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).

The Mill Auditorium (Theatre N).
1007 N. Orange Street
Wilmington, Delaware, 19801
United States

Alexia Vernon

Speaking Coach

Branded a “Moxie Maven” by the White House Office of Public Engagement, Alexia Vernon has dedicated her life to empowering women to speak with moxie on stage, at work and in their personal lives. As a speaking coach, she leads the Spotlight Speakers Collective, numerous virtual speaking training programs, and she consults with companies looking to develop a strong female leadership pipeline. Alexia has inspired many audiences: Fortune 500 companies like Zappos and MGM Resorts, associations like INBOUND and the National Association of REALTORS®, and she had the honor of addressing the UN during the Commission on the Status of Women. Her book Step into Your Moxie will be published by New World Library (Fall 2018).

Allison Ford

Writer & Yoga Instructor

Allison Koenig-Ford was a high school teacher who wanted to make a difference beyond the four walls of her classroom. After sixteen years teaching, and having two children of her own, she decided to change careers and speak on a message she felt was not being fully addressed. The message of teaching self-reliance to our children, and living the testimony of fulfillment. She is a writer, speaker, and yoga instructor. She brings all that she has learned inside of the classroom, on the mat, and within her Teen Forums to any platform she can. She has been featured in Healthy Intent Magazine, MINT: Media Impact and Navigation for Teens, The Women’s Empower Expo, Pivot and Pitch: Youth Entrepreneurs, and more.

Andrea Tinianow

Connector in Chief

Andrea Tinianow creates opportunities at the nexus of law, business, and technology at the highest levels, both domestically and internationally. Andrea is the founding director of Global Delaware, the State’s first international business brand. She conceived the Delaware Blockchain Initiative, launched by then-Governor Markell, to spur blockchain innovation in the State, and she directs the Initiative. Andrea recently developed Connector Street, a fun, new app to make connections – social, romantic or business – quickly, easily and securely, and she serves as its Connector in Chief. Andrea received her undergraduate degree from Brown University. She lives in Wilmington with her husband and three children.

Anna Gatmon

Fashion Model, Educator & Author

Anna Gatmon, PhD, comes from an eclectic background that spans the USA, Israel, Sweden and France. Her rich life journey has included careers as a fashion model, an educator and a counselor. Anna holds a Doctoral degree in Transformative Learning from the California Institute for Integral Studies. She is devoted to empowering people to transcend their personal and cultural suffering by living in spiritual and material harmony as the means to planetary healing and wholeness. Anna lives with her family in Sonoma County, California.

Annie White

Top 25 Dating Coach & Relationship Expert

Annie White is a Top 25 Dating Coach and Relationship Expert in the country due to her successes in coaching dozens of women to marriage, engagement and relationships. She is an expert contributor on FOX News where she provides skillful dating and relationship advice. She’s been featured in The Philadelphia Daily News for her expertise in helping women find the perfect partner. And she’s on a national tour teaching women how to get the partner and relationship they’ve always wanted.

Brenda Kline Reynolds

Business & Change Management Consultant

Brenda is a sought-after business and change management consultant, coach, and facilitator who has advised hundreds of major corporations, nonprofits and organizations for over 20 years on how to manage the people side of change. Her clients include McDonald’s, Special Olympics, Sherwin Williams, and the Nemours Pediatric Health System. Brenda is a “now what?” expert and author of TBD-To Be Determined: Leading with Clarity and Confidence in Uncertain Times. She’s also the creator of the “Now What?” Transformation™ Clarity Card Deck, a tool for anyone wanting to move through a life or business transition meaningfully, mindfully, and positively. Brenda is a Vistage presenter and keynote speaker whose passion is helping others turn their uncertainties and “now what?” into “why not!”

Christy Whitman

New York Times Best-selling Author

Christy Whitman is a Transformational Leader, Celebrity Coach and the New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Having It All. She has appeared on The Today Show and The Morning Show and her work has been featured in People Magazine, Seventeen, Woman’s Day, and Teen Vogue, among others. Christy is the CEO and founder of the Quantum Success Learning Academy & Quantum Success Coaching Academy, a 12-month Law of Attraction coaching certification program. Christy has helped thousands of people worldwide to achieve their goals through her empowerment seminars, speeches, and coaching sessions and products. Christy’s life-changing message reaches over 200,000 people a month. She lives in Montreal with her husband, Frederic, and their two boys, Alexander and Maxim.

