Theme: TEDxNorthamptonCommunityCollege

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxNorthampton Community College, where x= independently organized TED event. At our TEDxNorthampton Community College event, TED Talks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidelines for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Northampton Community College , College Center 220
3835 Green Pond Road
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18020
United States

Abigail Michelini

English Instructor

Dr. Abigail Michelini is an Assistant Professor of English at Northampton Community College, where she teaches composition, literature, and creative writing. Her research has explored listening across differences in American politics through the lens of poetic inquiry. She sees poetry and listening as avenues for bridging divides while maintaining diversity of thought and idea. Dr. Michelini is also Poetry Editor at Oyster River Pages, a non-profit literary arts journal which seeks to promote historically underrepresented voices in publishing. Her work can be found at www.abigailmichelini.com.

Andrew McIntosh

Sociology, Hip-Hop, DJing

Andrew McIntosh is a professor of sociology at Northampton Community College’s Monroe Campus. He is a lifelong DJ who married his love for Hip Hop and scholarship first at Bard College, Annandale, NY. He has taught “Pass the Peas: The Sociology of Hip Hop” for over 20 years at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, a class born from his graduate work there. Publications include a chapter entitled “Bucktown vs. ‘G’ Thang: The Enduring East Coast/West Coast Dialectic in Hip Hop Music” for the Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Music Studies and “Shoot Pass Slam: Reconsidering Shaquille O'Neal” for University Press of Mississippi.

Betsy Jackson

English Instructor

Betsy is a writer of memoir, award-winning plays, and a blog called scratching on paper. Betsy teaches English at Northampton Community College, as well as writing & yoga workshops. She believes writing solo (+ with others) helps people feel less nutty. For twenty + years, she’s been sharing her word cards out in the world.

Brian Yang

Environmental Health Advocate, Sociology Student, Communicator

Brian is a dual enrollment student at Northampton Community College studying sociology, and a junior at Moravian Academy. Brian is interested in the intersection between the environment, behavioral science and public health. Brian is also interested in promoting mental health and addressing the epidemic of loneliness as public health crisis among high school students. Brian has been conducting research to uncover the relationship between the unique geology of the Lehigh Valley to the extraordinarily high levels of the carcinogenic gas, radon, in our area. His research is being presented at this year's American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST) national meeting in Nashville, TN. In this talk, he describes radon exposure as a model to illustrate the responsibility we have to one another to address environmental and other hazards.

Byrnese Craig

Theology, Spirituality

Byrnese Craig (she/her) is the student pastor for Emmaus Moravian church and a Master of Divinity student at Moravian Theological Seminary. Born in New England, she has enjoyed living in several states including Ohio, Oregon and Washington. In her work, Byrnese is deeply committed to building inclusive communities, especially when there’s an opportunity to involve food. She is a sewist, and is currently enjoying deep dives into sourdough baking and knitting. Byrnese lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with her husband and their three young children.

Danielle Hanson

Philosophy

Danielle Hanson is a recent graduate of Moravian University where she completed an honors project and degree in philosophy. She has won multiple leadership awards through the international honors society Phi Theta Kappa and was awarded the Douglas R. Anderson Prize in Philosophy from her alma mater. She strives to be a compassionate, courageous, and authentic individual. All of these values she has gained through her studies of philosophy. It is her life’s mission to spread the wisdom of philosophy and help improve the lives of others

Dustin Levy

Chemistry, Business Management,

Dustin Levy is currently the Vice President for Industrial Safety products at Gentex Corporation, responsible for a global line of solutions designed to protect people from workplace health and safety hazards. Dustin is a 2012 graduate of the MBA program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and completed his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2005. He also graduated from Moravian College with an American Chemical Society (ACS) certified B.S. degree in 2001 and has served on their Leadership and Advisory Council. A father to two twin sons, and a mentor to young professionals and students, Dustin’s values of using technology for the greater good are applied consistently and expertly to “protect those who protect us” while developing the next generations of leaders and innovators.

