In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, 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 in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School
4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
United States

Carla Johnson

CEO, Innovation Architect, ReThink Labs

As a world-leading Innovation Architect and the CEO of RE:Think Labs, Carla Johnson has been breaking the status quo all her life. In 20 years of working with leaders, she’s learned that the safest bet is often the riskiest move. Through years of research and authoring numerous best-selling books, she’s developed frameworks and processes that teach people how to redefine what innovation means in their company, and then equips teams to make innovation everybody’s business. This ultimately leads to inspired thinking and audacious outcomes.

Daniel Weinzveg

Author, Organizational Coach

Daniel Weinzveg is an Organizational Development expert who transforms groups into connected teams through playful, impactful retreats, workshops and trainings. For over a decade, Daniel has helped companies and non-profits improve communications, collaboration and performance. Daniel’s unique approach is rooted in the belief that each of us has a rich cultural heritage, which includes how we gather with food, music and movement, that has the power to deepen and reinforce community. He shares how we can promote belonging, combat isolation and foster authentic connection by acknowledging one another’s cultures and stories and through inviting non-normative forms of expression.

Jamie Woolf and Dr. Chris Bell

CEO and President

Jamie Woolf is a renowned innovation cultivator, facilitator, and CEO of Creativity Partners. She was the first Director of Culture at Pixar Animation Studios, where she was recruited to be a force for “constructive disruption.” She consults with leaders in the healthcare, tech, government, higher education, and entertainment industries. Dr. Christopher Bell is a nationally recognized, award-winning speaker and scholar who helps audiences discover the power of storytelling in building healthy relationships, workplace cultures, and organizations. He is President at Creativity Partners and Executive in Residence in the College of Media, Communication, and Information at the University of Colorado. Chris is a 1.3+ million views TEDx speaker and a David Letterman Award winning media scholar who uses storytelling and play to unlock creative innovation for organizations.

Jay Alexander

Mentalist + Magician + Human Lie Detector

Jay Alexander is a master magician and mentalist with over 30 years of experience entertaining audiences from Fortune 500 companies to intimate private gatherings. His performances are not just shows; they are finely tuned experiences that captivate and involve guests with a unique blend of comedy, magic, and mind reading. Jay is also the star of Mind Tricks Live! at the San Francisco Magic Theater at the Marrakech, the highest-rated show in San Francisco. His unparalleled ability to engage and amaze audiences has made him a sought-after entertainer for exclusive events and corporate gatherings worldwide.

Jennifer Garrison, PhD

Co-Founder, Executive Director, Faculty Member

Jennifer Garrison, PhD, is a passionate and vocal advocate for women’s health and is pioneering a global movement to advance science focused on understanding the fundamental drivers of female aging as Co-Founder and Executive Director of ProductiveHealth.org (formerly GCRLE). She is also a faculty member at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, where she leads the Center for Healthy Aging in Women and holds secondary appointments in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF and the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC.

Juanita Capri Brown

CEO Juanita Capri Brown & Associates, Inc.

Through her societal equity consulting practice, Juanita designs experiences that help people in the public, non-profit, government and education sectors undertake breakthrough dialogues, operationalize equitable systems and cultivate restorative relationships. Juanita is an artist, dancer, choreographer, and writer. She wrote, produced and performed a multimedia one-person show in 2019 in Oakland, California. She also facilitated and co-produced the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. After the film’s debut at Sundance Film Festival, she co-founded the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery and served on its board of directors.

Kimberly Deterline

National Communications Training Director and Strategist,

Kimberly Deterline has spent 30 years working on communications and advocacy for criminal justice reform and equity. She founded a national narrative change firm called We Interrupt This Message, which helped reform juvenile and criminal justice policy across the country, free innocent young men jailed due to racial prejudice and remove an officer with a history of brutality from the San Francisco Police Department. Her clients have included CNN's Van Jones and non-profit organizations across the country. For the last 8 lyears, she’s directed training and communications strategy for the Alliance for Safety and Justice, which advocates for community-based strategies that reduce crime and violence.

Maria Fernandez Guajardo (FG)

Transformative Product Executive, Author, Entrepreneur

Maria Fernandez Guajardo has guided companies of all sizes, from startups to giants like Meta and Google, in bringing cutting-edge products to market at a global scale. Her recent book, Sail to Scale: Steer Your Startup Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit (2024), offers vital insights for entrepreneurs. Presently, Maria serves as a Senior Director of Product Management at Google, leading the global product team at Gmail and enhancing user productivity with AI innovations. Maria has been recognized as one of the top 40 leaders in the Bay Area by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and as a top Latino influencer in tech by CNET. Maria holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Miles Levin

Filmmaker

Miles Levin is an award-winning writer, director, and disability advocate sitting on the board of two epilepsy foundations. His original short and now full-length feature film, Under the Lights, drawn from his own diagnosis and experience, has sparked a worldwide movement surrounding epilepsy portrayal on screen. 1 in 26 people have epilepsy. Under the Lights seeks to break cruel stigmas and build understanding for those dealing with the condition. After a lifetime of living with epilepsy, Miles is very proud to have turned it into something socially beneficial and to be able to use storytelling as a means to create empathy for our shared humanity.

Nathan Cottam

Dancer and Choreographer, Mannakin Theater and Dance

Nathan Cottam is a dancer and choreographer devoted to welcoming more people into the appreciation and performance of dance and theater arts. Nathan founded Mannakin Theater and Dance in Belgrade in 2013. In 2016, San Francisco became its permanent home. With his company, Nathan has created many new dances, produced three tours of Serbia, and conducted outreach with Syrian and Afghani refugees in Bulgaria and young children in California. Mannakin Theater & Dance operates the iMPACt Center for Art and Dance in San Francisco and the en Avant School in East Palo Alto.

Ross Halleck

Principal and Founder, Halleck Vineyards

Ross Halleck’s wine journey began in 1980 when he founded a branding agency, with offices in Silicon Valley and Sonoma County, focusing on his twin passions – high technology and wine. In 1992, Ross planted a Pinot Noir vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. His first vintage was judged the #1 Pinot Noir in North America. Halleck Vineyard wines have been judged #1 Pinot in the US four times, earning over 100 Gold, Double Gold, and Best of Class medals in national and international competitions. The pursuit of consciousness has been a persistent calling in Ross’s life, leading to study of the Torah, the Bible, Sufi mysticism, yoga, and meditation. Several years ago, Ross became interested in plant medicine and wine as an entheogen. In partnership with local Shaman, Jens Jarvie, Ross holds workshops to explore how wine, music, and ritual can potentiate the sacred inner journey.

Sally Srok

Author, Transformation Coach

Sally Srok is an accomplished author, wine industry professional, executive coach and transformative leader known for her impactful memoirs, The New Jew: An Unexpected Conversion and Bonus Round: A Gay Ex-Husband, a Divorce, and a Life Reimagined. Her writing delves into the profound power of change and personal reinvention, with the goal of helping others find themselves in the pages of her stories. With a diverse background, Sally has applied her insights to enhance leadership across a variety of sectors, including wineries, law firms, non-profits, and higher education.