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).

Ace Hotel Pittsburgh
120 S Whitfield St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15206
United States

Alyssa Cypher

Alyssa Cypher is a mental health advocate, public speaker, and self-appointed “professional crazy person.” Her life goal is to work towards combining the (often separate) worlds of professional mental health and lived experience, in order to change the way people living with mental illness are perceived and treated in society. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration in Policy Research and Analysis from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, Alyssa is the Executive Director of Inside Our Minds, a Pittsburgh-based organization that uses anonymous storytelling to build collective community narratives on mental illness. She also works as the Data and Communications Specialist at the National Alliance on Mental Illness Keystone Pennsylvania.

anupama jain

anupama (anu) jain anupama (anu) jain, PhD, is the owner of a small consulting business called Inclusant, which focuses on building capacity in Pittsburgh for diversity, equity, and inclusion by connecting individuals, organizations, and even sectors. Previously, anu spent more than a decade as a professor of interdisciplinary studies, conducting original research, teaching varied topics, and supporting diversity initiatives in higher education. Her scholarly affiliations have included Union College in upstate New York, Colby College in Maine, and the University of Pittsburgh. Her major publication is the book _How to Be South Asian in America: Narratives of Ambivalence and Belonging_ (Temple University Press 2011), which investigates storytelling and politics, the American Dream, gender, and racial economics. Even while continuing to teach in the Pitt program for Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies, anu has taken on more collaborative community organizing and public humanities initiatives, partnering with diverse local groups and designing original programming such as Color Me Pgh, Scholars at Large, and 12×12: Connecting Pittsburgh to the World. In Fall 2017, she also became the inaugural Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission in the City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office.

Erica Peterson

Erica Peterson is the Founder of Moms Can: Code, an online community for current and future moms who code. Erica is very passionate about exposing women and children to STEM. Erica was recently selected as a member of The Incline’s Who’s Next: Education class for her work as Founder & Board President of Science Tots, a local nonprofit organization that connects families with the tools and instruction to power early childhood STEAM learning. Erica holds a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science & Nutrition from West Virginia University.

Erin Drischler

Erin is an advocate for eating disorder recovery, co-founding The Garment Project, a nonprofit organization that empowers women in recovery through sizeless clothing. Erin is also a strong supporter of eating disorder recovery, having personally struggled with multiple eating disorders. She has been in recovery for three years and aims to help others listen to their healthy selves.

Jordan Tomb

Jordan is an advocate for eating disorder recovery, co-founding The Garment Project, a nonprofit organization that empowers women in recovery through sizeless clothing. Jordan is a freelance video editor and musician and became a part of her support system and learned about the struggles of having a loved one dealing with an eating disorder.

Julie Strickland-Gilliard

Julie is Community Partners Program Manager of Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based medical relief and development organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and improving health in resource-poor communities. Julie is a community-focused change agent with over 10 years of cross-functional experience in organizational development within the social impact sector through planning, targeted communication, partnerships, and resource optimization.

Maranie Staab

Maranie Staab is a Pittsburgh-based, independent photographer and journalist working to document human rights and social justice issues, displacement and the periphery of conflict -- how violence and war affects individuals and societies. her work focuses on people and especially those in marginalized parts of society — whether domestically or abroad. she photographs with the aspiration to dispel misconceptions, to underline the common humanity that unites us all, and to further understanding of a world outside of our own. to date, her work has taken her throughout eastern and western europe, africa and the middle east. maranie has been published in Esquire, CNN, Huffington Post, Mashable, Rudaw and works regularly with numerous [pittsburgh] area newspapers and magazines.

Sandra Gould Ford

Sandra Gould Ford is an artist and educator in Pittsburgh, PA. One of her many achievements was starting a creative writing program at the Allegheny County Jail. In this interview she reviews her experience in this work and uncovers what else students learn along the way. A former student, Eric Boyd, also takes the stage to read a short piece of his work. Interview by Michelle King.