Past TEDx event

TEDxSolano Community College Women

Leading Without Permission

Took placeMarch 13, 202612:00 PM - 3:30 PM (GMT-7)
LocationFairfield, California, United States
FormatTEDxWomen
Have you ever thought about what it takes to lead—without permission, precedent, or apology? TEDxSolano Community College Women is a student-led TEDx event dedicated to amplifying women who lead in defiance of systems that were never built for them. As part of the global TEDx program, this independently organized event brings the Solano community together to share ideas, stories, and perspectives that challenge how leadership is traditionally defined. Featuring speakers from across California and Florida, this conference highlights women leading across disciplines—law, psychology, veterinary medicine, business, and beyond—each bringing lived experience from fields where authority, credibility, and power are often questioned or withheld. These women are not only experts in their professions; they are changemakers reshaping industries, advocating for equity, healing communities, and building systems rooted in care, justice, and impact. Through powerful talks and intentional networking experiences, participants are invited to explore what leadership looks like when women stop waiting to be chosen and begin choosing themselves. The conversations center on resilience, self-trust, and the courage to lead when the status quo, history, and gender norms push back. Rooted in the shared values of TED and Solano Community College, TEDxSolano Community College Women prioritizes equity, representation, and collaboration. By elevating diverse voices across identities and career paths, this event honors women who are redefining leadership—not by permission, but by purpose. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Speakers

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

  • Dr. Gwen Gallagher

    Department Chair, World Languages, ASL, and Communication Lead Faculty, ASL Interpreting Program

    Gwen Gallagher is a Chinese Deaf woman, professor, and educational leader with over twenty five years of experience in higher education. She serves as Department Chair of World Languages, ASL, and Communication and Lead Faculty for the ASL Interpreting Program at Solano Community College in California. As a Deaf educator navigating audism, racism, and sexism, Gwen’s work centers on leadership, belonging, and access grounded in lived experience. She is committed to raising awareness within hearing communities by challenging assumptions about voice and authority and by building more inclusive and human-centered educational spaces.

  • Dr. Lacey LaVigna

    Veterinary Doctor and embodiment practitioner

    Dr. Lacey LaVigna grew up in Northern California with a deep passion for animal health, working closely with many species from a young age. She earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of California, San Diego, followed by a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at St. Matthew’s University and built a career caring for animals in general, emergency, and specialty practices as a Veterinarian. In 2020, a personal health crisis led Lacey to dive deeper into mindfulness and somatic practices, transforming how she approaches leadership, well-being, and medicine itself. She now brings this perspective to her work at a leading animal healthcare company, where she combines her expertise, passion for animal health, and commitment to cultivating thriving, positive professional cultures.

  • Dr. Nicki Joy Monti

    Psychotherapist, Thought-Healer, Speaker, Author, and Group Leader

    Dr. Nicki J. Monti is a private practice psychotherapist and world-renowned teacher, group leader, speaker, television and radio personality, and author of several books, including Stuck In the Story No More: Breaking down the Defenses that Define You and Bind You and Our Love Matters: Find It, Fix it, or Let it Go. She has long been internationally recognized both privately and on reality TV as a therapist to the stars. Dr. Nicki’s main interest is identifying and learning how to dance with the patterns that guide our lives. She’s known as a straight-shooting teacher who truly believes that change is a matter of choice. Her just-released book, The Divine Traumedy of Nicki Joy: A True Grime Tale, is described as a gritty, witty, provocative, dark, sex-drugs-rock-the-boat cautionary tale about how it’s never too late to learn how to love and live. Connect with Nicki J. Monti: Drnicki@stucknomore.com Instagram: @drnickimonti Linkedln: Dr. Nicki Monti

  • Dr. Patricia White

    Veterinarian, Entrepreneur, & Leadership Consultant

    Dr. Patricia White is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and leadership consultant with more than forty years of experience studying resilience and healing in both animals and people. A board-certified veterinary specialist and founder of the Atlanta Veterinary Skin & Allergy Clinic, she has spent her career helping beings heal from wounds they could not name. Today, Dr. White’s work sits at the intersection of science, lived experience, and transformational healing. Drawing on research in epigenetics, psychology, and trauma-informed care, she helps women—especially Black women—understand how survival strategies can become inherited patterns, and how self-awareness, rest, and restoration can support a more sustainable way of leading. Dr. White is known for her grounded presence, scientific rigor, and ability to translate complex ideas into deeply human insight.

