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).

Seahawk Cultural Center
70 Wilborn Road
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 29926
United States

Anita Singleton-Prather

Storyteller, singer, educator, actress and historian

Anita Singleton-Prather, a native of the Sea Islands in Beaufort County, South Carolina, is a storyteller, singer, educator, actress and historian. Ten years ago, in an effort to preserve the Gullah history and dialect, Prather founded the Gullah Kinfolk, a musical performance group. Her talk is about family...not yours, or mine, but our human family and how, together, we can transform the world.

Anna Ponder, PHD

Vice Chancellor, University of South Carolina Beaufort

Idea: The Power of Forgiveness: Making Waves in Human Interaction by Forgiving and Focusing on the Future Anna Ponder is vice chancellor for the University of South Carolina Beaufort and executive director of the USCB Education Foundation. Before that, she served as Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute; Director of Marketing and Investor Relations for several hedge fund firms, including Tudor Investment Corp, Raptor Capital, and High Rise Capital; and Senior Manager of Leadership Gifts for Robin Hood. She holds a B.A. from Spelman College, M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. from Yale University, where her dissertation looked critically at the liberal democratic tradition and its capacity and strategies for equity, access, and inclusion.

Candace Blair

Founder, Soul Fire Social

Idea: Riding the Waves of Sound to Relax, Meditate, and Elevate: Making (Sound) Waves in Varying Frequency to Elevate your State of Happiness Candace received her KRI Kundalini Certification at Karam Kriya in England & Portugal. She is an experienced sound healer, a certified ceremonial “Cacaoista”, shamanic reiki practitioner, and lead coach for the “Alchemy of Becoming” methodology. She worked abroad as an investment banker for 23 years before returning to the USA in 2017 to found her own business, Soul Fire Social. Candace now focuses full-time on sharing her passion for these elevating practices. Based on Hilton Head Island, she spends her summers traveling and collaborating with the goal of helping others to raise their consciousness and their vibration so they can step into their power & SHINE!

Dr. Debi Lynes

Master of Ceremonies

Dr. Debi Lynes has an extensive career exploring the relationship between the physical environment and its influence on health and wellness. She has combined her 35 years of experience as an interior designer and 20 years in private counseling to hone her practice and is now respected as an expert in her fields. She hosts Mind Your Health, Healthy Living, and Carolina Women for WHHI TV.

Dr. Sidney Smith

Physician and Medical Event Tracking Pioneer

Idea: Medical Event Tracking: Making Health Care Personal, not Transactional: Making Waves in Health Care by Using Tracking Technology to Track Holistic, Integrated Health, and Not Singular, Transactional Health Dr. Sidney Smith is the CEO of Complete.MD Medical Software, creating unique solutions for medicine. He is also the CEO of Georgia Skin and Cancer Clinic, and a practicing Dermatologist since 1995. Dr. Smith attended undergraduate school at Georgia State University and the Medical College of Georgia, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (Medical Honor Society). He attended Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for Internal Medicine training, completed his Dermatology Residency at University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, and he then completed his Fellowship in Mohs Skin Cancer Surgery at The Ohio State University. Dr. Smith currently resides in Savannah, Georgia with his wife and family.

Janet Porter, PhD

Health Care Advocate and Hospice Visionary

Idea: Planning for your End of Life Journey: Know and Share Your Wishes: Making Waves in the Way we Plan our End-of-Life Wishes and Sharing Those Wishes with Those we Love Janet Porter, PhD and her husband, Jim O’Sullivan, moved ten years ago to Hilton Head from Boston, where Janet was the Chief Operating Officer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Janet has been interested in understanding and helping others understanding the many issues involved with death and dying since she was an undergraduate at Ohio State. For the past four years, Janet has served as Chair of the Board of Hospice Care of the Lowcountry and on the board of Hilton Head Hospital. Janet was on the board of directors of AARP. She currently is an adjunct professor at Ohio State, University of North Carolina, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Jeff Maine

Founder, Proudly

When asked about his greatest motivation in life, Jeff Maine reflected upon his childhood and dedicated that title to his father. Growing up, Jeff’s dad always encouraged him to strive to pursue excellence and follow his dreams. From an early age, he learned about the importance of perseverance while using his skills to better the lives of others. Jeff carried these values into his career, and he is now the proud founder and CEO of Pay Proudly LLC, located in Bluffton, SC. Jeff attended Saint Louis University, where he studied Finance and developed a passion for the industry. With over 25 years of experience in payment processing, he is committed to providing businesses with efficient electronic payment solutions. In addition, he is ecstatic about the fact that Pay Proudly donates 10% of all revenue to charitable foundations. Notably, Pay Proudly allows its business partners to help determine which charities should receive these regular donations.

