TEDxChattanooga

Speakers

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

• Anthony M. Wiley Jr. (Moderator), Erika Roberts, Marcus Ellsworth, and Chris Shaw

  Anthony Wiley Jr., Marcus Ellsworth, Chris Shaw, and Erika Roberts are a Chattanooga-based collective of creatives and collaborators, united by a shared commitment to community, craft, and authentic expression. Rooted in the culture and spirit of Chattanooga, they bring together diverse perspectives and talents to create work that is both locally grounded and broadly resonant.

• Anthony Wiley, Erika Roberts, Marcus Ellsworth, Chris Shaw

  Anthony Wiley Jr., Marcus Ellsworth, Chris Shaw, and Erika Roberts are a Chattanooga-based collective of creatives and collaborators, united by a shared commitment to community, craft, and authentic expression. Rooted in the culture and spirit of Chattanooga, they bring together diverse perspectives and talents to create work that is both locally grounded and broadly resonant.

• Blythe Bailey

  Blythe Bailey is an urban designer, architect, and mobility professional with over two decades of experience shaping equitable, multimodal, and sustainable cities, mostly in Chattanooga. He founded the city’s first Department of Transportation and now Blythe is the director of design and connectivity for the Department of Parks and Outdoors, primarily responsible for the implementation of the city’s long-range parks and outdoors plan.

• G. Loveland, S. Kendrick, S. Loveless, P. Morley, G. Smith

  Gail Loveland (Moderator), Shawanna Kendrick, Sunshine Loveless, Paul Morley, and Ginny Smith are a dynamic group of leaders and voices connected by their dedication to meaningful dialogue, lived experience, and community impact in the outdoors. Together, they bring thoughtful perspectives and diverse expertise to foster engaging conversations that inform, inspire, and connect audiences.

• Gail Loveland, Shawanna Kendrick, Sunshine Loveless, Paul Morley, Ginny Smith

  Gail Loveland (Moderator), Shawanna Kendrick, Sunshine Loveless, Paul Morley, and Ginny Smith are a dynamic group of leaders and voices connected by their dedication to meaningful dialogue, lived experience, and community impact specifically in the outdoors. Together, they bring thoughtful perspectives and diverse expertise to foster engaging conversations that inform, inspire, and connect audiences.

• Krisi Olivero

  Krisi Olivero is a co owner of Hixson based Alter Eco Farms, a microorganism-focused soil lab and small scale compost facility. She works with home gardeners, landscapers, permaculture designers and small farms to regenerate soils in the southeast through the restoration of native soil microorganisms. Trained by Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web School, Krisi lives to regenerate soil and loves helping people grow. You can learn more about the work she does (and check out cool microorganism pictures) at www.alterecofarms.com.

• Lesley Brock

  Lesley Brock is a policy analyst, writer, and astrologer born and based in Chattanooga. She is the founder of Smartt Takes and Smartt Strategies, and holds master’s degrees in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and in Public Policy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

• Luke Padgett

  Luke Padgett is a Chattanooga native and National Geographic storyteller whose work bridges art and science across the globe. From the Arctic to island jungles, he’s chased fossils, crafted films, and now leads Fish Camp, an emerging hub for underwater exploration in the Southeast.

• McKenzie Bergenback

  McKenzie Bergenback, MS, is a clinical anaplastologist, artist, and advocate working at the intersection of medicine, art, and identity. She specializes in creating custom facial prosthetics—ears, eyes, and noses—for individuals affected by trauma, cancer, or congenital differences. Her work restores more than appearance; it restores belonging. She is the owner of the Chattanooga clinic of Medical Art Prosthetics and serves as board chair of FACES: The National Craniofacial Association. McKenzie’s approach is deeply human: poetic, embodied, and reverent. She sees prosthetics not as concealment, but as ceremony—a form of aesthetic justice in a world that often overlooks difference. Through clinical practice and advocacy, she challenges the notion that beauty is vanity—insisting instead that it is dignity, an ethical right for those whose work is rooted in belonging. At her core, McKenzie is a vessel for sacred work—where restoration is not about fixing, but listening.

• Michael Johnson

  Michael Johnson is a co-founder of Rock Rising and serves as RR’s Creative Director. He graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Acting in 2016. Michael is an actor and musician. Most recently Michael has developed and co-written "Everyday Charlie" - a musical about fifth graders. He also starred in Scott Arick’s short film “Don’t Call It Magic” in 2020.

• Noah Perales

  Hi, my name is Noah Perales! I am an Occupational Therapy Assistant and the owner/operator/creator of Regulation Beats™ - an emotion regulation program based on music production. I have been in the therapy field for 6 years as both a Registered Behavior Technician and OTA. I have experience in school-based, inpatient, residential treatment, and outpatient clinic settings, most of which have related to pediatrics. While working with clients across all these areas, I noticed that emotion regulation was a constant factor influencing their lives. Shortly after graduating from a music production program in Nashville, Tennessee, I couldn’t help but start to integrate music making tools into my treatment. The inner-workings of emotion regulation are beautifully fascinating and I am now on a pursuit to contribute what I can to the field.

• Savannah Wisham

  Savannah Wisham is a Creative Director and strategist with a deep passion for storytelling that resonates—online and off. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing, Savannah specializes in building magnetic creative that cuts through the noise and feels both bold and deeply human. She’s led strategy for some of the internet’s most beloved brands, all while championing creative teams and cultivating cultures of curiosity, empathy, and craft. But while her day job is digital, her grounding force is analog. Savannah is an avid quilter, drawn to the slow, intentional process of making something by hand—a tradition passed down from the women in her family. She finds presence and peace in the simple joys of gardening, thrifting, and spending time outdoors. In a world designed for distraction, these rituals keep her rooted. Her work explores the intersection of creativity, attention, and memory—how what we make can outlast a moment, a scroll, or even a lifetime.

• Shawanda and Jennifer Mason and Holder

  Shawanda serves as the Creative Director and Co-Founder of The Chattery—a Chattanooga-based nonprofit that advocates for lifelong learning. When she’s not working or testing recipes, you can usually find her watching reruns of The Office and hanging out with her husband and daughter. Jennifer Holder is Co-Founder and Operations Director at The Chattery. In her spare time, she is going on adventures with her husband and son or sitting on the couch watching comedies—from sitcoms to sketches.