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).

Reno Events Center
400 N. Center Street
Reno, Nevada, 89501
United States

Bayo Curry-Winchell

Medical Director

Dr. Curry-Winchell is the Medical Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity, Co-lead of DEIB, a practicing physician and Medical Director of Urgent Care Clinics in Nevada and California for Carbon Health and Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. Deeply involved with her community, Dr. Bayo Curry- Winchell is also the Medical Director for the Washoe County Sexual Assault Response Team and volunteers as an Assistant Medical Examiner for Washoe County Child Protective Services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined the Reno Mayor’s task force and Governors Medical Advisory Team. She has received many awards including the 2021 Young Physician Award from Washoe County Medical Society, 2020 PBS Reno Spotlight Extraordinary Neighbor award, Sierra Nevada’s Top 20 Most Powerful Women award in 2019 and most recently named 75 Black Healthcare leaders to know in 2022. She and her husband enjoy life in Reno-Tahoe with their two young girls.

Bill Eckstrom

CEO

Bill Eckstrom is a leading authority on performance coaching and growth. He is the founding CEO of Ecsell Institute and Ecsell Sports. With nearly two decades of experience, Bill remains a renowned TEDx Talk presenter, keynote speaker and podcast and radio show guest. In addition, he is the author of numerous research articles and white papers and the co-author of the best-selling book, The Coaching Effect.

Brian Sandoval

University President

Brian Sandoval was appointed the 17th president of the University of Nevada, Reno, on Sept. 17, 2020. He is the first person of Hispanic origin as well as the first alumnus to serve as president in university history. Sandoval served two terms as the 29th Governor of the State of Nevada from 2011-2019, during which time his leadership helped lift Nevada from an historic recession to a time of record-setting prosperity and growth. Prior to becoming governor, Sandoval was appointed United States District Judge for the District of Nevada, becoming the state’s first Hispanic federal judge. He also was elected Nevada’s Attorney General, was a member and at one point was the youngest chairman in the history of the Nevada Gaming Commission, and served two terms, 1994-1998, as an assemblyman in the Nevada State Legislature. Sandoval is a 1986 graduate of the University, with a degree in English. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Ohio State University Moritz School of Law in 1989.

Christina Madison

Pharmacist

Christina Madison, PharmD, FCCP, AAHIVP is the Founder and CEO of The Public Health Pharmacist®, PLLC a public health consulting firm. She is a clinical pharmacist specializing in public health with a focus on infectious communicable diseases. As a past President of the Nevada Public Health Association, she has been asked to share her clinical public health and infectious disease expertise with Local, National, and International Media outlets and NGO’s. Dr. Madison has been featured in over 200+ on-air TV appearances related to public health. She has an intimate knowledge of the impact public health messaging, policy, and legislation can have on communities. An advocate for victims of human trafficking, vulnerable populations, and the underserved.

Clay Hebert

Storyteller

Clay Hebert wants you to love your story. A speaker and storyteller, he loves words and believes we make marketing harder than it needs to be. Clay helps leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits improve their introductions and tell better stories so they can grow their companies and do work that matters. His work has been profiled in the books Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark, and Deep Work by Cal Newport. Forbes called him “one of the next generations of business and media influencers” and he was recently named one of Entrepreneur Magazine's 50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs...along with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

David Burkus

Author

Dr. David Burkus is an organizational psychologist and best-selling author. Recognized as one of the world’s leading business thinkers, his forward-thinking ideas and books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever. David is the author of five books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and more. A former business school professor turned sought-after international speaker, he’s worked with organizations of all sizes and across all industries.

Denis Phares

CEO

Dr. Denis Phares first earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from Villanova University and then went on to obtain his Ph.D. in Engineering from Caltech. After working as a tenured faculty member of the Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Southern California, Phares began his work in advancing renewable energy technologies and followed his dream of making an impact in green energy storage, an area that had virtually stagnated the advancement of widespread renewable energy adoption. Phares is now the CEO of Dragonfly Energy Corp. and leader of the company's innovation and research initiatives focusing on developing and advancing Dragonfly's revolutionary technology.

Emily Jaenson

Podcast Host

Emily Jaenson’s motto is “Be so good they won’t forget you!” and this motto has carried her through her career to land her former role as General Manager of the Triple-A Reno Aces. Upon accepting this role in 2018, Jaenson became the first female in Triple-A to hold the GM role in nearly 20 years. Jaenson leads a podcast, Leadership is Female, where she interviews executives in sport so that she and her guests can guide the next generation of female leadership forward and leads a team of sports front office veterans in their consulting business.

Emma White

Mental Health Advocate

Emma White is a graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno, Author, Speaker, Founder of LifeIsWorthIt.Org, holds a position with the Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention and most importantly, is a suicide survivor. As a passionate voice in prevention, Emma was selected as the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Sub Abover and has won several awards for her work in youth prevention. With her lived experience, she advocates for suicide prevention through education and believes it is crucial now more than ever to provide physical, emotional and mental health education to prevent suicide.

Grant Denton

Community Activist

Grant Denton has overcome significant diversity. Childhood abuse and abandonment, drug addiction and a life of crime, to emerge as a leading advocate for folks in need, especially the unhoused. Denton burned through jobs. He became addicted to drugs and was in and out of homelessness from 2007 to 2013. In 2013, Denton was arrested on burglary charges that could have sent him to prison for five to seven years. The judge gave him a choice: enter drug court and rehab or go to prison. On Dec. 28, 2014, Denton used illegal drugs for the last time. “That was It! I was done,” he says. Denton moved to Reno for a fresh start, working in sober living, a homeless shelter, for the Downtown Reno Business Improvement District, and in an addiction treatment center, where he formed a crew of community volunteers that lead to the Karma Box Project.

