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).

Mershon Auditorium
1871 North High St
Columbus, Ohio, 43210
United States

Alexa Paulay-Simmons

Born congenitally deaf, Alexa Paulay-Simmons is fortunate to have grown up in a multi-generational deaf family and a large deaf community in Maryland where she was able to communicate, learn and explore life using American Sign Language everyday. She received a bilingual education from Maryland School for the Deaf, later she went on to graduate with M.A. in Sign Language Education from Gallaudet University— a bilingual university for deaf people.

Angela Tobin

Angela Tobin was inspired to learn more about kinship care after witnessing her grandparent raise their grandchild, her cousin for over 10 years. Through founding and leading an online support group for caregivers, as well as delving into research experiences around kinship care, Angela has made it her mission to listen and amplify the stories of kinship families, who so often are unseen and under-supported.

Harry Miller

A senior student in mechanical engineering and a former football player for The Ohio State University, Harry Miller is hoping to be an advocate for mental health and to be an open ear on campus for those who need help or want to help.

Jason Rawls

Known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Domo Genesis (Odd Future), Capital Steez (Pro Era), Beastie Boys, Aloe Blacc and more, Dr. Jason Rawls is also an educator with over two decades of teaching experience. As an Associate Professor of Instruction at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls is developing the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education in the United States and has taught courses on Hip-Hop culture at several institutions of higher education.

Julia Keller

Julia Keller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, is the author of an eight-volume mystery series, a three-volume science fiction series, as well as co-writer of the screenplay for the feature film "Spider & Jessie." Recipient of a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, she has taught at Princeton University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame.

Michael Neblo

Michael Neblo is a democratic theorist and political scientist at OSU where he directs the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA). His work focuses on helping regular citizens form and effectively communicate their considered judgments to government officials.

Michael VanPutte

Dr. VanPutte is an avid writer and teaches information security at The Ohio State University. He’s served as the Director of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, Deputy Director of Operations for what became US CyberCommand, DARPA Program Manager, and has consulted with government and commercial entities on all aspects of cyber conflict.

Parvati Singh

Dr. Parvati Singh is a psychiatric epidemiology in the College of Public Health at OSU. She studies racial disparities in health outcomes, particularly disparities in population-level mental health outcomes.

Sophia Antoun

Sophia trains faculty and staff as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education Program Specialist in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University. Sophia has been an educator for over ten years and has committed her career to educating on social justice, DEI concepts and advocating for her Asian American Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern North African communities.

Steve Lyon

Steve Lyon seeks to improve water resources management in the face of coupled climate and land-use changes. Central to his research is assessing the viability of strategies associated with the current and future sustainability of working landscapes – particularly with regard to practices targeting improved water quality.

Sydney Sauer

Sydney Sauer is a harm reduction advocate who helped build The SOAR Initiative, an overdose prevention nonprofit that serves over 30,000 Ohioans each year. With an academic background in sociology and computer science, Sydney is a firm believer in the power of community-centered research and data to solve social problems like the overdose crisis.

Tom Hawkins

Tom Hawkins takes inspiration from George Orwell's quip that who controls the past controls the future and applies that lesson to his work in the Classics Department at Ohio State. His recent teaching and scholarship have focused on intersections between the legacies of Greco-Roman antiquity and Caribbean cultures, especially in Haiti.