Theme: Age of Amazement

TEDxWilmington is bringing an all-new type of event to Wilmington, Delaware with TEDxWilmingtonLive: Age of Amazement, on April 28, 2018!

The concept behind TEDxWilmingtonLive is to showcase a wide variety of live speakers with the addition of an entire session of brand new TED Talks streamed directly from TED2018 in Vancouver. TED2018, which is completely sold out, happens only once a year with ticket prices starting at $10,000 per ticket.TEDxWilmington is pleased to share an entire session from TED2018 at this TEDxWilmingtonLive event.

There will be three 90-minute sessions, which will include 24 speakers onstage giving TEDx talks, and one 90-minute session of TED Talk videos streamed from TED2018 in Vancouver. The sessions will be separated by 1-hour breaks and TEDxWilmington will provide lunch for VIP and Patron level ticket holders.

Come and be amazed by this wonderful infusion of TED and TEDx Talks at this all day event in the new and improved Wilmington Friends School Theater!

A detailed list of speakers, bios and talk titles will be updated periodically at www.tedxwilmington.com

Friends School
101 School House Road
Wilmington, Delaware, 19803
United States

Aaron Shepard

NASA Academy Intern

- Aaron Shepard is an incoming NASA intern with a dream that is truly out of this world: He wants to be the first minority astronaut to set foot on Mars! The most important part of his journey to space is working to change the narrative of diversity in STEM fields.

Alessandra Nicole

Photographer & Writer

- Alessandra Nicole is German-born and raised in Delaware who has been working on the east coast of the United States as a commercial photographer and writer since 2001. She attended the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia where she studied illustration, film-making, and creative writing. Many of Alessandra's essays have been published in magazines local to the northeast region of the US. Her documentary photography in NYC on September 11-12, 2001 went on national tour as part of a larger exhibit in 2002, the events of which have contributed to her compulsion to archive history and moments on a personal level using still and motion photography and writing ever since.

Allan Ting

#1 Int'l Bestselling Author, Corporate Wellness & Mindfulness Leadership Advisor

- Allan Ting is a #1 International Bestselling Author, a Keynote Speaker and a Mindfulness Leadership Strategist. He has spoken at Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Cisco, HP, UC Davis Medical Center and many other corporations on the topics of leadership and high performance. Allan has shared his inspirational messages on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and CW News across America. He is also a Tony Robbins’ Senior Leader.

Amy Ogden

SVP of Brand Development, J Public Relations

- Amy Ogden is living her dream in New York City working in luxury travel and running her personal blog. As Senior Vice President of Brand Development at J Public Relations, one of the world’s top luxury travel PR and social media agencies, Amy is part of the team leading the branding, media relations and social content for hotels and travel brands across the globe. In 2017, Amy launched her blog Sips of Sunshine. The blog is a place to share life advice, positivity and new ways of thinking.

Bonnie St. John

Founder & CEO, The Blue Circle Leadership Institute

- Bonnie St. John travels the globe as a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Fortune 500 leadership consultant, and the author of seven best-selling books including her latest, MICRO-RESILIENCE: Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, & Energy. As CEO of the Blue Circle Leadership Institute, Bonnie leads several international virtual leadership programs including Transformational Leadership – designed to address the unique challenges of multicultural women in the workplace. Bonnie graduated with honors from Harvard, earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, and served in the White House on the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. She has been featured extensively in both national and international media including: The Today Show, GMA, CNN, CBS Morning News, PBS, NPR, and The New York Times, as well as People, “O”, Essence, and Success magazines.

Chase Reid

Student, Tatnall School

- Chase Reid is both a dreamer and a creator. He is a senior at Tatnall School where he is active in all facets of the community including Science Olympiad, Model UN, and Coding Club. Chase considers himself an artist, his art being technology. First exposed to the computer at the age of 4, he began programming at the meager age of 9. Chase has authored a wide variety of software tools, ranging from applications that employ computer vision to detect facial mood and soothe emotions to products that assess breast cancer risk with deep learning. Now, he finds himself captivated by the intersection of humanity and machine intelligence and is motivated to make this hybrid a reality.

