TEDxCharleston

Speakers

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

• Andie Edwards

  Andie Edwards had degree in Anthropology from Boston University and is the curator of an anthropology social media account (Instagram: @ancestralhabits) that has amassed over 110,000 curious and inspiring followers. I have worked in biomedical research development at the Medical University of South Carolina for over 13 years, providing research education to faculty and helping scientists translate complex topics into grant applications

• Brian Kendall Brittany Bankhead

  Dr. Brian Kendall is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician and core faculty at Trident Hospital in Charleston, SC, where he also serves as Clerkship Director for VCOM students. He has held leadership positions as Assistant Medical Director of a Level 1 Trauma Center emergency department and Course Director for Advanced Trauma Life Support. His career includes academic appointments, numerous invited presentations on trauma, quality, and communication, and publications in both peer-reviewed journals and medical education. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and has been recognized with awards for teaching, professionalism, and clinical excellence. Dr. Brittany Bankhead is an Associate Professor of Surgery at MUSC and is a Trauma and Surgical Critical Care surgeon who trained at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and UT Austin Dell Medical School. She has served in leadership roles nationally with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and internationally through the CovidSurg Collaborative, contributing to multiple landmark studies in The Lancet and British Journal of Surgery. Her research spans communication in the trauma bay, resident education, and surgical resilience, and she has delivered invited talks at major conferences across the United States. She is passionate about translating lessons from the trauma bay into strategies for leadership, communication, and resilience in everyday life. Dr. Kendall & Dr. Bankhead met in college and attended medical school together. Now, they bring a rare dual perspective as both a married couple, parents of 2, and frontline physicians, blending the immediacy of the ER with the complexity of trauma surgery to offer lessons that transcend medicine.

• Christine Johnson

  Christine D. Johnson is a South Carolina based mixed media abstract painter, poet, and author who is passionate about creating introspective art for wellness. Her paintings, book, and workshops inspire and guide others on a journey toward inner peace. Through her art, Christine reflects values such as authenticity, humility, patience, and resilience.

• Dr. Leonardo Ferriera

  My goal is to control how the immune system recognizes self and non-self to establish immune tolerance in type 1 diabetes. I am originally from Portugal, where I obtained a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and first fell in love with research at the University of Coimbra. As a PhD student at Harvard University, I was the first to report the use of CRISPR/Cas9 in primary human cells, editing genes in blood stem cells and T cells, and unveiled a gene regulatory mechanism involved in the maintenance of immune tolerance during pregnancy. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco, I modified immunosuppressive human regulatory T cells with an artificial receptor to direct them to human pancreatic islet transplants. As an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, my laboratory designs and develops genetically engineered immune cells as living therapeutics to treat autoimmune disease.

• Dr. Lexi Morgan

  Dr. Lexi Morgan is a Board-Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with nearly a decade of clinical experience supporting individuals and groups in healing from trauma. She brings over 30 years of personal experience using art as a survival tool and a pathway to healing, which inspired her professional journey into the field. Her doctoral research explores the integration of somatic art therapy with body-based practices, showing statistically significant and lasting effects in reducing burnout and PTSD after just one day of intervention. Lexi's work highlights the accessibility and power of creativity, imagination, and the body in releasing what is stuck and no longer serves us. In her practice and research, she emphasizes how the combination of creativity, curiosity, compassion, and community can transform how we live our day to day lives.

• Grayson Rhea

  At just nine years old, Grayson Rhea is redefining what’s possible, one yo-yo throw at a time. He picked up a yo-yo for the first time in June 2024, and just a year later became the 2025 U.S. National Yo-Yo Champion (9 & Under) and ranked 12th in the world in the Junior 16 & Under Division. A proud member of Team Spotlight, Grayson brings creativity, focus, and joy to every performance.

• Guang Ming Whitley

  Guang Ming Whitley is the author of Zuo Yuezi: An American Mother’s Guide to Chinese Postpartum Recovery. Her interest in maternal health is deeply personal—her mother suffered from postpartum psychosis, and she was determined to approach her own postpartum experience differently. Through embracing the Chinese tradition of zuo yuezi, she discovered the transformative power of intentional rest, nourishment, and community care. A passionate advocate for reimagining how America supports new mothers, she weaves together cultural wisdom, personal experience, and practical guidance. Beyond writing, Guang Ming is committed to sparking conversations that reduce stigma around postpartum recovery and inspire systemic change. She believes that when we care for mothers, we create healthier families and stronger communities.

