TEDxSANDIEGO SPEAKERS

RobertBilder, Ph.D.

Dr. Bilder is the Michael E. Tennenbaum Family Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Professor of Psychology in the UCLA College of Arts & Science, and Chief of Medical Psychology – Neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute. Dr. Bilder holds the Tennenbaum Family Endowed Chair in Creativity Research at UCLA and directs the Center for the Biology of Creativity.

LawrenceBurns, Ph.D.

Lawrence D. Burns is the Director of the Roundtable on Sustainable Mobility with The Earth Institute at Columbia University and Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Most recently, he served as corporate vice president of R&D; and Strategic Planning at General Motors, where he was a member of top decision-making bodies for global operations and products and was responsible for advanced technology and product portfolio, capacity, and strategic planning.

ChristineComaford

Executive coach and New York Times bestselling author Christine Comaford has guided over 153 businesses to multi-million dollar sales, and 50 companies to being acquired for $12-425 million. She has built and sold 5 of her own businesses with an average 700% ROI and invested in over 200 startups (including Google). Christine creates remarkable growth whether when consulting to the White House (Clinton and Bush), 700 of the Fortune 1000, or over 300 small businesses.

MartinCooper

Cooper is an internationally renowned expert on technology and innovation and its impact on business and society. He is widely regarded as one of the leading inventors of our time and has spent most of the past 5 decades creating some of the world’s most important business and technological concepts and offerings. He is an activist who seeks to shape public policy in the US and globally having testified before various committees, and been featured in national publications and news shows. He is passionate about the revolution in health care and commerce that wireless technology will engender when networks are finally opened and new technology adopted. Cooper is also an accomplished entrepreneur and futurist.

JamesFowler

James Fowler is a Professor in the School of Medicine and Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, and he was recently named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. James’ primary areas of research are social networks, behavioral economics, evolutionary game theory, political participation, cooperation, and genopolitics (the study of the genetic basis of political behavior). James has been interviewed on The Colbert Report and was named “most original thinker” of the year by The McLaughlin Group.

PeteGarcia

Mr. Garcia was born in Cuba. At thirteen he arrived alone in the United States when his family’s departure was denied by Castro. After graduating with High Honors from the University of Florida in Engineering, he began his career with Exxon. In 1974 he moved to San Diego to design and build industrial, commercial, and residential projects throughout the United States.

KurtGray

Kurt Gray completed his PhD at Harvard University and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. He studies morality and mind perception, and their real-world implications. He has investigated why we torture others, how suffering makes us believe in God and how good deeds make people more powerful.

 

TonyHaymet, Ph.D.

As director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Tony Haymet leads one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global ocean and earth science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, Scripps Institution of Oceanography is leading the efforts to gain a better scientific understanding of the oceans, atmosphere, and Earth for the benefit of society and the environment.

AmyKHutchens

With over 700 presentations to 20,000+ executives in 7 countries, AmyK Hutchens is the brain brilliant woman offering up a unique perspective on life, leadership, neuro‐sales and innovation. AmyK ignites brilliance in individuals, teams and leaders. AmyK has served as Senior Executive Vice President, Operations for one of the largest sales and marketing firms in the U.S., Director of Education for Europe and Australasia for a 900 million dollar consumer products company, and she has been a chosen member of National Geographic’s Educator Advisory Committee. Her company won 5 Telly Marketing Awards and the Summit International’s Award for Creativity in 2008.

JeanIsaacs

The San Diego Dance Theater has brought smart, sexy art to our city since 1972. Under Artistic Director Jean Isaacs, SDDT has gained national recognition and earned a reputation as a professional company committed to unconventional, courageous programming. It is urban, edgy, gender-equal and danced by people of who reflect the diversity of the real world. With its cross-border project, San Diego Trolley Dances, summer workshops and in-theater programs, SDDT is advancing its mission to create intelligent performances that breathe life into the people of our region and beyond. Through dance, SDDT helps us look deeper inside ourselves to find greater understanding.

PankajKedia

Pankaj Kedia is the director of Global Ecosystem Programs for Mobile Internet at Intel Corporation. He is responsible for collaborating with the industry to enable complete solutions for handhelds/smartphones, ensure the availability of applications, content, and services, and take products to market. Over the last 3 years, Pankaj has worked to establish Intel’s presence and momentum in the handheld and smartphone categories, and launch the Intel® Atom™ processor, which is specifically designed to address these market segments.

