TEDxMarshallU

Speakers

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

• Brad Profitt

  Brad Profitt, DC, DPT, DScPT, is a chiropractor and doctor of physical therapy with over 25 years of clinical experience helping patients break free from chronic pain. Dr. Profitt specializes in neuroscience-based pain management, teaching patients how to harness the brain’s remarkable ability to reduce or even eliminate pain by redirecting focus and rewiring perception. What makes his approach especially powerful is that he’s lived it: Brad has faced his own seasons of intense physical and emotional pain, moments that taught him—firsthand—how powerfully our focus shapes both our pain and our future.

• Bukola Adeshina

  Bukola Adeshina is a third-year medical student at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine whose upbringing instilled in her a deep commitment to service, community, and equitable access to care. Growing up in Nigeria, where navigating the healthcare system often depended on chance, clarity, or privilege, she developed an early awareness of how profoundly health literacy shapes outcomes. As the co-founder and CEO of Access Insight, LLC, she leads the development of an AI-powered patient education platform designed to close health-literacy gaps in underserved populations. She also created the Herd Community Health Committee at Marshall University, and works with the American College of Physicians Health and Public Policy Committee. She is here to answer the question: What good is access if people can't understand the care they receive?

• Erica Deligne

  Erica Deligne is a fashion and brand consultant, creative entrepreneur, breast cancer survivor, and advocate dedicated to redefining beauty and empowering women to embrace confidence from within. She launched Delightfully Deligne in 2014, blending her years of experience in retail and fashion with a passion for helping women express their authentic style. After choosing to heal as a flat-chested survivor following her 2021 diagnosis, Erica expanded her platform to merge fashion with purpose-driven advocacy, creating a space where style, self-acceptance, and education intersect.

• Hoot & Holler

  With musicians ranging from 15 to 74 years old, Hoot & Holler is a joyful, inclusive community band in Huntington, WV, causing a celebratory ruckus with marching-band bones, creative costumes, and zero interest in marching straight. Open to adults of all skill levels—musicians, dancers, flag-wavers, tambourine shakers, and other feral humans—we exist purely for play, community, and the joy of making noise together.

• Jeremy Baird

  Dr. Jeremy Baird is a practitioner of Emergency Medicine for over 20 years in a wide spectrum of settings, from large university hospitals to a free-standing emergency department in a corn field. Most recently he spent a year working on the small island of Saipan. He enjoys experiencing both the natural and human world around him and appreciates diversity of culture and thought, as well as finding great joy in mentoring and contributing to someone’s learning journey.

• Josh Brunty

  Josh Brunty, PhD, is a professor of Cyber Forensics and Cybersecurity at Marshall University and the current Head Coach of the U.S Cyber Team, where he has led the US national team in international cybersecurity competitions. Additionally, he serves on multiple editorial boards and national standards committees, conducts research that focuses on digital forensics, competitive cybersecurity, algorithmic transparency, and ethical AI, and has published award-winning work on wearable device forensics.

• Kimberly Lewis

  Kimberly Lewis is an award-winning advocate for people with disabilities and differences, a best-selling author, speaker, and visionary. She serves as the President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of East Texas. She serves as the President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of East Texas, bringing over 25 years of executive-level experience in the nonprofit and business sectors. She channels her passion for storytelling through her weekly blog on nonprofit leadership at www.motivationalmuse.com and on her popular podcast, Motivational Muse by Kimberly B. Lewis.

• Matthew Webb

  Matthew Webb is a husband, father of five, naturalized American citizen, and writer. Born and raised in Bristol, England, he moved to the United States in 2013 after meeting the woman who would become his wife. America offered him life, liberty, and countless opportunities—but happiness remained surprisingly elusive. Through experience, and plenty of imperfections, Matthew has come to believe that happiness often escapes us not because it is unattainable, but because our pursuit of it is pointed in the wrong direction. His journey explores what happens when we pause, reevaluate, and chase something more meaningful than the next accomplishment.

• Ryann Province

  Ryann Province is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist from Parkersburg, West Virginia. She got her first guitar at seven years old; in the years that followed, she learned to play along to her favorite songs, including tracks by Fall Out Boy, Joan Jett, and Taylor Swift. Although she leaned into her acoustic playing style, a special place in her heart remained reserved for rock ‘n’ roll. After a decade of writing (and a four-year fling with pop-punk), her debut album, “Secrets,” was released on November 6th, 2020. Today, Ryann studies Filmmaking, Creative Writing, and Ad/PR at Marshall University.