Theme: The Value of X

TEDxMemphis is excited to bring a series of dynamic, engaging, and thought-provoking TEDTalks to the MidSouth on August 29.

We are excited to bring a diverse lineup of speakers to share ideas and spark conversation, and hopefully inspire collaboration and action across disciplines. The Memphis community is rich with ideas and talent that we want to showcase. TEDx gives this talent a magnified voice and — through shared TED Talk videos — an international stage. We’re excited to export some unique Memphis talks while also reaching an engaged local audience.

*Engaged* is exactly the perfect word when talking about the audience. Attendees at TEDxMemphis will feel as if they are an integral part of the event: that's because we strongly believe this.

University of Memphis Rose Theater
3720 Alumni Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee, 38152
United States

Anne Zachry

Professor

Dr. Anne Zachry is an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Zachry holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for over 24 years. Her research has been published in national peer-reviewed journals and in her profession’s trade magazines. Dr. Zachry has written for Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Babytalk Magazine, Parenthood.com, Babble.com, and Parents.com, and USA Today featured Dr. Zachry in an article in 2013. Her blog, Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips, provides therapeutic and educational tips for occupational therapists, as well as the parents of children with developmental disabilities. Dr. Zachry’s book, Retro Baby, earned the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal Award, the Gold Medal Award from the Annual Midwest Book Awards, and Honorable Mention by the American Medical Writer’s Association Book Awards. Dr. Zachry is happily married with three ch

Darius Wallace

Actor

Phil Darius Wallace is a Memphis-based actor and writer who has always loved hearing and telling stories. He is a native of Flint Michigan but has been adopted as one of Memphis' own. At an early age he fell in love with the dramatic arts. His first professional job was with the Michigan Shakespeare festival as Calaban in Tempest. He has acted in theaters around the country including, Memphis’ own Tennessee Shakespeare Company where he is one of the founding members. For twenty years he has been performing one man shows in schools across the country. His most popular show, “Self Made Man: The Frederick Douglass Story,” performed to rave reviews Off Broadway. His film credits include Nothing But The Truth and ABC's Nashville. He wrote and produced his own movie, 100 Lives. He also loves coaching in the corporate world on how to use theatrical techniques to better presentational skills.

David Waters

Columnist

David Waters is a religion reporter and columnist for the Commercial Appeal. David is the eldest child of a Tennessee farm boy and an Ohio city girl. He grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, but spent nearly all of his adult life in Tennessee's biggest city. His father taught him to love baseball and listen to nature. His mother taught him to love books and listen to God. He came of age in the 1970s reading newspapers and watching the Watergate hearings on TV.His heroes were newspaper reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, and newspaper columnists, Russell Baker and Mike Royko. In the 1980s, he became a husband, father, homeowner and newspaper journalist. In the 1990s, he became a religion reporter and a columnist. He learned to write so he wouldn't have to talk. But as his TEDx invitation makes clear, the more he writes, the more people ask him to speak. In the 2000s, David left Memphis for his dream job at The Washington Post. Four years later, he left his dream job to return to his dre

Emily Neff

Executive Director

Emily Ballew Neff is Executive Director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Previously, she was Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director and Chief Curator of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and, during the past two years, served as President of the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC), an organization of 1200 art curators from across North America. The first curator of American Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, she helped the trustees and institution’s leadership establish a significant presence for the museum in the field of American art, grew the museum’s collections by more than 30 percent, built a dynamic patron support group, organized more than 20 exhibitions at the museum, and coordinated 14 traveling shows from other institutions

Jason Jackson

Architect

Jason Jackson, AIA is an internationally recognized architect focusing on innovation and artistic repurposing in and of the built environment. As the lead designer at brg3s architects, Jason challenges all to see the opportunities that exist in each project. The Slim Collaboratory, awarded both national and local design awards, pushes the boundary of public architecture and serves as a catalyst for the revitalization efforts in the Soulsville neighborhood. His latest project, Cultural Urbanism, builds upon the success of the Collaboratory to generate a vision for the entire district along McLemore Avenue transforming the area into an arts-based corridor.

Jen Andrews

Executive Director

As Executive Director of Shelby Farms Park, Jen is responsible for overall management of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy and for design and implementation of more than $70 million master plan for capital projects at Shelby Farms Park and Shelby Farms Greenline. Jen served and serves on a number of boards and commissions including Mid-South Regional Greenprint Communications Committee, Riverfront Development Corporation, the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau and past board member for Playhouse on the Square. Prior to her role as Executive Director, Jen served as Director of Development and Communications for Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, where she has been employed since 2006. Originally from Marianna, Arkansas, Jen is a graduate of Rhodes College with a degree in English Literature and focus on postcolonial literature and theory.

Kyler & Kody McCormick

Videographers / Entrepreneurs

As young entrepreneurs, Kyler and Kody McCormick founded the adventure filmmaking brand, "The Outbound Life". They are currently sponsored by, and have traveled the world working with many film and photography industry leaders including DJI, Adobe, G-technology, Glidecam, and Rode Microphones They are also ambassadors for Manfrotto, Getty Images, and Polar Pro. The McCormicks want to inspire others to live life to the fullest through their stories of hope and adventure. More than being passionate filmmakers, the two have found a greater and deeper purpose behind the work that they do. They want to speak to others, especially youth, to show them that by living life with passion, intentionality, and purpose, you can truly achieve your dreams.

