TEDx Jacksonville features 11 speakers Oct. 22

Business

Duval County judge-elect Audrey Moran, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville President Nicole Thomas and Tara Roberts, the first black female explorer to be featured on the cover of National Geographic, are among 11 speakers planned for the TEDxJacksonville conference in October.

Called “FRICTION,” TEDxJacksonville is scheduled 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Terry Theater at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

“The conference theme for 2022 represents our team’s belief that FRICTION is the necessary ingredient for positive change and the place where true innovation begins,” TEDxJacksonville organizer and executive producer Jeanmarie Grimsley said in a news release.

The event includes three musical and artistic performances and an after-party at the Jessie Ball duPont Center

Tickets are $125 for general admission and $64 for students. They are available at www.ticketmaster.com/event/22005D19A164B419.

For the eighth consecutive year, Hope McMath, the founder of Yellow House, will host the event.

Performing at the conference will be the Nan Nkama Pan-African Drum and Dance Ensemble; spoken word artist Reece the Poet; and the SaysWho band.

For more information, visit tedxjacksonville.com.

This year’s conference speakers:

Basma Alawee, Jacksonville: A humanitarian and refugee advocate, Alawee sees the opportunity to help refugees as one that builds a more vibrant society, as well as a stronger, better America.

Matt Berseth, Jacksonville: The artificial intelligence expert will share the ways AI is solving real problems today and how to recognize its limits and responsible use.

Ashton Body, Jacksonville: As a high school sophomore, Body conducted biomedical research at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and after five years helped to create a novel drug delivery system to treat aggressive breast cancer. She is a student at Harvard University and intends to become a physician.

Dr. Evelyn Higgins, Jupiter: An international expert in the epidemiology of addiction, she argues that genetic testing is a vital treatment resource that can change the lens through which society views addiction and can inspire communities to talk openly about mental health and addiction from a solutions-oriented perspective.

Lainie Ishibia, Bradenton: The disability advocate and entrepreneur says broadening the understanding of disability isn’t just a moral and ethical imperative — it’s also good business.

Tanaine Jenkins, Jacksonville: The recidivism strategist and reentry expert says creating viable reentry strategies for returning ex-convicts is an investment in safer neighborhoods, fewer broken homes, and the power of second chances.

Audrey Moran, Jacksonville: The Duval County judge-elect will discuss her 2011 mayoral defeat and how that loss inspired her to achieve meaningful change through other avenues. She will share strategies that other advocates can examine in making important changes for their own communities.

Tara Roberts, Atlanta. The National Geographic explorer spent the past four years following Diving with a Purpose — a team of Black scuba divers — in searching for the wrecks of slave ships that carried captive Africans. She will explore the transformative power of telling historical stories from a fresh and personal perspective.

Andrew Rush, Jacksonville: The president and COO of space firm Redwire will share how space exploration — and manufacturing products in space — can enhance life on earth.

Hamzah Shanbari, Jacksonville: The director of innovation for the Haskell Co. says the talk around innovation needs to be much broader, with a much higher tolerance for failures. Innovative organizations cultivate a culture that embraces early and fast failures in order to build on the learnings and achieve greater results in any field.

Nicole Thomas, Jacksonville. The president of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville will share her perspective on how to work outside the hospital walls to build a healthier, more equitable Jacksonville.