• Jerome Smalls

  Jerome D. Smalls is a visionary public servant and program strategist from Charleston, SC, committed to transforming systems through empathy, storytelling, and innovation. With a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in educational transformation from Georgetown University, Jerome’s career has centered around reimagining how communities empower youth. He has founded storytelling ventures, educator networks, and now leads Charleston’s first wraparound, focused deterrence model for high-risk youth. His philosophy is simple: "Everything in our society was once a figment of someone's imagination. Therefore, any aspect of it can be reimagined..."

• JT White

  JT White is a technologist, entrepreneur, and parent who has spent over a decade at the forefront of artificial intelligence and education technology. As the founder of GrAIded, an AI-powered student platform reimagining how young people explore college and career pathways, he’s helping families and schools use AI to make guidance more human, not less. Before GrAIded, JT co-founded multiple ventures in AI and media, partnering with global leaders like OpenAI, Adobe, and Amazon to make advanced technology accessible and ethical. His perspective is shaped by both professional expertise and personal experience, raising children in a world where algorithms increasingly shape opportunity, creativity, and identity. JT brings a rare dual lens to the conversation: that of a builder creating the future of AI, and a parent determined to keep humanity at the center of it.

• Kelvin Waites

  Kelvin Waites is a leader, author, and speaker whose life embodies the principle of perseverance, one step at a time. Growing up in Harlem, New York, in the projects with chronic asthma and leg braces, he often had to climb 14 flights of stairs just to get home, an experience that shaped his belief that there are no shortcuts to success. He went on to become the first African American police chief of the Georgetown Police Department and is now the Director of Community Engagement for the City of Myrtle Beach. Kelvin is also a three-time published author whose works inspire resilience, leadership, and personal growth. Through his coaching, books, and community initiatives, he has empowered countless individuals to rise above obstacles. His journey demonstrates that each step, no matter how difficult, builds the strength needed to achieve lasting impact.

• Luke Shirley

  Born and raised in Charleston, Luke Shirley grew up with a love for the water and the outdoors. After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2018, he spent a year in Barcelona teaching English and traveling before returning home to co-found a small business during the pandemic. It was then he noticed a growing need for affordable, community-driven mental health care for young adults. Having faced his own struggles with depression, Luke felt called to act. In 2022, after hosting a recovery awareness tennis tournament—and losing a friend’s partner to overdose—he launched Quest, a community program helping students feel safe, seen, and supported. Today, Quest has its first student-led chapter at his alma mater, and Luke hopes to be a lighthouse for others navigating their own recovery journey.

• Matthew Dicks

  Matthew Dicks is an internationally bestselling author, award-winning teacher, and one of the most accomplished storytellers in the world, a 62-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 10-time GrandSLAM winner. For more than a decade, Matt has helped companies like Amazon, Google, and Salesforce and has also consulted with Harvard University and the F.B.I., to unlock the power of stories to drive results.

• Megan Manigault

  Megan K. Manigault is the Founder and Executive Director of I AM VOICES, Inc., a Charleston-based nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services for survivors of sexual violence and trafficking. A survivor herself, Megan has transformed lived experience into leadership, advocacy, and program design that empowers women and youth to reclaim their voices. She has served on multiple state task forces and coalitions, advancing survivor-centered policies across South Carolina. As an independent researcher and consultant, Megan has developed advocacy briefs, public reports, and training materials centering girls, youth, and marginalized communities. She also serves as a Lead Researcher/Trainer with Armar Training and Consulting, presenting on survivor-centered practices, equity, and leadership development. Her work bridges story, research, and systems change to ensure survivors are not only heard but resourced to thrive.

• Treyden McAdams

  On top of being an all "A" honor student, this15-year old is a Black Belt in Goju-ryu Karate and a 4x NASKA World Champion. Trey is also a student leader in his dojo. Not only has he dedicated to the mastery of the art, but he also serves as a mentor/coach and instructor to other students. Treyden is also a powerful gymnast with great tumbling ability and has committed himself to the study of the art of acting and stunt performing, making his television debut in 2022 with an acting role on, Netflix's, "Raising Dion S2".

• Watoto Dance Enemble

  Featuring students from the Watoto Academy of the Performing Arts at Meeting Street Schools, this stage production entitled The Happy People features the music, costuming and movements from African to Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico the Caribbean.