Theme: Be the Change

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).

Adelphi University Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, Westermann Stage
1 South Avenue
Garden City, New York, 115303
United States

Anthony Guerne

Anthony Guerne began his career in medicine in 1990 as an emergency medical technician. In 1994 he became a paramedic and began working in the City of New York. After almost 20 years as a clinician he took a full-time educational role as the simulation specialist at the NYIT-College of Osteopathic Medicine. Anthony completed a Master's degree in Medical/Healthcare Simulation. He is now the Simulation Center Technologist for the Adelphi University College of Nursing and Public Health. Still a practicing paramedic, he works for different volunteer fire departments on Long Island as a paid first responder. He lives in Northport, New York with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children Abigail and Anthony. In his free time, he enjoys golf and spending as much time as possible with his family.

Benjamin Dynkin

Benjamin Dynkin, JD, has spent his career working to help defend the United States and its businesses from cyber threats. He has championed the cause of raising awareness of cybersecurity for a variety of audiences, ranging from Federal officials to small mom and pop shops. He combines his technical and legal background to develop solutions and policy prescriptions that work. Benjamin is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the American Cybersecurity Institute. He is also the Co-Founder of Atlas Cybersecurity. Prior to that, he was a Senior Analyst at Law & Forensics and the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and Cyber Warfare, the nation's preeminent legal publication on cyber warfare. In his capacity as Executive Director of the American Cybersecurity Institute, he has worked with federal lawmakers to develop policy and law on a variety of cybersecurity and cyber warfare related topics. In his work with Atlas Cybersecurity, a cybersecurity start-up on Long Island, Benjamin is able to work with regional businesses to bring high caliber expertise to Long Island’s thriving small and mid-sized business community. He has authored and contributed to dozens of articles in the fields of cybersecurity, cyber warfare, digital forensics, and e-discovery, which have appeared in publications including the New York Law Journal, Corporate Counsel, The National Interest, and SC Magazine. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Beth Fiteni

Beth Fiteni is the Executive Director of Green Inside and Out, a nonprofit whose mission it is to educate on matters of toxins and environmental health. Beth has a Masters Degree in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, as well as twenty years of experience working in the environmental movement for non-profit organizations in DC and NY. She has worked at Renewable Energy Long Island, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, and Beyond Pesticides, through which she coordinated educational programs such as organic lawn care trade shows, energy policy work groups, and national conferences. She is the author of the forthcoming book, "The Green Wardrobe Guide – Finding EcoChic Fashions that Look Great and Help Save the Planet." She founded Green Inside and Out in 2011 and hosts a monthly radio show on WUSB Stony Brook University radio. Fiteni was awarded the LI Sierra Club Environmentalist of the Year in 2017, the Woman of Distinction Award by the Town of Oyster Bay in 2011, the EPA's Environmental Quality award 2010 for her work in co-creating educational materials on children’s environmental health (Ribbet.org), and the LI Business News' Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2008. Beth has served as Board member of the US Green Building Council LI Chapter, Prevention is the Cure, Slow Food North Shore, Vision LI, Friends of Huntington Farmlands and the Huntington Clean Energy Task Force. She was trained by former Vice President Al Gore in 2012 and lectures regularly all over Long Island on non-toxic, energy-efficient, green living, in both English and Spanish. She has been featured in media outlets such as News 12, Fios 1, WNBC Channel 4, Newsdayand the Long Islander.

Hannah Fons

Hannah Fons '19 was born in the cornfields of rural Iowa, and moved to New York City in 2000 to seek her fortune. She presently serves as Senior Editor at a small trade publishing company and is also a professional strength and conditioning coach at Five Points Academy in New York City. Hannah is a graduate student in the MSW program at Adelphi University's Manhattan Center, focusing on the care and concerns of LGBTQ youth in general, and transgender/gender-divergent youth in particular. Along with direct practice, she is also deeply interested in the psychospiritual history of Queer people, and exploring how mythology, folklore, and legend may be mobilized to empower Queer communities. In addition to her current work, she holds an MA in Sexuality and Gender Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Over the years, Hannah has also practiced multiple martial arts -- including muay thai, Brazilian jiujitsu, and capoeira -- and studied fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Howard Robertson

Howard Robertson retired from the New York City Department of Correction after serving 22+ years. During the course of his entire career he had care, custody, and control over some of New York's most notorious drug kingpins, murderers, and gang members. In the last three years of his career, Mr. Robertson served as a Warden on Rikers Island. Specializing in rehabilitation, Mr. Robertson received the prestigious Commissioner's award for implementing a number of programs that significantly reduced the violence at the Adolescent Detention Jail on Rikers Island. This was accomplished at a time when the aforementioned facility was considered to be one of the most violent jails in the Nation. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Airtight Solutions Inc. Mr. Robertson is now focused on keeping our youth out of gangs, away from drugs, reducing violence, and motivating them to become successful in life. To help accomplish this goal, he authored THE 411 ON BULLYING, GANGS, DRUGS, AND JAIL, a youth friendly book which addresses the social issues that are plaguing our communities. Mr. Robertson received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He attended graduate school at Long Island University and received a Master of Science degree in Education.

