Senior IT Leader
Photographer and Artist
Documentary Filmmaker and Brand Storyteller
CEO, Unity AI
Founding Co-Director, Vanderbilt AI Law Lab
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard. Author of “Quantum Marketing”
Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and Education at Fisk University
William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair and Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University
Bassist, Singer/Songwriter, Inventor
Author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You
At this year’s flagship conference – one of the largest TEDx events in the country – hundreds of TED fans will gather in the awe-inspiring Schermerhorn Symphony Center to experience the ingenuity, passion, and humor of world-class experts responding to the unseen forces altering our reality, influencing how we think and act, or rendering the tools of the past irrelevant.
TEDxNashville is more than an event. It is a community of TED fans in Nashville – people who consider themselves to be curious, lifelong learners – who had a shared experience at one of our conferences and want to keep the conversation going.
Our speakers are incredible people changing our city, our country, even our world. So we want to create space for our members to interact with past speakers in more intimate settings and continue the conversations that we started at the conference.
By attending this conference, you become eligible to join the TEDxNashville Cohort for the 2024-2025 season. Membership is free and includes exclusive invitations to sessions throughout the following year that are free or of minimal cost.
So starting this August, let’s share a meal or a drink together, learn from world-class speakers and each other, and build relationships built on a shared curiosity about the world.
This year’s TEDxNashville event will be held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center – 1 Symphony Pl, Nashville, TN 37201-2031
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The event will be from 1pm – 6pm. Doors will open at noon. Speakers will start at 1 p.m. A reception will take place from 5 – 6 p.m.
Thank you! While the speaker lineup for this event has been finalized, if you have an idea for a future event just fill out our form here.
“Why no one is listening to you.”
Donald Miller is the CEO of Business Made Simple. He is the host of the Business Made Simple podcast and is the author of several books including the bestsellers Blue Like Jazz, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and Building a StoryBrand. His latest book is Coach Builder: How to Turn Your Expertise into a Profitable Coaching Career. Donald lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, Elizabeth and their daughter, Emmeline.
Photographer & Artist
“How we have been underestimating the power of light.”
Jeremy Cowart’s career consists of chasing ideas in whichever direction they lead him, finding himself in the most random of new situations, moments of success and failures, all while dealing with his own life’s hardships (raising 4 kids – one with special needs – and managing his own neurological disease). From being named the internet’s most influential photographer at one point to speaking in stadiums to kickstarting a hotel chain to launching a worldwide give-back initiative to being featured at an art auction alongside the greatest artists that have ever lived… it’s always something wildly surprising, even for Cowart himself.
Documentary Filmmaker and Brand Storyteller
“How Brands Are Leveraging Filmmaking to do good.”
Three-time Emmy Award Winner, Cannes Lion and Edward R. Murrow Award recipient, Luanne Dietz is a storytelling executive with 15 years of experience developing and producing premium film, experiential, and custom content for globally-renowned brands, networks, corporations and foundations. Having worked at all stages of production from Camera Operator to Editor to Director to Executive Producer, Luanne Specializes in building cohesive content studios and leading a wide variety of creatives. She is a highly motivated, strategic problem-solver with top-tier analytical and communication skills. Her superpower is making the impossible, possible and she is rarely seen without a smile on her face.
CEO, Unity AI
“Dissolving healthcare’s pain with AI”
Dr. Edmund Jackson is the CEO of UnityAI, a company that develops innovative AI solutions for healthcare. He has decades of experience in applying data science and machine learning to various domains, including hedge funds, biotechnology, and healthcare. He holds a Ph.D. in Statistical Signal Processing from the University of Cambridge, where he developed algorithms to enable research on the molecular basis of mental disorders. His current mission is to help improve the quality and effectiveness of American healthcare through applied AI. He is an award-winning innovator and leader, who has created and implemented multiple data science and AI products that have saved thousands of lives and generated significant value for his employers, clients and partners. He is also a skilled communicator and mentor, who can navigate complex and challenging environments and inspire teams to deliver high-impact results.
“How the legal field has kept the average person in the dark, but A.I could be the light”
Cat Moon, a fifth generation lawyer and passionate legal innovator, believes that technology can revolutionize access to justice. As an educator, she trains the next generation of lawyers to embrace AI and design human-centered legal solutions. Beyond academia, Cat is a sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator, empowering legal professionals worldwide to harness the power of technology for positive impact. Her work focuses on combining the power of AI and human-centered design to create a more accessible, inclusive, and effective legal system.
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Mastercard
“How companies can innovate for social good”
Bio in progress
Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and Education at Fisk University
“Why we need to reconceptualize violence.”
