Theme: Begin at the Beginning

From fighting disinformation to building stronger startup ecosystems, the creative economy to the physiology of empathy, this edition of TEDxAtlanta promises a unique virtual day of discovery, inspiration and deep conversation.

Curated from Georgia and beyond, speakers will share intriguing ideas for solving the greatest challenges of our generation and perspectives toward a better future. The 2021 speaker line-up includes 16-year-old inventor Neha Shukler, startup community convenor Joey Womack and neuroscientist Ebony Glover who studies the neurobiology of stress.

Virtual Event
900 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia, 30319
United States

Aurora Robson

Aurora Robson works at the intersection of environmentalism, art and debris. Not only has her work been exhibited internationally in museums, galleries and non-traditional spaces, she is also passionate about developing integrative methods for artists and designers to utilize plastic debris as a raw material. Aurora is founder of Project Vortex, an international collective of artists, designers and architects who also work in innovative ways with plastic debris. Aurora is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Grant, the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture, the TED/Lincoln Re-Imagine Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts Art Work Grant. Since 2014, she has been developing and assisting with the implementation of a course called Sculpture + Intercepting the Waste Stream designed to foster creative stewardship through academia at colleges, universities and high schools around the world.

Deb Lavoy

Disinformation fighter

Deb Lavoy is on a mission to eradicate disinformation. Her experience in software engineering and marketing, gave her a unique perspective on the rise of disinformation in 2016: the perpetrators were maliciously appropriating tried and tested digital marketing techniques. Deb founded the nonprofit Reality Team in response. Reality Team drowns out the lies perpetrated over social media with simply stated truths, and arms people with tools and information to join the fight. The organization builds campaigns that change the ratio of truthful to untruthful information on social media feeds and provides tools and techniques to make it easier to tell the difference. She holds a bachelor’s of science in both computer science and neurobiology.

Ebony Glover

Neuroscientist

Ebony Glover researches the neurobiology of fear and its impact on the brain. Her experience with a traumatic event shortly before completing her doctoral dissertation research fueled Ebony’s passion for understanding why some people develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after trauma exposure, while others are resilient and recover completely. Ebony is an associate professor of neuroscience at Kennesaw State University and director of the university’s Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College and a doctorate in neuroscience and animal behavior from Emory University.

Elizabeth Strickler

Imagineer

Elizabeth Strickler’s passion lies at the intersection of technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. She leverages the full spectrum of her experience in business, immersive storytelling, and technology to provide her students with the support needed to expand and realize their creative vision while capturing the value of their creative product. She inspires through research and immersive experiences, ideates through collaboration and play, and finally implements through iteration and experimentation. Currently, Elizabeth serves in a dual role at Georgia State University. She directs its Blockchain Lab and is the director of media entrepreneurship and Innovation at the university’s Creative Media Industries Institute. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and computer science and a Master of Fine Arts in digital filmmaking and art.

Geoff Livingston

Photographer, storyteller

Geoff Livingston is an award-winning photographer and author. He is happiest behind the lens of his camera. Geoff’s body of work spans photojournalism, portraits, event photography, and landscape photography. President Barack Obama, Actress Rosario Dawn, NBA All-Star John Wall, and Republican Presidential Candidate John Kasich are just some of the individuals captured on film by Geoff. His fine art photography has been juried and accepted by the Art League and Del Ray Artisans into several exhibitions and he has been featured in the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and Digital Photography School. Originally from Philadelphia, Geoff now lives outside Washington, D.C. with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a dog.

Joey Womack

Connector, ecosystem builder

Joey Womack’s passion lies in helping to equalize socio-economic disparities in communities all over the world. His goal: To positively impact 1 billion people by the year 2039. He is the founder and CEO of nonprofit Goodie Nation whose initiatives are designed to close the relationship gap for tech-focused social entrepreneurs and diverse founders. Joey has received multiple industry accolades for his commitment to and work in bridging socio-economic disparities. He is the recipient of awards from SOCAP Global, the Technology Association of Georgia and Startup Atlanta. He was named to Atlanta Magazine’s list of 500 Most Influential Business Leaders and Huffington Post’s Top 20 Innovators in the Atlanta Tech Startup Scene. He serves on the boards for Startup Atlanta, Venture Atlanta, and the Georgia Social Impact Collaborative as well as advisory boards for SXSW and SOCAP’s Spectrum Conference. Joey earned his master’s degree in business at Florida A&M University.

