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).

Berkshire Innovation Center
45 Woodlawn Avenue
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 01201
United States

Brad Corrigan

Musician; Founder & CEO of Love Light & Melody

Brad is the Founder and President of Love Light + Melody. Since 2006, LLM has served families on the frontlines of crisis and poverty, primarily in Nicaragua, as well as in Denver, CO and Pine Ridge, SD. Brad is a creative visionary, living a unique and traveled life. He is a member of the indie band Dispatch. A dynamic solo artist and communicator - through film, photography, and music - Brad’s innate kindness touches those around him and inspires hope. Regardless of the medium, he is committed to creating and sharing stories with art that shine light, raise awareness, and inspire action. Brad is director and producer of a documentary film, Ileana’s Smile, releasing December of 2024.

Elisabeth Reynolds

Professor of the Practice, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In her role at MIT, Liz focuses on systems of innovation, manufacturing and industrial competitiveness, and regional economic development. Her recent research and policy work has focused on growing innovative companies to scale, digital technology adoption and inclusive growth. Liz was Special Assistant to President Biden for Manufacturing and Economic Development at the National Economic Council (NEC, 2021/2022) where she helped lead the Administration's work on national manufacturing strategy, supply chain resilience and industrial strategy.

Jeff Wetzler

Author of ASK and Co-Founder of Transcend

Jeff has been on a quarter-century quest to transform learning opportunities. Blending a unique set of leadership experiences in the fields of business and education, he’s pursued this quest as a management consultant to the world’s top corporations, as a learning facilitator for leaders around the world, as Chief Learning Officer at Teach For America, and most recently, as co-CEO of Transcend, a nationally recognized education innovation organization. Jeff earned a Doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Brown University. He is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is an Edmund Hillary Fellow. He lives in New York with his wife, two children, and their puppy.

Justin McKennon

Principal Scientist II, Electro Magnetic Applications

Justin is recognized globally for his experience and expertise in electromagnetic effects such as lightning, radiated fields, space radiation, EMP, and related areas. He holds a full authority FAA DER license in these areas and has supported countless programs across the industry. He obtained his BS and MS Degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Justin lead the establishment of EMA’s Massachusetts location and it’s commercial Space Environment and Radiation Effects (SERE) laboratory. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Berkshire Innovation Center.

Melissa Lavinson

Executive Director, MA Executive Office of Energy Transformation

In her role with the Executive Office of Energy Transition, Melissa is charged with the hands-on execution of the clean energy transition, including ensuring the availability and readiness of electric infrastructure, electric and gas transition coordination, and a just and equitable transition for impacted workers, communities and businesses.

Michelle Jungmin Bang

Award-winning Eco-entreprenuer and Author of Sun & Ssukgat

Michelle is an award-winning eco-entrepreneur, Chivas Social Impact Venture Fellow, and Harvard Business School graduate who spent almost two decades living in Asia as a Korean-American from New York City. She is the author of Sun & Ssukgat, a wellness guide covering her research, interviews, and personal eco-conscious journey in uncovering centuries-old well-being traditions from her time in Asia and Korea. Michelle is the co-founder and founding CEO of The R Collective (formerly BYT), a sustainable fashion brand that creates affordable luxury pieces out of high-end materials that would otherwise have been disposed of in a landfill. She is passionate about driving social impact and serves as a board director and founding member of various mission-driven organizations.

Robert Gentleman

Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard University

Dr. Robert Gentleman is an accomplished statistician and bioinformatician. He is one of the creators of the R programming language and a founder of the Bioconductor project, an open-source collaborative software tool to promote statistical analysis of biological data. He has served as VP of Computational Biology at 23andMe, where he helped launch their therapeutic division, and as senior director for bioinformatics and computational biology at Genentech. He was head of computational biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and held academic positions at Harvard University, University of Auckland and the University of Waterloo. Dr. Gentleman was the founding executive director of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Computational Biomedicine. Dr. Gentleman’s research interests are related scientific computing, artificial intelligence, genomics, data visualization, and the application of statistical and computational methods to study human disease.

Sarah Eustis

Founder & CEO, Main Street Hospitality

Sarah is the Founder and CEO of Main Street Hospitality (MSH), owning and operating distinctive, independent hotels across the U.S. She leads the Stockbridge, Mass-based group, boasting over $50M in managed revenue. Founded in 2014, MSH has consistently grown, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 List in 2023 and becoming a leader in the hospitality industry in under a decade. Eustis's career spans three decades, with leadership roles at renowned apparel companies. In 2012, Sarah returned from her executive role in France to lead the third generation of her family’s hospitality business. Since her arrival, she has strengthened the family ethos of conscious operations, enabled a successful transfer of ownership and leadership to the third generation, and managed bottom line performance in all aspects of the businesses.

Tammy Valicenti

Licensed Psychotherapist, Transformation Solution

Tammy is a highly sought-after international psychotherapist, speaker, and podcast guest. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in co-transforming various forms of trauma. Through her engaging podcast interviews and impactful speaking engagements, she offers hope and spreads awareness about how the journey from pain to peace is more achievable than ever imagined. With over 27 years of experience, Tammy has developed Transformation Solution™, a cutting-edge synthesis of EMDR therapy, IFS, and other evidence-based therapies that is more effective than any of its parts and accomplishes in weeks or months, what traditional psychotherapy achieves in years. She holds a graduate degree from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.