Theme: Seeding the Future

Seven spectacular speakers share ideas on cultivating a better future, from creating positive hospital experiences through movement, to climate change / farming on the fringe to libraries as innovative space, TEDxGreatMills is for everyone!

This virtual event is free of charge! Please register and join us!

Great Mills, Maryland
VIRTUAL
Great Mills, Maryland, 20653
United States

Alison Waldman

Movement artist, Wellness educator

Alison Waldman is a movement artist and wellness educator in healthcare spaces. She works with staff, patients, and caregivers to incorporate movement into their diagnoses and enhance community building and compassionate relationships between providers and patients. Alison is a Resident Artist at the Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she leads onsite dance encounters, adaptive yoga and mindfulness sessions, and the award-winning Movement for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) dance class in collaboration with the Department of Neurology. As the Founder and Lead Facilitator of Available Wellness she helps providers and telehealth developers design the future of patient and staff care in their clinics. She works with faith communities and corporate offices where she bust myths of the wellness industry and promote organizational cultures of dance breaks, mindful communication, embodied study, and body positivity.

Jennifer Narkevicius

Systems Engineer, Musician

Jennifer McGovern Narkevicius, PhD is a performer, arranger, publisher, recording artist, and teacher in Virginia and Maryland. As a Systems Engineer, she focused on Human Systems Integration, identifying systems requirements for human capabilities and limitations. She worked in research, development and evaluation of complex systems for Defense, Transport, and Infrastructure. She has published on Emergent Failure Modes, appropriate automation, and integration of users with the other elements of systems. In parallel, she has taught enrichment courses to improve problem solving, organizational strategic planning and music. She is a principle at Creative Purpose LLC and Creative Jenius Publishing LLC, and is a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and the American Harp Society (AHS). Jen holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, with degrees in Systems Engineering, Adult Developmental Psychology, and Special Education, and is a Certified Music Practitioner.

Kate Tully

Agroecology, Scientist

Dr. Kate Tully is an Assistant Professor of Agroecology at the University of Maryland and directs the AgroEcoLab. She earned a bachelor's degree in English, Spanish, and Biology from Kenyon College and a master's and doctorate in Ecology from the University of Virginia. She conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University's Earth Institute, where she researched the environmental impacts of the African Green Revolution and lived in Kenya and Tanzania. Broadly, her research examines how to manage farming systems so they both adapt to and mitigate climate change. Specifically, her current research programs address how to manage (1) coastal farmlands impacted by sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion and (2) cover crops to improve agroecosystem services provisioning.

Mary Ruth McGinn

Education, Curriculum, authentic learning

As a teacher with 32 years of experience, Mary Ruth McGinn has sought innovative ways to meet the needs of her students. She has spent her entire career in schools where a majority of students speak English as a second language and where poverty significantly impacts the learning experiences and opportunities of students and their families. In 2001, she attended training sessions at The Metropolitan Opera Guild in NYC, lived the process of creating an original opera and used the process as a vehicle to teach curriculum and life skills in her classroom. In 2006, she was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Spain to develop and implement a similar program there. Mary Ruth returns to Madrid annually to train a new educators. In the summer of 2018, she joined forces with The Kennedy Center to offer the opera training for teachers in the Washington Metro area. She currently teaches third grade at Stedwick Elementary School in Montgomery Village, Maryland.

Michael Blackwell

Library sciences

Michael Blackwell is the Director of St. Mary's County Library. Here serves as the Co-chair of the America Library Association's Architecture for Public Library's Committee and as Project Manager for ReadersFirst, an international cooperative of nearly 300 libraries. He has presented and published frequently on library spaces and trends and library digital content issues. You may follow him on Twitter at @Aeolussurf or http://www.readersfirst.org/news.

Raven Baxter

Science communication and activist

Raven Baxter is a science communicator and Ph.D. student from Buffalo, New York, also known as Raven the Science Maven. Currently, Raven researches the relationship between the media representation of scientists and how adults identify with science. As a musician, Raven is known for her unique ways of blending science and hip-hop, drawing from her experiences as a corporate molecular research scientist, biology professor, and college advisor, to create fun and relatable music that educates while sending positive messages into the STEM community. In her journey, she overcame racial and gender barriers that altered the focus of her mission towards amplifying the voices and work of STEM ambassadors. She founded STEMbassy, a STEM advocacy organization focused on showcasing diversity, and hosts a live talk show highlighting current events impacting the field. Raven uses her platform to highlight what is missing in STEM culture, and encourage others to use their voices for inspiring change.

Steve Hall

Captain, Office of Sheriff

Captain Steven Hall began his career with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Officer in 1994. In 1996 he was promoted to Deputy Sheriff and has been promoted through the ranks attaining the rank of Captain in 2010. He has commanded the Patrol Division, and most recently, the Special Operations Division where he enjoys the challenges of the one the most diverse and demanding divisions in the Office of Sheriff. In January 2012, Steve was nominated to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. In June 2013, he completed the Maryland Police Training Commissions Leadership Challenge Session XXII and received the sessions Outstanding Leader Award. Steve is the Commander of the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Team, the Polygraph Unit and oversees the Sheriff Office Chaplain Corps. Captain Hall received his undergraduate degree from Western Colorado University and holds a master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.