TEDxUofW

Speakers

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

• Ann Frost

  Law, Societies, and Justice Professor

  Ann Frost is a Full Time Lecturer in Law Societies and Justice (LSJ) and Sociology. Ann’s research focuses on state sentencing policies during the War on Drugs, and the issues for racial and ethnic minorities that arose from these policies. Her research also addresses the racial language, both explicit and implicit, employed by state legislators and others who advocated for or against the War on Drugs. Ann is a lawyer who practiced criminal defense as a public defender for 15 years. This professional experience fueled her interest in studying the political, legal, and sociological issues that impact the American criminal justice system and the individuals who become involved in it. She continues to research these issues and to enrich her classes with these studies. Ann teaches classes in LSJ such as Miscarriages of Justice, and Punishment: Theory and Practice, and classes in Sociology such as Law and Society.

• Cara Hale Alter

  SpeechSkills Founder + Author

  Having lectured at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkeley, Cara Hale Alter's focus has always been the same: helping talented people make their credibility visible. After more than 25 years of research into how nonverbal communication shapes leadership presence, she has seen one truth repeat itself—ability alone isn’t enough if no one recognizes it. As the founder of SpeechSkills and the author of The Credibility Code, she has trained teams at companies including Caterpillar, Google, Meta, PayPal, Pixar, Samsung, Schwab, and Uber to strengthen their leadership presence. In her workshops, she is known for delivering precise, actionable feedback with warmth and humor, and for helping people move from feeling overlooked to being fully seen. On stage, Cara brings that same energy and authenticity; qualities that have earned her multiple national awards for public speaking and fueled her lifelong mission: helping others uncover the galaxy of potential that’s already within them.

• Melissa Hutchins

  Founder + CEO, Certifi AI

  Melissa Hutchins is the founder and CEO of Certifi AI, the only female-founded, survivor-led company protecting people from malicious deepfakes, unauthorized content and digital impersonations. Melissa started this company after surviving a severe cyberstalking case that escalated to a federal trial, an experience that teaches us all how vulnerable we all are when technology is weaponized against us, and how desperately we need better protection. What began as personal trauma has now become her mission: to use the knowledge she gained to build technology that protects others, especially women and girls who are disproportionately targeted. Melissa founded Certifi AI to be the company that doesn't just build technology, but fights for the people who need it most.

• Michael Ling

  Author + Podcast Host

  Michael B. Ling is an author, speaker, and podcast host who helps people transform pain into purpose through faith and forgiveness. His book Journey: The Story of Persevering Through Forgiveness and my podcast A Walk Through the Mud explores how healing begins when we face our scars with honesty and hope. His mission is simple — to help people heal, forgive, and leave imprints of hope wherever they go.

• Nandita Gupta

  Senior Product Manager, Accessibility Leader

  Nandita Gupta believes accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought: it should be foundational, the way good spices go in early, not sprinkled on as a garnish. She has over ten years of experience building products and AI experiences where inclusion comes first. She holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction, & combines deep technical grounding with a mission to ensure AI works for the 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide. Nandita has served on various non-profit boards, including Lime Connect, and has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Fortune, and NASDAQ. She has spoken at the United Nations (Vienna, Austria), Grace Hopper Celebration, UX Talks Tokyo, and M-Enabling, among others. She was inducted into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame and named ADCOLOR in Tech 2024. Her intersectional lived experiences drive her commitment to amplify voices that are often left out of the room.

• Vita Kari

  Digital Artist + Curator

  Vita Kari (they/them) is a visual artist from Los Angeles investigating virality through textiles, performance, and video. Kari focuses on the relationship between internet culture, diaspora, and public space, through their lens of being a deaf/Hard of Hearing (HOH) artist. Their figurative tapestries (inspired by their grandmother’s rugs), often feature unweaving that obscures the image, like missing dialogue without captions while deaf/HOH. Kari earned an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2024. They have exhibited nationally and internationally, including a two-person show in Shanghai/Wuhan in China, Zona Maco in Mexico City, Goodmother Gallery, Spy Projects, Bolsky Gallery, and more. They have been featured in Forbes, Artnet, Gay Times, The Art Newspaper, and more. They were named a Forbes Upfront Creator, Meta “Gen Z Takes 2024” honoree, and honored by the City of West Hollywood for their artistic contributions promoting accessibility and LGBTQ+ visibility in 2025.