College & Independent Schools
TED Speakers
TED Speakers:
Motivational Speaker, Musician, Author, Veteran & Entrepreneur
Sleeping in a homeless shelter. Bouncing between foster homes. Losing his mother to suicide. And that’s just the beginning. Ryan Stream’s story didn’t start in the spotlight, it started in survival mode.
Cultural Scientist & Author
A cultural scientist, passionate traveler and science journalist, Sukel has no problem tackling interesting (and often taboo) subjects spanning love, sex, risk taking, neuroscience, travel and politics.
Internationally Recognized Futurist/Visionary/Inventor
Kevin Surace is a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, and CEO. While he has a deep technical background, he is known as a very dynamic public speaker who is a true entertainer that excites, educates and energizes audiences to action.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, Author
The author of Life, Animated (inspiration for the Academy Award nominated film of the same name) shares his journey of connecting with his son, who has autism, through Disney movies.
Neuroanatomist, Stroke Survivor & Author
Speaker Jill Bolte Taylor spent eight years rebuilding her brain after having experienced a severe hemorrhage. She shares her journey in My Stroke of Insight.
Inspirational Principal
Being driven by a purpose larger than the self is the theme of I Choose to Stay, a memoir written by the award-winning school principal and speaker Salome Thomas-EL.
Technology & Innovation Expert, Futurist
Called “Silicon Valley’s most provocative voice” for his ideas on technology trends and the future, Vivek Wadhwa’s work puts him at the heart of where innovations—technological and otherwise—are being developed.
Human Rights Activist & Advocacy Educator
Natalie Warne is an activist who at the age of 17 decided to work for the humanitarian aid organization, Invisible Children. What began as a 5 month internship resulted in Natalie producing award-winning international human rights awareness campaigns.
Physician & Healthcare Executive
Dr. Leana Wen is a practicing physician, healthcare executive, and one of America’s leading public health experts. She is a columnist for The Washington Post, where she writes a twice-weekly column on medicine and public health.
Public Intellectual, Author & CNN Commentator
Theo Wilson is a founding member of the Denver Slam Nuba team, who won the 2011 National Poetry Slam. Wilson is the executive director of Shop Talk Live, Inc. The organization uses the barbershop as a staging ground for community dialogue and healing.
Culture Evangelist
Jon uses his life experience and nine years in the Zappos Family to speak with a focus on culture, customer experiences, branding and their importance in business today.
Author & Journalist
After ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff was wounded in Iraq, he and his wife, speaker Lee Woodruff, penned the best-selling In an Instant to help others cope with crisis.
Co-Founder, Apple Computer, Inc.
Speaker Steve Wozniak changed the computer world when he designed Apple's first product line: Apple I and II. He is also a philanthropist focusing on computer use in schools.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist
Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, is a business executive and best-selling author. She co-founded FullSky Partners, a consulting firm focusing on double-bottom line ventures in new media, technology and health.
Award-Winning Medical Journalist & CNN Analyst
Seema Yasmin is an Emmy Award-winning medical journalist, public health physician, CNN analyst and author. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news reporting in 2017 for her reporting on a mass shooting.
Globalization & Education Expert
Speaker Yong Zhao is the presidential chair and associate dean for global education at the University of Oregon. He covers everything from policy to innovation and technology.