Theme: S.T.E.M. - Striving Toward Excellent Minds

TEDxBrookland 2022, is in its inaugural year as a community engagement event, which will take place on October 8, 6:00 p.m. in the McMahon Theater, (Doors open at 5:30) on the campus of Archbishop Carroll High School, 4300-Harewood Rd. NE, Washington, DC 20017. Hosted by Allison Seymour, Get Up DC, Anchor, the event has been curated to awaken the emergence of new ideas, scientific discoveries, and individual growth and development, while expanding one's mind towards excellence! The global dynamic of the conversations will exceed traditional ideologies for greater impact towards the greater good of local, national and international communities. Attendees will experience a riveting display of speakers and performances which will engage, educate and entertain. It is a must-see, interactive and musically explosive event that welcomes attendees of all ages and free to the public.
Centered on, “ideas worth spreading,” the theme, “S.T.E.M.: Striving Toward Excellent Minds" will be explored through live and recorded presentations on an incredible range of diverse topics (including storytelling, why bitter can be better, the connection between quantum science and faith, the resilience of the mind, pivoting with purpose and more. Other highlights include the performing arts of music, song, and dance. Speakers include: Dr. Sheila Brooks, CEO & President, SRB Communications, Richard Dyer, Senior Vice President, CBS, Dr. Philip Kurian, Principal Investigator and Founding Director, Quantum Biology Laboratory, Howard University, Jade Mathis, Esq., Public Attorney and Mathis Family Matters Reality Show, Professor Dana Williams, Dean, Howard University Graduate School. Additionally, entertainment will be provided by the Wong People Dancers and the Urban Nation Freedom Choir, under the direction of Rickey Payton.
TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converged. Today, topics range from science to business to global issues in more than 100 languages. Independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. The organization passionately believes in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

TEDxBrookland is sponsored by Whole Genome Science Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) research education organization, and supported by the Brookland Civic Association and Archbishop Carroll High School.

Archbishop Carroll High School
4300 - Harewood Rd. NE
McMahon Theater
Washington, District of Columbia, 20017
United States

Dr. Dana Williams

Professor of African American Literature and Dean of the Graduate School, Howard University

Dana A. Williams is Professor of African American literature and Dean of the Graduate School at Howard University. Prior to serving as Dean, she served as Chair of English at Howard University for nine years. She has served as president of the College Language Association (the oldest and largest professional organization in the US for faculty of color who teach languages and literatures) and was recently elected as 2nd Vice President of the Modern Languages Association. She also serves as president of the Toni Morrison Society and as board member of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the Hurston/Wright Foundation, the Center for Black Literature, and the American Society of Learned Societies. In 2016, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a member of the National Humanities Council.

Dr. Philip Kurian

Principal Investigator & Founding Director, Quantum Biology Laboratory, Howard University

Dr. Philip Kurian is a theoretical physicist, (re)search(ing) scientist, and essayist, serving as principal investigator and founding director of the Quantum Biology Laboratory (https://quantumbiolab.com) at Howard University. Beginning his career as a math teacher in North Philadelphia, and then completing his doctorate in physics at Howard after a stint at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Kurian is now the recipient of fellowships, grants, and awards from the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission, Argonne and Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facilities, Guy Foundation, Whole Genome Science Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. His laboratory studies how collective and cooperative quantum behaviors can explain biological phenomena at the mesoscopic, organismal, and clinical scales, including in neurodegeneration, cancer, and human consciousness.

Dr. Sheila Brooks

CEO & President, SRB Communications

Dr. Sheila Brooks is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, Emmy-award winning journalist and expert in multicultural marketing, public health communications and entrepreneurial education. Brooks is founder, president and CEO of SRB Communications, a full-service advertising, marketing and PR agency that specializes in multicultural markets and video production. Among them are two Emmy-Awards, i and a 2019 NAACP Image Award Nomination for her first book, Lucile H. Bluford and the Kansas City Call: Activist Voice for Social Justice. She wrote a chapter in the 2020 book, Meeting at the Table: Race, African-American Women Write on Race, Culture and Community. Brooks has a Ph.D. and Master of Arts degrees from Howard University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she was inducted in the department’s 2018 Hall of Fame.

Jade Mathis

Attorney, Television Personality, Public Speaker

Jade Ellis Mathis, also known as “The Resilient JEM” is an attorney, public speaker, mental health advocate, and television personality. While following in the footsteps of her father, host of the nationally syndicated Emmy Award-winning Judge Mathis show, Jade experienced several obstacles and setbacks on her challenging road to becoming an attorney. After receiving a life-changing mental health diagnosis while in college, Jade was determined to change the way the world views mental health. Jade’s bold, authentic, unapologetic, and unashamed approach to addressing mental health is admired and respected by many. In 2016, Jade captured the attention of millions across the world by sharing her story of resilience and perseverance in her “Don’t Quit, Anything Can Happen” viral testimonial video, changing countless lives.

Richard Dyer

Senior Vice President of Media Operations, WUSA-9

Richard J. Dyer is Senior Vice President of Media Operations and President and General Manager of WUSA9, the CBS affiliate and TEGNA owned station in Washington, D.C. Dyer assumed his new role in January of 2017, returning to his hometown. Previously, Dyer was the President and General Manager of WLWT-TV, the Hearst Television affiliate in Cincinnati for fourteen years. Prior to joining WLWT in December 2002, Dyer was President and General Manager of Hearst’s ABC affiliate, KETV in Omaha, Nebraska. Previously, he served in various roles at WUSA9 including Vice President and Station Manager and also at Gannett’s KSDK-TV, St. Louis, where he was Vice President,

The Wong People Kung Fu Dancers

The Wong People Kung Fu Association

"The Wong People Kung Fu Association is a group based in Chinatown Washington DC. Since 1985 This group is dedicated to the practice and preservation of the ancient art of Kung Fu and Lion Dance. The Lion dance is ritual that started centuries ago used to bring Good Luck to any festive occasion. "

Urban Nation Freedom Choir Under the direction of Rickey Payton

Urban Nation Freedom Choir

The Urban Nation H.I.P.-H.O.P. Choir of Washington, DC is the brainchild of Dr. Sheila Johnson Newman and renowned DC musician Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., who is the choir’s president and chief executive officer. Focusing on the acronym H.I.P. - H.O.P. (Hope, Integrity, Power - Helping Our People), the choir’s mission is to channel the creative and artistic energies of a targeted group of youth into a dynamic, structured group that will foster excellence in all facets of their lives. Students who range in ages 13 to 18 participate in the Urban Nation H.I.P.-H.O.P. Choir. They gain a better understanding and awareness of their heritage by performing a variety of musical styles, particularly spirituals, gospel, jazz, contemporary, inspirational, folk, musical theater and classical music. In addition to performing, Urban Nation emphasizes education, academic excellence, community service, intercultural appreciation, discipline and HIV/AIDs awareness

Wilton Cardinal Gregory

7th Archbishop and 1st African American Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington

Wilton Cardinal Gregory is the seventh Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.) and the first African American Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Cardinal Gregory has served in many leading roles in the Catholic Church including as President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 2001-2004, where he led the church's response to its clergy sex abuse crisis, presiding over the adoption of the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." The Charter is a binding national policy of zero-tolerance in addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The Charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse. Cardinal Gregory is a leading voice in the Catholic Church for racial and social justice, immigration reform, ecumenical and interreligious affairs, and numerous life issues that challenge our unity in our shared humanity.