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).

Narrows Center for the Arts
16 ANAWAN STREET
Fall River, Massachusetts, 02721
United States

Bojidar Yanev

Man of Bridges

Research and Academic Interests Over the last 30 years B. Yanev has been very active in the areas of dynamic analysis and design of structures, bridge design, inspection and management. Degrees Civil Engineer, University of Sofia, Bulgaria (1970) M.S. (1973), Eng. SC. D. (1976) Columbia University, Department of Civil Engineering Business Certificate (1986) Baruch College, New York City. Professional Service (or Memberships and Affiliations) Yanev is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the States of New York and California. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committees on Bridge Maintenance and Seismic Design and chaired Subcommittee 35(1) on Bridge Security and Safety. Honors and Awards Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesics, Yanev has published over 60 articles in engineering magazines and journals.

Brian Glyn Williams

Taliban-Killing Mongol Warlord

Brian Glyn Williams is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and he has carried out fieldwork in war zones ranging from Kosovo to the Himalayan battlefields of Kashmir, India. Most recently he has been to Iraq where he joined a small team that bought a Yazidi slave girl from an ISIS commander in besieged Mosul and helped reunite her with her family. Dr. Williams has written seven books on warfare, terrorism, drones and ethnic groups in Eurasia including Counter Jihad. The American Military Experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria which was endorsed by former CIA director General David Petraeus.

Chris Herren

Wellness Advocate

Chris Herren was a basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts who scored over 2,000 career points while at Durfee High School and was named to the 1994 McDonald's All-American team. Herren realized his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA when he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and then traded to his hometown Boston Celtics in 2000. Herren struggled with substance use for much of his basketball career. Alcohol and drug-free since August 1, 2008, he chronicled his journey to recovery in his memoir, Basketball Junkie, as well as in the Emmy nominated ESPN Films documentary Unguarded, of which he is the subject.

Corey Nuffer

Science Boozer

I grew up on a dairy farm in very rural Minnesota—36 people in my grade. I was in FFA, bottle-fed calves before and after school. I remember sneaking tastes of dirt, dog food, cow corn…anything at different times in my early childhood. While a bio major, I waited tables at an Italian restaurant. Closed in the afternoons, they’d let me not taste but smell different wines before my shift. Armed with an aroma wheel and curious, wise teachers, I got good. Eventually majoring in philosophy/religion, I kept up with the wine. For the past five years, I’ve worked at one vineyard with just 22 wines. I’ve enjoyed something most wine professionals do not: constraint; instead of trying to know many wines, over and over I get to know everything grown and made within one vineyard very well. From tank to bottle shock to when they’re peaking to their twilight days, open too many days, served too warm and too cold, I know these wines.

Dwayne Keys

People’s Statesman

Dwayne Keys is a Community Activist with over 14 years advocating on behalf of marginalized & disadvantaged communities. Dwayne has been involved in various community & volunteer organizations such the RI Young Professionals, Urban League, & NAACP, & has participated with many groups to address challenges with housing, urban planning, & economic development on both state and local levels in RI. Currently Dwayne serves as Chairperson of the South Providence Neighborhood Association (SPNA), leading efforts to provide public forums where all South Providence residents may have direct input in the decisions that shape the future of the neighborhood. He also recently ran for elected office in the RI General Assembly.

Ellie Bassick

Freedom Catalyst

Best-selling author and internationally known speaker, Ellie Bassick-Trovato was a 7th grade English teacher in a small town south of Boston when she heard the devastating news. Her husband, John, the father of their 1-year-old son Ben, had an inoperable brain tumor. In that moment, Ellie was thrown into a journey of transformation she had never bargained for. The shock, pain and emotional disruption of her husband’s diagnosis forced her to confront and overcome her deepest fears. And in this process, instead of endless suffering, she discovered unexpected gifts. She emerged from this journey with a newfound strength, freedom and faith - and a sense of purpose: to turn and help other women who are struggling to find freedom and purpose in their own lives.

Erica Laros

Word Maven

Erica Laros is an obituary writer, attorney, and activist; her writing has appeared in the New York Times. In her quest to find meaning in death, Erica Laros began writing meaningful accounts of people’s lives.

Frank Mruk

Agent Provocateur

Frank Mruk is a frequent strategist and trusted advisor to Wall Street, Hollywood, government, education, and nonprofits. Frank has the unique honor of being the only individual to be awarded a fellowship by both the American Institute of Architects and the Strategic Planning Society. He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, the NY School of Visual Arts, the Parsons School of Design, New York University, the Rhode Island Office of Innovation, and the New York Institute of Technology, where he also served as associate dean for the School of Architecture and Design. He has also been an invited lecturer at universities in England, Chile, Israel, UAE, China, India, and at events around the world including TEDGlobal (Oxford), City Move (Sweden), Sustainable Megacities (Beijing), Humanizing a Metropolis (Mumbai) and Luz 2.0 at the 2014 Burning Man festival in Nevada. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute and Oxford University.