Cindy Bo

Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Nemour's Children's Health System

Ms. Cindy Bo has worked in healthcare strategy for over 20 years. She is named by the Becker's Hospital Review in 2016 and 2015 as one of the top 130 women hospital and health system leaders to know in the United States. Currently, she is the Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer for Nemours Children’s Health System, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. At Nemours, she manages the strategies and business development in support of new growth in the Delaware Valley. Cindy is a Malcolm Baldrige Executive Fellow. She is also currently serving on several distinguished Boards: Clinic for Special Children; the American Lung Association for the Mid-Atlantic; and the Delaware Center for Health Innovation. Cindy has earned her MBA, with high distinction and honors, from Columbia Business School and her BS, summa cum laude, from Binghamton University School of Management.

Dana Dobson

Public Relations Consultant and Writer

Dana Dobson is an award-winning public relations consultant, speaker, author, workshop leader, ghostwriter and TEDx speaker coach with 30 years of experience working with both Fortune 500 companies and small businesses to solve their two biggest marketing challenges — how to get the word out, and how to bring the leads in. The author of, “How to Reach Millions with Artful PR,” and the founder of Dana Dobson Public Relations, Dana excels at establishing meaningful relationships on behalf of her clients with the media and key stakeholders. She coaches her clients to hone their media relations skills, and assists with the creation and distribution of value-laden content (such as books, white papers and blogs) to build reputable brands and loyal audiences.

Daniel Z. Lieberman

Psychiatrist, George Washington University

In 1996 Dr. Daniel Lieberman joined the faculty at George Washington University, where he treated patients with a variety of psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia, addictions, and bipolar disorder. Oddly enough, despite being distinct illnesses, each one is characterized by overactivity of the same brain chemical: dopamine. Dan also learned that highly dopaminergic people without mental illness are often different from the general population. These special people are more likely to become artists, actors, and entrepreneurs. How can dopamine be associated with such a broad range of characteristics, from mental illness to creativity? Dan’s research into this question uncovered a web of connections that included such far-flung topics as love, sex, genius, greed, and even the genetic roots of political ideology.

Darnyelle Jervey Harmon

Founder, Incredible Ones Enterprises, LLC

Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA is the award-winning CEO of Incredible One Enterprises, LLC a business growth strategy consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs and business owners connect messaging and marketing to sales, systems and profitability so that they build a business that serves then financially and spiritually. She is an author, speaker and strategist committed to helping others profitably impact the world. Jervey is the best selling author of 7 books, including Burn the Box: Fire Starter Strategies to Stand Up, Step Up and Ignite Success and has been featured in Black Enterprise, Success, Essence and O Magazines.

Diana Simone

Founder, Amber Alert

Diana Simone planted the seed that grew into one of the most successful grass roots movements in the history of this country. In response to a local tragedy, Diana had an idea and then took inspired action to share her idea with the people capable of implementing it. The results were the beginning of “ Amber's Plan” , later to known as the Amber Alert. To date , the Amber Alert has been directly responsible for the rescue and safe return of 881 abducted children in this country alone ( 6/26/17 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ). It has now spread to 22 other countries world-wide !

Dr. Joan DelFattore

Professor Emeritus, University of Delaware

Joan DelFattore was a professor of English and legal studies at the University of Delaware from 1979 until 2014. She holds a Ph.D. in English and an M.S. in clinical psychology from Penn State University. Her work on freedom of expression, including three books published by Yale University Press, has won numerous awards. She has appeared on dozens of talk shows, notably 20/20, Radio Times, Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation, and the Diane Rehm Show. Her recent publications focus on living single by choice in a couples-oriented culture, including dealing with serious illness without a partner. Her essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Herald Tribune, Psychology Today, Psych Central, and KevinMD.

Dr. Rose G. Maina

Author & Storyteller

From the time Dr. Rose Maina was an infant, she was sexually abused by the woman who raised her in East Africa. Hon. Maxine Waters hired Rose to create a Watts based Afterschool program that the LA Angeles Times called ‘her brainchild’ right after the Rodney King Riots. For 30 years Rose has advocated for the end of sexual child abuse. CBS and Fox News have showcased her work as an Advocate, Child Development and Early Childhood Educator. Her international bestselling book, The Book of Rose: Rituals of Self- Empowerment details how she survived sex abuse and how to survive and come out stronger from ANY obstacle.

Ellen Moyer

Founder, Greenvironment LLC

Ellen Moyer’s mission is to help restore the environment and promote a healthier way for us to inhabit the Earth. With a B.A. in anthropology, an M.S. in environmental engineering, a Ph.D. in civil engineering, and 30 years of consulting experience, Dr. Moyer is a registered professional engineer and a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional. She helps government agencies and Fortune 500 companies clean up hazardous waste sites, prevent environmental damage, analyze impacts, and provide educational outreach. Dr. Moyer is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, and her third book, Our Earth, Our Species, Our Selves: How to Thrive While Creating a Sustainable World, inspires readers to upgrade to a high-tech and high-nature way of life.

Erik Younger

Founder, Vetitation (Operation PTSD)

When Erik Younger returned from combat, he thought he knew what the enemy looked like. But returning to civilian life held life-threatening perils of its own. Erik began experiencing chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, nightmares, hypervigilance, insomnia and depression along with other symptoms frustrating him and his doctors. In 2014, Erik was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which has no cure. Roughly 22 veterans commit suicide every day and veterans make up 18% of the suicides in the US though they are only 8.5% of the population. Looking to provide hope and help for fellow soldiers suffering from PTSD, Erik founded Vetitation, a focused training program teaching veterans how to meditate. Pursuit of a daily meditation practice has provided Erik with release from the intense symptoms he experiences and he believes it can bring others dealing with traumatic stress happier, healthier lives.

Gabriela Pereira

Founder, DIYMFA.com

Gabriela Pereira is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School and teaches at national conferences, regional workshops, and online. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and she is the author of the book DIY MFA: WRITE WITH FOCUS, READ WITH PURPOSE, BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY (Writer’s Digest Books, 2016).

Jennifer Myers

Prison Coach & Advocate

Jennifer is an author, speaker, and federal prison coach whose fervent desire is to bring an end to our country’s mass incarceration problem, and to find alternatives to imprisonment. Her passion to be an advocate for women in prison and youth with incarcerated parents led Jennifer to co-found R.I.S.E. to Empower, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls and women to make positive choices. Their work with at-risk, teen girls led to their program being accepted into San Diego U.S. Federal Probation’s reentry initiative, where they facilitate high-risk women recently released from Federal Prison.

Joan Ranquet

Animal Communicator

Joan Ranquet, she is an animal communicator, International speaker, and author of Energy Healing for Animals, A Hands-On Guide for Enhancing the Health, Longevity & Happiness of Your Pets (Sounds True) and Communication with all Life, Revelations of an Animal Communicator (Hay House). Most recently, she is a contributor to The Dharma of Dogs (Sounds True). Joan is the founder of Communication with all Life University, a certification program for animal communicators and energy healers for animals. Joan also takes people on animal communication/wildlife eco-trips.

Joy McBrien

Founder and CEO of Fair Anita

Joy McBrien is a global learner who is passionate about creating opportunities for women and girls. She is the Founder and CEO of Fair Anita, a social enterprise that strives to build a more inclusive economy for women by providing economic opportunity and dignified jobs through beautiful fair trade jewelry and accessories. She has worked with thousands of women around the world, using her empathetic nature to understand circumstances and develop creative solutions, including having built a battered women’s shelter in Peru and working at a girl-focused middle school in St. Paul. Joy has been recognized for this leadership, awards include: Top Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans 2015, Open Hands Initiative Fellow 2016, Minnesota Business Magazine’s 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35, and the Real Power 50 Award. Joy is part of the Global Shapers community, and was chosen to represent women’s issues at the World Economic Forum’s conference on Overcoming Social and Economic Exclusion with the Pope.

Joyce Tannian

Founder, Water is Life Kenya

Joyce Tannian is Founder of Water is Life Kenya, (WILK) a DE non-profit organization. While working as a volunteer in Kenya in 2006, Joyce saw the glaring need for clean, accessible, dependable water in rural communities in southern Kenya. Water is Life Kenya’s 16 major water projects provide water to nearly 50,000, transforming the lives of women, men and children. An innovator and creator, Joyce and her team developed WILK’s Livestock as a Business program, which increases incomes by training farmers in improved livestock keeping. Higher incomes, along with effective local water management committees trained by WILK, ensure consistent water supply. Water is Life Kenya’s Fair Trade Certified beaded handicrafts business brings income to dozens of families, while profits fund WILK’s clean water projects. Before the “Kenyan Chapter” of Joyce’s life, she worked at HBO in New York while pursuing a freelance singing career, performing in opera, oratorio and recitals.