John Lanier

Climate champion

Advocating for the environment is part of John A. Lanier’s DNA. As the executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, he continues the legacy of his grandfather, the late corporate environmental pioneer Ray C. Anderson through Foundation programs that seek to create a brighter, more sustainable world. Through this work, John is spearheading Drawdown Georgia, a movement designed to scale the most effective climate solutions for the state of Georgia. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Southface Institute, a nonprofit working to advance green building and a regenerative economy. He is author of “Mid-Course Correction Revisited,” an updated edition of his grandfather’s first book. John earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and economics from the University of Virginia.

Kristin Moody

Empathy scholar

Kristin Moody’s work is inspired by the biological instinct humans have to empathize with one another and the potential empathy has to address the divisiveness that is threatening the fabric of our social, political and economic well-being. She first learned about the power of empathy as a high school teacher, where she saw the impact relationship-building made on student and teacher outcomes. Kristin went on to formally study empathy and integrate that understanding into support for individuals and organizations seeking improved culture, equity, and access to authenticity. She now teaches, researches, and explores empathy frameworks to help diverse people connect in ways that promote, celebrate, and leverage authentic diversity. Kristin is a proud graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts and is a founding board member for Atlanta School for the Arts. She enjoys boxing, learning American Sign Language, and volunteering as a reader for the Georgia Radio Reading Service.

Neale Martin

Author

Neale Martin writes and consults on the intersection of neuropsychology, technology and business. He is an award-winning educator and sought-after keynote speaker on habits and their impact on consumer behavior and is author of “Habit: the 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore.” As CEO of Sublime Behavior Marketing, Neale applies brain science principles to shape and change consumer and organizational behavior. His expertise in unconscious behavior has been widely embraced by some of the world’s top market researchers at leading companies in diverse industries including CPG, pharmaceutical, consumer electronics, and wireless. His work on the primacy of unconscious mental processes helps explain many of marketing’s most pernicious errors. Neale holds a doctorate degree in marketing from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Neha Shukla

Innovation evangelist

Sixteen-year-old Neha Shukla is an innovation evangelist. She believes that all youth can participate in creating solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges through creativity and innovation. Neha leverages science and technology to create inventions that will bring about social change. Her innovations include a wearable social-distancing device designed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and a device that prevents mobility loss in the elderly. Neha’s work has been featured in the NewYork Times, Nasdaq, ABC, and more.

Shivani Patel

Social epidemiologist

Shivani A. Patel is a social epidemiologist whose ongoing research focuses on cardio-metabolic diseases. Her expertise in this area and the relationship between these diseases and severe COVID-19 symptoms made her a natural choice for the Emory University research team that began tracking COVID-19 infection and death rates in April 2020. Shivani is leading this team in creating the national COVID-19 Health Equity Dashboard, a free tool that tracks the differences in the impact of the pandemic across communities in the United States with an emphasis on the social determinants of health. She is an Assistant Professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Shivani also holds an adjunct appointment at the Public Health Foundation of India and is affiliated with the New Delhi-based Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions (4C).

Siana Altiise

Siana is an artist, speaker and storyteller with a passion for re-introducing natural sounds as a way for listeners to find rest. Siana Altiise produces multisensory experiences at the intersection of technology, vocal performance and sounds from nature. Using voice, ambient sound, and looping technology, she creates. Siana was born with an ability to experience sound in color, by way of a phenomena known as Synesthesia. This cross-wiring in the brain not only allows her to hear in color, but visualize emotions and personalities, while identifying emotions in figures and shapes. Though she refers to herself as a "Sensory Artist", her aim is to create space and time for her audiences to relax, explore, and connect with themselves, in solitude, in community.

Tammy Hurt

Drummer, entrepreneur

Tammy Hurt is a musician, entrepreneur and music industry advocate. She began playing drums at age four and has been playing professionally since the age of 14. Tammy has recorded with GRAMMY-winning artists and producers including the Indigo Girls, producer Brendan O’Brien and producer/mixer/engineer Nick DiDia. She is the managing partner at Placement Music, a Georgia-based music licensing and production company. Tammy currently serves as vice chair of the Recording Academy® and is a co-founder of Georgia Music Partners. Previously, she served as president and four-term Trustee of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy® (GRAMMY® Awards).