Christine Upchurch

Creator & Coach, Vibration of Change™; Host, The Christine Upchurch Show

- Christine Upchurch is the Vibration of Change™ creator and coach, a workshop leader, writer, radio talk show host, inspirational speaker, spiritual myth buster, healer, and explorer of consciousness. She has been a featured guest on radio shows across North America, and has taught thousands across the globe to tap into “something more” for the purpose of healing and transformation. On the cutting edge of what she calls the new mainstream, Christine is passionate about helping empower others to live more expansive and vibrant lives. Christine is the recipient of a 2014 Global Women's Summits/The Women's Information Network (WIN) Leadership Award. Legendary human potential leader Dr. Jean Houston calls Christine “a midwife of souls.”

Christophe Jelinski

Magician

Christophe is an entertainer. What began as a passion for theater, has grown into a passion for theater, magic, mentalism, speaking, and more. This passion for performing has recently earned him the title “D.C.’s Magician of the Year”. The moments that he spends outside of performing are filled with audiobooks, podcasts, as well as developing the business side of his career in “show business”. His greatest passions outside of performing are deeply rooted in his desire to constantly improve. Christophe lives in Northern Virginia with his family.

Dan Casey

Investment Advisor & President, Bridgeriver Advisor

- Dan is the founder of Bridgeriver Advisors, an investment advisory firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. As a best-selling author and speaker, Dan is able to speak nationwide with his no-nonsense brand of financial management. And as a pure fiduciary, he stands by his clients with a strict 'no commission' policy on all investment strategies. Dan strives to help clients reach the retirement of their dreams. He simplifies the financial landscape, so clients understand exactly where their money is and how it's effectively working for them with the lowest fees possible. It's not what you make - it's what you keep!

David Raymond

Emperor of Fun and Games, The Fun Department & Raymond Entertainment

- Moving directly from college student to campy green fur-ball, Dave Raymond pioneered the field of sports mascots with his innovative inhabitation of the world-renowned Phillie Phanatic. He was the original Phanatic, and his vision and performance skill spawned a revolution in the mascot industry. Using the Phanatic as his muse and leveraging brilliant stupidity, David created a theory called the Power of Fun® that if harnessed will make you happier, healthier and more productive. “I studied, unknowingly, under a true master of fun! The Phillie Phanatic taught me how valuable fun is and why all of us should strive to use fun as a powerful tool combat life challenges and learn how to be happier now”!

Dr. Clarence E. Davis, Ph.D.

Pastoral Counselor

- Dr. Davis experienced trauma in his young life that sent him on a 47-year quest to help victims of domestic violence. His sister committed suicide at the age of 24. He had just returned home from Vietnam and had his fill of killing and death. Being determined to know why people take their life. He started reading everything that he could and studied courses, to the extent that he graduated from Cornerstone University with a Ph.D., as a Christian Counselor. He counseled soldiers while in combat in Vietnam, practiced conflict resolution at the United States Postal Service and counseled with the Churches of Christ. Although he was not able to help his sister, he is dedicated to helping others.

Dr. Felicia Clark

Founder, Body Peace University

- Dr. Felicia Clark rediscovered life after overcoming cancer. She combined her experience as a leading math curriculum developer and top plus-size model to develop curriculum on how women gain unconditional body acceptance. She speaks on body image as a women’s rights issue. Founder of BodyPeaceUniversity.com, Dr. Clark host retreats, online classes, and a membership community: The Sisterhood of Body Peace. She trains Body Peace Ambassadors to go out and help women learn the secrets to a positive body image. Her Huffington Post blog is read internationally, and she is a frequent media guest. She enjoys travel, belly dance, crochet, twisted humor, Wonder Woman and reading data. Look for her book: “Beauty and The Beastly Standards” and her journal: “Wonderfully Made.”

Jeff Patnaude

President, The Patnaude Group

- Author of seven books on leadership and mentoring and 25 children’s books, Patnaude is a teacher, speaker, composer, business leader and Executive Mentor. Recognized as one of the pioneers in bringing together the marketplace and Spirit @Work, The Patnaude Group’s focus and professional dedication for three decades has centered on the most pressing issues facing our culture today: work/life flow, developing mentors for The Greater Good, creating healthy work environments where people thrive and teaching and coaching others toward developing them as transformational leaders. Having trained and mentored over 40,000 business leaders in multiple organizations, he has been described as “the Leonard Bernstein of leadership development” and gained an international reputation for his ability to orchestrate environments for transformation.

