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 'Quin House
217 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts, 02116
United States

Alexis Rockman

Alexis Rockman, a painter based in Warren, Connecticut, is an environmental activist who began making paintings and other works on paper to build environmental awareness in the mid-1980s, embarking on expeditions to distant locations like Antarctica and Madagascar in the company of professional naturalists. His work tells stories of natural histories confronting the dystopian future of the biodiversity crisis, global warming, and genetic engineering. Rockman’s work has been exhibited around the world and showcased at prestigious galleries and museums including the Venice Biennale, Carnegie Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Serpentine Galleries, and many more. Rockman also notably worked on the 2012 movie Life of Pi with Ang Lee, his art serving as the backbone for much of the film’s aesthetics. Alexis Rockman: Oceanus is a major exhibition premiering at Mystic Seaport Museum, opening on May 27, 2023. The show will feature ten large-scale watercolors and an 8-by-24-foot panoramic painting, all commissioned by the Museum to become part of the permanent collection. The project represents a shift in perspective at the Museum to raise awareness and inspire conversations around the critical global issues that face our oceans due to the impacts of maritime activities as part of our collective cultural, social, and economic heritage. "

Carole McCauley

Environmental educator. Coalition-builder. Systems thinker. Consumate dot-connector, always looking for opportunities to bring efficiency and effectiveness to operations, programming, communications, and planning. Some of my favorite things: logic models, post-it notes, strategic plans, brand, maps, kindness, and old school/heavy duty paper cutters and pencil sharpeners.

Donna Hazard

General Partner and Board Member, SeaAhead blue (ocean-related) tech innovation hub; former Board Chair and Interim President & CEO, New England Aquarium; co-founder of biotech diagnostics company Exact Sciences that reached a $26B market cap; 20+ years of non-profit board experience; broad range of board committee roles; and track record of bringing science- and consumer-driven solutions to market Current Boards (Private and Non-Profit): SeaAhead, Inc.: Board Director of Boston-based bluetech hub spurring innovation, building and investing in sustainable, high- growth, ocean-related companies through an incubator, accelerator, angel investor group, and other vehicles New England Aquarium: Honorary Board, Immediate past Board Chair (6 years) and Interim CEO (1 year); current member, finance and DEI committees; former member, governance, audit, and development committees; extensive experience with strategic planning, risk management, public interface, customer experience, education, conservation impact and advocacy Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston: 20+ years of board service; chair, program committee; current member, executive committee; past chair, Board of Trustees; former member, strategic planning, governance, and development committees Operating Experience, Education, and Interests: Donna joined SeaAhead’s Board of Directors in 2019 and SeaAhead’s staff in 2020. She leads the company’s bluetech investor network, the Blue Angels, which includes 40 members representing diverse ocean-related industries and technologies, and provides capital, mentorship and network connections for bluetech start-ups. As a member of SeaAhead's executive team, Donna is also engaged in raising SeaAhead’s first fund, SeaAhead Ventures; the company’s involvement in the growing micro- and macro- algae industries; the UpSwell program to attract additional investors and capital to the blue economy; and several strategic partnerships. Donna served as Interim President & CEO of the New England Aquarium while continuing as Chair of the Board and a member of the search committee recruiting a long-term CEO for this $47 M non-profit organization attracting 1.4 million visitors annually and employing 250+ full-time staff and more than 1500 volunteers. As Board Chair and Interim CEO, Donna led the institution to update and implement its strategic plan, begin a cultural shift, restructure its development department, exceed its fundraising goal (30% increase year to year), and generate an operating surplus. She received a Governor’s Citation, Resolution of Honor from the MA House of Representatives, Official Citation from the MA State Senate, and Certificates of Recognition from US Senators Warren and Markey, US Congresswoman Clark, and Mayor Walsh for her efforts. In the corporate sector Donna also Co-Founded and served as Vice President of Business Development for venture-backed biotech diagnostics company Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS), which reached a market cap of $26 B. Donna focused on strategic partnerships, intellectual property, physician awareness, value proposition, reimbursement, and commercialization. Prior to these roles, Donna served as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Genzyme Genetics; Manager at Company Assistance Limited in Warsaw, Poland; Consultant at Bain & Company; and Market Analyst at biotech company BioTechnica International. She received an AB in Biology from Princeton University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Masters in Sustainability through Harvard Extension. Whenever possible Donna travels with her husband and four children, scuba dives, hikes, and listens to live music.

Dyan deNapoli

Dyan deNapoli is a penguin expert, award-winning author, and professional speaker. She has given 4 TEDx talks, and wrote and narrated a video about penguin conservation for TED-Ed. Her talks for the TED platform have been viewed more than 1 million times. Dyan lectures internationally, including for Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on their ships visiting Antarctica. She is a frequent guest expert on radio, TV, and podcasts, and was recently featured on PBS’s Stories From the Stage.

Helen Rozwadowski

Dr. Helen M. Rozwadowski is Professor of History & founder of the Maritime Studies program at the University of Connecticut. She studies the history of interconnections between oceans and people. She is co-editor of a University of Chicago Press book series, Oceans in Depth and author of Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans (2018). Her book Fathoming the Ocean: The Discovery and Exploration of the Deep Sea (2005) won the History of Science Society’s Davis Prize for best book directed to a wide public audience. Her recent work includes an open access essay on Homo aquaticus, evolution and the ocean - https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-9481407 - and a virtual exhibition, “Oceans in Three Paradoxes” https://www.environmentandsociety.org/exhibitions/oceans-three-paradoxes, an outgrowth of a fellowship at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich, Germany. She has also written or co-edited four additional books on the history of oceanography, most recently, Soundings & Crossings (2016). Her work has been supported by the William E. & Mary B. Ritter Fellowship of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution.

