TEDxUTulsa

Speakers

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

• Angel Henry

  organizational development consultant

  Angel G. Henry is an Organizational Development Consultant, speaker, and TEDx presenter focused on emotional maturity, voice, and leadership environments. With over 20 years of experience in technology and project management, she helps organizations and communities align people, process, and purpose—without sacrificing human dignity. Angel’s work examines how emotionally immature systems normalize harm, silence truth-tellers, and pass dysfunction from one generation to the next, and why young people are often the catalyst for disrupting those patterns. She is the founder of Amulet Consortium: Agility in Action.

• D. Cherelle Cohens

  financial trauma expert

  D. Cherelle Cohens, MBA, is a financial trauma expert and CFO consulting strategist with nearly 20 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and business leaders make confident, sustainable financial decisions. She is the founder of FinTraum, a trauma-informed financial education agency delivering programs nationwide. A professor of business & accounting at Langston University and an alumna of Morgan State University, D. Cherelle blends academic rigor with lived experience. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., grounding her work in service, leadership, and community impact.

• Dania Tamimi

  oral and maxillofacial radiologist

  Dr. Dania Tamimi graduated with a dental degree from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She trained at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and earned a doctorate of medical science (DMSc) and certificate of fellowship in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in 2005. She is board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (ABOMR). She is a reviewer and an Editorial Board member for multiple medical and dental journals, She is the lead author on two textbooks: “Specialty Imaging: Dental Implants” (which has been translated to Portuguese and Russian) and “Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular Joint and Sleep-Disordered Breathing” and a co-lead author on “Diagnostic Imaging, Oral and Maxillofacial” (translated to Spanish). She lectures nationally and internationally. She currently runs her oral and maxillofacial radiology private practice in Orlando, Florida.

• Katerina Alder

  educator, nonprofit founder

  Katerina Alder is an educator, nonprofit founder, and advocate for inclusion whose life journey spans continents and cultures. A first-generation immigrant from Belarus, Katerina moved to the United States with her family in 2008 and has called Tulsa home ever since. For over 30 years, Katerina has taught English as a Second Language, supporting multilingual learners in finding their voice, confidence and discovering the power of reading and writing. She is the founder of Amelia’s Friends Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating friendships, inclusion, and joyful experiences for children with disabilities and their families — a mission inspired by her daughter Amelia who was born with Down Syndrome.

• Nathan Sweaney

  cybersecurity consultant

  Nathan has been a passionate advocate for the Oklahoma cybersecurity community for two decades. As a consultant, he has helped thousands of companies, from small businesses to Fortune 10, lower risk and secure their systems. He excels at translating technical nuance into business-speak and finding practical, feasible approaches for organizations to mitigate risk. Currently, at the Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute, a research branch of the University of Tulsa, Nathan works on solving tough challenges in Oklahoma, focused on cybersecurity education, supporting small businesses, and integrating cybersecurity into the developing drone/UAS economy. Nathan also serves on several boards and advisory groups, including Campos de Sueños, a scholarship, vocational training, and feeding program for children in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala

• Prerna Richards

  early childhood educator, coach, speaker

  Prerna Richards is an early childhood educator, coach, and speaker with over 40 years of experience supporting children, families, and the educators who serve them. Having lived and worked across cultures, she brings a global perspective to understanding behavior, resilience, and emotional well-being. Prerna's work bridges neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and real-world practice around a simple but transformative idea: connection must come before correction. Through her teaching and coaching, she helps adults reframe challenging behavior as communication of unmet needs—unlocking compassion, clarity, and lasting change in how we guide the next generation.

• Rachel Arterburn

  senior care recruitment, training, and engagement coordinator

  Rachel Arterburn is a speaker, community leader, and advocate for the dignity of care. She serves as the Vice President of the Vinita Area Chamber of Commerce and works in senior care as a Recruitment, Training, and Engagement Coordinator, supporting and developing professional caregivers who serve seniors and families in her region. Based in Vinita, Oklahoma, Rachel’s perspective is deeply shaped by both her personal and professional life. She is the sister of a brother who was profoundly autistic, an experience that gave her an early and lifelong understanding of what it means to build a life around care, patience, and advocacy. That throughline has guided her work from her early years as a preschool teacher and her work in affordable community housing, to her continued involvement in community efforts centered on care, dignity, and human connection.

• Raghavendra Cherupalli

  Ph.D. student in cyber studies

  Raghavendra Cherupalli is a Ph.D. student in Cyber Studies at the University of Tulsa, specializing in integrating Artificial Intelligence into cyber threat intelligence and cyber criminology. They hold a master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where they developed a strong foundation in digital forensics, security, and applied analytics. Their research focuses on leveraging large language models and open-source intelligence techniques to analyze cybercriminal marketplaces, uncover behavioral patterns, and identify criminal services and communication structures. In addition to their research, Raghavendra has professional experience as a software research developer, developing cloud-based services, and implementing automated deployment pipelines. Recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Student in Cyber Security for 2024 from UAB, Raghavendra is committed to advancing security measures and mitigating cyber threats.

• Sydney Consedine

  marketing manager, writer

  Sydney Consedine is a born and raised Tulsa working mom, marketing manager, writer, and wife who talks about body image, health, and the quiet assumptions we make about people based on how they look. Like many women, she spent most of her adult life in a larger body, juggling work, family, and the constant background noise of commentary about weight and health. After losing over half her body weight through medical intervention, Sydney experienced how differently the same woman can be treated in two different bodies. She brings a relatable, real-life perspective to conversations about bias, reminding audiences that health, worth, and character aren’t visible at first glance.