Leslie Smith

President & CEO

Leslie Lynn Smith, a nationally recognized entrepreneurial and business development leader, joined EPIcenter as its first president in 2015. EPIcenter was created to accomplish the Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle’s entrepreneurial moon mission and serves as the central hub of Memphis region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Together with its partners, EPIcenter is pursuing a common goal of creating a robust and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Memphis and the Mid-South region. Before moving to Memphis, Leslie spent five years as president and CEO of TechTown, Detroit’s most established business incubator and accelerator. Previously, she was director of business acceleration for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, overseeing the state’s $300 million start-up investment portfolio. She was named to the International Business Innovation Association Board of Directors last year.

Mario Brown

Manager for Leader Assessment & Development

Mario is a native Memphian who currently works for First Horizon National Corporation as the Manager for Leader Assessment & Development. His life’s work is around discovering the nuances that motivate and influence individuals to realize their full potential. All of that work starts at the home, with his wife and three kids and lessons learned are passed on to others. He is an alumni of The University of Memphis, The University of Arkansas and Columbia University.

Ned Canty

General Director

Ned Canty is the General Director at Opera Memphis and has over 20 years of experience as an opera stage director. As a freelance artist for 20 years, Canty directed operas at dozens of companies in the US, Italy, Israel, China and Canada. The New York Times described his work as having "a startling combination of sensitivity and panache.”

Olliette Murry-Drobot

Executive Director

Olliette Murry-Drobot serves as the Executive Director for The Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County. She has 18 years of experience in not-for-profit management. The Family Safety Center coordinates civil, criminal, health and social services for domestic violence victims. Olliette is a member of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission Board of Directors and a co-strategy leader for Operation Safe Community Goal: Reducing Violence in the Home. She is a board member of the Memphis/Shelby County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College, Master of Arts from the University of Memphis, and Master of Business Administration from Belhaven University. She is an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow and a graduate of the Leadership Academy Fellows Program and graduate of the Delta Leadership Institute. Olliette is committed to the ideas of equity, dignity, and respect for all individuals. She survived a childhood with domestic

Philip Mudd

Counterterrorism Analyst

Philip Mudd spent 25 years in the federal government working on national security issues, especially counterterrorism at the CIA, FBI, and White House. He served as the Deputy Director of the Counterterrorist Center at the CIA and the senior intelligence adviser at the FBI. He left government in 2010 and now speaks, writes, consults, and teaches. His most recent book, The HEAD Game, a guid to critical thinking and problem solving, was published in 2015. HE appears frequently on CNN as the network's counterterrorism analyst, and he speaks to universities, law enforcement officials, and companies about issues such as decision-making and national security.

Ron Garrison

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer of Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), Ron Garrison manages one of the largest transit operators in the state of Tennessee. At MATA, he is spearheading efforts to rebuild the transit system as a world class mass transit provider while implementing new innovations and restarting the steel-wheeled vintage trolley service. Prior to joining MATA, Garrison held numerous executive positions during his 27-year career in transportation. His experience includes serving as General Manager/CEO at four transit systems including StarMetro in Tallahassee where he led efforts to modernize the transit system to improve services and increase ridership. Garrison serves in a leadership capacity for several local organizations including as a board member for the Memphis Urban Area Municipal Planning Organization, Mid-South Minority Business Council, the Riverfront Development Corporation, and the Tennessee Public Transportation Association. He is a graduate of Concordia Unive

Ryan Sellers

Professor

Ryan Sellers is a Latin teacher at Memphis University School. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association and as a Regional Vice-President of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. He is the current Co-Chair of the CAMWS Latin Translation Contest and the former State Co-Chair of the Tennessee Junior Classical League. He has presented on a wide variety of pedagogical topics at conferences of organizations such as the American Classical League and the International Boys’ School Coalition, and he has published articles in the academic journals Classical World, Classical Outlook, and Teaching Classical Languages.

Tami Sawyer

Director of Diversity & Cultural Competency

Tami Sawyer is a leader in the realms of social justice and entrepreneurship. A native Memphian and alumna of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Tami spent ten years in Washington DC, studying at Howard University School of Law, exploring various entrepreneurial endeavors and working as a human capital analyst with a focus on diversity for the United States Navy. Upon her return to Memphis in 2013, Tami began to organize get out the vote initiatives and became recognized as a leader in the local Black Lives Matter movement. Tami’s leadership has been acknowledged as a featured speaker at Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Justice or Else Memphis Rally and a recipient of the Team USA Women’s Boxing Elite 11 award. Tami is currently the Director, Diversity & Cultural Competence with Teach For America Memphis. She is also the founder of Power Box, a digital black business directory designed to route the 1.7 trillion dollar African American buying power into black communities. Tami serves on the board o

Terence Patterson

President and CEO

Terence Patterson is a native Memphian who currently serves as President and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission, the organization charged with advancing Memphis and Shelby County by making Downtown Memphis a better place to work, live, play and invest. The City of Memphis and Shelby County governments established the Downtown Memphis Commission to capitalize on Downtown's role as the economic, cultural, and governmental heart of the city and county. The DMC is the official partnership between local government and the private business community in Downtown's development.

Tosha Downey

Director of Advocacy

Tosha Downey is Director of Advocacy for Teacher Town Memphis, a partner organization in the city’s effort to transform chronically underperforming schools. Prior to joining Teacher Town, Tosha served as Director of Government Affairs at the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago, Illinois. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Tosha completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education at Clark Atlanta University. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Tosha has spent more than 15 years leading and supporting non-profit teams in charter school management, college access, student recruitment, community engagement, and talent acquisition. Prior to joining Noble, she worked for the Academy for Urban School Leadership, Comer Science & Education Foundation, and the Ryan Family Foundation. She is the only child of William & Geraldine Downey, who still reside in the Soulsville co