TEDxWarrenton

Speakers

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

• Ashish Kapoor

  Ashish Kapoor is the Senior Energy & Climate Advisor at Piedmont Environmental Council, where he works on clean energy policy issues at the local and state level. Ashish graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science and subsequently received a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. Ashish worked as a public policy attorney on a variety of public interest issues. Most recently, he worked as a national solar consultant at Sunrun, the nation’s largest residential solar company.

• Bill Cates

  Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE, is a successful entrepreneur and coach to elite financial advisors. He has helped thousands of financial professionals bring in billions of dollars, giving him a front-row seat to how money decisions are shaped – and how they can be improved. Bill believes that everyone deserves clear and educated financial decisions that are in their best interest. The author of eight books, Bill is a frequent guest on television and podcasts and the host of the Top Advisor Podcast. His expertise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Success Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bill is an avid adventurer. He has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekked to Everest Base Camp, camped in the Arctic Circle, and toured the country as a rock-and-roll drummer.

• Breana Turner, PhD(c), MPH

  Breana Turner, MPH, PhD(c), is a researcher, speaker, and advocate for women’s health and wellness. A former state titleholder in the Miss Volunteer America system, she brings the confidence of the pageant stage to the rigor of the PhD classroom—embodying “The Princess and the PhD.” Now a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech, her research centers Black women’s health. As a 2025 Loudoun County Women and Girls Hall of Fame Trailblazer and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Breana fuses science, storytelling, and sisterhood to challenge barriers and inspire community transformation.

• Carol Ann Lloyd

  Carol Ann Lloyd (MA, MEd, FRHist): historian & speaker; expertise in leadership, women’s lives, Shakespeare, history. Speaks globally for Smithsonian, Royal Oak Foundation, Queen Mary 2, & more, demonstrating how today’s leaders can use timeless leadership principles to achieve success. Books: The Tudors by Numbers, Courting the Virgin Queen, How to Build Relationships One Conversation at a Time, Meaningful Conversations. Postgraduate work at Oxford University. Fellow of Royal Historical Society, member of Innovation Women, and Past President National Speakers Association/DC Chapter.

• Chazz Scott

  Chazz Scott is the author of Success Starts Within and a sustainable performance coach helping high achievers build success that feels as good as it looks. As founder of Supra Mentem, he teaches leaders to cultivate self trust, well being, and rest without guilt to redefine what success means today. He also serves as Executive Director of Positively Caviar, Inc., a nonprofit equipping youth with resilience skills. Blending neuroscience, culture, and personal growth, Chazz helps people break free from burnout and create aligned, sustainable success rooted in clarity and inner strength.

• Jordana Cole, MAPP

  What do you get when you blend an improv comedian, leadership coach, and well-being expert? Jordana Cole. Leaning on two decades of leadership and global learning and development roles, Jordana combines research, real-world experience, and dynamic energy to spark organizational transformation. She also holds a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is the founder of Ignited and Shiftwell.ai. Jordana has coached and trained thousands worldwide, helping people more impactfully lead themselves and others through whatever the world throws their way.

• Maria Leonard Olsen

  Maria Leonard Olsen is an attorney, author and podcaster (Becoming Your Best Version). Her book, 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life, helped thousands thrive. Her next book is Before and After the DNA Test: A Comprehensive Guide to Privacy, Medical, Legal and Personal Concerns in the World of Consumer DNA Testing (Bloomsbury 2026). Maria graduated from UVA School of Law. She has written for The Washington Post, AARP and more. She spoke at TEDx CUNY on “Turning Life’s Challenges into a Force for Good,” and was featured on CBS Sunday Morning. Learn more: MariaLeonardOlsen.com.

• Peter Sage

  Peter is a globally renowned serial entrepreneur with expertise in human behavior and self-mastery. His distinct perspective has earned him recognition as an exceptional individual with the Brand Laureate Award, joining past honorees such as Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

• Rob Clark Jr.

  Take a left-brain 30+ year audit, compliance and risk officer and cybersecurity nerd, combine that with a right-brain international keynote speaker, DJ/MC, & Game Show host, and you get Rob Clark Jr. He has a bunch of professional certifications (that, honestly, nobody outside the audit field cares about). He’s served in executive audit leadership at M.I.T., Georgia Tech, Univ. of Nebraska, Clark Atlanta Univ., and now for the past 5+ years as the Chief Audit and Compliance Officer at Howard University. Rob is also the President of the National Speakers Association in Washington DC.

• Scott Elliott

  Scott Elliott is the CEO of Piedmont Media and the publisher of two newspapers in northern Virginia. He's been a pioneer in online and nonprofit journalism. He launched one of the nation’s earliest newspaper blogs in 2005 and then as a founding bureau chief who helped launch the national education news nonprofit Chalkbeat in 2013. He’s won numerous national, state and regional awards for his journalism, including a National Headliner Award. He served as president of the national Education Writers Association and was a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan.

• Staci Berkovitz, NBC-HWC

  Staci Berkovitz is a National Board-Certified Health Coach, Author, and Global Presenter with certifications in nutrition, integrative somatic practices, meditation, positive psychology, and group fitness. She has traveled to all 50 states and many countries, learning that joy comes more from mindset than geography. A mother of four adopted children from Russia and grandmother of three, Staci combines deep professional expertise with lived wisdom to show how micro-moments create meaningful transformation.

• Tessa Crews

  Visual design strategist Tessa Crews believes our greatest challenges contain our most valuable opportunities. After transforming personal experiences into renewed purpose, she now helps organizations—from local businesses to historic institutions—make creative decisions that create impact.