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).

Schwab Auditorium
E Pollock Rd & Pattee Mall
University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802
United States

Adam Douglas

Adam Douglas is a rising young professional from the city of Philadelphia, currently studying Business Management at The Pennsylvania State University. He is an author and advocate for his community, set to begin his career in consulting with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). A few of his passions include solving complex business problems, influencing global markets, and positively impacting people. When he is not hard at work, he enjoys driving, playing the violin, working out, or spending time with his friends and family.

Andrew Hoff

Andrew Hoff is a 2+2 student from Penn State Brandywine majoring in finance and minoring in economics. Like many others, he chose to go the 2+2 route because going to University Park for 4 years wasn’t affordable. Despite this setback, he has found success in many different areas.

Claire Chi

Claire Chi is a junior at the State College Area High School. She currently serves a two-year term on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education as the Junior Student Representative, helping shape long-term education policy for the 1.8 million K-12 students. Claire also serves on the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils Executive Board and co-directs the Students for Education in Pennsylvania program. She advocated for a community-based approach to food assistance when COVID relief funding for school meals was discontinued. In March 2022, Claire founded her 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Dancing Against Hunger (DAH), which has engaged 900+ participants and collected over 2300 donations for local food banks distributing directly to schools and low-income families.

Emma Blankstein

Emma Blankstein is a first-year student at Brown University; she is the Founder and Executive Director of the Last Generation Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to expanding access to genocide education and prevention efforts. Inspired deeply by her place in the last generation to personally know Holocaust Survivors, Emma served as chair of the Teen Board at Holocaust Museum LA, where she directed six short films about the lives of Holocaust Survivors. As a storyteller and educator, Emma’s dedication to human rights advocacy also includes work toward environmental justice and menstrual equity.

John Park

Dr. John Jongho Park is an assistant research professor at Penn State University and visiting research fellow at the United Nations University. Also, he is a co-founder of Pillar foundation international that addresses sustainable development issues in various developing countries. While running a small mushroom farm and providing soccer balls to African children, he has been mentoring many young leaders and teaching leadership for sustainable development. His research addresses various psychological well-being, self-regulation, identity development and women empowerment.

Kelley Gunther

Dr. Gunther received her PhD in Developmental Psychology at Penn State, and is currently a postdoctoral associate at Yale University. Her research focuses on how the way that children interact with their world may either put them at elevated risk for anxiety disorders, or protect them from anxiety problems later in life. She is also passionate about science outreach and communication, making research accessible and understandable to people in the community.

Kimberly Stratton

Kimberly Stratton is the CEO and Founder of a publishing company called The Crown And Cross Consulting And Publishing Co LLC. The company offers a plethora of services ranging from assistance with resume writing, support/accountability with time management, creating and implementing vision boards, consulting, publishing services and everything in between. Her passion and drive in life is to help others and change the world in which we live because change always starts with ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the greater good.

Nyandusi Nyachae

Nyandusi Nyachae also known as "Coach Dus" is a World Campus Coordinator and Instructor within the Pennsylvania State University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction. He is also an Independently Certified Professional Speaker, Coach, Trainer through the #1 Leadership Expert in the World, Dr. John C. Maxwell's Company, Maxwell Leadership. Over the years, Nyandusi has had the privilege of mentoring numerous Generation Z College Students and Young Professionals globally, namely the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Kenya.

Renee Frohnert

Renee Frohnert is a business leader, entrepreneur, engineer, and influencer within the aerospace industry. Renee is a graduate from the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences Scientist-Astronaut Program and is preparing to launch to the edge of space in 2024. She has previously supported various critical space missions such as NASA Artemis in which she designed space electronics to send the first woman to the Moon. She is an advocate for increasing representation in space and technology and enjoys teaching as a Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University's School of Engineering. Renee holds an MBA from the University of Southern California, a Master's Degree in Systems Engineering from Cornell University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University.

Shaheen Pasha

Shaheen Pasha is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State, focused on mass incarceration and prison education. She is also co-founder and chief education officer of Prison Journalism Project, a national, independent nonprofit initiative that publishes and teaches journalism to incarcerated writers. Pasha is a veteran journalist with over 20 years of experience in the field. She worked as an international correspondent, covering legal issues and Islamic finance for Thomson Reuters in Dubai. She was also a staff writer for CNNMoney in New York, where she covered legal issues, the Enron trial and the Supreme Court. She started her career at Dow Jones Newswires where she had a daily column in the Wall Street Journal and appeared as a daily correspondent for CNBC Asia.