Theme: 360 Degrees of Climate Change

Please visit www.tedxtaftavenue.com for complete information about the biggest TEDx Countdown climate change event in Southern California.

Grossmont College Performing & Visual Arts Center
800 Grossmont College Drive
El Cajon, California, 92020
United States

Abigail Pinhas

Student/Climate Change Advocate

Abigail's passion about fighting climate change has resulted in her becoming effective youth advocate for sustainability and climate change. She has spoken publically about easy ways kids and adults to make a difference and now will advocate on the climate fight from the TEDx stage.

Chris Wakeham, B.S.E.E.

Passive Solar Energy Thought Leader

Chris grew up in rural southwest England and earned a degree in Electronic Engineering B.S.E.E. from Bangor University. Throughout his career, he has designed electronics for cell phones at Nokia and temperature control products for Ember, where his innovations have earned him 18 patents. His interest in the environment and energy usage led him to study various architectural styles used worldwide. This passion led him to design and build a passive solar home, where he now lives with his wife and three children. In his spare time, Chris enjoys cycling, hiking, gardening, and cooking.

Courtney Loman, CMP, CSEP

Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Thought Leader

Courtney is a strategist, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker with over 25 years of experience helping organizations align environmental and social goals with business strategies. As the founder of Courtney Lohmann Consulting, she specializes in creating purpose-driven frameworks that empower teams, drive innovation, and deliver measurable impact. A sought-after speaker and advisor, Courtney is known for translating bold visions into actionable strategies that foster sustainability and regeneration in business.

Frank King

Speaker/Coach/Wellness Comedian

Frank King, aka The Mental Health Comedian, is a Suicide Prevention and Postvention Public Speaker and Trainer who turned a lifelong battle with depression into a keynote worth spreading. After writing for the Tonight Show for 20-plus years and performing comedy, Frank's attention changed to a mission to end the stigma surrounding mental health because he himself has thought about killing himself more times than he can count. He addresses his own trials and tribulations using a tool people from all walks of life can relate to, humor. With his TED Talk "A Matter of Laugh or Death" he openly addresses topics considered taboo in today's society. Frank's uses comedy and life lessons break the ice and helps those struggling to find a voice to express themselves. He believes that where there is humor there is hope. And where there is laughter there is life...Nobody dies laughing.

Iain Lampert, Ed.D.

Professor/Communication Expert

Dr. Iain Lampert is one of the foremost public speaking experts in America and Iain can’t stop studying how people learn. Iain earned a Bachelor's degree from UCLA but after graduating, he knew he could have done better. He started studying why he had such a tough time staying engaged in undergrad and learned not all classes are created equal. Iain wanted to understand what techniques could consistently capture authentic attention in a classroom. That led to a master’s degree in education and human development from George Washington University and doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University followed with certifications in advanced educational leadership from Harvard yet Iain knew there was more to learn, so he began attending Northwestern University’s executive MBA program. Within two weeks of starting at Northwestern, he was teaching his peers—accomplished executives and managers—the art of competent, comfortable communication in biweekly classes where Authentalk was born!

Peter Fiekowsky, Ph.D.

Astrophysicist

Peter Fiekowsky is an MIT-educated physicist and engineer, serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, social innovator, and author. He has worked at NASA and the Fairchild/ Schlumberger Artificial Intelligence Lab in Palo Alto; taught at MIT; and developed his own machine vision company, Automated Visual Inspection LLC (AVI). He holds 27 patents. A decade ago, when it became clear that global warming would endanger the future for all of us, Fiekowsky turned his energies to restoring a climate that will instead promote the flourishing of humanity as well as Earth’s current ecosystems. He launched the Foundation for Climate Restoration in 2017 to work with top scientists, innovators, policymakers, and others, to create the understanding and policy needed to further climate restoration, and served as its Board Chairman until 2020.

Robert Kain, BSCE, MS

Physicist/Civil Engineer

Robert Kain BSCE and MS in Physics, is a civil engineer who spent 43 years managing the design and construction of large buildings and complex structures. His projects included directing the design and construction of the tallest office building west of Chicago, Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, the JP Morgan Chase building at 560 Mission in San Francisco, Alza Plaza (now the Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California), life science buildings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and the first world class bioresearch building in India, for Novartis. He was a national leader and champion of energy efficiency and sustainable practices in building projects. In 2022 after visiting Congo, Kain pivoted to philanthropy and co-founded the Congo Rainforest Fund to protect the essential Congo Rainforest and the habitat of the Eastern Lowland (Grauer gorilla). His hope is to make a huge impact on climate crisis mitigation.

Zafina Zaman

Student/Youth Leader

Sixteen year old Zafina is a fearless and confident youth leader with ideas worth spreading on womens issues and climate change. She is a keynote speaker and involved in numerous charities and community building projects. She is a champion for girls' empowerment and is destined for a career in medicine, engineering or politics because she has what it takes to excel in some of the most demanding occupations around! Zafina has spoken on multiple big stages across Canada and now brings her ideas to the TEDx stage to represent the generation that is critical to ending climate change.