Join us at TEDxPaloAlto as we re-imagine possibilities and explore the limits of human achievement. We’ll be spending the day with some of the world’s leading voices in technology, journalism, medicine, arts, design and magic as they redefine possibilities in their fields of expertise.
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Anja Manuel
Co-founder and partner at RiceHadleyGates LLC
Anja Manuel is a co-founder and partner with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at RiceHadleyGates LLC, a strategic consulting firm that helps US companies navigate international markets. Manuel serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including Overseas Shipping Group, Inc. (NYSE listed), Ripple Labs Inc., a leading blockchain payments company, and advisory boards of Flexport Inc., Synapse Inc., Center for a New American Security, the American Ditchley Foundation, Governor Brown's California Export Council and National Committee on US-China Relations. She serves on the Leadership Council of a Harvard Initiative on Technology and Public Purpose with former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, and is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group and the Council on Foreign Relations.Diane Shader Smith
Publicist, professional writer and speaker
Shader Smith has been a publicist, professional writer and speaker for 25 years, and has been interviewed by media outlets including The Today Show, The Los Angeles Times and NPR. She has written for Burbank Leader and Star Magazine, and was on the writing staff of the popular ABC-TV Show General Hospital. Shader Smith co-authored a chapter for the best-selling book Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, and her own publications include Undressing Infidelity: Why More Wives are Unfaithful, Mallory's 65 Roses, Stevie's Secret, A Test of Will and an anthology, A Dialogue with Cancer.Erez Podoly
Chemist, neurobiologist and founder of Slive Inc.
Dr. Podoly is an ambassador for changing the diagnostics landscape by transitioning tests from blood to saliva, which contains content that mirrors many of the current tests in blood. Dr. Podoly has a BS in Chemistry and MS in Biochemistry, specifically focusing on the field of cancer research, and a combined Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Structural Biology focused on Alzheimer's research, all from the Hebrew University. At Stanford University, with Dr. Roger Kornberg, the 2006 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Erez conducted postdoctoral research in nano-chemistry and electron microscopy and taught business and entrepreneurship at Stanford's Pre-Collegiate Studies Program.Gabriel Royal
Cellist and singer-songwriter
Brooklyn-based cellist and singer-songwriter Gabriel Royal is radicalizing the meaning of "subway musician." His public performances are about the human connection with hundreds of audience members who enter his ever-revolving concert hall, a constant flow that refreshes every ten minutes when a new train shows up. Playing his "grown-up lullabies" in the subway stations, Royal inspires and communes with the listening commuters of New York City through a style influenced by Stevie Wonder's groove and Burt Bacharach's jazzy, poppy sensitivities. Royal released his self-titled album in 2016, along with his music video for the single Say It's Right, directed by Blake Farber, who also directed Beyonce's video Countdown. He has performed at New York City's Poisson Rouge and Blue Note Jazz Club and been dubbed "Brooklyn's best busker" by the Huffington Post.Gopi Kallayil
Chief evangelist of brand marketing at Google
As the Chief Evangelist of Brand Marketing at Google, an avid yoga practitioner and teacher and the author of The Happy Human and The Internet to the Inner-net. Prior to joining Google, Kallayil was on the management team of two Silicon Valley venture-funded startups. While a consultant with McKinsey & Co, he worked on engagements, helping the management teams of large corporations improve business performance and maximize revenues. He has also led large information technology projects for global corporations in India, China and the United States. A graduate of the National Institute of Technology in India, with two master degrees from the Indian Institute of Management and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Kallayil holds a guest faculty position teaching brand marketing at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation.Itai Anghel
Journalist and documentary filmmaker
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Itai Anghel was a war correspondent in some of the world's most war-torn regions. Anghel covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Haiti, Indonesia, Chechnya, Rwanda, Kenya, Congo (DRC), South Africa, Lebanon, Gaza, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. He received a Cutting Edge prize from the International Council for Press and Broadcasting and the Sokolov Award. In addition to journalistic work, Anghel also founded a humanitarian project that set up clinics in rural East Congo, where Israeli gynecologists provide ongoing guidance to local personnel aiding women who have become victims of sexual assault in the civil war. Anghel is lecturer on world conflicts at Tel Aviv University and IDC in Herzliya and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University in Boston.Jamie Metzl
