TEDx moves 'forward' in second year at W&M
The “historically innovative” TEDx event that debuted at William & Mary last year is returning to Williamsburg April 6 with a new theme: “Forward.”
“On its second year, TEDxCollegeofWilliam&Mary is taking its next step from commemorating the College's long-standing history to realizing exactly how we are transforming the present,” said Alyssa Zhu ’14, publicity chair. “We carefully selected this theme, ‘Forward,’ to address the subtly powerful forces that are changing our daily lives and affecting our future through our communication, our careers and our relationships.”
The event, which will begin at 1 p.m. in Colonial Williamsburg’s Kimball Theatre, will feature eight live speakers, including two William & Mary faculty members and three alumni.
The speakers include: John Glick ‘74, co-creator of the Gesundheit Institute; Dan Murray, an entrepreneur, private investor and founder of WebFilings/Wdesk; Peter Atwater ‘83, author, speaker and founder of Financial Insyghts; John Elder Robison, scholar-in-residence at William & Mary and nationally known author and speaker on neurodiversity; Tara Grove, associate professor of law at William & Mary; Paul Dommel '86, global health and human services sales leader for the IBM Government Industry; Christopher Sprigman, law professor at New York University; and Karen Catlin, former CEO of Athentica and a former vice president at Adobe Systems.
“Pulling speakers from various backgrounds and disciplines, we have compiled a program worth viewing for any individual curious about the direction of the future,” said Zhu. “Our hope is to leave guests inspired and empowered, as each one of us has the ability to impact the course of our futures.”
TEDx events are locally organized programs that offer people a “TED-like experience” with both recorded videos and live speakers. TED is a non-profit organization that aims to “make great ideas accessible and spark conversation” through short, online “TED Talk” videos, conferences and other means. Although TED provides general guidance for TEDx events, each is locally organized. William & Mary hosted its first TEDx event last year with the theme “historically innovative.”
Event organizers for this year’s TEDxCollegeofWilliamandMary will be selling tickets in the Sadler Center March 19-28, or until they sell out. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for faculty/staff and $35 for members of the public. People interested in attending should look for more information on the TEDxCollegeofWilliam&Mary Facebook page.
