Theme: Behind Closed Doors

Our TEDxUMDearborn event, themed “Behind Closed Doors” explores various topics including technology, business, mental health, female empowerment, homelessness, and the power of the underdogs. Through captivating speakers, this event exposes the hidden struggles, triumphs, and transformative potential that exist behind closed doors. From the impact of technology on our lives to the challenges and resilience within the business world, no topic is left unexplored. Candid discussions on mental health, empowering women, and addressing homelessness bring to light often-neglected issues. We also aim to celebrate the power of the underdogs who have defied expectations and achieved greatness. Join this transformative event to challenge perceptions, ignite change, and unlock your true potential.

University of Michigan-Dearborn
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, Michigan, 48128
United States

David Derigiotis

Chief Insurance Officer

David Derigiotis is the Chief Insurance Officer for insurtech, Embroker. David has 20 years experience specializing in business risks involving cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and privacy regulation. David is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) with a focus on US privacy law, a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) focusing on corporate data governance, and is a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. David has participated in a cyber risk roundtable discussion hosted by the US Department of the Treasury in Washington DC and is the author of Parental Advisory, How to Protect Your Family in the Digital Age of Identity Theft and Data Breaches. David also serves on the advisory board for the Better Business Bureau Institute for Marketplace Trust offering guidance on cyber crime and identity theft.

Julie Booksh

Counselor

Julie is a Counselor and Spiritual Guide. Her work flips the status quo on its head and helps people find more peace and happiness by connecting more deeply with their true self. Julie facilitates workshops, classes, and personal and spiritual growth groups. She has spoken at TEDxDetroit and consulted with businesses ranging from global corporations to wellness spas across the region.

Lynn Haliburton

Volunteer for the Homeless

Lynn Haliburton grew up in Metro Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2006. Using her communications degree, she has led many public relations and social media campaigns for local nonprofits, restaurants & hospitality, developers and more. However, it is through volunteering and board service that Haliburton has found meaningful ways to help Detroit homeless.

Pamela Aronson

Professor of Sociology and Affiliate in Women’s and Gender Studies

Pamela Aronson, Professor of Sociology and Affiliate in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, is author of Gender Revolution: How Electoral Politics and #MeToo Are Reshaping Everyday Life (Routledge). She has over three dozen publications on gender inequalities, sexual misconduct, the transition to adulthood, higher education, and identities and the life course in such places as Gender & Society, Contexts, Journal of Youth Studies, and Emerging Adulthood. Her work appears in BBC Reel and The Takeaway on National Public Radio, Salon, and Vox.

Roop Raj

FOX 2 News Anchor

Roop Raj is weekday evening anchor at FOX 2 News every weeknight. His career started at age 14 when he produced and hosted a television program in Troy, Mich. In his first two years at Michigan State University, Raj was on the air at the CBS & ABC stations in Lansing, Mich. In 1998, he was hired to report and anchor the news in Flint, Michigan. Roop also was a weatherman at WEYI. That was followed by seven years at NBC in New Orleans. After 24 hurricanes including Katrina, he moved to Detroit in ‘09 where an economic storm was brewing. FOX 2 led the way during the 2020 elections, bringing you more exclusives than any other station in town. Raj differentiated himself in the market by nailing down three exclusive, one-on-one interviews with then candidate Joe Biden. He also secured three, one-on-one exclusives with former President Trump. His final interview landed him in the Rose Garden with a one-on-one with Trump for 15 minutes at the White House.