Technology futurist, geopolitical expert, novelist, syndicated columnist and media commentator
Metzl has served in the US National Security Council, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as Executive Vice President of the Asia Society and with the United Nations in Cambodia. He appears regularly in national and international media discussing global issues. His syndicated columns and writing on Asian affairs, genetics and virtual reality are featured regularly in publications around the world. An avid ironman triathlete, ultra-marathoner, former White House Fellow and Aspen Institute Crown Fellow, Metzl holds a Ph.D. in Asian history from Oxford, a JD from Harvard Law School, and is a Phi Beta Kappa Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brown University.Jeff Haden
Author, speaker and contributing editor for Inc. Magazine
You could argue that what separates those who achieve their goals and dreams from those who don't is their commitment to the process. At least, that's Jeff Haden's argument. Haden, who left his "dream job" of running a manufacturing plant to start a new career as a ghostwriter, believes a real dream is a process we are willing to immerse ourselves in. In his book The Motivation Myth, Haden corrects the perception of motivation as the "special sauce" required at the beginning of any major change. Haden shares how process brings about small successes that translate to constant motivation. Haden is an author, speaker and contributing editor for Inc. Magazine, where his articles on leadership, entrepreneurship and goal achievement are read by over two million people each month. As a highly in-demand ghostwriter, he has authored more than 30 non-fiction books, including four business and investing titles that reached #1 on Amazon's bestseller list.John Park
Asia security analyst, director of the Korean Project and adjunct lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School
Dr. John Park is one of the world's foremost experts on the Korean peninsula, and a dynamic speaker who can frame issues of global importance in compelling and provocative terms. He is an Asia security analyst at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he serves as Director of the Korean Project and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy. He regularly provides commentary on CNN, BBC, Fox News, CNBC and Bloomberg. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Financial Times. Dr. Park was the 2012–2013 Stanton Nuclear Security Junior Faculty Fellow at MIT's Security Studies Program. He previously directed Northeast Asia Track 1.5 projects at the U.SInstitute of Peace in Washington, DC. Prior to that, he worked at Goldman Sachs and The Boston Consulting Group. Dr. Park received his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and completed his pre- and post-doctoral training at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.Mara Gordon
Chief research officer of GABY and co-founder of Aunt Zelda's™, The Oil Plant, Calla Spring Wellness and Zelda Therapeutics.
Mara Gordon specializes in the development of cannabis treatment protocols for seriously ill patients in California and is dedicated to bringing about change in the healthcare system. Prior to GABY, Gordon worked as a process engineer, helping Fortune 500 companies create intelligent software. This experience has enabled her to take a detailed and scientific approach to medical cannabis. As Chief Research Officer, Gordon's expertise drives GABY's mandate of creating innovative foods and wellness products. She is an outspoken and highly-respected advocate for medical cannabis, reshaping perceptions and leading an industry-wide revolution. She has presented at numerous medical conferences around the globe and holds board positions with Zelda Therapeutics, Gabriella's Kitchen and North Bay Credit Union, in addition to numerous advisory boards.Michael Socrates Moran
Executive director and co-founder of Ubuntu Theater Project
Actor and director Michael Socrates Moran is the Executive Director and co-founder of the award-winning Oakland-based Ubuntu Theater Project. Following his BFA in acting from Boston University, Moran was one of two students accepted into the world-renowned MFA Directing program at UC San Diego in 2013. During this time, he founded the Ubuntu Theater Project. In its inaugural year, with four shows in four different sites across the East Bay, the Ubuntu Theater Project began its mission to produce exquisite theatrical experiences that inspire compassion and forge bonds across socio-economic and racial barriers. Moran has grown the organization and budget to twenty times its original size in five years and launched a radical pay-what-you-can model so nobody is turned away for lack of funds.Mindy Weger