Dr. James Bernard Pratt, Jr. possesses a deep-rooted commitment to human rights, justice, and violence reduction. Born and raised in Albany, Ga., Dr. Pratt graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s in psychology and philosophy receiving department and university honors. He then earned a Master’s in Social Ecology and a PhD in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC, Irvine. His dissertation, titled “Terroir of Violence in the Capital of the Southern Black Belt,” explored local institutions and the deep-seated connections between culture, law, and violence in the American South. Currently, he serves as Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Fisk University, where he coordinates the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Programs. At Fisk, he also directs the Justice Propulsion Lab (JPL), an initiative that empowers undergraduate students to engage in research on justice, race, culture, and violence, and advises the Justice Propulsion Organizations (JPOs) including Debate, Model UN, and Quiz Bowl.
William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair and Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University
“The hidden power of disgust.”
Professor Kam uses her research and teaching to understand the forces that shape public opinion and political behavior. Her work takes a psychological approach to probing why ordinary people hold the opinions they do and why they engage in – or avoid- political participation. She is the co-author of two books (Us Against Them: Ethnocentric Foundations of American Opinion and Modeling and Interpreting Interactive Hypotheses in Regression Analysis) and over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles.
“How technology gave a stand-up bass the chance to evolve.”
Frontman. Singer-songwriter. World-renowned upright bassist. Innovator. Raised in Houston, Mulvahill cut his teeth as a member of Ricky Skaggs’ acclaimed bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder. The group toured internationally for five years backed by the bottom-heavy pulse of Mulvahill’s upright bass. Along the way, he also composed music of his own, shining a light on the genre-jumping influences—Paul Simon’s sophisticated pop, James Taylor’s folk, Jaco Pastorius’ innovative jazz, and more—that would eventually inspire the material on his 2018 solo debut, Himalayas. Encouraged by musical mentor Bruce Hornsby, Mulvahill developed a unique approach to his songwriting—one that mixed his chops as an upright bassist with hook-heavy melodies and compelling narratives. “I want to find out what’s possible with this instrument. But as important as the bass is to the sound of my music, it’s not a crutch,” he says. “At the end of the day, the songwriting, the voice, and the message are what really matter.” 2023’s SURVIVE album found him taking further musical leaps while keeping true to the core of his musicianship, songwriting, and unique concept of artistry. But for a lifelong musician like Scott Mulvahill, the climb is never over. In 2024, he’s hard at work developing music with his DataBass, a whole new instrument that he designed and built, combining the traditional upright bass with the power of MIDI sampling. DataBass gives Mulvahill whole soundscapes at his fingertips as he performs solo, and equipped with LED arrays, it’s as visually captivating as it is musically powerful. There’s almost no telling what the future holds for the instrument and the places Mulvahill will take it, but if the past is any guide, it will be rich in creative spirit.
Creator of the Brown Mama Bear Podcast
“Whey we need to redefine what ‘better’ means”
Shanera Williamson is the creator and host of the podcast “Brown Mama Bear,” a platform where she talks about raising black and brown children in the U.S. She’s passionate about helping parents navigate racial and cultural biases to reduce the negative effect racism has on the development of kids. Her insights have been featured on NBC and in The Tennessean. Shanera started her career in radio , including the Morning Edition at National Public Radio in Washington, DC and as an on-air announcer for several radio stations in Maryland. Shanera has also worked for various non-profit organizations throughout her career. She spent 10 years with the Impact Movement, working as a chaplain on several college campuses. Shanera earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University. She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Jim, for 30 years. Together, they have 3 adult daughters.
G. Preston Wilson Jr., PhD – Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Mike Curb Endowed Chair for the Fisk Jubilee Singers at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, TN.
“Whey we need to redefine what ‘better’ means”
As a 2010 graduate, Dr. Wilson returns to Nashville and to Fisk University as the successor of his mentor the late Dr. Paul T. Kwami. Prior to his appointment at Fisk, Dr. Wilson was an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Westminster Choir College at Rider University in Lawrenceville NJ. Outside of his duties as a musician and educator, Dr. Wilson’s research agenda includes urban music educational experiences; practical applications of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and race relations in music. Dr. Wilson is a proud member of the Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Pi Kappa Lambda, American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), International Society for Music Education, and College Music Society (CMS).
Author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You.
“You don’t have control over anxiety: That’s a good thing.”
David H. Rosmarin PhD is the author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You (HarperCollins). He is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, a program director at McLean Hospital, and founder of Center for Anxiety, which provides services to over 1,000 patients/year in multiple states. Dr. Rosmarin is an international expert on spirituality and mental health, whose work has been featured in Scientific American, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Good Morning America. He can be reached via his website www.dhrosmarin.com