Theme: What's Your Why?

TEDxSDSU is thrilled to announce our 8th annual event. "What's Your Why?" is the universal question -- one that everyone has an answer to. Our event will explore the passions and motivations behind solving problems, inspiring populations and moving mountains for change. To learn more, join us on March 20th in San Diego State University’s Montezuma Hall.

Montezuma Hall
5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, California
Aztec Student Union, Second Floor
San Diego, California, 92182
United States

Jordan Harrison

Senior Director at Reality Changers

Jordan Harrison’s mission-driven life focuses on radical imagination and eradicating inequality with the constant reminder of our collective humanity. His work has allowed him to speak to over 250,000 people on diversity, equity, inclusion and how to develop the audacity to dream. He currently is the senior director of programs for Reality Changers where he has worked with over 100,000 8th-12th grade first-generation, college-bound students throughout the United States and Europe. Harrison is committed to changing the educational outcomes of low-income, underrepresented and first-generation students from underserved communities around the world. Jordan has worked with the U.S Attorney's office, Fortune 100 companies, U.S News and World Reports, UC San Diego, Harvard University and many others to achieve this outcome. His work recently earned him a full ride fellowship to Harvard University where he earned his Master's in Education in 2018.

Julie Flygare

President & CEO of Project Sleep

Julie Flygare, J.D. is the president & CEO of Project Sleep and the award-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy. After receiving a diagnosis of narcolepsy with cataplexy in 2007, Flygare advanced her leadership in the sleep and healthcare space through speaking engagements, publications, earned media, collaborations, and advocacy and awareness initiatives. In 2013, Flygare founded Project Sleep as a national non-profit organization dedicating to raise awareness about sleep health and sleep disorders. She is also the co-founder of the first-ever scholarship for students with narcolepsy and the creator of the international NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE awareness campaign. Flygare received her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School, focusing on health law and policy.

Justin Ryan, Ph.D.

3D Innovation Lab Director at Rady’s Children’s Hospital

Justin Ryan, Ph.D., is an artist — a very specialized, highly technical, life-improving artist. Dr. Ryan is a research scientist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and the director of the 3D Innovations (3DI) Lab there. The 3DI Lab creates patient-specific anatomical models for surgical and procedural planning in addition to conducting research regarding anatomical/morphological variation. Dr. Ryan has been an active member of RSNA’s 3D Printing Special Interest Group and has been active in the development ACR’s 3D Printing Registry. He is also a co-chair of DICOM WG-17 which focuses on aligning medical imaging standards with the needs of the 3D community. Dr. Ryan received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University.

Louis King

Rapper, Director and Voice of the Masses

Louis King has traveled from San Quentin to Harvard sharing his message and teaching Emotional Literacy through music and art. The West LA native has toured the world with artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Anderson .Paak and the Outlawz. Louis released more music in one year than any artist of the post internet era. He has been featured as a hip-hop performance artist on Netflix, HBO & Fox Sports and has worked on soundtracks such as Star Wars & Planet of the Apes. Louis graduated from Villanova University where he was a National Championship Running Back.

Reyanne Mustafa

Co-founder of SOULMUCH Cookies

With a degree in Food Science and Nutrition from San Diego State University, Reyanne Mustafa was the visionary that saw the problem of food waste and brought SOULMUCH to fruition to close the loop. From perfecting recipes to researching the most challenging packaging issues, Reyanne finds joy in implementing her sustainability ideals and paving new paths in technology within the Food and Beverage Industry. Being a first generation American, Reyanne grew up with a two-world perspective. With both parents being from Syria, one foot is planted in her Arabic heritage and the other in the land of opportunity. This in mind, she is determined to make the best of any opportunity that comes her way. Beyond her startup venture of SOULMUCH, Reyanne spends every possible moment outdoors surfing, highlining, climbing, skating and reminding herself what it is she is fighting for.

Tammy Blackburn

Director of Marketing and Communications, SDSU University Relations and Development

Tammy Blackburn has spent nearly 23 professional years on SDSU’s campus in operations, marketing, strategic planning and finance. Her work involving philanthropy, innovation, and creation of new campus initiatives has garnered regional and national recognition from The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She has received six awards, the most recent in March, 2019 for initiating the Wallace, Shatsky, Blackburn, Courage Through Cancer Student Success Fund benefiting students impacted by cancer. Tammy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and during her treatment identified a need at SDSU to support students whose lives have been impacted by the disease. Blackburn, who lives with Stage 4 cancer today, is dedicated to student success, advocating for breast cancer research and participating in activities to support her UCSD healthcare team.

Taylor Harrell

Senior Consultant, Leadership Coach at USD School of Leadership and Educational Studies

Taylor is a researcher, consultant, and coach in organizational leadership with nearly a decade of experience delivering high-impact leadership development programs across the globe. Taylor has trained leaders from multinational corporations, government agencies, public hospitals, university departments, and non-profit organizations. She also teaches courses at the University of San Diego in the Department of Leadership Studies and the Kroc School of Peace Studies. Taylor’s research focuses on the development of high-performance teams, specifically in the domains of psychological safety, team learning, and organizational transformation. Through her work, Taylor aims to co-create organizations and societies that are compassionate, equitable, and sustainable for all.