Theme: Mobility

Eleven local speakers will take the stage at TEDxYDL, presenting some of our community’s next big ideas in ten compelling 8-minute talks. TEDxYDL is organized by the Ypsilanti District Library and will take place at Riverside Arts Center on Thursday, September 27 at 7 pm. In addition to the talks, the event will feature videos of selected TED talks.
TEDxYDL will present a diverse array of disciplines, interests, and organizations across Washtenaw County. Though the talk topics will differ greatly, they will all address the theme, “mobility.” Each talk will explore various ways people move about in life.

Riverside Arts Center
76 North Huron Street
Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197
United States

Alison Foreman

Executive Director, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels

Manage a team of 9 employees to execute the daily operations of delivering 200 meals to homebound clients in Eastern Washtenaw County. Ensuring that the fleet of vehicles is maintained, routes are optimized for efficiency and that all clients are receiving two meals and a safety check daily, weekly produce delivery.

Dan LaBruna

Software Engineer/Engineering Manager/University of Michigan M City

EECS Student/University of Michigan

Gina Thompson

Dancer, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of PURe Dance Ensemble/off ice Dance Director Hockettes Synchronized Skating Teams

Dancer, Choreographer and the Artistic Director of PURe Dance Ensemble including Kidz Dance Company PURe Potential. Ms. Thompson is also the off Ice Dance Director of the Ann Arbor Hockettes Synchronized Skating Teams. Gina combines yoga, Pilates, meditation and dance to develop a unique perspective of Mobility.

Jacqueline Williams

Development Director/Michigan Prison Doula Initiative

Co-Founder of Michigan Prison Doula Initiative. Jacqueline has worked with underserved and indigenous populations as a doula, birth planner and birth advocate. Williams focuses on intersectional collaborative efforts with other organizations, and has worked with WICIR, International Indigenous Rights Council, and Planned Parenthood, among others.

Jamie Cornelius

Assistant Professor, Eastern Michigan University Biology Department

Observing animals in their natural environment is a fascinating, challenging, frustrating and often highly rewarding endeavor for field biologists. Physiological ecology (the study of physiology in free-living animals) is even more so. My lab investigates behavioral and physiological responses to environmental change with an emphasis on species that cope with high degrees of resource unpredictability. We utilize experimental field approaches and controlled captive studies to investigate diverse yet interconnected research topics including molt, migration, reproduction, winter adaptation, metabolism and stress in birds.

Kelsey Kleimola

Advocate for the disabled

Advocate for the disabled/Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2014

Nathalie Estiverne

Competitive Public Speaker/Student Eastern Michigan University

Theater Major at Eastern Michigan University

Pamela Mercado Garcia

Vice President, Latinx Student Association/Eastern Michigan University

Student/Eastern Michigan University

Victoria Shields

Doctoral Student/Eastern Michigan University

Doctoral Student studying Urban Education/Eastern Michigan University

Zahra Bahrani Fard

Transportation Systems Analyst

Transportation Systems Analyst at the Center of Automotive Research, Transportation Systems Analysis Group

Zereth Bustamente Luevano

President, Latinx Student Association/Eastern Michigan University

Student/Eastern Michigan University