TEDxLake Geneva

Speakers

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

• Amanda Bauer

  Amanda received her PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Texas at Austin studying variations in how galaxies form, how they live their lives, and how they evolve into the diverse array of galaxy species we see today. Amanda aims to engage diverse communities with inclusive stories of technology and space plus inspire moments of discovery in our everyday lives.

• Erick Shambarger

  Erick Shambarger turns "green city" buzzwords into reality. As the Director of Environmental Sustainability for the City of Milwaukee, he leads the office responsible for implementing the city's ambitious Climate and Equity Plan. He's the negotiator who put a 2.25MW solar array on a city landfill and the innovator who launched Wisconsin's first commercial clean energy financing program (PACE). Erick's work proves that with practical leadership, large-scale urban sustainability isn't just possible—it's already happening.

• Michelle Cannon

  Michelle Cannon is a farmer and entrepreneur dedicated to building community through local food. As the sole owner of LarryVille Gardens, her 11.5-acre farm in Burlington, she has long valued the personal connections made at summer and winter farmer's markets. When the pandemic forced those markets to close, she quickly pivoted her entire business model, establishing new delivery systems and safe on-farm pickups. Through that challenge, she reaffirmed her core belief: the hardest part of the distance wasn't the logistics, but the loss of human interaction. Michelle is passionate about the vital role small farms play in bringing people together.

• Nicole Tautges

  As an agroecologist at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Nicole Tautges is developing the tools for a more stable food future. She researches alternative crops, from wheat and rye to buckwheat, that help farmers diversify their rotations and withstand economic and climate shocks. Her hands-on work connects the entire process, from soil health and on-farm trials to post-harvest milling, packaging, and direct-to-consumer marketing.

• Paul Hutson

  Prof. Hutson’s present clinical research is focused on the safety and novel therapeutic uses of psilocybin and other psychoactive medications. These include the study of MDMA for PTSD, and psilocybin for depression and substance use disorder. In addition to assisting with clinical study design, Dr. Hutson holds an FDA investigational new drug exemption for psilocybin, as well as other necessary State and Federal possession authorizations. Dr. Hutson also provides population pharmacokinetic modeling services using NONMEM and Phoenix/WinNonLin to University of Wisconsin researchers through the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Collaborative activities in pharmacokinetic modeling have included sparse sampling in murine research cohorts, porcine retinoid deprivation/supplementation, and bioengineering devices.

• Sam Goorich

  With a performance background, and experience working both personally and professionally as a care partner for elders with varying levels of neurocognitive abilities, Goodrich has a unique perspective on how to integrate art and creativity into our care systems. In her work with TimeSlips, as well as her work with Memory Cafe Alliance, she hopes to bring light to the benefits that creativity can have on a person with memory loss, as well as the relief and joy it can bring to loved ones and caregivers.

• Sara Nichols

  Sara Nichols, MPH, believes a community's health is built on caring for its essential workers. As Executive Director of the Open Arms Free Clinic (OAFC), she leads Walworth County's only free medical clinic, providing vital primary and chronic disease care to the uninsured individuals who power the region's tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. Her work ensures that the economic strain of illness doesn't devastate the families who form the backbone of the community.

• Young Cho

  Young Cho is the Partner, COO, and Executive Chef of Simple Food Group. A 30-year veteran of the industry, Young co-founded Simple Café in 2009 with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a community-focused restaurant during a recession, in an out-of-the-way location. Guided by the mission to "change the world one bite at a time," he and his partners built a business on the core philosophy of connecting people. For Young, every ingredient has a story, and every meal is an opportunity to link farmers, staff, and customers. That first café has since grown into the Simple Food Group, a local movement fueled by the belief that real change happens when people share a meal.