Theme: This is Us

Get Inspired, Motivated, Educated & Connected

Have you wondered about who you are in a world that seems more divided, more diverse and more fragmented than ever? Have you thought about connection and community in this post pandemic, work from home environment? If so, this year’s TEDx, themed ‘This Is Us’ might be just right for you!

Join us and enjoy a collection of thought-provoking speakers who challenge our assumptions, make us laugh and make us think. You will be among an emerging community in Sonoma seeking new people and new ideas, ever excited by the opportunity to learn together as our notion of “us” continues to expand.

Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School
4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
United States

Angela Roseboro

Chief Diversity Officer

Angela Roseboro is a leader in building human capital strategies. She’s held positions leading diversity and inclusion, talent management, and leadership development for Fortune 500 (Whirlpool Corporation, Manpower International, T. Rowe Price, Jones Lang LaSalle) and mid-stage technology companies (Dropbox, Riot Games). Angela has received numerous industry honors including Black Enterprise’s “150 Top D&I Executives” and Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Diversity Executive of the Year”. She’s been featured in Forbes, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal.

Dia Bondi

Communications Catalyst

Dia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst helping elite founders, leaders and professionals speak powerfully to advance their goals. She’s led workshops for today’s most innovative companies (e.g., Quartz, Salesforce, Google’s X team, Dropbox) and helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. Dia has been covered in CNBC “Make It”, Forbes and Fast Company. Her book Ask Like an Auctioneer will be published in 2023. Listen to her podcast Lead With Who You Are.

Diana Elizabeth Jordan

Actress/Director

Diana Elizabeth Jordan is an actor, solo artist, filmmaker, speaker, disability inclusion artivist and DEIA influencer. She has cerebral palsy yet has been cast in over sixty theater productions, eighteen films and television shows including CBS’ S.W.A.T. Her “10 Tools To Consider When Cultivating Resiliency”, are featured in Janine Conway’s book Healing Our Sisters. Diana runs the entertainment production company, “Dreaming Big On A Swing Entertainment”, and “The Rainbow Butterfly Café” an edutainment production company.

Gary Hirsch

Visual Artist

Gary Hirsch is a visual artist, trainer and pioneer in the field of Applied Improvisation. For twenty eight years, Gary has used improvisation, through his consultancy, On Your Feet, as a catalyst to accelerate deep creativity and greater human connection for organizations like Nike, Apple, Intel, Disney and The British Ministry of Defense. Gary is the creator of Botjoy, a global art movement using thousands of hand-painted robots as a driving force for building community.

Jennifer Raiser

Author/Management Innovator

Jennifer Raiser is a writer, management innovator, non-profit advisor, Burning Man Project board member and Treasurer and author of the best selling Burning Man: Art on Fire. She’s also written In the Spirit of Napa Valley, The Art of Being Bill Murray, Designing Retirement Communities for the Future and numerous articles for the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and other publications. Jennifer works in corporate communications for clients in the healthcare and food tech sectors.

Jonah Paquette

Clinical Psychologist/Author

Jonah Paquette, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, author and media contributor specializing in the science of well-being. He’s authored four books; Happily Even After, Awestruck, The Happiness Toolbox and Real Happiness. Jonah’s writing provides practical, research-backed strategies to foster greater well-being and connection in our everyday lives. Jonah offers training and consultation to organizations and conducts professional workshops for clinicians. Jonah’s clinical experiences as a psychologist include outpatient mental health clinics, Veterans hospitals, and private practice.

Larkin O’Leary

Co-Founder/COO/Vice President

Larkin O’Leary was a teacher for eighteen years. When her son, James, was born with Down Syndrome and hearing loss, she dedicated her life to educating others about inclusivity through her nonprofit, Common Ground Society. Larkin has presented to 26,000 K-12 students, spoken at sixty community events and won awards including: 4 C’s “Champion for Children”, Comcast / Press Democrat “Spirit of the North Bay” and Sonoma County Commission on Status of Women “Spirit” award.

Melissa Nelson

Native Ecologist

Dr. Melissa Nelson is a Native scholar with a Ph.D. in Ecology. Melissa’s work is dedicated to Indigenous rights, revitalization, biocultural heritage and environmental justice. For two decades, Melissa has worked in the Native American food movement and international Indigenous food sovereignty. Melissa served as CEO of The Cultural Conservancy and continues to be active with Heron Shadow farm and Native Seed Pod podcast. Melissa is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

Peter Graf

Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

Dr. Peter Graf is the Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at Genesys. He’s responsible for developing, communicating and executing the Genesys strategy, ensuring operational excellence as a SaaS business. Peter has 25 years of experience in the global enterprise software industry, with deep expertise in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. Peter earned a Doctorate in Computer Science from Universität des Saarlandes and a Master’s in Computer Science and Economics from Technische Universität Kaiserslautern in Germany.

Russell (Rusty) Schweickart

Astronaut and Scientist

Rusty is an American aeronautical engineer, and a former NASA astronaut, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, as well as a retired business executive and co-founder of B612 Foundation and Asteroid Day. Rusty is retired these days but he is possibly best known as the Lunar Module Pilot on the 1969 Apollo 9 mission, the first manned flight test of the Lunar Module, on which he performed the first in-space test of the Portable Life Support System used by the Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon. Rusty served for two years as California governor Jerry Brown’s assistant for science and technology, then was appointed by Brown to California’s Energy Commission. In 1984 Rusty co-founded the Association of Space Explorers.

Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra

Musicians

The Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra was formed in October 1959 and is currently led by Bobby Rogers, previously Conductor of the Aspirante Youth Orchestra since 2011. The youth orchestra has helped prepare musicians to pursue a music career with professional ensembles throughout California, including the Santa Rosa Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Musica Angelica, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Oakland Symphony, Sacramento Symphony and Napa Valley Symphony. The orchestra is for advanced players aged 12-23 years old.

Tara Jasper

Entrepreneur/Gin Distiller

Tara Jasper founded Sipsong Distillery in 2016. Her life took an unpredictable turn in 2019 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and found out she was a BRCA gene carrier. Gaining this invisible knowledge saved Tara’s life. Now Tara raises awareness about genetic testing and breast/ovarian cancers. She spreads the message, far and wide, that genetic testing is easily available, affordable and can play a significant role in preventing a future cancer diagnosis.

UPside Dance Company

Dancers/Artists

UPside Dance Company was co-founded by Tanya Tolmasoff Knippelmeir and Kate Vazzoler and is known for bringing contemporary dance to unconventional spaces. Since 2012, UPside has created over fifty modern dance pieces (including eight full productions), several artists in residencies, choreographed and performed in five films. They have toured in Sonoma County, San Francisco Bay Area, and Boulder, Colorado. With its beaming optimism, UPside always includes an adventurous aspect of interactive choreography to their work.