Theme: Intention

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).

Northern Virginia Community College Arts and Sciences Building Black Box Theater
2645 College Drive
Woodbridge, Virginia, 22191
United States

Cheryl Baker

Educator

Cheryl Baker is a 37-year veteran elementary general music teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools in Centreville, VA. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and directing, a minor in Music Education, and a Master of Music with an emphasis in Orff Schulwerk. She is passionate about elementary music education and the importance of including music in the elementary school curriculum.

David Tyson, MFA/MA

Actor, Director, Theatre & Communication Professor

David is a professional actor, educator, director and the artistic director of his own, "Weaver of Tales Theatre Company". He has performed, taught and directed at schools, fairs, festivals, clubs and theaters throughout the USA - including stints at La Mama Theater in NYC and Walt Disney World. He is currently part of the Virginia for the Arts Touring Performance Arts roster. He is also an Associate Professor of Theatre & Communication Studies at Northern Virginia Community College.

Len Tran

Engineer, Martial Artist, Entrepreneur

Len Tran, a graduate from City College of New York (CCNY) in 1998 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Chemical Engineering, has been working as an engineer and a supervisor at the Patent and Trademark Office for more than two decades. With over thirty-five years of martial arts experience, he is also the founder of Virginia Shorin-Ryu, a traditional Okinawan karate style since 2005. In addition to teaching karate, he founded Kinetic Mind in 2020 with the vision of helping people engineer their busy minds to maintain focus and improve everyday life.

Lovely Lall

Speaker, Coach, Writer

From feeling powerless, to discovering the power of her existence “ Dr. Lovely Lall is on a passionate mission to help others to realize their own power. For over two decades, Dr. Lall lived like, in her own words, a mousy house wife and stay-at-home mom to three boys. But 15 years ago, a moment of self-realization sparked a complete transformation, leading her on a path of entrepreneurship, leadership, and communicator. Today, she shares her practical insights from her self exploration and self discovery with others through speaking engagements, coaching, and writing. Dr. Lall has distilled her expertise into a simple, four-ingredient recipe designed to enhance the quality of life wherever you may be. Her engaging, interactive, and conversational style will leave you feeling not only motivated but empowered to take immediate action---to engage with, embrace, and experience your own existence fully, thriving in all facets of life and thereby positively impacting the world.

Narayanan Doraswamy

Speaker, Trainer, Coach, Mentor

Narayanan is a speaker, trainer, a coach and mentor, both in his professional life, in his Toastmasters life and in his personal life. He loves to help people get from where they are to where they want to be. Having recently completed 60 journeys around the sun, he feels he may have gained some experience that may help others in their own journeys around the sun. He is a Civil Engineer by education, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt by vocation and a trainer, mentor and coach by avocation. Born in Mumbai, India, he has lived, worked and played in various countries including the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Chile. He has been happily married to Cheryl Baker for over 26 years and still feels that it is just like their first few years. Their two cats Gigi and Lily call them their caregivers, though Gigi is partial to him more than Cheryl.

Nick Baskerville

Storyteller, Comedian, Firefighter

Nick uses stories and jokes in talks with folks. He has performed stories on storytelling shows such as The Moth and The Story Collider. In the performance “Once I learned the History” with the National Storytelling Network (NSN), Nick weaves the story of his fire service career with information about the fire service. Nick has 2 blogs, Stories, Jokes, and Talks with Folks http://storiesjokesandfolks.com and Story Telling On Purpose at www.stop365.blog that he uses for talking about crafting stories to where to find storytelling performances. He is also working on the upcoming podcast "Secondary Search, finding African American stories in fire service history"