John Davis

Piano Appropriator

John Davis has excavated and disseminated a previously-unacknowledged African American roots music. In addition to his frequent concerts in the United States and abroad, he is most associated with three seminal Newport Classic recordings: John Davis Plays Blind Tom; Marshfield Tornado: John Davis Plays Blind Boone; and Halley’s Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain & John Davis. In 2017, his personal archive became the basis for Bamboula! Black Music Before the Blues, the exhibition of early printed musical African Americana he curated at Brown University. Davis’ cutting-edge career has been featured on CNN; CNN-International; ABC Radio National (Australia); the BBC World News; NPR’s All Things Considered, Performance Today, and On Point; PBS’ Life 360; The Today Show on NBC, ABC’s Good Morning America; and ABC’s Nightline Up-Close. He has also been profiled in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Oxford American, The Independent (London), and Scientific American.

Mary Brimer

Brutally Honest

Mary Brimer consults regularly with clients and prospects on a variety of topics to help create financial strategies and assurance. Mary’s clientele includes but is not limited to Legal, Medical, and Construction Professionals. Mary has more than a decade of advisory experience in economic extremes and stock market volatility. Mary believes that $1 invested in the right place can do the work of $4 invested in the wrong place. Her passion is showing clients how to pay taxes on their income just once, and teach them how to accumulate wealth safely and efficiently. Mary attended the University of Maryland, University College and The American College of Financial Services where she earned Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and hosting dinner parties with clients and friends.

Medina (Franallen Acosta)

American Rapper

Medina is a musician and filmmaker who creates work that embraces culture. His work looks to empower people pass their obstacles. His films and music discuss topics of persistence, the latinx experience, and finding your voice.

Nadia Washington

Soulful Singer/Songwriter

Nadia Washington is a singer songwriter hailing from Dallas, Texas who has shared the stage with esteemed artist such as Esperanza Spalding, Lalah Hathaway and George Duke And recently received a Grammy for her work as a singer, writer and arranger for Dianne Reeves’ Beautiful Life Album in 2015. Her musical roots are heavily steeped in Jazz, R&B and gospel. Nadia was fortunate to attend the prestigious high School Booker T Washington of the performing and visual arts and was awarded the presidential scholarship at Berklee college of Music While she is creating her debut album as a solo artist, she awaits the release of the Blue Note compilation CD, Supreme Sonacy on which she is writer and performer along side Ray Angry of the Roots and Kendra Foster of Parliament-Funkadelic and D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. Nadia’s sound is a blend of Jazz, Soul, R&B, and World Music. Follow her as she embarks on a very promising and long-lasting career

Ozge Ertoptamis

Protégé Negotiator

Born in Izmit, Turkey in 1980, Ozge Ertoptamis commenced her college studies at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, in the field of architecture. She studied Industrial Design at METU and after working at several architectural offices, In 2010, she joined Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA). Ever since she has led many significant projects in the firm’s portfolio such as the St Regis Istanbul, Prague Turkish Embassy, METU Research Center, as well as the design of the Musibet exhibition curated by Emre Arolat at the 1st Istanbul Design Biennale. Known as a team leader who is involved in every stages of design, her work at Emre Arolat experiments with new spatial concepts from the urban scale to interiors and furniture. Upon its establishment in 2017, she is assigned as the Director and Lead Design Architect of EAA Studio New York where she continues her studies and work.

Patricia Raskin

Aging Anomaly

Patricia Raskin is a nationally recognized, media host and award-winning radio producer and business owner. For over nearly four decades Patricia has been a pioneer for positive media messaging. Patricia has given voice through the airwaves to help people turn their problems into solutions and make their dreams come true. Patricia’s programs have aired on Fox, PBS, NPR and Cumulus affiliates and her internet podcast program, The Patricia Raskin Positive Living Show, is currently heard on VoiceAmerica.com and iTunes. Patricia recently worked with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Age- Friendly Rhode Island to create programs and seminars on healthy aging. She is currently producing and hosting a pilot program for Rhode Island Public Television entitled “Positive Aging." Patricia interviews include Maya Angelou, Marianne Williamson, Jane Seymour, Jack Canfield, Dr. Memhet Oz, Joan Lunden. Patricia is a recipient of the 2015 Rhode Island Small Business Administration Award.

Sonia Bettencourt

Fado Singer

Sonia Bettencourt, a Luso American fado singer, was born in East Timor and moved to Portugal at an early age before coming to the United States. Born to a musically talented family, Sonia Bettencourt began singing as a little girl. An avid admirer of world renowned fado singer Amália Rodrigues, Sonia dreamed of singing fado. Her opportunity came up in 2014 when she was encouraged to sing at a fado event along with other fado singers. Sonia Bettencourt has since performed at numerous fado events throughout the Northeast United States and some of her listeners lovingly refer to her as the "Amalia of America. On April of 2018, her original fado ( Fado Meu) wins the prize of " Best Fado Performance 2018") at the IPMA ( International Portuguese Music Awards).

Tracey Powell

Generous Minimalist

Tracey has spent most of her life living “tiny”, and recently her passion has evolved into a mission: inspire society to live simply, safely, and sustainably. She designed and built her own “tiny house” in collaboration with 30+ engineers and building experts, in order to propose best practices and precautions for compact communities, with fixed or portable homes. After two decades of professional experience within all realms of the construction industry, Tracey attests that the most important things we build are ‘Relationships’. Her “advocacy” work includes supporting ‘Developers’ with master planning, land development, municipal approvals, design-build, real estate acquisition and sales. Her “advisory” work includes mentoring ‘Homeowners’ from downsizing and design to legalities and lifestyle. Tracey hopes that living simply by example will influence others to fulfill their dreams.