JoePine

B. Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor. A Visiting Scholar with the Design Lab at MIT, he co-founded Strategic Horizons LLP to help businesses conceive and design new ways of adding value to their economic offerings. Mr. Pine’s latest book, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, recognizes that in a world of increasingly paid-for experiences, people no longer accept the fake from the phony, but want the real from the genuine. He also wrote the award-winning Mass Customization and co-wrote the best-selling The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. He is currently working on a new book focusing on the infinite possibility of technology-enabled experiences.

ChrisPreuss

Chris Preuss took on the role of President of OnStar in March 2010. Since he has lead the company’s targeted initiative into infotainment and responsible connectivity. With an extensive background in Communications and Public Relations, Chris has held multiple leadership positions for both General Motors and Chrysler. Chris is also an avid cyclist, racing in events throughout Michigan as a Masters road racer. He is a Michigan native and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Political Science from Michigan State University.

KaylinRichardson

Kaylin Richardson is a two-time Olympian and four-time Alpine National Champion. After competing in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver she announced her retirement from ski racing. During her ten year run on the US Ski Team she managed her own company, handling multiple sponsorships and cultivating a personal brand. Kaylin recently moved to Southern California to parlay her athletic career into an entertainment career. As a television host, motivational speaker, and spokesperson her hopes are to educate, entertain, and excite viewers whether the arena is sport or academia.

JasonRussell

Jason Russell is one of the original founders of the media-driven nonprofit Invisible Children, Inc. A graduate of USC Production Film School, his experience in film has run the gamut – he’s co-directed a documentary seen by millions, sold his musical “Moxie” to Steven Spielberg, and served as the assistant to the director for Disney’s blockbuster Step Up 2.

GadShaanan

Gad Shaanan is an entrepreneurial visionary, innovative designer and evolutionary engineer who has dedicated his life to creating winning products and inventing opportunities. Born with a critical eye and deep curiosity about how things work, Gad has launched and overseen the production of a myriad of products that millions of people use every day. From an entry-level cell phone to kitchen utensils to rear-projection televisions and commuter trains, he designs for maximum ease of use and maintenance. In doing so, he has proven the value of positive emotional connection between brand, product and consumer.

JakeShimabukuro

Known for lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake Shimabukuro is a master of the ukulele. Not only does he play styles previously “taboo” on the four-string, two-octave instrument, but also he is creating music never before thought possible. While Jake has great respect and love for traditional Hawaiian ukulele music, his mission is to show everyone that the ukulele is capable of so much more.

SimonSinek

Simon Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them. He writes, consults and speaks about the power of Why – the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us. Simon’s unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted the attention of various high-profile international leaders and organizations.

ShannonSpanhake

Shannon Spanhake has been recognized in “100 Women Innovating Science and Technology” and was a Semi-Finalist in the Buckminster Fuller Inventor competition. She recently completed a dual appointment as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at CalIT2 and as a Senior Researcher at CDF, a policy/development think-tank based in Chennai India. As one of the early developers of participatory sensing technologies combined with research in social development, her work aims to transform the notion of ‘people-as-part-of-the-problem’ into ‘people-as-part-of-the-solution’.

BillToone

Bill Toone is the director of the ECOLIFE Foundation and a widely recognized conservation biologist and spokesperson for conservation. Starting in early phases of California condor recovery program he played a key role in the development of recovery strategies for what was North America’s most endangered bird. Later as director of applied conservation programs for the Zoological Society of San Diego his work carried him through a variety of conservation efforts throughout the world.

EricTopol, M.D.

Eric J. Topol, M.D. is a noted American cardiologist, geneticist and innovator. He is the Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, California, which is a National Institutes of Health funded flagship grant, to accelerate research to change medicine. He also serves as the Chief Academic Officer for Scripps Health, a Professor of Translational Genomics at The Scripps Research Institute, and was recently named The Gary and Mary West Chair of Innovative Medicine. In addition, he is a Co-Founder and serves on the Board of the West Wireless Health Institute as Vice-Chairman.

RoxanaVelasquez

Roxana Velásquez Martínez del Campo is the Maruja Baldwin Director of The San Diego Museum of Art. American born and raised in Mexico, she represented professional, civic, and cultural endeavors at three major national museums in Mexico City.

 

 

JakeWood

Jake Wood currently serves as President of Team Rubicon, the organization he co-founded following the earthquake in Haiti. Team Rubicon is a rapid medical response organization that uniquely pairs today’s military veterans with medical professionals; all while using new media technology to interact with donors.

 

TomYellin

Tom Yellin is co-founder and president of The Documentary Group, where he has been executive producer of numerous films, including Ten Trillion and Counting, Babyland, China Inside Out, Operation Homecoming, STEEP, and To Iraq and Back.

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