Past TEDx event

TEDxGeorgiaCollege

Spark

Took placeOctober 17, 2025
LocationMilledgeville, Georgia, United States
FormatUniversity
Within Georgia College pulses the transformative power of a spark. That initial flash—brief yet brilliant—can ignite possibilities and illuminate new ways of thinking. A spark can leap from a revolutionary idea or smolder quietly before kindling personal transformation. When minds connect in our community, electric currents of conversation challenge assumptions, disrupting comfortable patterns and generating unexpected innovation. We spark curiosity, fan the flames of creativity, and tend to the embers of nascent ideas until they blaze into purposeful action. Join us for TEDxGeorgia College as we spark imagination, spark change, and spark ideas that reach far beyond our community.

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

  • Amanda Rutter

    Amanda Rutter is associate director of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy at Georgia College. A specialist in early childhood education, she holds an Ed.D. from the University of Houston.

  • Ashok Hegde

    Ashok Hegde is the William Harvey Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Georgia College where he runs a highly successful Pre-Med Mentoring Program, and teaches courses on neuroscience, physiology and histology, and mentors students in his lab engaging in research on synaptic plasticity. He did his dissertation research at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology and received his Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He obtained his post-doctoral neuroscience research training at Columbia University in New York where he discovered a new mechanism of synaptic plasticity underlying long-term memory. He is the author of numerous neuroscience research papers published in top journals.

  • Carly Walker

    Carly Walker is a Bachelor of Science Candidate at Georgia College, where she is studying psychology. She will graduate in May 2026.

  • Chloe Melton

    Chloe Melton is a Bachelor of Arts Candidate at Georgia College, where she is studying history. Her current research involves historical perceptions of body image, including the development of the Body Mass Index. Her paper, “Teaching the history and limitation of the health indicator BMI in the A&P classroom,” will be published in the Human Anatomy and Psychology Society Educator journal in December 2025. She will graduate in May 2026.

  • David Weill

    David Weill is the former Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program at Stanford. He is currently the Principal of Weill Consulting Group, which focuses on improving the delivery of transplant care. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Salon, Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, STAT, USA Today, and the Washington Post.

  • Kimberly Murray

    Kimberly Murray is a coach, speaker, and psychologist focused on the intersection of leadership, wellness, and creative ambition. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan.

  • Paige Blakemore

    Paige Blakemore is a Bachelor of Arts Candidate at Georgia College, studying mass communication. She previously served as W. J. Usery, Jr. Fellow and will graduate in December 2025.

  • Queen Sheba

    Queen Sheba is a poet, author, and spoken-word artist. Sheba is a 2025 Grammy-nominated artist in the spoken-word poetry category for her album, "Civil Writes: The South Got Something to Say, with her current album “A Hurricane In Heels: healed people don’t act like that” up for Grammy consideration. She is adjunct professor at Clark Atlanta University and holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University.

Organizing team