Jennifer Urezzio

Founder, Soul Language

Idea: The Wisdom of Dogs and the Spiritual Lessons Learned: Making Waves by Learning From the Pets that are Closest to us to Help us connect with Ourselves and Others in a Deeper Way. Jennifer Urezzio is the founder of Soul Language – a paradigm that puts tangibility to Soul so a conscious connection can be established to enable crystal clear decisions for success. Jennifer is also a master intuitive and the author of two best-selling books. Currently, she has trained over 30 practitioners worldwide in Soul Language. Currently, there are over 5,000 individuals all over the world connecting to their Soul Languages.

Jon Rooks

Singer, Songwriter, and Performer

Jon Rooks is a relentless singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has shared stages from street corners and subway stations to bars and resorts, to sharing stages with Cee Lo Green, Erykah Badu, Babyface, and Ledisi. He holds a working calendar playing over 300 gigs per year. He comes from a small town in the Southern US and has traveled the US making his money playing music even while living in his car. He is most often compared to artists like Justin Timberlake or Ed Sheeran. He plays mostly as a one-man-band looping guitar, vocals, beatbox, harmonica, and keyboards bringing soulful sounds to every genre he experiments with. If his work-ethic and talent are any barometer of success, we should expect Rooks to take over the world at any moment.

Kat Eberly

Dancer and Performer

Kat Eberly, 15, is a dancer from Hilton Head Island, SC. She attends school at the Bluffton Academy for the Arts and trains at the Bluffton School of Dance, where she is part of the Pre-Professional Competition Team. Kat is also a member of Tremaine Dance’s Performance Company, a select group of dancers chosen to train, assist and perform with the faculty of Tremaine on their national tour. Kat has received scholarships to numerous dance conventions and prestigious summer programs, and she was honored in 2021 with first place in the Island School Council for the Arts’ Rising Stars Competition.

Robert Young, PhD, PG

Coastal Shoreline Conservation and Protection

Idea: Rethinking Coastal Processes and Coastal Erosion Management: Making Waves by Rethinking the Impact of Waves to Reduce the Effects of Erosion on our Shorelines Robert S. Young is the Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS), a joint Duke University/Western Carolina University venture. He is also a Professor of Geology at Western Carolina University and a licensed professional geologist in three states (FL, NC, SC). PSDS is a research and policy outreach center whose primary mission is to conduct scientific research into coastal processes and to translate that science into management and policy recommendations through a variety of professional and public outreach mechanisms. Dr. Young received a BS degree in Geology (Phi Beta Kappa) from the College of William & Mary, and MS degree in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine, and a PhD in Geology from Duke University where he was a James B. Duke Distinguished Doctoral Fellow.

Ryan Herd

Founder, Caregiver Smart Solutions

Idea: Smart Home, Safe Home: Making Waves in Home Safety While Safely Aging at Home Ryan Herd is a 30-year veteran of the “Smart” industry. He founded and ran a successful Smart Home technology company. His passion for “Smart Home” led him to write the book, “Join the Smart Home Revolution,” focused on bringing the “magic” of smart technology to consumers. Ryan’s personal experience caring for his father, who has battled cancer twice, allowed him to recognize how the increased popularity of “Aging in Place,” can be greatly enhanced through our use of modern “Smart” technology. Ryan is the founder of Caregiver Smart Solutions. Using non-invasive sensors, we can safely and unobtrusively monitor our loved one’s activities. This allows us to ask the right questions and determine if we have the proper care in place for them, as well as enabling our loved ones to live out their “golden” years at home.

Shaun Tomson

International World Surfing Champion and Youth Advocate

Idea: The Code to Finding Purpose: Drop a Stone, Create a Ripple, Build a Wave: Making Waves by Using Surfing’s Lessons to Make Better Decisions in Life Poor decisions result in a million preventable deaths each year – it is one of the most dire and under-reported social problems of our time. After the death of his 15-year-old son, Shaun Tomson developed the Code Method, a surfing-inspired program to activate purpose as a foundation for positive decision-making. Shaun is a former World Surfing Champion and has been described as one of the 10 greatest and most influential surfers of all time. He is a keynote speaker on purpose, the founder of two popular surfing brands, a best-selling author, and produced the award-winning documentary Bustin’ Down the Door.