TEDxSHSU

Speakers

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

• Amari March

  The Brain We Build Through Change

  Amari March is a senior Health Science student at Sam Houston State University (SHSU), with plans to pursue a career in healthcare after graduation. She has been recognized for her academic achievements through the Dean’s List and continues to pursue professional development opportunities related to her future career. As a Bearkat Camp counselor at SHSU, March helps incoming first-year students navigate the transition into college and build meaningful connections within the Bearkat community. Her own experience as a first-year student inspired her to return as a counselor and create the same welcoming environment that once made an impact on her. She has also participated in community service and volunteer experiences, strengthening her passion for helping others. Through her academic, leadership, and professional experiences, she hopes to continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

• Arwyn Swanger

  Rising Through Flames

  Erin Owens is a full Professor in the Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University, where she has spent 19+ years supporting information literacy and information access for students, faculty, and staff through various roles. She has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, presented at state and national conferences, and dedicates significant time to service work as a journal editor and peer reviewer in her field. In her (rare) spare time, she reads surrealistic and dystopian fiction, builds Lego, and does her best to raise a confident son with inclusive humanist values.

• Ashley Love

  Beyond Performance: Creating Conditions that Unlock Our Best Work

  What helps people do their best work when the stakes are high? Whether we’re leading a team, navigating a difficult conversation, solving an unfamiliar problem, or simply trying something that might fail, our ability to perform depends on more than skill or effort. Drawing from 20 years in theatre and her work with leaders, healthcare professionals, educators, and organizations, Ashley Love examines what the rehearsal room can teach us about human potential. She explores how our environments influence our willingness to take risks, contribute ideas, collaborate, and remain connected under pressure — and why leaders have a powerful role in shaping those environments. Through an accessible framework of Clarity, Choice, Curiosity, and Repair, she offers a different approach to leadership and performance: instead of demanding more from people, we can intentionally create the conditions that help them access what they are already capable of.

• Chelsea K. Smith

  The Power of Mini-Protests: Reclaiming Your Values Through Self-Advocacy

  Chelsea K. Smith is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). With over 15 years of experience at SHSU, she is responsible for supporting Student Life and Community Standards. Her duties include overseeing Student Conduct, Student Legal and Mediation Services, the CARE Network, and supervising Campus Activities and Involvement, Fraternity and Sorority Life, as well as the Veteran and Military Connected Center. Her research focuses on the impact of student activism on higher education administrators, examining the implications for institutional responses, strategies, and social media engagement.

• Daye Kim

  The Room that Changed How I See People

  Daye Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University and a former crime scene investigator from South Korea. Before returning to school, Kim spent several years documenting crime scenes, processing fingerprints, and supporting investigations involving death and other critical incidents. Her current research connects forensic practice with analytical science, including Raman spectroscopy, chemical imaging, and fingerprint evidence analysis. Through fieldwork and research, Kim explores a question that continues to guide her work: How can science offer more accurate and responsible answers to people? She believes forensic science is more than the analysis of evidence; it is also a way of seeing people and their stories with greater care. Outside the laboratory, Kim values the small acts of attention that help people feel seen.

• Erin Owens

  Trapped in the Algorithmic Bubble

  Erin Owens is a full Professor in the Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University, where she has spent 19+ years supporting information literacy and information access for students, faculty, and staff through various roles. She has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, presented at state and national conferences, and dedicates significant time to service work as a journal editor and peer reviewer in her field. In her (rare) spare time, she reads surrealistic and dystopian fiction, builds Lego, and does her best to raise a confident son with inclusive humanist values.

• Jacqueline Moreno

  Every Conversation Creates Possibility

  Jacqueline Moreno is a professional school counselor at Hildebrandt Intermediate School in Klein Independent School District in Klein, Texas. A former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, Moreno brings a unique perspective shaped by military service, education, and counseling. Moreno holds a master’s degree in School Counseling from Lamar University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education at Sam Houston State University. Her professional interests include solution-focused practices, student belonging, school safety, and strengths-based approaches to student support. A doctoral researcher, presenter, and writer, Moreno has presented at professional counseling conferences and is an author for ASCA School Counselor Magazine. Through her work, she advocates for more relational, strengths-focused conversations that help people see possibilities beyond the labels placed upon them.

• Jeffrey A. Gardner

  The Borders We Don't See

  Dr. Jeffrey A. Gardner is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Sam Houston State University. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, where family members and outstanding public school teachers challenged him to think critically about socio-political issues. As a first-generation college student, he studied sociology because it echoed this complex engagement with social problems. One professor encouraged him to not merely learn some sociological ideas, but to actually become a sociologist. This motivated him to also be the first in his family to attend graduate school. After receiving his Ph.D. (University of Georgia, 2017), he was ecstatic to move to Texas with his wife (a Texan) and three daughters. The same puzzles that led Dr. Gardner to sociology continue to drive his research and teaching interests (e.g., social movements, racial and ethnic inequality, and political sociology). His research addresses the collective rights struggles of Indigenous nations divided by borders.

• Juli Dutta

  Your Smart Home is Watching You: The Hidden Story Behind Encrypted IoT Data

  Juli Dutta is a doctoral student in Digital and Cyber Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University, where her research focuses on the security and privacy of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Her work examines how connected devices communicate over networks and what encrypted traffic patterns may reveal about user behavior. She has published research in cybersecurity, IoT security, and digital forensics and has presented her work at academic conferences. Through her research, Dutta is passionate about making complex cybersecurity and privacy issues understandable and relevant to everyday users. Her goal is to help people better understand the technology they rely on and encourage the development of smarter systems that deserve our trust.

• Kiara L. Green

  The Mental Paralysis of Epilepsy: Redefining Control

  Kiara L. Green is a TEDx organizer and a graduate of Sam Houston State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Social Work at the University of Houston. Her research explores the intersections of psychology, behavior, and criminality, including data analysis and interviews examining race, culture, and identity. She is a passionate advocate for mental and behavioral health, trauma-informed care, rehabilitation, and reentry, particularly for veterans and formerly incarcerated individuals. Green hopes to build a career helping individuals navigate rebuilding their lives after incarceration or significant life transitions. After being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2025, Green has navigated her own journey of rebuilding while learning to balance physical health, mental well-being, and identity.

• Kristyn Stillwell

  The Benevolent No

  Kristyn Stillwell began her career in computer and engineering fields before choosing to work from home to raise her children, a shift that unexpectedly opened the door to her life’s calling. With the flexibility of remote work, she launched street ministries in several Houston-area churches, spending years building relationships through meals, prayer, and consistent presence. In 2015, she founded HOPE Haven, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people move from crisis to lifelong self-sufficiency. Drawing on both practical experience and lessons learned from organizations across the country, Stillwell leads a team that has helped more than 1,700 people transition off the streets with a long-term success rate rarely seen in the field. Her passion is helping communities see the under-resourced with new eyes — not as problems to fix, but as people with potential — and inspiring others to choose compassion that truly changes lives.

• Lara Patterson

  The Edge of Comfort: Choosing the Suckfest

  Lara Patterson is the Associate Director of Camps and Outdoors in the Campus Recreation Department here at Sam Houston State. She has 20 years of experience in outdoor recreation and higher education. Lara is an adventurer at heart, and she loves wild places, big challenges, and the occasional “suckfest.” She believes some of life’s greatest lessons are found at the edge of comfort, especially with good people by your side. Beyond work and adventure, Lara’s greatest passion is being with her family and friends. She strives to live authentically, embrace the hard things, and make her life count. Whether she’s exploring the outdoors, encouraging students, or tackling life’s next challenge, Patterson believes growth begins with a brave “yes.”