Kalliope Barlis

America's #1 Phobia Relief Expert

Phobia Relief Expert Kalliope Barlis has helped thousands of people overcome their fears and bad memories to gain more freedom and be better people themselves—as partners, parents, students, athletes, workers, and more. Her national bestseller, Play Golf Better Faster: From Weekend Golfer to Pro Golfer in Two Years, guides players into optimizing their golf game dramatically in a short amount of time, using the same skills she used to become a professional golfer. Over the past twenty years of perfecting her skills, Kalliope has helped thousands of people gain freedom from their fears and bad memories. Her newest book, Phobia Relief: From Fear to Freedom, reached international bestseller status. She has demonstrated on major media outlets how she enhances people’s lives, quickly. Most, if not all, who have been touched by Kalliope’s skills instantly express greater well-being. Through training others in her personal/professional development seminars (which include high-level, ethical

KK Hart

TV Fitness & Business Expert

KK Hart has a Master's degree in Health and Business. With extensive experience as an international TV expert and public speaker, KK is a proud owner/operator of 4 fitness studios, a luxury beauty bar, and CEO of a boutique marketing agency that specializes in the health and fitness industry. Regularly featured on Fox and in media such as The Huffington Post, KK has over a decade of experience helping businesses grow and thrive. KK believes success in both fitness and business can be achievable for everyone. She is the author of F-IT: Screw the basics, Life Hacks to get your FIT together- a book that chronicles her rise to success and millions- all under the age of 30!

Madi Still

Founder, Still Prep'n 24/7

Madi Still, the woman behind Still PREP’n 24/7, started her journey into discovering her power nearly a decade ago when she survived the death of her two-day old son Noah. By choosing to persist past pain, she managed to tap into her life’s mission and purpose to Positively Restore and Empower People (PREP). Former public school teacher turned full-time “MomPreneur,” Madi combines her passion for teaching with her desire to be a force for positive change in the world by forging empowering relationships with countless other like-minded people. She is an advocate for health on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, which she shares via Madi TV, through blog articles, speaking engagements and across multiple social media platforms.

Maureen B. Rabotin

Founding Director, Effective Global Leadership

Maureen Bridget Rabotin, founding director of Effective Global Leadership, is passionate about Cultural and Emotional Intelligence. After several years of managing multicultural teams across languages and time zones, Maureen left her corporate position to become an Intercultural Training Consultant and in 2006, pursued studies in Executive Coaching. Today, she is an enthusiastic and energetic ICF and Gallup Strengths © certified Global Executive Coach, instructor at Sciences Po (Paris, France), author and keynote speaker. Maureen divides her time between France and USA. She invites her clients to reflect on two questions: “What needs to shift in me to bring out the best in others?” and “How can we build bridges across cultural, linguistic, generational and gender divides?”

Mitchell Walker

Founder, The Pouch Plan

Mitchell Walker’s financial experience spans 25 years and covers working with the public to being the CFO of a Berkshire Hathaway company. He has owned 5 businesses, served as the CFO of a community college and as a County Commissioner and City Councilman. The PouchPlan was developed based on his expertise, but more importantly, was put to the test and proven by Mitchell and his wife Suzanne over 20 plus years as they raised their blended family of seven. Mitchell and Suzanne moved their personal finances from Ouch to Pouch. His passion is sharing how with others. He likes to say “If you do money right, life gets easier. You do money wrong, life gets harder”.

Ria Story

Co-Founder, Top Story Leadership

Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Ria learned to be resilient, not only surviving, but thriving. She worked her way through college, earning her MBA with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, and had a successful career in the corporate world of administrative healthcare. Today, Ria is a motivational leadership speaker and author of 9 books. Ria and her husband, Mack Story, co-founded Top Story Leadership which offers motivational speaking, leadership training, coaching, and consulting.

Rita Chang

Founder & CEO, Thimble

After witnessing poor working conditions at textile factory tours in Asia, Rita created her own major in "Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry" at the University of Delaware. She then moved to Taiwan for Nike's Sustainable Manufacturing & Sourcing team, where she led the introduction of the Nike Materials Sustainability Index to global teams and 1000+ suppliers. She recently earned her Wharton MBA in “Strategy and Management of Global Supply Chains.” During her Under Armour MBA internship, she further developed the sustainability strategy for material suppliers. Rita is now the founder of Thimble, which connects fashion designers to consumers who want to repair, redesign, or custom design clothes. While Thimble modernizes the tailoring industry, its mission is to slow down the negative impacts of fast fashion and excessive consumption.

Rita S Wilkins

Interior Designer

For over 40 years, Rita and her team have been improving the lives of thousands of clients through interior design, implementing projects throughout the United States. A graduate of University of Rhode Island, she attended Rhode Island School of Design and North Carolina. Rita has received numerous design awards, been published in national publications and is writing a book: Design as A Business Strategy. An expert and thought leader in her field, she is a sought-after speaker and coach on lifestyle planning. Having recently downsized herself from a 5,000sq.ft. home to an 867sq.ft. apartment in Philadelphia, she designed a life that she loves – living abundantly with less.