As a communications and leadership development coach, Mindy Wegner is passionate about helping professionals at every level to be effective, influential communicators. She trains women to move forward in their goals, and speaks passionately on hope for families, living meaningful lives and being a part of the solution for the most marginalized in communities, particularly those trapped in sex trafficking and slavery. Wegner is an advocate for Project Rescue, a global organization committed to rescuing and restoring young women and children trapped in sex trafficking and exploitation. Training their leaders to better communicate with the government, agencies and surrounding communities, Wegner works to empower their programs of physical and emotional restoration and see hope born. Project Rescue has been working for over 20 years, providing holistic care for thousands of survivors yearly at the ground level of impact. Wegner and her husband live in the SF Bay Area and have two grown sons. They have mentored and coached hundreds of couples, and support the work of restoring families and lives around the world.Mindy Wegner
As a communications and leadership development coach, Mindy Wegner is passionate about helping professionals at every level to be effective, influential communicators. She trains women to move forward in their goals, and speaks passionately on hope for families, living meaningful lives and being a part of the solution for the most marginalized in communities, particularly those trapped in sex trafficking and slavery. Wegner is an advocate for Project Rescue, a global organization committed to rescuing and restoring young women and children trapped in sex trafficking and exploitation. Training their leaders to better communicate with the government, agencies and surrounding communities, Wegner works to empower their programs of physical and emotional restoration and see hope born. Project Rescue has been working for over 20 years, providing holistic care for thousands of survivors yearly at the ground level of impact. Wegner and her husband live in the SF Bay Area and have two grown sons. They have mentored and coached hundreds of couples, and support the work of restoring families and lives around the world.Perdita Barran
Director of the Michael Barber Centre for Collaborative Mass Spectrometry
Dr. Barran uses mass spectrometry to identify the biomarkers of Parkinson's disease .As Director of the Michael Barber Centre for Collaborative Mass Spectrometry at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, she works with Joy Milne, who has the unique ability to detect biomarkers of Parkinson's disease through her sense of smell (as portrayed in the BBC documentary The Woman Who Can Smell Parkinson's). Prof. Barran co-leads the mass spectrometry theme for the Rosalind Franklin Institute. She was awarded the 2009 Joseph Black award from the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Division. Her work has furthered biomedical research by using home-customized instrumentation to provide a deeper understanding of structure function relationships of metabolites, proteins and peptides at the molecular level.Robert Strong
Magician and mentalist
Robert Strong, a magician and mentalist, performs with a comedic flair that has won him invitations to all 50 states, 45 different countries, national TV and twice to the White House. He was twice voted San Francisco's Best Magician and twice voted San Francisco's Best Comedian.Sam Hellman-Mass
Chef and serial culinary restaurateur
Sam Hellman-Mass, the serial culinary restaurateur whose East Austin restaurant Suerte is a candidate for the James Beard award, chasing the perfect tortilla is a creed. From one end, there's an equation to follow: how he buys heirloom corn from local farmers, the chemical process it undergoes, pressing it out, letting the masa sit overnight. But the greater picture paints a life lesson: if you're going to do something—even create a tortilla—pay attention to the details and do it right. The beauty is in the details.Thomas Boyce
Author, pediatrician and professor
Dr. W. Thomas Boyce is a pediatrician and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. His research addresses individual differences in children's biological susceptibility to social contexts, such as the family, classroom and community. Previously, Dr. Boyce was Associate Dean for Research in the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the BC Leadership Chair in Child Development at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He co-directs the Child and Brain Development Program for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, is a member of the JPB Foundation Research Network on Toxic Stress in Children, serves on the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academies of Science, and was elected in 2011 to the National Academy of Medicine.Yiying Lu
Cross-cultural design innovator
From the Twitter Fail Whale to the pan-cultural Dumpling Emoji, the Disney Shanghai Mickey Mouse to the Conan O'Brien pale Whale, Yiying Lu's iconic visual designs and cross-cultural branding campaigns enchant audiences around the world. As part of her creative process, she researches the origin of shapes and the cultural association attached to them. Her award-winning work with emojis testifies to her deep understanding of how design art can bridge cultures and express the emotional tones underlying our symbols. Lu is an award-winning artist, entrepreneur and bilingual speaker. She was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, Microsoft's Top 10 Emerging Leaders in Innovation and is a Shorty Awards winner in Design. Born in Shanghai, China and educated in both Sydney, Australia and London, UK, she is now based in San Francisco.Organizing team
