TEDxSPC

Speakers

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

• Ashley Brundage

  Speaker, Researcher, Advocate

  Ashley Brundage began her transition in 2008 and has since become a nationally recognized advocate for empowerment, workplace equality, and DEI. She founded and chaired the NGLCC TGX Initiative, led Tampa’s successful bid to host the 2019 NGLCC convention, and served on the boards of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and GLAAD, where she was Vice Chair. In 2022 she left the GLAAD board to focus on her growing company, which tracks empowerment through a live 90-second survey. Ashley has spoken widely on leadership and inclusion, and her story has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, InStyle, and the BBC. She has received numerous honors, including two Stevie Awards as Global Social Change Champion, a key to the City of Tampa, and recognition from both the Biden White House and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In 2024, she made history as the first trans person elected in Florida.

• Cynthia Jordan

  Songwriter, Storyteller, Musician, Author

  Cynthia Jordan began her career in music as a songwriter, earning a #1 Billboard country hit in 1983 with Jose Cuervo. A true storyteller, she has created hundreds of songs and instrumentals, 11 CDs with over 5 million downloads, 3 historical novels, 2 nonfiction works, 4 children’s books, and 3 musicals. She also leads workshops and keynote talks, including her Music: A Powerful Soul-ution program on music’s healing benefits. Her works include the historical trilogy Pearl, Diamond, Ruby; children’s books based on Native American folklore; and musicals such as The Miracle of the Lady in Blue Ballet (2018) and Pearl (2023), which sold out all performances. Her latest projects, The Beach and Siesta Key, explore themes of healing and self-discovery in Sarasota, Florida. Cynthia believes beautiful, harmonic music has the power to heal the world.

• Dyane Harvey Salaam

  Dyane Harvey Salaam is an accomplished dancer, educator, choreographer, performing artist, and certified Pilates instructor whose career has spanned stages, classrooms, and communities across the United States and internationally. She has performed as a principal soloist with nationally recognized dance companies and was featured in the 2004 Dance Divas concert at New York City's Symphony Space. A founding member of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Dyane has also appeared in numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television productions. Committed to educating the next generation of artists, Dyane serves as a professor at Hofstra University and has taught at Princeton University, Lehman College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and the American College Dance Festival, among many other institutions. Her distinguished contributions to the performing arts have been recognized through the preservation of her oral history in the Jerome Robbins Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. An artist whose work embodies the expressive power of movement, Dyane uses dance as a language for communication, healing, and human connection.

• Fred Johnson

  Vocalist, Percussionist, Community Engagement Specialist

  Fred Johnson, a renowned vocalist, percussionist, and community engagement specialist at Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts. For more than 40 years, Fred has worked at the intersection of creativity, culture, and healing. Mentored by masters of West African oral traditions, his artistry reexamines the power of music and storytelling as tools for connection and restoration. His work with the National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Forces initiative has brought hope and healing to veterans and military personnel living with PTSD.

• John Parks

  USF Associate Instructor of Dance

  John Parks, USF Associate Instructor of Dance and Board Member, is a New York City native who began dance at age five. He trained at Juilliard, Jacob’s Pillow, Martha Graham School, and with many modern dance pioneers. He performed in companies led by Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Jose Limon, Donald McKayle, Anna Sokolow, Pearl Primus, Eleo Pomare, and others. His stage credits include Kennedy Center’s opening with Bernstein’s Mass, Lincoln Center, American Dance Festival, Spoleto Piccolo Festival, and more. On Broadway, he was dance captain and assistant choreographer for The Wiz (7 Tony Awards). Film/TV credits include Malcolm X, Rosewood, A Rage in Harlem, The Wiz, and specials with Cosby, Belafonte, and Ellington. Before USF, he founded Movements Black Dance Repertory Theatre and toured internationally. For 30+ years he has taught at USF, led community arts programs, and recently launched The Parks Institute to advance dance as a healing modality.

• Jon Porman

  Holistic Human Performance & Longevity Doctor

  Dr. Jon Porman, better known as “Dr. P”, was a Marine Corps Officer, College Football Captain & now a Holistic Human Performance & Longevity Doctor. For over 30 years he has had the privilege to mentor and treat athletes and individuals from all walks of life- helping them physically, mentally, emotionally and showing them how to crush their own personal barriers. He has been the Team Doctor for the: Chinese Olympic Track Team, S. Korean Olympic Track Team, and Univ of Arizona Track Team. He’s also been a consultant to: S. Dakota State FB Team, US Olympic Track Team & Washington State Football Team. He is the founder & owner of SportsDocs Clinic & the founder & executive director of The Legendary Healing Foundation If you ask him his Super Power though, he’ll tell you it is…. Mentoring, Coaching & Leading Men & Women of ALL ages to Expand their Awareness as to what is their true potential in this Life & becoming a Legendary Leader.

