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).

Innovation Hall
716 Stevens Avenue
Portland, Maine, 04103
United States

Catherine Steiner-Adair

Psychologist

Dr. Steiner-Adair is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, school consultant and author. In her award-winning book, The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age (cited as a Wall Street Journal Top 10 Best Non-Fiction 2013), she examines ways in which the wonders of technology and media also change how children learn and grow, and she shows parents and educators how to reap the benefits of tech while reducing the risks it poses at every stage of child development. A leading expert specializing in child development, education, and family relationships, she speaks and consults on a wide range of topics, including social and emotional intelligence, nourishing healthy relationships in the digital age, and developing a thoughtful approach to technology in school and life. Dr. Steiner-Adair has a private practice and is a Research Associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Chanel Lewis

Founder

At the age of 26, Chanel is your typical millennial. She wears many hats. Why is that? Short answer: Chanel is passionate about her work. Chanel founded and directs A Seat at the Table, co-owns a millennial-run career consulting biz, works as a Program Coordinator at a non-profit, and is the Vice-Curator for the Portland Global Shapers Hub. However, there are common threads in her work: education and learning, equity and inclusion, and community. As a community member, she provides opportunities for people to gather, discuss, and learn about topics such as equity, inclusion, race, sex and gender, climate change, etc. A Seat at the Table, an initiative of the Treehouse Institute, seeks to bridge the gaps in our community by creating gathering spaces and promoting radical listening as a way to build and strengthen empathy, compassion, understanding, and action to make our communities more equitable and inclusive to all.

Deborah Bronk

President

Deborah Bronk became the President and CEO of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in February 2018. She holds a B.S. in marine science and biology and a Ph.D. in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science. As a researcher, she is fundamentally concerned about the health of aquatic systems. She has lead or participated in over 50 research expeditions from the Arctic to Antarctica. She was elected President of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, the largest international society devoted to the aquatic sciences, and is currently the chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents. From 2012-2015, she served at the National Science Foundation (NSF) ultimately as Director of the Division of Ocean Sciences where she oversaw a budget of $356M and was responsible for funding programs in Biological, Chemical, and Physical Oceanography, Marine Geology and Geophysics, and ocean research facilities.

Donna Cassese

Manufacturing Innovation

Donna Cassese holds a B.S. in Forest Management and has been with Sappi for over 40 years. She has had diverse roles within forestry, operations, and manufacturing. After nearly 15 years as a forester she transitioned into managerial roles in the Woodyard, Waste Treatment, Pulp Sales and Human Resources at the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine. Following this, Donna became Plant Manager at Sappi's Allentown, Pennsylvania facility and then transitioned into the Supply Chain group at the Somerset Mill. In 2006 Donna became the Director of Inside Sales for Sappi's North American operations. In 2008 she became Managing Director of the Westbrook Mill. In 2014 Donna returned to forestry as the Director of Wood Supply Strategy with responsibility for developing and implementing wood supply strategy in Maine and Minnesota. In January of 2018 Donna retired and now works as a consultant for Sappi, leading government relations work in Maine.

James Herbert

President

James D. Herbert, Ph.D., is the president of the University of New England. He arrived at UNE in 2017, bringing a distinct vision for the evolving mission of institutions of higher education. He is a champion of the university as the ultimate marketplace of ideas and an advocate for the transformation of students through experiential learning and the acquisition of discipline-based knowledge, essential life skills, and critical habits of mind. Herbert came to UNE via Drexel University, where he led a research program on the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. He has published widely on quackery and pseudoscience in mental health. His 2011 book Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy was endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas.

Joanne Arnold

Photographer

Joanne Arnold graduated from Maine College of Art 1979 with a BFA in Painting. Regaining her visual self became priority for Joanne 10 years ago after her three children were off to college. One practice she began and continues now is to photograph at dawn every day, without exception, year round. She wanted to learn the lessons of showing up; of putting herself on the spot; to work with what existed before her and recalibrate the discipline of seeing; to be faced over and over again with uncertainty that would rekindle a spirit of invention and challenge her assumptions. Her work as a photographer introduced her to those that inhabit this early morning landscape: the fishing community, the dock workers, the homeless, the recovery population. Her work as an Interfaith Chaplain (Chime 2013) deeply informs her work and how she moves throughout this landscape. Joanne is a frequent presenter at PechaKucha events in Portland, Kennebunk and Belfast.