Jody Wood

Director, JW Actors Studio/SKIT

- Jody Wood is an established professional actor with over 30 years in the industry. He graduated with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC. Jody worked in every aspect of the business from stage to television and film to radio, industrials, voice-over for interactive video games, commercials, and print. He spent many years as a member of the Groundlings Comedy Improv Troupe. He is a former Director and Instructor and Improv Specialist at AADA NYC and long time member of Actors Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA. Jody established JW actors studio in Princeton, NJ and NYC in 2007. In 2017, he Developed SKIT™ (Special Kind of Improvisational Theater) Communication and Social Skills training for people with Special Needs.

John Livesay

Co-Founder & CMO, QuantmRE

John Livesay is known as “The Pitch Whisperer" and has appeared on TV as the expert on “How To Ask For What You Want And Get A Yes.” John is also the author of "The Successful Pitch: Conversations On Going From Invisible To Investable" and the host of “The Successful Pitch” podcast, which is heard in over 60 countries. During a 20-year career in media sales with Conde Nast, he was the recipient of salesperson of the year honors. He is currently the CMO of QuantmRE which uses the blockchain to help homeowners get cash for equity in their home. John lives in Los Angeles with his two King Charles Spaniels who remind him of the importance of belly rubs.

Kate Kirkwood

Lead Paint Expert, Author & Consultant

- Kate Kirkwood is a mother of four and lives in New Hampshire. She holds several national and state lead certifications and has formed an educational company called Lead-EDU through which she offers training for contractors, landlords, do-it-yourselfers and parents. Kate has authored a children’s’ book, "Skylar Learns About Lead Poisoning" and is currently working on a series of books to be released later this year called “lead paint clear and simple”. Her mission is to help people understand how lead paint can affect you, your family and your work environment, and help you sort through the maze of regulations to find simple solutions to stay safe and healthy.

Katherine von Duyke

Professor, Neumann University

- Katherine von Duyke, PhD is a professor and socio-cultural researcher. Her research on student agency in schooling contexts highlights the ways in which agents are in tension with, transform, and transcend situated contexts and discourses. Her experiences in education have been varied: she has been a homeschooling parent, directed a cooperative Montessori school, taught in an urban Montessori Charter school, and taught high school science. She currently teaches as a professor of education where she has been teaching math, foundations, and multicultural diversity courses.

Laura Wellington

Author & Entrepreneur, THREAD MB

- Laura J. Wellington is a successful technology entrepreneur, award-winning children’s entertainment creator, author and mom to five children. She founded THREADMB.com, where she combines interviews from celebrities and high profile mom influencers, benefiting the social causes each supports. Her most recent book, “What To Do When Jane Knows DICK About Dating” (Post Hill Press) released February 13, 2018 to wide applause. She has a children’s picture book series, “Jasper’s Giant Imagination” (4RV Publishing LLC) due to release in April 2019. She is both author and illustrator on this series. Widowed at age thirty-five, Laura is the single mom to five children. She remains a powerful advocate for children living in foster care in the United States and is a licensed foster parent.

LeslieBeth Wish

Licensed Psychotherapist, Author, & Founder, lovevictory.com

- LeslieBeth Wish, Ed.D., MA, MSS, is an award-winning psychotherapist and author, nationally honored for her pioneering research about women’s issues about love, trauma, career, and intuition. Her book "Smart Relationships" is based on research with thousands of women. She says when something “bothers” her that she cannot fully explain she does research. When a radio host asked her to give one tip to help women, she said: “Develop trust in your intuition.” So, her latest work is her intuition workshops. The National Association of Social Workers placed her on their list of the Top Fifty. She is the subject of biographical entry in many of the Marquis Who's Who Publications.

Marie White

Author, "Strength for Parents of Missing Children"

- Marie White is the author of seven books, including the award-winning #1 bestseller "Strength for Parents of Missing Children: Surviving Divorce, Abduction, Runaways and Foster Care." Marie is also a non-denominational Christian missionary, traveler, entrepreneur and reaches over half a million viewers through her YouTube channel. Marie encourages people from all walks of life, experiencing a variety of struggles, to know that life has do-overs.

Massoma Z. Alam

College Access Coordinator, TeenSHARP, AmeriCorps VISTA

- Massoma Alam is an educator, humanitarian, and a world traveler. She graduated from the State University of Buffalo with a bachelor's in Biology and Psychology. She later completed her master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Massoma did an internship at the United Nations in New York City for 2 years with the International Council of Psychologists and Department of Public Information. While at the UN, Massoma spoke as a panelist for two conferences: Psychological effects on refugees and Economic empowerment of women in the workplace. Currently, Massoma is an AmeriCorps VISTA serving at TeenSHARP, a college preparatory program, as a College Access Coordinator. She is currently living in Delaware with her husband, Dr. Omar Chohan.

Millicent St. Claire

Author & Master PhotoReading Instructor

- Millicent St. Claire is a Seasoned Inspirational Speaker, Seminar Leader, and Best Selling Author. As an Accelerated Learning & Communications Specialist, she helps audiences let go of self-limiting beliefs and behaviors and have a new experience of themselves as Life-Long Lovers of Learning. Millicent provides breakthrough and eye-opening educational programs at organizations such as the Center for Disease Control, Local Government Agencies, and Universities. Using story and metaphor, Millicent has a creative way of illustrating the challenges that all life-long learners face as we strive to be our best selves and bring out the best in others.

Olivia O'Donnell

Student, Wilmington Friends School

- Olivia O’Donnell is an avid student and devoted activist with a love for learning. She is passionate about advocating for human and animal rights. Growing up in South Jersey, she attended a small school in Bridgeton before entering 9th grade at Wilmington Friends School. In addition to pursuing a challenging academic curriculum during her middle and high school years, she was lucky enough to pursue her extracurricular passions unbridled. Whether it is developing a column on her school newspaper devoted to race relations in the U.S. and civic engagement, or funding and developing a multi-tiered, spherical urban garden to provide free and locally sourced vegetables for low-income families, she has sought to bring awareness and solutions about current injustices.

Patsie McCandless

Author, Artist, & Musician

- Patsie McCandless is a 30 year educator, lifelong artist and musician, mother and grandmother. She is the author of an uplifting children’s novel: "Becoming Jesse – celebrating the everyday magic of childhood." She exhibits her award-winning Paper Art and Miniatures at the Museum of Fine Art, in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she also lectures. Her art is featured in the permanent collection of the St. Petersburg Opera Company. McCandless is a musician and composer, playing flute for the audience of the St. Petersburg Opera, and introducing a string ensemble from the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was featured in the Tampa Bay Times, and participated in a promotional video for the Florida Orchestra, where she served on the Board of Consultants.

Paul Dixon

Publisher, Papa Lemon Children's Book Series

- Paul was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He obtained his business degree from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Paul worked 16 years for Target Stores in Merchandising, including 8 years (1994-2002), as a Toy Buyer & Sr. Buyer. In July 2004, Paul began a publishing business venture with his cousin, children’s book author Lehman Riley. They created the company Matter of Africa America Time Corp. in order to publish a series book featuring their grandfather titled The Adventures of Papa Lemon’s Little Wanderers. Paul also worked in Sales for Disney Consumer Products as a Toy & Sporting Goods Sales Manager at the Disney Downtown Minneapolis office from May 2008 to July 2016.

Renée Jones

Counselor & Coach, Pack Your Own Bag

- After 40 years on a diet, yo-yoing up and down the scale, Renée Jones had learned every diet – and every cheat – before finally stopping the comfort eating and self-sabotage to lose “those last 30 pounds” AGAIN in 2012 – but this time she maintained her goal weight. Who knew that was truly possible? With a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Clinical Residency in Pastoral Care, she has an international counseling and coaching practice utilizing traditional and contemporary models as well as relaxation and horse-assisted methods to help others win at losing extra weight and other baggage they’ve dragged with them for decades. Her first book was "What’s Really Eating You: Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating."

Robert J. Ward, Jr.

VP, Global Compliance, Houston International Business Corp.

- Robert J. Ward, Jr. has over thirty years of experience as an international trade law attorney, having worked for three of the big four consulting firms as well as a half dozen Fortune 500 companies. He has served as Chief Compliance Officer for the world's largest maritime services company as well as for a globally deployed oil and gas telecommunications start-up company. He holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and is a cum laude graduate of Tulane Law School as well as a Certified U.S. Export Compliance Officer. Robert has a strong background in political science, and focuses on international contracts review, fraud investigations as well as anti-corruption, global sanctions, and export control issues

Robin Burk

Managing Director, Analytic Decisions2 LLC

- Throughout her career, Dr. Robin Burk has been on the cutting edge of change. Today her mission is to help people thrive in the face of rapid, disruptive change and the uncertainty it brings. She’s an expert in cutting-edge mathematics and science about how the complex systems we rely on work – what makes them robust or vulnerable. Robin holds an MBA (University of Chapel Hill, NC) and a PhD in AI/machine learning (SUNY Albany). After 9/11/2001 Robin taught at West Point for 7 years and managed an advanced research program at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the center of U.S. counter-WMD expertise. A best-selling technical author, Robin’s latest book is Check Your Connections: How to Thrive in an Uncertain World.

