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).

900 NC Music Factory Boulevard
Charlotte, North Carolina, 28206
United States

Cat Mahaffey

After working for 15 years in the private sector, I shifted to higher education. I enjoy everything about teaching - developing new courses, designing digital learning experiences, supporting student growth - and that applies to students of all ages and skill sets. I've taught students from every corner of the globe. As an administrator in a large urban public university, I oversaw the implementation of hybrid and online writing courses, serving as a reviewer of online teachers and online courses across the campus. This involved extensive collaboration with various campus entities including the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Distance Education Department (DE), and the Dean of General Education. I am also an advocate for usability and accessibility, concepts too often limited to discussions of disability and limitation. Accessibility covers much more than accommodating impairments. From drawing attention to student privacy issues with classroom technology to offering tutorials in creating accessible instructional videos, my articles, book chapters, and presentations directly inform the body of scholarship about teaching and technology.

Demi Clark

25 years of experience disrupting the construction industry: from throwing a hammer to scaling production home builder divisions to sitting in manufacturer RVP seats to founding a nonprofit for women in trades to speaking/consulting/TedX’ing & now a female founder. NC HUB, MWSBE, DBE & committed to helping other women harness the power of the Infrastructure Jobs Trade Act & Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to become tradepreneurs in tradetech (future of traditional trades as they adapt to technology). Let’s do this.

Keisha Rivers

What I do: I equip people to manage change and achieve desired results. To accomplish this, I focus on three areas: 1) enhancing engagement, 2) creating learning environments and 3) fostering leadership development. This focus allows me to equip people with the skills, capacity and knowledge to both manage change and leverage it to create and sustain success. I'm a speaker, learning leader, facilitator and strategist. I love working with companies to create new opportunities out of the process of change. Contact me at info@karsgroup.com to discuss how we can work together to create your success!

Marcia Dawood

After spending an award-winning career in sales, marketing and operations for one of the largest education providers, Marcia Dawood now works on making people’s dream come true. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of the Angel Capital Association (ACA). The ACA is the professional society for angel investors in the US and globally. Marcia is an investor in several early stage private companies. In addition to her own investing, she is a Venture Partner with Mindshift Capital and a part of the investment committee for Next Wave Impact Fund. She is also a member of Golden Seeds, one of the largest angel groups in the US. Mindshift Capital and Golden Seeds focus on investing in women-led companies. According to Bloomberg, the amount of early stage investing dollars that went to women in 2021 was less than 3%. We need to change this!!! Marcia is a founding member and current chair of the ACA’s Growing Women’s Capital group building syndication and collaboration among US investment groups focused on women-led companies. Previously, she was the COO of Portfolia (one of her portfolio companies) as well as a managing partner at BlueTree Capital Group where she was responsible for investment strategy, diligence research and member education. She received an MBA from the Global Executive program at UNC’s Kenan Flagler’s School of Business, OneMBA. During her graduate studies, her group acquired the franchise rights to a new sports team. She served on the Board of Directors and managed financial and legal matters for the organization. This gave her experience as an entrepreneur from the start through the exit of a business.

Melissa Tate-Scruse

*20 years of Mental Health Expertise with executive leadership and clinical supervision experience for over 15 years. *Mental Health Educator and Trainer from elementary to doctorate level. *Writer, Producer, Director of Mental Health-Related Media *Thought-Provoking, Personable, and Relatable Public Speaker on various topic - Domestic Violence, Grief/Loss, Self Care *Team Oriented Leader and Humble Servant-Leader

Ryan Neiswender

Originally from Lebanon, PA. Currently residing in Charlotte, NC. Paralympic Gold Medalist in wheelchair basketball at Tokyo 2020. Former Professional Athlete and a member of Team USA for Paralympic Basketball. My undergraduate degree is in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and I most recently completed my MBA from the Keller Graduated School of Management. My passion is to help others reach their untapped potential. I have strong communication skills and extensive experience speaking to executive audiences on the topic of change management. The parallels of my athletic and professional careers have cultivated a motivation to develop teams, create strategy and lead through the power of humility. For media or sponsorship opportunities please contact Ish Tanyeri from Dromos Agency at isil.tanyeri@dromosagency.com

Veronda Bellamy

My mission in life is to help others make sense of Living through developmental and inspirational content, products, and services.