Franca Roibal Fernandez

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion work

Franca Roibal Fernández, Ph.D. is an intersectional, decolonialist, anti imperialist scholar, researcher, an educator. She is a diversity, equity, & inclusion practitioner and consultant. She is an immigrant from the Global South and her academic background is in Latin American and Latino/a/x studies with a focus on intersectionality and social justice, especially as it shows up in popular culture phenomena such as fútbol and carnaval. Her work in DEI started organically and naturally and social justice has always been a focus and goal in all of her work.

Gregory Offner

Music, Pianist, Singer

Gregory Offner is a globally recognized expert on performance, the Founder and CEO of the Global Performance Institute, and award-winning international keynote speaker. His forthcoming book, The Tip Jar Culture, lays out a path and a process to reimagine the experience of employment and take the "IRK" out of work. He lives in Philadelphia, PA with his wife Kim, their two daughters, and two dogs.

Harold Weiss

Professor of Philosophy

Harold is partial to Pennsylvania, having attended West Chester University for a bachelor’s degree in history, Villanova University for a masters in philosophy and Temple University for a PhD. For the last 25 years he has been a philosophy professor in Bethlehem PA at Northampton community college. He loves music and is a former radio disc jockey and current karaoke singer and hipster.

Julia Warden

Travel, undergraduate academic research, student

Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Julia is in the class of 2024 at the University of Notre Dame, where she is pursuing a dual degree in Business Analytics & Film. She is active in a variety of communities at Notre Dame, and enjoys skiing, listening to podcasts, discovering new music and language-learning in her free time. Julia loves travelling to learn about global cultures by meeting new people. She has visited eighteen countries on four continents in the last year, much of which was sponsored by Notre Dame for research, as well as study abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia. She is pursuing a career in management consulting and hopes to continue exploring the world in the future!

Kaitlyn Seawood

Mental Health, Journalism

Kaitlyn Seawood is an aspiring multimedia journalist with a passion for public speaking, being a voice for change, promoting self-love, and breaking the stigma of mental health. She is a recent Northampton Community College alumni (spring 2023) and currently studies at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Kaitlyn has given speeches at NCC’s spring 2023 convocation and commencement about her academic and personal success despite facing numerous hurdles in her life. She held the position of editor-in-chief for NCC’s student newspaper, The Commuter, president for the Beta Beta Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, secretary for the Monroe Campus Student Governance, and secretary for the Monroe Campus Women’s Club. Kaitlyn currently serves as a social media editor for Rider University’s student newspaper.

Kathy Swann-Fisher

Communication Professor

Kathleen A. Swann-Fisher has been teaching Introduction To Communication at the Monroe campus of NCC in Tannersville, Pa. since August of 2014. She has taught Public Speaking for Penn State on the Hazleton, Pa. campus and just finished a two-year teaching opportunity at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. where she taught Speaking Power, a course focused on public speaking and the art of persuasion. Professor Fisher received a Master’s degree, summa cum laude, in Communication Arts with an Interdisciplinary focus on Education from Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. She believes that gaining skills in the Performance Arts is key for the self-actualization process and the value of making your voice matter. Kathleen is currently ‘living her dream’ as a working actor again; back on the stage after 36 years away because of life choices and different paths she took.

Kelly Yanek

Therapist

Drs. Kinderman and Yanek are the co-creators of the Dual Therapist Model: a revolutionary new approach to the psychotherapeutic treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Kinderman is a clinical psychologist who earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the California School of Professional Psychology in 2000. Dr. Kelly Yanek is a school psychologist who earned her Doctor of Psychology degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006. After experiencing burnout in their prior jobs, the two friends joined forces to challenge industry norms and develop an approach to psychotherapy that highlights human connection and prevents therapist burnout. Via the Dual Therapist Model, the doctors have achieved unprecedented success in fostering personal growth and well-being for both themselves and their clients. They have a private practice on a 20-acre farm in Princeton, NJ, where they work outdoors with their clients and their therapy dog, Zippy.