Janine Bradley

Janine L. Bradley was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in St. Albans, Queens, NY. She is a graduate of Jamaica High School and it was at Jamaica High School that she experienced the struggle of attending night school to recover enough credits to graduate on time with her graduating cohort. Although she thought she hated school and would never return, she learned quickly the value of having a college degree. She started her college career at CUNY York College as an Elementary Education Major, however realized that her connection and passion were geared more toward adolescents. Janine likes to jokingly say that, "life got in the way" so it took her 17 years to complete a four year degree. She actually took time off to dedicate to her husband and five children, and move successfully through the corporate world, before going back to complete her degree. Janine transferred to CUNY Queens College where she majored in English and received a Bachelor of Arts. Janine changed careers and began teaching at Uniondale High School in 2005. She received her Master of Science in Secondary Education with a concentration in English Language Arts at CUNY Queens College. And she has been at Uniondale since. In 2014 Janine was awarded the Master of Science in Educational Administration and accepted the position of Assistant Coordinator of the Uniondale Summer School Program. The following fall she accepted the position of Coordinator/Principal of the Uniondale Alternative High School Program and maintains that program while teaching during the day.

Karen Clements Roach

Karen Clements Roach knew reporting was the perfect career when it meant no longer having to explain the compulsion to approach strangers and ask them questions. She is an award winning journalist that has interviewed dignitaries, history making grandmothers, civil rights activists and danced at a Native American Pow Wow. She was honored to be part of the press contingent that welcomed President Obama and Air Force One on its maiden voyage to New York. Her work has been credited with changing the negative perception of neighborhoods in Southeast Queens. After working in journalism for 13 years, she founded the news organization, Communities of Color News. For the past three years in a row, Communities of Color News has been honored by the City of New York as a best business for Communities in Queens. It is the go-to source for community news known to have the courage to print what others will only say behind closed doors. Through its ‘Tracker’ analyses, the performance of local elected officials is highlighted and challenged and the standards of local educational institutions are revealed to the community. The news speaks with an urban perspective and a voice aimed directly at issues that affect people of color. Its goal is to keep readers active, informed and engaged. Most meaningful to Karen are the titles she holds that receive little in the way of fanfare but lots of hugs: Wife, Auntie, Daughter, Friend and Teacher.

Kaylenne Brown

Kaylenne Brown '20 is a nationally recognized authority in health education, dance fitness and plant based chef. As a plant-based advocate, Kaylenne delivers the "Health is Wealth Project" curriculum to several schools in her region with the power of aeroponics and seedlings. Along with incorporating STEM and urban agriculture into the classroom setting, Kaylenne plays an active role in training and developing rising middle schoolers to discover their "green thumb" and lead healthier lives by growing their own healthy food. In, 2015, Kaylenne was recognized for her efforts in the MSNBC Know Your Value and Grow Your Value Competition. She won a monetary prize to continue her mission in developing programs to assist youth in areas where food insecurity and food deserts continue to be a huge problem. As an experienced health educator and plant-based chef, Kaylenne speaks at schools and conferences about the key role of dietary habits in high performance and health. She is the lead instructor for the Health is Wealth Project, where she encourages children to learn, grow, and harvest their urban agriculture experiences while developing life skills and entrepreneurship. In addition, she is a Project Leader for the non-profit: Hip Hop Is Green where she coordinates plant-based "Green" dinners for the Virginia Hampton Roads Chapter. She has contributed her expertise to articles for magazines and websites, including ThinkThin®, V-WISE® (Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship), and MSNBC Know Your Value. Kaylenne is a United States Marine Corps Veteran and entrepreneur. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Dance and Theatre from Old Dominion University and is currently pursuing her Master's of Science Degree in Nutrition from Adelphi University. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach through Flexistretcher New York and Certified Plant-Based Professional through Rouxbe Culinary School.

Oscar Bruce

Oscar Bruce "Bruce" is a Long Island native and graduate of Baruch College. He majored in Public Affairs with a minor in African-American & Latino Studies. Mr. Bruce currently serves as a community organizer and workshop facilitator for The Pulse Center for Patient Safety - ASK For Your Life Campaign. He has interned at Hunger Free America and worked as a staffer in the New York State Senate. He has a passion for writing and has become a spoken word artist. His goal is to empower people to advocate for themselves to achieve better healthcare outcomes. In his spare time Bruce enjoys pursuing a healthy physical, mental, and spiritual lifestyle.

Tracy Stopler

Tracy Stopler, M.S.,R.D., is a registered dietitian, with a Master of Science in Nutrition from New York University, and the nutrition director at NUTRITION E.T.C. in Plainview, New York. Her areas of expertise include Clinical and Sports Nutrition and Mind/Body Medicine. Tracy has been an adjunct nutrition professor at Adelphi University for 20 years and has published extensively on the topic of nutrition and exercise. She earned her certificate in Clinical Training for Mind/Body Medicine from Harvard Medical School. As a pastry chef, she modifies traditional recipes for those with dietary restrictions. Tracy is passionate in her role as the Enough Abuse Campaign Coordinator at The Safe Center on Long Island. With a dedicated team of volunteers, she helps to bring child sexual abuse awareness to the public. Prior to this role, Tracy served as a volunteer SAFER Advocate (Survivor Advocate for Emergency Response) and as a child victim’s advocate, working with abused children and their non-offending family members. Tracy's favorite personal achievements have been summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro and completing her award-winning debut novel, The Ropes That Bind: Based on a True Story of Child Sexual Abuse.