TEDxFIU announces speakers for 2014


Alberto Padron ’98, MBA ’09, returns for a third year as the TEDxFIU master of ceremonies.

Alberto Padron ’98, MBA ’09 returns for a third year as the TEDxFIU master of ceremonies.

Ten speakers will take the audience on a fearless journey of creativity, innovation and humanity at TEDxFIU 2014.

The third TEDxFIU features entrepreneurs and scholars, a novelist and a racecar driver, a cancer survivor and a singer-composer – all from the FIU community. Through their stories, we will learn of perseverance and struggle, success and breakthroughs. Among the speakers, researcher Nicole Ruggiano has created a new paradigm on how to age with greater dignity. Alumnus Doug Jefferies has established a global humanitarian organization and novelist John Dufresne is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. Alumnus David Menasche decided to journey across America after learning he had brain cancer. Menasche’s story is the inspiration for the forthcoming Warner Bros. film The Priority List in which Steve Carrell will portray the FIU graduate.

This year’s speakers are:

  • Educator Charles Bleiker
  • Novelist John Dufresne
  • Vocalist and composer Karla Gutierrez
  • Global philanthropist Doug Jefferies ’89
  • Author and English teacher David Menasche ’97
  • Racecar driver Dion von Moltke
  • Eco-conscious entrepreneurs Brian Machovina ’91, MS ’94 and Eileen McHale ’93
  • Social work researcher Nicole Ruggiano
  • Scientist, engineer and entrepreneur Krishnatej Vedala MS ’09, PhD ’13

Read more about the speakers at the TEDxFIU website.

“This is an extraordinary group of individuals with powerful stories to share,” said TEDxFIU co-organizer Deborah O’Neil MA ’09, the associate director of FIU News & Communications. “They show us that we are able to achieve our highest aspirations only when we live fearlessly.”

TEDxFIU 2014 will take place Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Tickets will go on sale Monday, Oct. 6., Now in its third year, the TEDxFIU event draws a live audience of more than 500 people from around South Florida. Two-time FIU alumnus Alberto Padron will return to the stage for the third time as the master of ceremonies.

To date, TEDxFIU talks on the official TEDx channel have accumulated more than a quarter million views from all corners of the globe. You can see last year’s videos here.

“TEDx is FIU’s opportunity to share ideas with the world,” said TEDxFIU co-organizer Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00, FIU’s director of marketing and new media. “It is astounding the reach that our TEDxFIU ideas have achieved, and I look forward to extending that reach even further this year.”

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, was created in order to share ideas, increase understanding and participate in a global conversation. This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED. To learn more about the event, visit the TEDxFIU website, or contact organizers Deborah O’Neil at oneild@fiu.edu and Eduardo Merille at emerille@fiu.edu. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Joseph Hornstein at joseph.hornstein@fiu.edu.