About Us
Meet the dedicated volunteers behind TEDxBuffalo and explore our mission to foster dialogue, spark change, and empower individuals.
What We Do
TEDxBuffalo is put on each year, from start to finish, by an all-volunteer team.
Allow us to introduce ourselves:
Our Team
SARAH VIANA
Sarah, a lifetime Buffalonian, brings her Certified Coaching skills, People Development experience, and her admiration for TED talks to the committee. Her entrepreneurial spirit coupled with her passion for supporting individuals to live fully and authentically, led her to create Deliberately You LLC. Beyond growing her company she enjoys concerts, tap dancing, going to Shea’s, hosting gatherings, and indulging at a variety of Buffalo restaurants.
MOLLY KINKEL
Molly moved back to her hometown of Buffalo NY and rejoined TEDxBuffalo after living the nomadic life for nearly two years. She’s thrilled to be back supporting this incredible organization. After receiving her B.A. in Speech Communications and minor in Theatrical Design at Ithaca College, she has built a career in marketing and digital advertising holding positions at The Buffalo News, WGRZ-TV, Gannett Broadcasting, BlueCross BlueShield of WNY and most recently the Head of Marketing at Pause Breathwork where she received her trauma-informed breathwork facilitator certification. On most weeknights you can find Molly teaching at Sherry Martin Dance and the Tutu School, or walking her pup around Elmwood Village.
ANTHONY SANTAROSA
Anthony was on the internet before the first browser was invented. Anyone remember Gopher? How about compiling the early releases of Mosaic on a Sun SPARCstation? Yeah, I was there. Somewhere in my basement there is a functional Mac Plus and a couple of Engineering degrees I picked up along the way. When I am not in front of a computer, I am either watching, playing or coaching hockey. I love all things TED. Keep your stick on the ice and try turning it off and on again before calling IT.
ALEX OPIEL
Alex studied biophysics at the University at Buffalo and works as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. She enjoys right-brained hobbies – interior design, learning about social issues, making furniture, and giving tours at the Richardson Olmsted Campus.
JOSHUA CASKIE
Josh recently finished his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Computer Science at the University at Buffalo and currently works as a Data Engineer for Foundry Digital. He aspires to be a continuous learner and embody a growth mindset, qualities that TED and TEDx incarnate. His passions include social entrepreneurship, personal finance, and tech/data driven applications. Outside of work he pursues hobbies like volleyball, poker, chess, and any number of other social or competitive activities!
PHIL STOKES
Dr. Phil Stokes is the Executive Director of Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve located in Hamburg, NY — the home of trilobites. Penn Dixie — ranked #1 in the U.S. among fossil parks and also the inaugural holder of a Guinness World Record for Largest Fossil Dig — welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year.
JINNIE RANDOLPH
JEFF MILLER
Jeff works for a small company that distributes various rubber and foam products as a CNC operator and Draftsman. In his spare time he likes to read, walk the city streets of Buffalo taking in the architecture and various colors of houses along the way. Lastly, music he cannot play, but will listen all day.
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About TEDx
In the spirit of Ideas Worth Spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.
The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.
TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TED.
Photography & Press Kit