Sarah Greenfield RD, CSSD

Founder, FearlessFig.com

Sarah Greenfield is a Registered Dietitian with a specialty in sports nutrition and functional medicine. She started her career in health care and transitioned into prevention-focused nutrition, creating programs for large wellness brands like NutriBullet, Dr. Hyman, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and HUM Nutrition. Sarah has been featured in Men's Health, Self, and BuzzFeed for her work in the nutrition field. Sarah created FearlessFig.com, a nutrition consulting practice, to guide people to use food, lifestyle modifications and supplements to correct underlying digestive issues and improve overall health. She is a marathon runner and loves anything and everything related to poop!

Sunil Robert

Global Marketing Director

- Sunil Robert is an award winning marketing professional. He is also an accomplished writer. His two best sellers, "I will survive" and "Bound to Rise," set him up to impact India's young people. Sunil is currently a resident of New Jersey, where he volunteers at a prison teaching inmates communication. Sunil is a a distinguished toastmaster, (DTM) and served in a variety of leadership roles. In the past, he worked as a Radio Disc Jockey, Television presenter, Suicide Prevention Counselor and a Youth activist. Sunil trained more than 10,000 professionals on Leadership and Public Speaking, as well as taught at business schools in the tri-state area including Rutgers, WPU, Seton Hall and NYIT. As a sports buff, he runs marathons and has run the top three marathons in USA.

Taria Pritchett

Educator & Confidence Coach

- Taria Pritchett is an educator, speaker, author, and Confidence Coach for Women. Taria is the founder of Unleash Your FIERCE, and the founder of Girls Empowered after school club. She is on a mission to empower girls and women worldwide with the tools necessary to heal, evolve, and grow so that they can manifest the life and love they desire. Selected as one of Delaware’s Top 40 under 40 and recently featured in Huffington Post, Delaware Online, and K.I.S.H. Magazine; she is also the author of Born FIERCE: How to Unleash the Confident Woman Within.

Terri Levine, PhD

Chief Heart-repreneur

- Terri is the Chief Heart-repreneur® and mentoring expert at Heart-repreneur® LLC. Terri has helped over 5,000 business owners in 239 industries grow their companies while keeping CEOs true to themselves and their values. Terri holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior, is a Master Consultant and a Master Certified Guerrilla Marketing Trainer & Coach. She is accredited by the American Association of Business Psychology. She is a Licensed Hidden Marketing Assets Consultant. She has traveled the world as a keynote speaker, and is the author of dozens of best selling books and counting, and has been quoted in over 1,500 publications. Dr. Levine hosts the popular Heart-repreneur® radio show.

Theresa Bodnar

Author & Positive Psychology Practitioner

- Theresa Bodnar is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve, a certified Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT), a Positive Psychology Practitioner, and Eating Psychology Educator. Theresa is the author of "Get UPP!: Understanding Positive Psychology," a poetry book dedicated to positive psychology concepts; co-author of Gratitude Mission 2: More People, More Stories, More Inspiration; and a monthly columnist with the The Teen Mentor and Happy Conscious Living e-zines.

Tiffany N. Stallings

Chief School Innovation Officer & Author

Tiffany Stallings is the Amazon best-selling author of, “Mommy Works Too Much”, and “The Bounce Back Mindset: How to Bounce Back When Life Has Screwed You”. Tiffany has served as the founding partner of a New Jersey-based education consulting firm. Over the years, Tiffany taught at the elementary, high school, and collegiate level. Currently, Tiffany serves as a high school administrator. Tiffany is a mother of three, and enjoys running and cycling. She takes pride in being a firm back of the pack half marathoner, perpetual beginner road cyclist, and triathlete. She is currently working on her next children’s book.

Zachary Jones

Director, Dual School

- Zachary Jones is a workshop facilitator and the author of "The World Changer’s Handbook." All of his favorite projects revolve around empowering young people to build their dreams. Zachary is currently the director of Dual School, one of the most forward-thinking education programs in the country. He helps high school students launch passion projects like improving mental health in schools, building rotor-less drones or improving life for immigrants in Delaware. He has spoken at Google-led workshops at the Stanford d.school and writes on zcjones.com every day.