Theme: Access

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).

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
201 10th St W
Bradenton, Florida, 34205
United States

Beth Walters

Peer Support Program Supervisor

From pursuing her dream of becoming a clown for Ringling Brothers Circus to now working in the behavioral health field as a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, Beth Walters is extremely passionate about the impact of connection & bringing awareness to the field of peer support. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 2016 with a degree in Communication Studies & minor in Theatre. Although college provided an abundance of knowledge & experiences, the most meaningful knowledge Beth obtained was through finding her own pathway to recovery from mental health challenges. She is presently the supervisor of a substance use peer support program at a local non-profit behavioral health agency & has past experience providing peer support to individuals struggling with suicidal ideation. In her self-care time, Beth enjoys listening to Chelsea Handler & self-help podcasts, watching documentaries, and hanging out with her two cats Kiara & Kovu.

Diana Shoemaker

Director of Strategic Development and Communications for Elders Action Network

Diana Shoemaker is currently serving as Director of Strategic Development and Communications for a national nonprofit Elders Action Network. She was the President and CEO of Manatee Habitat for Humanity and has worked with the organization for 12 years. Diana served as the first Director for Family Promise of Manatee County, a non-profit providing shelter and resources to homeless families. She has served as chair of the Manatee County Affordable Housing Task Force and member of the City of Bradenton Housing Advisory committee. She is and is a graduate of Leadership Manatee and the LWRBA Executive Academy. Diana has an MSW from Columbia University and more than 25 years of experience in community and educational program development and services.

Javar Baity

Mentor, Marketing Director Take Stock in Children Manatee

Javar Baity is a native of Manatee County, spending most of his educational career in the area. He has also worked within the Manatee County school system as both a Substitute Teacher and Head Basketball Coach. Javar has also mentored in the community for several years and works as a Director of Marketing for Take Stock in Children of Manatee County. Other skills include corporate and entrepreneurial experience with his own business in marketing consulting providing photograph, video, social media strategy, and website design services. Javar currently serves on the board of directors for the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and as chairman of the Young Leaders Alliance. Beyond work, Javar enjoys sports and outdoor activities, reading, expanding his understanding of social issues, creating and writing music, and anything that has to do with relaxing by the water.

Kristie Kindstrom

Certified Senior Advisor

Kristie is a Certified Senior Advisor and has over 30 years of Financial Services experience providing advisors and their clients the education and resources needed for proper financial planning. She recently started her own business focused on helping organizations, professionals, individuals, and their families prepare for the unique planning needs associated with living longer and preparing for life’s interruptions. She has lived in Bradenton Florida for over 20 years with her husband and beagles. During this time, she ran her own gallery in the Village of the Arts and served on the Artists Guild of Manatee Board. She has been a corporate lead and avid team captain for the American Heart Association for over a decade and currently serves on the Suncoast Heart Walk Executive Leadership Committee. She is also the Program Director for Realize Bradenton’s Entrepreneurship Program, The Start-up Circle.

Lorraine Williams

Executive Director of Information Technology for Manatee County Sheriffs Office

Lorraine Williams is a proven team builder with a strong focus on process and performance optimization. This year, Lorraine celebrated her sixteenth year serving as the Executive Director of Information Technology for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Lorraine is a is credentialed coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She is certified by College of Executive Coaching and The Institute of Neuroleadership. Lorraine’s career spans Government and Corporate America. Noteworthy prior professional endeavors include serving in guidance roles for the Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin. Throughout her career, Lorraine’s passion has been and continues to be Leadership Development. Lorraine feels strongly that leadership is the cornerstone to success regardless of one’s station in life. She feels most privileged having the opportunity to have spent several years in the classroom teaching and grooming IT technicians to become certified systems engineers.

Melanie Lavender

Spoken Word Artist

Melanie Lavender is a Spoken Word artist and a proud Sarasota native. Educated in the Sarasota County school system and Newtown community, Melanie is a wife, mother, and a Podcast/Radio host of Soul of Tha Matter at 107.5 The Vibe. The Chaotic Beauty of life influences Melanie to write and work to change her life and community. By using her soulful melodic voice to capture the attention of the audience. Melanie has recited at Selby Botanical Gardens, Manatee Performing Art Center, nightclubs, art galleries, and more. Writing “Psalms of The Elusive Black Housewife,” Melanie found a way to transform anxiety and depression into poetry and community activism. This mother, wife, and author chose not to give up but to use the skills taught to her by her elders to keep moving and transform that energy into creativity.

