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).

Brandeis University
Schwartz Hall
Waltham, Massachusetts, 02453
United States

Bobbi Bittker

Town Councilperson

Bobbi Bittker graduated Brandeis with a Bachelors in Sociology, earned her JD from the Quinnipiac University School of Law, and is currently completing a MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Bobbi is a Civil Rights policy attorney and an elected official in the Town of Bedford, New York where she lives with her husband and three children. Bobbi chairs the American Bar Association Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, is an editorial board member of their Human Rights Magazine, and is working on a new ABA initiative to combat antisemitism.

Enet Mukurazita

PhD Student

Enet Mukurazita is a third-year PhD student in the Comparative and International Development Education Track at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, she received an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University's Heller School of Social Policy and Management. She identifies as a development practitioner after working in international development in Africa. She is deeply committed to empowering underserved women in low- to middle-income countries. Her doctoral research investigates how indigenous and Western knowledge can be combined in entrepreneurship training for rural African women.

Jessica Sanon

STEM Educator

Jessica Sanon is passionate about supporting and building economic mobility and capacity for communities facing systemic barriers. In 2017, Jessica founded sySTEMic flow, a socially driven organization that advances STEM education and math proficiency for women and girls who identify as Black, Indigenous, and Person of color (BIPOC). At sySTEMic flow, she has developed and implemented inclusive programs that tackle the issues surrounding the retention of BIPOC women in STEM through a holistic model that bridges the educational and workforce gap within the industry. Jessica has over 12 years of experience in client management, program and business development, organizational assessment, and project management. She has worked across various industries where she advanced new business ventures and program initiatives that strategically address societal gaps in education, housing, and the professional services industry.

Leana Silverberg

MPH/MBA Candidate

Leana Silverberg is a strategic advisor at Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures and an MPH/MBA candidate at Johns Hopkins University. She was the Chief Business Development Officer of Chromepay and former Director of Global Newborn Solutions. Before completing her Biotechnology Master's from Brandeis University in 2019, Leana founded EMet Nanotech, a nanoimaging drug discovery tools company. She has completed numerous accelerator programs including Google for Startups, MassChallenge, NSF-ICorps, and MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. During her career path, she consulted for over 60 startup teams, helped develop a new SARs-CoV-2 screening technique, worked on tech transfer for a Nobel Laureate, and created and implemented strategies for pharmaceutical companies. Since Leana was 12 years old and had to treat her mother for Lyme Disease, she has been passionate about disease prevention and reduction to live healthier lives for longer.

Zac Gondelman

Brandeis Student

Creating community and building empathy through story and song. Zac Gondelman is an educator, song leader, activist, and do-er based in Boston, MA. A student at Brandeis University, Zac believes deeply in the power music has to create change. Zac works to create a warm, welcoming, uplifting, and youthful space for prayer and discussion. He feels fortunate to be a part of many tight-knit communities. Zac loves keeping his finger on the pulse of the music scene, exploring new places, baking french desserts, playing with his dog, and making music.