Theme: TEDxPortsmouth: Hidden in Plain Sight

TEDxPortsmouth is an immersive, full-day event showcasing a diverse lineup of inspiring speakers, rousing artistic performances, local food and more. This 100% volunteer-run annual event is where the Seacoast comes together to connect and explore big ideas — science, the arts, the environment, humanity, entrepreneurship — in a shared experience emphasizing community, conversation, and inspiration. TEDxPortsmouth garners not only a huge local following, but a global reach with speaker videos generating more than a million views (and counting!).

The Music Hall
28 Chestnut Street
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 03801
United States

Amy-Mae Court

Skate Park co-founder

Amy-Mae Court is co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Skatepark committee where her 15-year-old son, Jesse, is a member. In 2021 she helped lead the initiative to fund a state-of-the-art skate park that passed unanimously by a city council that was deeply divided at the time. Her passion for this project was sparked from watching her son grow up from the age of five in the skateboarding community. Amy-Mae has many interests, including massage, knitting, reading, running, music, and dance, but none have been as inspirational — or taught her more — than being a mom to a skateboarder. She lives and works in Portsmouth, NH.

Angel Simone

Engineer, Project Manager, Speaker, Coach

As a person with a marginalized identity, Angel Simone is dedicated to creating spaces where people from diverse backgrounds and experiences can come together in ways that foster meaningful connections. She is on the board of Leadership Seacoast and New Hampshire Theater Project and has worked in both corporate and nonprofit environments. Originally from Liverpool, England, Angel now lives in Portsmouth with her children. She holds a master’s degree in engineering.

Dr. Rafael J. Grossmann

Trauma Surgeon

Originally from Venezuela, Dr. Rafael Grossmann is a surgeon at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Over the past several years, he’s focused on the convergence of healthcare and technology innovation to enable digital transformation to enhance medical care and education. He is particularly interested in the paradoxical power of technology to coexist with better, more humane medical care.

Dr. Robin Buckley

Executive Coach, Relationship Strategist, Owner of Insights Group

Dr. Robin Buckley is an executive coach and couples coach who helps individuals and couples thrive in their careers and relationships. The owner of Insights Group Psychological & Coaching Services in Rye, NH, Dr. Buckley has a doctorate in clinical psychology and served as a doctoral professor and dissertation chair for students in business, leadership, education, and healthcare. She has published two books, including Voices from the Village: Advice for Girls on the Verge of Adulthood, and is a columnist for Entrepreneur. Robin is mom to four children and lives in Berwick, ME with her husband and two German shepherds.

Dr. Stephanie Bramlett

Chief Diversity Officer, Phillips Exeter Academy

Stephanie Bramlett is the director of equity and inclusion at Phillips Exeter Academy. She operates as the chief diversity officer of the academy, providing leadership on campus on issues such as diversity of community, student leadership, recruitment, and success of teachers, professional development, inclusive alumni engagement, and institutional equity. Stephanie is the vice president of Black Lives Matter Seacoast and a board member of People of Color in Independent Schools New England. She is a researcher of student retention, academic success, and identity development. In addition to her scholarship, Stephanie is an avid podcaster, yogi, marathon runner, aerial dancer, and exercise enthusiast.

Emily Hazelwood

Marine Conservation Biologist, Co Founder Blue Latitudes

Emily Hazelwood is a marine conservation biologist, explorer, and entrepreneur. She’s a co-founder of Blue Latitudes, a women-owned marine environmental consulting firm, where she works repurposing offshore oil platforms as artificial reefs. Her research, fundamentally based in creative thinking, stretches from the sea surface to the deepest oceans. As a leader and explorer, Emily is committed to elevating the scientific understanding of our oceans in communities worldwide. In 2018 she was honored on the Forbes “30 Under 30” List for her work developing sustainable, creative, and cost-effective solutions for the environmental issues that surround the offshore energy industry.

Erin Santini Bell

Professor of Engineering, Ph.D., P.E.

Erin Santini Bell is a professor and department chair of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire. Her research expertise is in the area of structural health monitoring and bridge condition assessment, including structural modeling, instrumentation, field testing and performance, and remaining life prediction. She has enjoyed an interdisciplinary research collaboration to enhance the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, NH to support a structural health monitoring system, a renewable energy installation, and STEM education. Dr. Bell holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree and a doctorate in structural engineering from Tufts University. She lives in Rowley, MA with her husband, her son, Owen, and her daughter, Allie.

John Monaghan

Chief of Police (ret)

John is a retired police chief whose work on unpacking gender-based violence and challenging assumptions about what it means to be “a real man” helped transform his department. His approach — and subsequent success — was featured in the 2019 Nantucket Project documentary film “The Box.” Currently a law enforcement recruiter for the Center for Policing Equity, he regularly consults at a Boston-based racial equity firm where he facilitated workshops in racial equity in relation to organizational development. John is married and in his spare time enjoys riding bikes, cross-country skiing, and performing in Portsmouth’s local comedy scene.

Julie Machado

Social Media Manager & Writer

Julie is a Portsmouth native whose career path has been anything but linear. She has lived on a cruise ship, taken groups on trips around the world, written articles for local garden clubs, and occasionally crafted killer cocktails. Currently, she is the social media manager for a local marketing agency but remains excited by the knowledge that she never knows where her path will take her next. Julie loves spending time with her husband and two kids, hiking New Hampshire’s beautiful mountains, and occasionally whipping up suspect recipes to see if they are really as bad as they sound.

Russ Grazier, Jr.

co-founder & CEO, Portsmouth Music & Arts Center

A native of Portsmouth, Russ Grazier, Jr. co-founded Portsmouth Music and Arts Center with his wife, Katie, in 2002. Russ has taught music at Boston Conservatory, the University of Chicago College, and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. His original compositions have been performed by the Contemporary Chamber Players of Chicago, the West End String Quartet, Voices from the Heart, and many others. Russ was named 2016 Arts Advocate of the Year by New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts and currently co-chairs the Portsmouth Arts and Nonprofits Committee.

Sean Cheng

Student

Sean Cheng is a senior at Exeter High School and has always been captivated by the people and places that shape our planet. He placed in the top 10 of the 2018 National Geographic Bee and is the co-founder of GeoGenius, an organization promoting geographic education that finished runner-up in the 2020 NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Ultimately, he hopes to empower others by inspiring them to learn more about the world. Sean has conducted research with various university professors in physics and Earth science. Sean enjoys playing soccer, traveling, speedcubing, and spending time with friends.

Todd Hanson

Principal, JSA Architects

Todd dedicated his career to gaining and applying experiential research to gain empathy and understanding of the needs of individuals with physical and emotional challenges. But living a life as a competitive distance runner, kayaker, skier, and backpacker, what did he really understand? Now living with a degenerative neuromuscular disease that leaves him unable to walk or speak, he passionately shares his insights and experiences to better our communities and society as a whole. Todd practices architecture as a principal at JSA Design in Portsmouth.