Jared Freid

Comedian

Jared Freid is a stand-up comedian based out of New York City, with a strong focus on dating and relationships. His comedy is current and reflects the ordinary daily thoughts of everyone you know, especially if you know a lot of millennials that are obsessing over dating apps, trying to be real adults, and worrying about their bodies. (For the record, Jared’s mom thinks his body is “just fine.”) Jared has a remarkable insight into how millennial relationships (or even situationships) begin and end. Many of Jared's fans say that his advice has helped them in their personal lives. Jared’s fans also seek out his voice in the online publishing world. He’s written for TotalFratMove, BroBible, Betches, and HeTexted. His columns delve into everything from sports to The Bachelor to the pitfalls of dating in the information age. His writing has both sides of the aisle nodding their head while thinking, “I’ve been on the toilet way too long.”

Katie Deming

Oncologist

Dr. Deming is a board-certified radiation oncologist, researcher, inventor, and physician leader. She completed her medical training at Duke University and has cared for thousands of patients with cancer over almost two decades. As a leader, Dr. Deming has served in leadership positions such as Chief of Oncology and Cancer Service Line Medical Director. She is responsible for designing, launching and leading an end-to-end cancer service line for one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States. She is also the host of the “Born to Heal Podcast with Dr. Katie Deming” and founder of “MAKEMERRY”, a line of intimates for women with sensitive skin caused by radiation treatments for breast cancer.

Keely Muscatell

Social Scientist

Dr. Keely Muscatell is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She leads the Carolina Social Neuroscience and Health Lab where together with a team of students, she studies the interconnections between social experiences, the brain, and the immune system.

Laura Gassner Otting

Confidence Catalyst

Laura Gassner Otting has spent 25 years studying leaders and stewarding them through massive moments of career and life shift, whether as a political appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, the founder and president of an international executive search firm, or in her current role as an author and keynote speaker. Her last book “Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life” was a Washington Post bestseller and was named by Robin Roberts as one of Good Morning America’s Favorite Books of the Year. She is a regular contributor to The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, and Harvard Business Review.

Liv Moore

Entertainment Strategist

A 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, Liv Moore currently works in the entertainment industry engineering awards campaign strategy for documentaries and music projects. In the past 4 years, she and her team’s campaigns have garnered 4 Oscars, 5 Grammys and more than 10 Emmys. In 2022, Moore received the University of Nevada, Reno’s Outstanding Recent Graduate Award. Passionate about the power of education, Moore established and funded the Liv Moore Scholarship for Strategic Communications at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2021. Moore is a professional mentor for the Public Relations Student Society of America and frequently meets with additional students for mentoring opportunities. She is currently pursuing her Executive Masters of Business Administration and received her Bachelor’s degree from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Liz Longley

Singer-songwriter

Best known for her stop-you-in-your-tracks voice, Liz Longley is an accomplished singer-songwriter based out of Nashville, TN. With her deeply emotional music, Longley has earned accolades from some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition.

Liz Miele

Comedian

Liz Miele is a NYC comedian that has appeared on Comedy Central, FOX, AXS TV, Hulu and NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. She's been featured in The New Yorker, NY Times, Runner's World, Psychology Today and The Guardian. She has several viral videos on Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok including jokes “Feminist Sex Positions,” "Dating Is Harder for Comedians," and "F*ck Finland" She regularly tours internationally and has three albums out including her first, “Emotionally Exhausting” which has over 2 million views on youtube and her most recent special, Self Help Me which has over 1 million views on youtube. Http://youtube.com/lizmiele Her book "Why Cats Are Assholes" was published March 2021 and she has a weekly podcast with comedian Maria Shehata called 2 Non Doctors. For more info visit her website: Http://www.lizmiele.com

Shermin Kruse

Attorney

Shermin Kruse is a negotiation consultant specializing in weaponizing empathy and stoicism; a law professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law teaching complex negotiation, global transactions, and leadership; a masterclass instructor on the topic of Tactical Empathy (www.sherminkruse.com), and a thought leader with a long history of civic engagement. Ms. Kruse is also the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling and semi-autobiographical novel Butterfly Stitching. Prior to this, Ms. Kruse was a partner at the law firm of Barack Ferrazzano, representing international companies for 17 years. Ms. Kruse is a frequent speaker on issues relating to complex negotiation, tactical empathy, stoicism, leadership, professional development, and human rights; the winner of multiple professional and human rights awards for her local and global work; a founder and/or director of several NGOs and non-profit entities; and a frequent columnist and commentator for various press outlets.

Sneha Mandala

Peak Performance

Sneha Mandala has flexed and flowed through cities, cultures, and careers. The only thing that keeps her grounded is her mantra that every day should feel effortless. When she discovered that her best and most inspired work came from being herself and finding flow, she made it her mission to empower others to make their work feel effortless and achieve their peak performance

Tina Opie

Management Professor

Tina Opie, PhD is an Associate Professor of Management, and an award-winning teacher and researcher. Tina is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant and has advised large firms in the financial services, entertainment, media, beauty, educational, and healthcare industries. Her research has appeared in such outlets as O Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Harvard Business Review and she has been published in multiple academic journals. She is a regular commentator on Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work podcast and Greater Boston’s NPR affiliate television station WGBH. Her book, “Shared Sisterhood: How to Take Collective Action for Racial and Gender Equity at Work” is available for pre-order here: https://www.drtinaopie.com/sharedsisterhoodbook.