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).

Science Center Lecture Hall
One College Avenue
Wise, Virginia, 24293
United States

Katherine Dotten

Peer Education Support Manager

Katherine Dotten is a communication studies scholar who currently works in primary prevention and education strategies for sexual and dating violence. Prior to this role, Katherine finished her masters in communication studies from Marshall University, where she completed a masters thesis “ADHD in Romantic Relationships: Exploring Relational Dialectics in Mixed-Neurotype Couples,” that has been published and can be found on Marshall Digital Scholar via Google search. In her academic career as an undergraduate student at UVA Wise, Katherine completed research on cult rhetoric, which she presented at numerous undergraduate research conferences. Katherine’s research interests are very broad, but each ties back to a goal of understanding message creation and interpretation.

Zach Harmon

Counselor

Zachary attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for undergraduate studies in Sociology and Psychology. Zachary was conducting award winning research about social deviance. Immediately following graduation in 2017, he pursued a Master's of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the same institution. During this time, he was the lead author for a book chapter publication in Addictions - Diagnosis & Treatment. His chapter was very important to him in the wake of the opioid epidemic, and over prescription of opiate analgesics. Since graduating with his master's degree, he has worked within many counseling settings and capacities, such as inpatient substance use rehabilitation providing individual, experiential, and group therapy. He currently lives in Virginia with his partner, Haley. They have three cats, Ahsoka, Keiko, and Ozzie. They spend their free time enjoying nature, hiking, exploring, conducting research, reading manga, watching anime, and playing videogames.