TEDx Event at University of Baltimore Explores Theme of Momentum, Nov. 10
September 21, 2017
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
The acclaimed TEDx speaker series will visit the University of Baltimore on Friday, Nov. 10, with a slate of seven speakers exploring the theme of "Momentum." The event will take place beginning at 1 p.m. in UB's John and Frances Angelos Law Center in the Moot Court Room, 1401 N. Charles St. It is open to the public. Ticket information is listed below.
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. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading." Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.
Speakers for the TEDx program at UB include:
- Zainab Chaudry is spokeswoman and Maryland liaison for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. She is on the Advisory Board of the Interfaith Action for Human Rights, and serves as its liaison to Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an interfaith campaign founded to counter anti-Muslim bigotry in America. Chaudry is the first Muslim to be appointed to the Maryland State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan agency established by Congress in 1957 that is charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights matters.
- Jae Deal is an American composer, arranger, music producer and orchestrator in various genres including pop, gospel, and hip hop. He is also a session keyboardist, programmer, and bassist in Los Angeles. Deal has worked behind the scenes and on stage with several premiere artists including Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Mary Mary, Karen Clark Sheard, Ne-Yo, Faith Evans, Tye Tribbett, T-Pain, Jessica Simpson and Wynton Marsalis. He has also contributed to the works of Elton John, Jill Scott and songwriter Diane Warren. Other projects have included performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and musical direction for Kirk Franklin’s Youth Ministry at Faithful Central Bible Church. Deal is from Baltimore.
- Sheila Dixon, former mayor of Baltimore and member of the City Council, and a long-time advocate for a number of public health issues including HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and lead poisoning in children. Dixon will talk about Baltimore's crime issues and how they are impacting local citizens.
- Derick Ebert, a graduate of the University of Baltimore and the city's first Youth Poet Laureate. He is the author of Black Boy Archaeologist, a book of poems that examines the boundaries of bi-racial identity, self-awareness and young heartache. Ebert's poetry has been published in American Short Fiction, Baltimore magazine and by the Poetry Society of America. He was named Baltimore's 2015 Rising Star and has performed on stages from Vermont to New Orleans. He is currently pursuing his MFA in poetry at Sarah Lawrence College. Ebert will discuss ways to change a person's way of engaging with his or her passions.
- Angelica Nwandu, founder and CEO of The Shade Room, an Instagram-based media company that primarily focuses on celebrity gossip. Nwandu has revolutionized this digital space, from being included on the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in 2016 to having her site called "the TMZ of Instagram" by the New York Times. TSR's Instagram account has more than 10 million followers and pulls in an additional 100,000 every 10 days. Nwandu's topic will be announced shortly.
- Scott Schmaren, an internationally known speaker, coach and author. Schmaren co-wrote the book Stepping Stones to Success, along with Jack Canfield, Deepak Chopra and Denis Waitley. He has a number of national media appearances in his portfolio, including Oprah, the Howard Stern Show, Fox News, the New York Times and Moving America Forward. Schmaren's TEDx talk is entitled "Your Three Best Friends You Have on the Journey of Your Life."
- Paul Shapiro, vice president of policy for the Humane Society of the United States, the world's largest animal protection organization, headquartered in Maryland. Shapiro is the author of a forthcoming book on the clean meat movement. In 1995, he founded Compassion Over Killing as a high school club, building it into a national organization over the next decade before joining the Humane Society in 2005. Shapiro is an inductee into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame, and has been interviewed by hundreds of news outlets as an authority on animal welfare and animal advocacy. He's also published dozens of articles about animal welfare in publications ranging from newspapers to academic journals. Shapiro's topic will be announced shortly.
To attend the TEDx Baltimore event, go here.
To learn more about TEDx at UB, go here.