• Krishna Sadasivam

  Animator, Illustrator, Professor

  Born in Winnipeg, Canada in the early 70's, Sadasivam moved to the US when he was 7 years old. Sadasivam studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. After 4 years in the chip design industry, he left the field and earned his M.F.A. in Animation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Sadasivam has worked as a professional illustrator for more than 20 years, with clients including Microsoft, The Smithsonian Museum of Art, Bandai Namco, Other World Computing and more. In addition to a steady stream of client work, Sadasivam teaches as a full-time professor within the Digital Media department at St. Petersburg College. He and his family have lived in Tampa for over 17 years.

• Marilyn Shaw

  Psychotherapist | Mental Health Educator | Founder of Faitherapy

  Marilyn Shaw is a psychotherapist, educator, and founder of Faitherapy, a nonprofit supporting the mental health of women in leadership. She provides trauma-informed, faith-sensitive care through therapy, group intensives, and coaching for leaders facing burnout and transitions. A certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Marilyn has trained hundreds—including at Hillsborough Community College, the Florida Department of Health, and the Pinellas County Urban League—to recognize and respond to mental health challenges. Her recent work includes wellness sessions for Hillsborough County Public Schools, trainings at St. Petersburg College, and supporting Florida Blue’s Strike the Stigma initiative with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Marilyn holds a Master’s in Clinical Counseling from Emporia State University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from St. Petersburg College, where she is Associate Director of Marketing Projects.

• Mark Robinson

  Magician, Comedian, Author

  Mark Robinson is an award-winning magician, comedian, author, and speaker. After receiving a university degree in speech communication, he spent nine years in a sales career before starting his own company. Mark has magically appeared boats and cars for corporate clients, performed NBA halftimes shows, appeared in TV commercials, performed in theaters across China, and been the opening act for numerous celebrities.

• Marques Clark

  International Food Diplomat, Humanitarian, Public Educator, Food Injustice Activist

  Chef Marques has redefined the Standard American Diet with his Green, Clean, Lean Protein Philosophy, an approach that prioritizes whole, nutrient-dense foods to support health and well-being. His work challenges outdated norms while inspiring a shift toward sustainable, health-conscious habits. As a Community Educator, he leads workshops and talks that empower families to make informed food choices and build healthier lifestyles. As a Food Diplomat, he uses cuisine to foster dialogue, cultural connection, and global unity. He is the founder of Yes Chef Village, a nonprofit dedicated to food justice, and CEO of Chef Marques Private Catering Club, LLC. His initiatives bring farm-to-table dining to underserved communities, using food as a tool for health, equity, and sustainability. An acclaimed author of seven books, Chef Marques is more than a chef—he is an educator, thought leader, and visionary reshaping the future of food and health.

• Shana Corrada

  Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer, Director

  Shana Corrada (dancer/teacher/choreographer/director), a graduate of USF’s Dance Department, has 30+ years of experience. She trained at Alvin Ailey in New York and Joe Goode Dance Theatre in San Francisco. In the magnet school system, she became the first middle school teacher to complete the ABT® National Training Curriculum (Level 7) and to take Florida students to be adjudicated by American Ballet Theatre. Her Orange Grove group was the first middle school in North America selected for the Youth American Grand Prix finals in 2013. Shana has taught and choreographed for FAU, University of Tampa, Eckerd, SPC, Patel Conservatory, and Blake High School. Recipient of the Hillsborough Individual Arts Grant, she created works for the Gasparilla Film Festival, Rose Manor Recovery, and the IFFA Bollywood Awards. She danced with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and Moving Current, acted in Jane Eyre at Gorilla Theatre, and appeared in films including Misconceptions.

• Wishy Kane

  Philosopher, Evolutionary Medicine, Ethics, Politics, Law

  Wishy Kane is an early-career philosopher, proud St. Petersburg College alumna, and mother. She studies Philosophy and Economics at Arizona State University, focusing on evolutionary medicine, ethics, politics, and law. Her projects span ethical wheelchair design, community economic proposals, and inquiries into health technology and AI. A fierce advocate, she works to raise ethical baselines in medical technology and insists that ethics is not only what we can write, but what we can right.