William & Mary has announced the speaker lineup for its first TEDx event in March.
The event invites speakers to give presentations on “ideas worth spreading.” The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 30 in Brinkley Commons at the Mason School of Business.
Nine speakers, all either alumni, current students or college employees, were selected to deliver their TED talks at the event. They include Adam Stackhouse, owner of AVAdventure Productions; Bailey Thomson, director of leadership development at EAdvance; Christina Kallon, assistant dean of undergraduate admissions; David Aday, professor of American Studies and sociology; David Trichler, director of operations at AidData; Michael Luchs, assistant professor of business; Pat Austria, class of 2013; Tamara Sonn, professor of religious studies; and Tim Pagano, graduate student.
“The selected speakers brought the theme of TEDxTheCollegeofWilliam&Mary in their own unique way while still being prime examples of how William & Mary community members are challenging the status quo and looking to add knowledge to the world. This can be anything from community-based research or having us rethink our own philosophies,” said Alex Cooper, chair of the speaker relations subcommittee.
TEDxCollegeofWilliam&Mary is an independently organized event licensed by TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to “ideas worth spreading.” TED began as a four-day conference 26 years ago; now, its website features a wide range of speakers asked to give “the talk of their lives” for 18 minutes. Past speakers have included former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown, anthropologist Jane Goodall, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and product and interior designer Philippe Starck.
The Williamsburg event will feature TEDTalks videos, along with live speakers. It will be open to the public, but due to limited space, tickets will be distributed through a lottery system to students, faculty and staff. Community members will be invited to watch a live stream of the event in the Commonwealth Auditorium of the Sadler Center. Events prior to and following the show will be open to the public and do not require tickets.
