Theme: Doing Good

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).

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee
8350 North Tamiami Trail
Selby Auditorium
Sarasota, Florida, 34243
United States

Christina Unkel

CEO & Attorney

Christina Unkel, J.D, M.B.A is a litigation attorney, entrepreneur and sports tv analyst/journalist. She focuses her law practice primarily on complex business and construction litigation with a specialized focus in sports law. Christina has spent the past 15 years working and performing at the highest professional, international and collegiate levels of the soccer game among the elite players of the world. She is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic, Stetson MBA Program, and Stetson Law. Her proudest accomplishment however is being a mom to a fearless little girl. Christina resides in Sarasota, Florida with her husband, Ted, and daughter, Quinn.

Helene Robinson

Associate Professor

Dr. Helene Robinson is the director of the Critical and Creative Design Thinking program, an arts integration coordinator, and an associate professor of instruction in the College of Education at the University of South Florida Sarasota Manatee. She was a practitioner working with children and youth with special needs for 14 years before moving into higher education in 2007. She educates future teachers on how to create inclusive environments where children and youth with a variety of impairments can thrive through arts integration, multi-tiered systems of support, social-emotional skill development, cultural reciprocity, and developing critical and creative design thinking skills.

Joshua Ghansiam

Clinical Research Coordinator & Farmer

Joshua Ghansiam has spent the last 16 years of his life being raised in East Bradenton on a beautiful farm. This is where he learned so many great skills and gained numerous friendships. Which is how he ended up attending the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus. He is proud to say that he is a recent graduate from USFSM, and it has led him to bigger and better opportunities, which is how he ended up at Covenant Metabolic Specialists. This opportunity continues to provide him with a vast variety of clinical and research experience for his next academic stop, medical school!

Lissarette Nisnevich

Early Childhood Expert

Lissarette is an early childhood influencer, a parenting expert,and a devoted mom who runs her own NYC-based preschool and daycare center with the intent to have a meaningful impact on childhood education. Social media influencers, early childhood educators, media outlets, brands marketing and parents are eager to work with Lissarette on collaborations including social media features, sponsored content, interviews and much more, expanding their reach and producing high quality content.

Payal Jhawar

Primary Care Physician

Dr. Payal Jhawar, the founder and CEO of Revive MD Direct Primary Care, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and a member of the American College of Physicians. She is a graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, a Tufts University program. Instead of being dictated by insurance companies, Dr. Jhawar decided to combine her passion for patient-centered, affordable primary care with telemedicine by opening Revive MD Direct Primary Care in Bradenton, Florida. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, Zumba, Indian dancing, creating healthy recipes in the kitchen, playing tennis, spending time with her family and exploring new restaurants.

Ric Keller

Attorney & Former U.S. Congressman

Ric Keller is a former U.S. Congressman who represented Central Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years. He served as Chairman of the House Higher Education subcommittee, and focused on increasing Pell Grants. Congressman Keller is a partner at the law firm of Hill, Rugh, Keller and Main in Orlando, as well as a TV commentator, author, and speaker. Ric’s wife, Lori Spivey Keller, was born and raised in Bradenton. In his free time, Ric loves riding motorcycles, reading, and attending concerts and comedy clubs. Visit his website at rickeller.net.

Sean Schrader

Business student

Sean Schrader is a senior at the University of South Florida on the St. Petersburg Campus, studying business management. Upon graduation in the spring, Sean will begin pursuing his MBA from USF in the fall. While at USF, Sean has been fortunate to become involved and engaged on-campus, serving as a senator in the student government, student member on the faculty council on admissions, and member of the Order of the Golden Brahman. Outside of USF, Sean represents the city of Clearwater At-Large on the St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport Noise Abatement Task Force, and serves as a student ambassador for Feeding Tampa Bay.

Thomas Becker

Professor

Tom Becker is a professor in the Muma College of Business on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. A recent Stanford study placed him among the top two percent of scientists world-wide. His work addresses employee motivation, resilience, and research methods. His publications have been cited more than 15,000 times. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Tom has consulted with the US Army, the FBI, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has also worked with Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s, and other businesses.