John Mandelman

Dr. John Mandelman is the Vice President and Chief Scientist of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium (NEAq), leading the Institution’s applied ocean science, policy, and technical advising portfolios. He is also the acting Vice President of the NEAq’s Animal Care Division. Beyond his role at NEAq, John is Adjunct Faculty in the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston’s School for the Environment, UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology, and Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and serves as a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Ocean Science Advisory Council. Prior to assuming his executive leadership roles, John was long time researcher at the NEAq, focused on fisheries ecology and conservation physiology in marine fishes, especially sharks, rays and skates. He was recently included on the inaugural Blooloop 50 Zoo & Aquarium Influencer List (2022), joining others from around the globe. With a lifelong dedication to the arts, including graduating as a fine arts major from the prestigious Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, John has a passion for the combined power of these disciplines to help achieve conservation impacts and protect our ocean.

Julie Wormser

Julie Wormser is the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Senior Policy Advisor and founder of the Resilient Mystic Collaborative. Since its launch in September 2018, the RMC has grown to include 20 municipalities and has secured over $30 million in funding to pursue regional climate preparedness projects. As Executive Director of The Boston Harbor Association, Wormser was instrumental in drawing attention to Boston's need to prepare for coastal flooding from extreme storms and sea level rise. She coauthored Preparing for the Rising Tide and Designing With Water and co-led the Boston Living with Water international design competition with the City of Boston and Boston Society of Architects. She has a BA in biology from Swarthmore College and an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Max Holmes

Dr. R. Max Holmes is motivated by a vision of science that connects people with each other and the natural world, and which drives urgently needed solutions to the climate crisis. He joined Woodwell Climate Research Center as a scientist in 2005, and served as Deputy Director for five years prior to becoming President and CEO in 2021. His globe-spanning career, track record of community-based science, and innate passion for interacting with new people and ideas position Dr. Holmes to engage diverse audiences with his inspiring, action-oriented vision for our climate future. He is a sought-after speaker at venues ranging from TEDx to Davos to Mountainfilm, and and has been quoted by top news outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Independent. He previously served as director of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Arctic Systems Science Program, was elected National Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2015, and served on the 2022 Earthshot Prize host committee.

Peter Girguis

Peter Girguis is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He studies the how marine animals and microbes adapt to their environment and to a changing world. He also develops novel “open-access” deep sea instruments with the goal of enabling all stakeholders to have access to such tools. Professor Girguis received his B.Sc. from UCLA, his Ph.D. from the UC Santa Barbara, and was a Packard Postdoctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. He joined the Harvard University faculty in 2005. He was a Distinguished Lecturer for the NSF RIDGE2000 initiative, a Merck Co. Innovative Research Awardee, and chair of the National Deep Submergence Science Committee. He also serves on several notable boards. He has authored or co-authored over 100 publications, and his honors include the 2007 and 2011 Lindbergh Foundation Award for Science & Sustainability, the 2018 Lowell Thomas Award for groundbreaking advances in Marine Science and Technology, and the 2020 Petra Shattuck Award for Distinguished Teaching. He was recently named a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator for his research on marine symbioses.

Randi Rotjan

Dr. Randi Rotjan (she/her/hers) is a Research Associate Professor and a Senior Lecturer at Boston University in the Biology Department and in the BU Marine Program. She received a B.S. from Cornell University, a Ph.D. from Tufts University, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. She spent 8 years as an Associate Research Scientist at the New England Aquarium, where she simultaneously held positions at UMass Boston and the Smithsonian Institution. She is the lead scientist for the Blue Nature Alliance, which is a global partnership to catalyze large-scale ocean conservation. She was formerly the co-Chief Scientist of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) Conservation Trust. She is a member of Women Working for Oceans (W2O) and the Explorers Club, and is a Faculty Associate at the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. She is a member of the Board of Directors for The Nature Conservancy – Caribbean.

Richard Vevers

Richard Vevers is an ocean conservationist best know for his leading role in the Netflix Film Chasing Coral and for inventing the camera that took Google Street View underwater.

Ted Janulis

Ted Janulis has served in various executive positions, including CEO, at financial institutions involved in Capital Markets, Banking and Asset Management over a 35+ year business career. He is President Emeritus of The Explorers Club in New York City and has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit Boards, currently holding positions with Gannett Co. Inc., Roc Capital, ORRAA, One Ocean Foundation and Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. The oceans have been one of Ted’s passions since he was young, including a life-changing year after graduating from college when he worked with scientists, explorers and filmmakers as the 1981 Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society.

Vasser Seydel

Vasser Seydel graduated with cum laude honors from the University of Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. During her time in Athens, Vasser worked for UGA’S Office of Sustainability as the Grants and Engagement Director, represented the university as the UGA Student Sustainability Ambassador, and pursued an education outside the classroom as an intern at the United Nations Foundation and TEDWomen. After graduation, she began consulting with non-profit, business, and individual clients, specializing in communications, digital media, and strategic development, to enhance brands that create positive impacts on society. Vasser continues to promote and support her family’s legacy and commitment to environmental responsibility through her family’s foundation, the Turner Foundation, as a board member and the first Chairperson of the Turner 3rd Generation board. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the National Center of Family Philanthropy, Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue and is on the advisory board for One Earth. Vasser is a Global Ambassador for Julian Lennon's, White Feather Foundation, an Arctic Angel for Global Choices and represents the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as an IUCN Environmental Youth Ambassador. At The Oxygen Project, Vasser took on the Deep Seabed Mining issue first as the Campaign Manager, then as the Director of Impact. Now, as President, she leads the organization on a mission to ignite a community of climate champions and accelerate collective action through digital storytelling, activist trainings, and impact campaigns to build a more climate-resilient tomorrow.