  • Elaine Lin Hering

    Educator

    Elaine Lin Hering is a speaker, facilitator, and former Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. She works with organizations and individuals to build skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict management. She has worked on six continents and facilitated executive education at Harvard, Dartmouth, Tufts, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. She has served as the Advanced Training Director for the Harvard Mediation Program and a Managing Partner for a global leadership development firm. She has worked with coal miners at BHP Billiton, micro-finance organizers in East Africa, mental health professionals in China, and senior leadership at the US Department of Commerce. Her clients include American Express, Chevron, Google, Nike, Novartis, PayPal, Pixar, and the Red Cross. She was named a Thinkers50 global management thinker to watch and is the author of the USA Today Bestselling book Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully (Penguin).

  • Lorena Fregoso

    Workforce Consultant and Alumni Engagement Manager

    Lorena Fregoso is an innovative workforce consultant and human-centered leader shaping the future of work. Over the past 15+ years, she has built a career at the intersection of strategy, workforce development, and human potential, spanning tech, legal, architecture, and private equity. Today, she serves as Career Development and Alumni Engagement Manager at Stanford University, co-chairs Stanford’s Latino Employee Resource Group, and is the founder of Canela Career Academy, a workforce consultancy helping organizations navigate change at the intersection of technology, equity, and human potential. Guided by her work and commitment to people, she believes that in a world transformed by artificial intelligence, it is courage, empathy, and human-centered creativity, not technology itself, that will empower individuals to lead boldly through uncertainty and shape a future of work that reflects our values, purpose, and humanity.

  • Maria X. Isip-Bautista

    Community College Professor and Equity & Leadership Consultant & Coach

    Maria Isip-Bautista is an educator, scholar, and community advocate whose work centers on Ethnic Studies, cultural identity, and student empowerment. She teaches at Solano Community College, where she creates learning spaces that invite critical inquiry, reflection, and meaningful dialogue around race, history, and social structures. Beyond the classroom, Maria serves as the faculty advisor to the Fil-Am AAPI Club (PAMANA) and as the coordinator for the AANHPI Student Achievement Program, where she supports students in building cultural connection, leadership, and academic confidence. Her work bridges education and community, ensuring that students—particularly those from historically marginalised backgrounds—see their identities and experiences reflected and valued.

  • Nicole Redding Wilhelm

    Author, Speaker, and Real Estate Entrepreneur

    Nicole Redding Wilhelm is an author, speaker, and real estate entrepreneur whose work explores leadership, belonging, and the internal beliefs that shape who feels allowed to take up space. Her journey from experiencing homelessness at 19 to co-leading one of the top real estate teams in the United States, has informed her perspective on how opportunity often begins internally, long before it is recognized externally. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, Nicole introduces the concept of mental real estate™, the internal maps that influence how people perceive their worth, capability, and place in professional spaces. In addition, Nicole is the author of Own Your Space, a book that explores identity, ownership, and personal authority as foundations for sustainable success. Nicole’s work centers on the idea that leadership does not start when the room approves of you; it starts when you believe you belong in it.

  • Rania Jaghlit

    Leadership Coach & Training

    Rania Jaghlit is a certified coach, educator, and author with more than twenty years of experience working in education, personal development, and leadership growth. She holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Psychology, with a strong academic and practical foundation in human behavior, learning, and decision-making. Rania’s career spans diverse cultural and professional contexts across the Middle East and the United States. She has taught, trained, and worked with students, professionals, and leaders from varied backgrounds, supporting them in developing clarity, confidence, and stronger self-direction in both personal and professional settings. Her work integrates psychological insight with real-world application, focusing on how people think, decide, and navigate responsibility in complex environments.

Organizing team