TEDxBradley University

Speakers

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

• Becky Buchen

  Becky Buchen brings more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience in innovation, performance improvement, clinical operations, finance, and digital transformation. She has led large-scale initiatives in care transformation, organizational redesign, and innovation ecosystem development. Becky established the Office of Innovation Management and led OSF Innovation’s ROI process, producing measurable outcomes and licensing agreements. She oversees Performance Improvement, Healthcare Analytics, Innovation Studio, Applied Research, OSF Ventures, and Simulation at OSF HealthCare. Her leadership in Lean and rapid improvement methodologies has fostered a culture of continuous improvement. Becky also created the Enterprise Portfolio Management Office and the Transformation Executive Council, which governs OSF’s innovation portfolio. OSF HealthCare operates 16 hospitals across Illinois and Michigan, with more than 2,100 licensed beds and 27,000 employees across 170+ locations.

• Charlie Wood

  Charlie Wood is Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Product Management at Caterpillar, where he leads product management, go-to-market, and communications for customer- and dealer-facing AI solutions, including the Cat® AI Assistant™. He also leads Cat Digital's AI Accelerator efforts, advancing the development of innovative internal AI solutions that enable Caterpillar employees to be more efficient, self-sufficient and decisive in their daily work. With more than 12 years of leadership experience in digital technology and advanced manufacturing, Charlie has worked across research and development, engineering, and artificial intelligence. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Union College and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University. Charlie is the inventor or co-inventor on more than 20 patents and publications in engineering and machine learning.

• Cory Boulton

  Dr. Cory Boulton is a musician, conductor, and educator whose life's work sits at the intersection of presence, leadership, and sound. As Director of Choral Activities and Coordinator of Music Education at Bradley University, she works with ensembles and educators on the conditions that make transformational collective experiences possible, and what leaders must embody to create them. An active adjudicator, clinician, and researcher, Dr. Boulton presents regularly on choral sound, peak rehearsal experiences, and embodied leadership. Her platform, Meeting What's Here, extends this work to leaders across industries who are ready to lead from presence rather than performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Choral Music Education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.

• Injy Wasfy

  Injy Wasfy is an undergraduate student studying electrical engineering at Bradley University while pursuing a minor in biology. With a focus on the medical field, she is interested in narrowing the gap between healthcare and technology during and beyond her time at Bradley. As machine learning continues to expand across industries, Wasfy has explored its technical applications through engineering projects while remaining mindful of its broader societal impacts. Alongside her academic pursuits, she is a writer and speaker who examines how the rapid integration of artificial intelligence is reshaping perspectives, learning habits, and communities.

• Ranen McLanahan

  A. L. Ranen McLanahan, Ph.D., started his career on a floating factory ship in Alaska before moving into research and then spending 12 years as engineering faculty. During that time, he co-founded a community R&D innovation center (3DC) where students develop intellectual property alongside local inventors and companies, launched a consulting company (Critical Flux LLC), and earned multiple awards for his teaching, outreach, and innovation work. His 2019 book, The Science of Solidarity, grew out of a workshop he delivered to Wisconsin state legislators. He is currently a Program Director at the Kern Family Foundation, focused on engineering education and entrepreneurial mindset at a national scale.

• Ryan Terao

  Dr. Ryan Terao, PsychSensei, is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical esports psychologist who specializes in improving the mental health, performance, and team development within the competitive gaming space. Dr. Terao earned his B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience from Pacific University, completed both his M.A. and PsyD at Azusa Pacific University, and finished a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California. Using a systems-based approach, Dr. Terao combines his clinical expertise, research, and esports experience to help his clients develop the cognitive flexibility and resilience needed to thrive in competition. Dr. Terao has worked with players, coaches, and organizations in the amateur, collegiate and professional spaces and across titles including League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros, and StarCraft II.