TEDxUWSuperior

Speakers

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

• Carver Harries

  Educator, Advocate, Comedian, Cat Dad

  Carver is a former Marine Corps Officer and forester, and a transgender man who began his physical transition at the relatively late age of 58. Realizing that many people lack knowledge about transgender people and their lived experiences, Carver has developed multiple types of presentations to help humanize the personal journeys of transgender people for a variety of audiences. In addition to providing professional learning programs to health care providers, he also developed an informational comedy show that he performs in theaters for live audiences. Carver enjoys canoeing in the Boundary Waters, studying Spanish, and his house full of adopted shelter cats.

• Colin Zervas

  Entrepreneur & Co-founder of Uffda Kombucha

  Colin Zervas is an entrepreneur, brewer, and co-founder of Uffda Kombucha. From Esko, MN, Colin graduated from St. Scholastica with a biology degree. After college, he spent time working in Cambodia before returning to work in mental health, where he met future business partner, McKenna. In 2018, Colin and McKenna began brewing kombucha in his kitchen as a side hustle. For the next 6 years, they built Uffda while working full-time careers. Colin taught himself to code, became a web developer, and worked his way up to Director of Web Development at a marketing agency before taking the leap to run Uffda full-time. Today, Uffda works with 2 distributors and can be found throughout MN and WI. Colin still approaches the business much the same way he did in his kitchen: work hard, solve the next problem, and keep brewing. Colin is a former college soccer player, husband, and proud dad of 2 boys, ages 3 and 5, who are already putting in shifts at the brewery and learning the family business.

• Dr. Erin Aldridge

  Professor of Violin and Viola, Director of Orchestra

  Multi-genre violinist Erin Aldridge is a highly sought-after performer and teacher who has won numerous awards as both soloist and chamber musician. She has been featured throughout Europe, South America, China, Ghana, and the United States as well as being broadcast on NPR, the BBC, MPR, and WPR. Aldridge maintains an active performance schedule as a soloist and chamber musician, as well as non-classical genres with her bands Danny Frank & the Smoky Gold and Superior Siren. She is currently the Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Wisconsin-Superior where she also serves as Director of Orchestra. She is also the Concertmaster of both the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera of the North Opera Orchestra.

• Dr. Maria Stalzer Wyant Cuzzo

  Interim Chancelor of UW-Superior

  Maria is the Interim Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She has served for decades as a proud fully ranked and tenured faculty member, a former instructional academic staff member and was the longstanding program coordinator for the Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Program, one of the largest programs at the university. During these years, she also served eight years in a partial administrative reassignment to found and direct the newly created Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). She was also the co-facilitator (with Ms. Jenice Meyer) of the accreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission for three years to a successful conclusion. Maria has a deep devotion and love for the growth and development of students. She is an educator at heart and is honored to serve as an educator-administrator to support UW-Superior’s students, faculty, staff and region.

• Oreoluwa Sofolahan

  Student leader, advocate, & facilitator

  Oreoluwa Sofolahan is a Biology major with a pre-medical concentration and minors in Chemistry and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Superior. She is passionate about civil dialogue, advocacy, and creating spaces where people can engage thoughtfully across differences. As a Bridging the Divide Campus Leader at UW-Superior, she facilitates conversations on complex and divisive issues, encouraging students to approach disagreement with curiosity, empathy, and openness. She believes that the willingness to have difficult conversations is essential to building stronger communities and, ultimately, great societies.

• Ryan Anthony Reid

  Public Defender & Regional Attorney Manager

  Ryan Reid is a Regional Attorney Manager for the State Public Defender in Spooner, Wisconsin. Attorney Reid represents clients in criminal cases but has handled dozens of ICWA CHIPS and Termination of Parental Rights cases during his 10 years with the Public Defender’s office. Attorney Reid is passionate about using civil discovery in creative and strategic ways to protect his clients’ rights and has successfully won several cases through motion practice and trial.

• Val Ross Zhaawendaagozikwe

  Educator & M.S. Student, Natural Resources-Fire Ecology

  Valerie Ross Zhaawendaagozikwe (she/her) is an Indigenous scientist and educator whose work connects culture, community, and the natural world. Enrolled in the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Long Plain First Nation, she is also a Fond du Lac descendant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Science from UW–Superior and is pursuing graduate studies in fire ecology at the University of Idaho. Through plant teachings, research, and Indigenous fire stewardship, she brings Indigenous ways of knowing into conversation with Western science.

• Yash Chhabra

  Student & Athlete

  3. My name is Yash Chhabra and I am a Senior at UW Superior. I am majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I also play tennis for our UWS Men's Tennis Team, and I have been playing tennis for more than 10 years.