Mercedes Soler

Co-Owner & President of Solmart Media

Mercedes Soler is co-owner and President of Solmart Media, a Spanish radio and digital media company in Sarasota, Florida, founded with her husband Tomás Martínez. Solmart Media’s core mission is to entertain, inform, educate and elevate its underserved community. Prior to this, she spent 25 years as a Spanish language international correspondent with Univisión and an anchor for CNN Español. She also wrote weekly columns for El Nuevo Herald and co-authored the book Dish & Tell: Life, Love and Secrets [HarperCollins]. Mercedes serves on the board of directors at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and Campowerment’s Give her Camp. Ms. Soler is the recipient of 5 Emmy Awards, 1 Peabody and 1 GLAAD award, among other accolades. Her most valuable title is that of “Mamá” to Victoria and Thomas, who are both pursuing post graduate degrees in Philanthropic Management and Law, respectively.

Olivia D'Amico

Artist, Writer, Theologian

Olivia is a graduate of State College of Florida where she studied Graphic Design and Vocal Performance. She continued her studies at Southeastern University in Lakeland where she received her undergraduate degree in Ministerial Leadership and then a graduate degree in Divinity with a focus on ethics, contemporary theology, and art. As a Bradenton local, she has worked as a pastor/ministry leader in churches across Bradenton and Sarasota area, inspired by the deep conviction that people are worth loving, listening to, and learning from regardless of background or belief. Her work focuses on understanding our changing beliefs, how we think about God, and how those ideas make us relate to one another through our American lens.

Ray Gardner

Founder/CEO Prosper Bradenton

Ray was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan but has called Florida home for the past decade. Over the past 8 years, Ray has become a highly sought-after motivational speaker and personal trainer in the Bradenton/AMI area. He is an advocate for mental health awareness, supporter of youth sports and a leader in the fitness community. He considers his impact to be his most valuable contribution to society and has made it his mission to create a positive environment where anyone can PROSPER.

Robyn Faucy

CEO Results 1st

Robyn guides organizations to achieve aggressive and transformative results. Her specialties are revenue development, culture-shifting, marketing, and guiding individuals and teams to achieve more by defining, tracking, verifying, and reporting results. Robyn’s leadership resulted in significant financial growth and increased volunteer engagement and client achievement. Prior to taking the helm of Results 1st, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s, in Sarasota, FL. Robyn attributes her relentless determination to help groups to succeed to her upbringing by her blue-collar, hardworking parents. Neither of her parents graduated from high school and her father died when she was 12 leaving her mother to be a single parent. She feels these experiences have built her “hustle muscle” and desire to help others overcome challenges through change.

Sagar Galwankar

Executive Director for the American College of Academic International Medicine

Sagar Galwankar is a career academician and an expert in International Medicine. He specializes in Education and Innovation in areas of Health Policy, Humanitarian Assistance, and Quality Health Care Delivery both in the United States and across the world. He has been in Florida for the last 2 decades and he currently serves as the Executive Director for The American College of Academic International Medicine. His career is studded with multiple leadership roles both at national and international level. He is an international speaker and researcher who strongly advocates for health security, quality education and impactful innovation.

Shannon Frison

Massachusetts Superior Court Justice

Justice Shannon Frison was appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court at age 42. She took that seat after serving for more than three years on the Boston Municipal Court, beginning her tenure on the bench at age 39. Before appointment, Justice Frison practiced locally and abroad as owner of Frison Law Firm, P.C. Her practice focused on “blue collar” criminal law and military justice. She tried several high profile murder, rape, and conspiracy cases in the Boston area and in the military courts of North Carolina, Pensacola, Florida, and Okinawa, Japan. Prior to that, Justice Frison spent nearly seven years as a litigation associate at the firm Dwyer & Collora, LLP in Boston. Justice Frison holds a Bachelors Degree in Government from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. She holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps and is a Marine Corps Judge Advocate.

Shvonne Townsend

Abstract Artist and Healing Arts Coach

Through her own journey with mental health and battling a rare blood disorder, she experienced the healing effects of art therapy. She is passionate about helping others health through creating art, and she is an advocate for art therapy. When she is not creating art and helping others on their healing journey, Shvonne works for Manatee County Government as a Real Property Specialist in the Property Acquisition Division.

Stephanie Rosado

PhD Candidate and Certified Health and Wellness Coach

Stephanie Rosado is a Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida (USF) School of Social Work and a Certified Wellness & Health Coach (CWHC). She started her doctoral journey after a diverse background of professional experiences: professional athlete, various roles within healthcare, and working as a licensed social work supervisor in a child welfare agency in Philadelphia. She recently finished serving two consecutive terms as an executive committee member for the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports (ASWIS) and remains involved with several of the organization’s efforts and projects. Stephanie is a member of the Florida Education Fund’s McKnight Doctoral Fellowship (MDF) program representing the only social work graduate student in her fellowship cohort. Additionally, Stephanie also serves as a mentor for MSW students in the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program.