Michele Kinderman

Mental Health Field

Drs. Kinderman and Yanek are the co-creators of the Dual Therapist Model: a revolutionary new approach to the psychotherapeutic treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Kinderman is a clinical psychologist who earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the California School of Professional Psychology in 2000. Dr. Kelly Yanek is a school psychologist who earned her Doctor of Psychology degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006. After experiencing burnout in their prior jobs, the two friends joined forces to challenge industry norms and develop an approach to psychotherapy that highlights human connection and prevents therapist burnout. Via the Dual Therapist Model, the doctors have achieved unprecedented success in fostering personal growth and well-being for both themselves and their clients. They have a private practice on a 20-acre farm in Princeton, NJ, where they work outdoors with their clients and their therapy dog, Zippy.

Nicholas Snyder

Education, Educational Leadership

A first generation college graduate and lifelong learner, Nicholas Snyder is a teacher, mentor and leader in education from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Having overcome adversity and a major learning disability to become an educator and advocate for those from similar backgrounds and circumstances. He continues to break down barriers to education, help students grow and learn to their fullest potential. Nicholas holds two undergraduate degrees from Northampton Community College & DeSales University in Secondary Ed. & Spanish Education. He also obtained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University. In his free time he enjoys baking, traveling and spending time with his family and friends.

Nikki Gingrich

Healthcare

Nikki Gingrich is a working mom who found herself lost and confused when the pandemic hit in March 2020. She was juggling all the things from at-home school schedules, her and her spouse both working from home, and still keeping a household running. She realized she needed more structure in her life and better habits. Planning, scheduling, and a consistent morning routine became key elements in Nikki’s life. It was the habits she created at that time that have helped sustain and move her forward as life continues to shift and change. From that experience she created the Stepping Up Planner that incorporates monthly, weekly and daily habits. She also has a series of journals that are sold throughout stores in the Lehigh Valley. Today she is the Patient Care Coordinator at Vitality Natural Healthcare Center in Emmaus, she works remotely as the Membership Coordinator for the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation, and is an adjunct professor at DeSales University in Center Valley.

Robert Fernandes

Cyber Security, Information Technology

Robert Fernandes is the Chief Information Security Officer at The Investment Center, Inc. He has dedicated over 20 years to Information Technology and Cybersecurity, honing his expertise and understanding of the digital landscape's complexities. A believer in the power of collaborative growth, Robert has consistently emphasized the importance of team building, networking, and education. His commitment to knowledge transfer led him to establish Cyberchance, a 510c3 nonprofit with a profound mission: to offer comprehensive cybersecurity training and mentorship to at-risk, underrepresented, and justice-impacted communities. Through this initiative, Robert seeks to expand opportunities and make the field of cybersecurity more inclusive.

Tatiana Quiñones

Transportation Safety

Tatiana is a passionate advocate for transportation safety and equity, merging her background as an artist, researcher, and consultant. She’s the driving forces behind Quiñones Consulting, a firm that researches the human factors and strategies for safer transportation. Tatiana’s dynamic journey has seen her collaborate with esteemed organizations, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), leveraging her expertise in data analysis and research to work on impactful initiatives.

Tim Betz

Educator, Historian, Published Author

Tim Betz is the Curator of Exhibitions at the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society in Easton, PA, and has been in museums in various capacities for the last decade. He recently completed and published a book, Making History: Makerspaces for Museums and Historic Sites, which explores how learning and teaching historic trades and crafts is an important way to learn about the past for museum goers, museum professionals, and scholars. He teaches art history at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and is completing his PhD in history at Lehigh University.

Will Rufe

Chef, Culinary

Will Rufe is a Chef and alumni of Northampton Community College’s Culinary Arts Program. He is a well-traveled and inquisitive Chef that’s always been obsessed with the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of things, and his investigative nature keeps him in a near-constant state of research. His wealth of knowledge continues to benefit the many culinary students that work through the program, and he has given presentations all over eastern Pennsylvania about food, culture, and gastronomy.