Lelia DeAndrade

Senior Director

Lelia L. DeAndrade is the Senior Director of Grantmaking Services at the Maine Community Foundation. She holds PhD in Sociology from Syracuse University and held a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard. Before joining the staff of the Maine Community Foundation, Dr. DeAndrade was the Associate Director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, where she designed and delivered anti-bias programs for angry kids and misbehaving adults in a variety of settings. She moved to Maine in 1994 to teach on the faculty at Bowdoin College. She lives in Portland, with her husband, a middle school special education teacher and a teenaged son.

Matthew Theodores

Executive Director

Matt Theodores is the Executive Director of Maine Boys to Men, an organization that engages communities to shift attitudes and actions to end male violence against women and girls. Matt transitioned to the nonprofit sector in 2014 following 30 years of senior leadership experience with companies ranging from start-ups to some of the world’s largest businesses, including Microsoft and IBM. Prior to joining Maine Boys to Men, Matt served on its Board of Directors and was a Partner at Practical Decisions, a local consulting firm serving businesses and nonprofit organizations. Matt is a bereavement group facilitator at the Center for Grieving Children where he has volunteered since 2013. Matt holds a degree from University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Business and completed an executive education program at Harvard Business School. He resides in Cumberland with his wife Ellen, his three children, Peter, Christopher, and Nicholas.

Nicola Morris

Chief Corporate Development Officer

A member of the WEX team since 2014, Nicola Morris leads the corporate development team and is responsible for corporate strategy, M&A, marketing, and new business ventures, including our businesses in Latin America and Australia. Prior to joining WEX, Nicola worked at Verizon Communications, where she was focused on new business opportunities, identifying M&A targets and creating communications related to Verizon’s growth strategy. Nicola has also previously worked at Digex, Iridium and for the U.S. government. She currently serves as a trustee on the Portland Symphony Orchestra Board and as a director on the Center for Grieving Children’s Board. She received bachelor’s degrees in economics and Chinese language from Wellesley College and a master’s in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Oronde Cruger

Program Coordinator

Oronde Cruger is Program Coordinator at Speak About It. He has had been involved with Speak About It since its creation at Bowdoin College. He worked as a Speak About It educator for two years, and travelled around the country, eagerly spreading the gospel of sexy consent. Oronde graduated with a degree in neuroscience from Bowdoin, and brings deep love and expert facilitation skills from his work with ResLife while in school. He has worked as an Admissions Officer at Bowdoin, at Mercy Hospital in Portland, and is the proud co-founder of Heart of Hospitality. Oronde is from Ft. Lauderdale, FL but tries desperately to fit in as a native Mainer; he even owns flannel now.

Pihcintu Music

Immigrant children from around the globe share their voices touching hearts everywhere through the Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus. Pihcintu has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, on the Today Show in New York City, and for thousands more around the country. They are based in Portland, Maine.

San Pao

Clinical Social Worker

I am first and foremost a father and a husband. I am of Cambodian heritage; born in a refugee camp in Thailand after my parents fled the Khmer Rouge. My family was blessed to be sponsored by an American couple in Augusta, Maine when I was two years old. I attended Portland Public Schools and enlisted into the Maine Army National Guard before graduating from Deering High School in 2001. I am now a retired Army Staff Sergeant, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is also a Purple Heart recipient. I have since earned a bachelor’s in business and marketing and a master’s in social work from the University of Southern Maine. Although, I am successful as a home inspector, I decided to follow my wife’s footsteps into becoming a mental health clinician as a combat veteran with a goal in working with other combat veterans and their families.

Victoria Bonney

Communications Director

After volunteering for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, Victoria Bonney was inspired to be a voice for causes and political candidates that she believed in. During her 12-year career, she has served as a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, the New Hampshire Democratic Party, the Massachusetts Speaker of the House, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services during implementation of the Affordable Care Act. With expertise in digital storytelling and online engagement, Victoria currently serves as Communications Director for Maine’s First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. She is a 2006 graduate of Endicott College.

William Harwood

Attorney

William Harwood has been actively involved in the efforts to reduce gun violence both in Maine and nationally. In 2000, after the Columbine High School shooting, he founded Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence to lead efforts in Maine. Since then he has served on and chaired the Governing Board of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the American Bar Association Special Committee on Gun Violence. He has also served on the governing Board of States United to Prevent Gun Violence and the U.S. Department of Justice Safe Neighborhoods Project for Maine. Finally, he has authored articles on gun regulation including: Gun Control: State versus Federal Regulation of Firearms, Maine Policy Review (Vol. 11, No. 1 Spring 2002) and a pamphlet entitled Summary of Maine Gun Laws (Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence Foundation 2003). For the past two years, he has served as Board Chair of Maine Gun Safety Coalition, formerly known as Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence.