Theme: Always/Never; Sometimes/Maybe

The theme of this event is meant to evoke in our audience new ways of understanding and thinking about human imperatives, juxtaposed with our willingness and ability to make trade-offs that may indeed be beneficial, depending on one's perspective. Focusing on the categorical imperative as defined by Immanuel Kant, it denotes an absolute, unconditional requirement that must be obeyed in all circumstances, and is justified as an end in itself. What are the categorical imperatives that we have, or are willing to negotiate in the complex global society of 2020? Will we be better off for doing so? How? Why?

This TEDxLehighRiver event, hosted at Lehigh Valley Public Media, home of PBS39 public TV and WLVR radio in Bethlehem, PA, is open to the public. This will be a ticketed event. We invite those with big, new ideas worth spreading centering on the above theme to apply.

Lehigh Valley Public Media - PBS39
830 E. 1st.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015
United States

Connor M. Moriarty

Connor is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Pennsylvania and also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. He earned a dual master’s degree from Arcadia University in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and Counseling Psychology with a certification in Trauma and Recovery. While his work is grounded in validated theories and techniques, Connor is also creative, continuously developing his capacity for meeting client needs with innovative strategies. Connor feels most at peace in the great outdoors. He is most drawn to water and trees, particularly places where there are both! Connor is a certified ACA level 1 kayak and stand up paddle board instructor. Since integrating CliftonStrengths into his work, Connor’s approach has become even more unique and effective. With a focus on behavioral and organizational sustainability, the Reset Outdoors Ascent program is the first strengths-and-nature based team conditioning program in the United States.

Dr. Hasshan Batts

Hasshan Batts is a prison survivor, healer, son, father, brother, husband, and friend. Hasshan is a Community Epidemiologist, community based participatory researcher and leading expert on Trauma Informed Care, Reentry and Community engagement. Hasshan is the Executive Director of the Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley, adjunct professor, Lehigh University, Lehigh University post-doctoral research fellow, Rider-Pool Collective Impact fellow, Practitioners Research and Scholarship Institute Writing fellow, distinguished Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader, founding member of The Society for the Healing and Study of Historical Trauma, founding board member of the NE Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers and board member of Resurrected Community Development Corporation and Penn State Extension. Hasshan holds a joint MSW from North Carolina A&T and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a post graduate certificate in Global Health and Doctorate in Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida.

Dr. Santo D. Marabella

Dr. Santo D. Marabella has more than 25 years’ experience researching, consulting, teaching and speaking for, about and with business and not-for-profit organizations. Recognized as a leader in the arts community, he is professor of management at Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in management, leadership, marketing, ethics, diversity and strategy, and is a former department chair and director of the MBA program at Moravian. Marabella holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Villanova University, an MBA in management from St. Joseph’s University and a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. His “practical” experience and consulting includes work and research in business management, social work, the performing arts and not-for-profit boards. Marabella successfully led (and is some cases founded) more than six organizations – including a film commission, arts council and a community leadership program – all of which flourish today, in addition to his own consulting and production management company. He has consulted for, or spoken to, more than 75 regional and national organizations and companies.

Jacob Emery

Jacob Emery is the warehouse operations manager at Emery Distributors, Inc., and a graduate student at West Chester University, working toward a master’s degree of philosophy with a concentration in applied ethics. Jacob earned a graduate assistantship in the philosophy department from 2015-2017, and won the Claghorn Award for Progress and Promise in Philosophy in the spring of 2017. He earned a BA in philosophy from Muhlenberg College in 2013. Jacob’s thesis will critique Western philosophy’s dismissals of less-commonly-taught metaphysics and epistemologies with a focus on American Indian philosophies. The guiding theme behind Jacob’s academic study is the Principle of Relatedness, which Vine Deloria, Jr. describes as a methodological tool for obtaining knowledge wherein “we observe the natural world by looking for relationships between various things in it.” During his free time, Mr. Emery enjoys spending time with family, cooking, playing video games, reading, and geocaching.

Meagan L. Grega

Meagan L. Grega, MD, is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Kellyn Foundation (www.kellyn.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice. Kellyn provides school-based healthy lifestyle education and “Garden as a Classroom” programs; supports access to nutrient-dense produce via the Eat Real Food Mobile Market and Lehigh Valley Corner Store Initiative; engages participants in hands-on, plant-based cooking classes in community settings and offers intensive therapeutic lifestyle change interventions for individuals and families. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Bucknell University with a B.S. in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and earned her MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Dr. Grega spent several years as a medical officer in the United States Navy, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander before resigning from active duty service. She has been a staff Family Physician at Hunterdon Medical Center, the Director of Women's Health Services at Lafayette College and is currently the Managing Director of Llantrisant Retreat and Wellness Center (www.llantrisantretreat.com), the home of Kellyn Foundation. She is honored to serve as adjunct faculty for the St. Luke’s University Health Network Anderson Campus Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency programs and as a faculty advisor for the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University/SLUHN medical student Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG). Dr. Grega is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is board certified in both Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. Child/Family health in general, and the obesity epidemic in particular, are issues in which Dr. Grega has had a long-standing interest. She believes the benefits of regular exercise, adequate sleep, supportive social connections, healthy food choices and the art of balance are the keys to improving our children’s future, as well as our own. Towards that end, she is committed to finding practical solutions that can be implemented by families and communities to strengthen each other physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Neha Skandan

Neha Skandan is a junior at Moravian Academy High School. She has been pursuing a research project to reshape the conversation around the opioid epidemic. She is a student reporter for the Bethlehem Press, and has written a feature piece to spread awareness on the opioid crisis. Neha is the president of Moravian Academy’s debate club and has represented the school at the national level since freshman year. She is a trained classical Indian dancer who recently completed her debut solo performance at the Zoellner Arts Center. She was also featured in the PBS39 Spanish-language Es Tiempo Lehigh Valley program.