion for science and creativity, Tasnia is a young researcher and innovator with works varying from photovoltaic technology to a novel potential cancer therapy. This has earned Tasnia multiple gold medals at the Canada Wide Science Fair. She was also named the Runner Up at the International BioGENEius Challenge held at the International BIO Convention in 2017. Tasnia is a science advocate who hopes to continue to change the world with her ideas in the future.