Sarah E. Brown

Author, Speaker, & Founder of BookofYou.com

Sarah E. Brown, Ph. D. is leading the charge to revolutionize the self-help industry through the power of personalization. An expert on using the results of personality assessments and the author of the Book of You™, available at www.bookofyou.com, she has created a way to generate a completely personalized book for each reader based upon the results of a quick, but world-renowned, personality assessment. Other books include "Let Your Personality be your Career Guide" and the best-selling "The Road to Success," co-written with New York Times Best Selling Author Jack Canfield, originator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul®" series. A retired Accenture Managing Director with a Ph. D. in PsychoEducational Processes, she has 15 years of Talent Management experience.

Sheryl Ziegler

Psychologisy & Author, Mommy Burnout

Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, is a Doctor of Psychology specializing in children and families who founded a group private practice over a decade ago in Denver, Colorado. Over the course of her practice, Dr. Ziegler has led thousands of face-to-face sessions focused on burnout in motherhood and its related issues, including anxiety, depression, and divorce. Dr. Ziegler is a familiar face on television, with appearances on both local and national news media outlets as the “go-to” family and parenting expert. In January 2018, Dr. Ziegler’s book, Mommy Burnout: How Addressing Yours Will Make You a Better Mother and Create a Better Life for Your Children (Dey Street Books) debuts.

Tamsen Webster

Executive Producer, TEDxCambridge

Part "idea whisperer," part message strategist, and part presentation coach, Tamsen Webster helps people and organizations like Verizon, State Street Bank, Ericsson, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney find and communicate the power of their ideas. She is the Executive Producer of TEDxCambridge, one of the oldest and largest locally organized “TED talk” events in the world. In former lives, she worked in both agencies and at nonprofits heading up brand, marketing, and fundraising communication strategy, along with a brief but enduring turn as a change management consultant. She was a reluctant marathoner...twice; is a winning ballroom dancer (in her mind); and everything she knows about people, speaking, and change, she learned at Weight Watchers. True story.

Tanya Barnett

Author & Talk Show Host

Air force Veteran, Tanya Barnett is a marriage advocate, talk show host and the “Real” Wife Coach. Her Award-Winning Author of Being a Wife Just Got Real caused her to create the Real Wife Movement™, which equip women with tools for creating strong marriages and families. Through her weekly talks show, The Tanya Barnett Show, she provides impactful information to empower women to live life to their fullest potential in their relationships and in their businesses. Tanya founded Forever Free Books, a mobile literacy nonprofit, which delivers free books to low-income children in their communities. She’s a 2x marathoner/2x triathlete and a book lover. She’s a wife and mom.

Tonya Fitzpatrick

Lawyer, Travel Journalist, Founder of World Footprints

Tonya Fitzpatrick is a lawyer, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at US Dept. of Education (White House appointee), TEDx and international speaker, author, award-winning travel journalist and global citizen. Through her company, World Footprints (http://WorldFootprints.com), Tonya offers powerful storytelling from the heart that shares our beautiful world, our common humanity and inspires socially minded travel.

Victoria Schmidt

Author, Victoria's 95 Secrets to Happy, Healthy, and Long Life

Victoria D. Schmidt enjoyed an exciting, diverse career during which she garnered numerous coveted awards Now, she is an author of four books, a career/life coach and a speaker with a. mission to help others. She has made presentations throughout her working life and now travels the East coast delivering motivational talks at conferences, corporations, associations and universities. Victoria began working as a helper in a bed and breakfast inn during the depression when she was twelve for ten cents an hour. After graduating from Douglass College in 1942 she launched her career in fashion, journalism, public relations, business and government. She began as a model, was teen fashion director at Macy’s, a fashion editor for Woman’s Day and an account executive at a NYC international public relations firm. She spent twenty-two years operating her own ad/pr firm. She also was Director of Travel and Tourism for New Jersey, responsible for the state’s most popular slogan.

Yolanda Schlabach

Founder & Executive Director of Zoë Ministries

Yolanda is a Registered Nurse. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Regent University in 2004 and graduated in 2014 from Liberty University with a Master’s in Human Services & Counseling. Yolanda attended the University of Maryland, earning a Certificate in Working with Survivors of Violence, Trauma and Torture. Yolanda is a member of Delaware’s Human Trafficking Coordinating Council and Co-Chair of the Victim Services Committee. Yolanda has served as Executive Director of Zoë Ministries, Inc. since 2012, when the organization received 501©3 status. For the past few years, she has spent her time engaged in public awareness and professional education to bring the reality of human trafficking to the forefront in Delaware. This is her second TEDx talk on the subject.