The Power of Stories
Humans interpret the world through stories. Designers invent stories to help understand how people will use the things they create. Stories are at the heart of entertainment. Journalists compose stories that help us understand our world. And stories are often the key element of ideas that spread: we tell each other “great stories” about people, events, places and ideas.
TEDxMidAtlantic 2009 explored how stories shape and infuse our lives with meaning, and how a good story can very often be the differentiator between an idea that spreads and those that do not.
Watch Aneesh’s talk here »
Aneesh Chopra
Aneesh Chopra is the Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States (CTO). He previously served as Virginia’s fourth Secretary of Technology. Prior to his government service, Chopra was Managing Director for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals and heath systems. While there, he led the firm’s Financial Leadership Council and the Working Council for Health Plan Executives.
Read More
On announcing Chopra’s nomination, President Obama outlined his aims for the CTO. “As Chief Technology Officer, Chopra’s job will be to promote technological innovation to help the country meet its goals such as job creation, reducing health care costs, and protecting the homeland. Together with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, their jobs are to make the government more effective, efficient, and transparent.”
Watch Scott’s talk here »
Scott Simon
From Ground Zero in New York to ground zero in Kabul, to police stations, subway platforms, and darkened theaters, NPR’s Peabody-Award-winning correspondent Scott Simon brings a well-traveled perspective to his role as host of Weekend Edition Saturday. Since Simon joined NPR in 1977, he has reported from all 50 states, 6 continents, covered presidential campaigns and eight wars.
Read More
Simon joined NPR in 1977 as chief of its Chicago bureau. Since then, he has reported from all 50 states, covered presidential campaigns and eight wars, and reported from Central America, Africa, India, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. In 2002, Simon took leave of his usual post at Weekend Edition Saturdayto cover the war in Afghanistan for NPR. He has also reported from Central America on the continuing wars in that region; from Cuba on the nation’s resistance to change; from Ethiopia on the country’s famine and prolonged civil war; from the Middle East during the Gulf War; and from the siege of Sarajevo and the destruction of Kosovo.
Simon has received numerous honors for his reporting. His work was part of the Overseas Press Club and Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards NPR earned for coverage of Sept. 11 and its aftermath. He was part of the NPR news teams that won prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for covering the war in Kosovo as well as the Gulf War. In 1989, he won a George Foster Peabody Award for his weekly radio essays. The award commended him for his sensitivity and literary style in coverage of events including the murder of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador and the San Francisco earthquake. Simon also accepted the Presidential End Hunger Award for his series of reports on the 1987-1988 Ethiopian civil war and drought. He received a 1986 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for his coverage of racism in a South Philadelphia neighborhood, and a 1986 Silver Cindy for a report on conditions at the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s detention center in Harlingen, Texas.
Simon’s book Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan was published in the spring of 2000 by Hyperion, a division of Disney. It topped the Los Angeles Times nonfiction bestseller list for several weeks, and was cited as one of the best books of the year in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and several other publications. His second book, Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, kicked off the prestigious Wiley Turning Points series in September of 2002, and was the Barnes & Noble “Sports Book of the Year.” Simon’s first novel, Pretty Birds, about female teenaged snipers in Sarajevo, was released in May 2005 and acclaimed as “the start of a brilliant new career.” His most recent novel, a political comedy called Windy City, was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2008.
Watch Dr. Agre’s talk here »
Peter Agre
Dr. Peter Agre is a molecular biologist who currently leads the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, and serves as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize for discovering aquaporins, the plumbing system for cells, which could potentially help solve medical problems such as fluid retention in heart disease and brain edema after stroke.
Read More
Dr. Agre was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in 2000 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003. He is also a founding member of Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA), and serves on its Board of Advisors.
In 2004, Dr. Agre turned his research attention toward malaria when he was awarded a pilot grant from JHMRI. A major part of the parasite’s lifecycle is in red blood cells, so Agre’s background as a hematologist and red-blood-cell membrane biochemist has the potential to be very useful. Agre is currently examining whether aquaporins within the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium could be utilized to disrupt its lifecycle.
Agre remains a professor of cell biology and medicine and a senior advisor to the Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University, where he will maintain a laboratory and continue some of his current duties. He also will lead development of a consortium of malaria researchers at JHMRI and those at Duke and in Triangle region of North Carolina.
Dr. Agre holds two U.S. patents on the isolation, cloning and expression of aquaporins 1 and 5 and is the principal investigator on four current National Institutes of Health grants.
Watch Sonja’s talk here »
Sonja Sohn
Sonja Sohn was inspired to start reWIRED for Change by her own life’s journey which began as a child growing up in an underserved community in Newport News, VA and eventually led to her role as a principal cast member in The Wire. Sonja has demonstrated her ability to fuse together her entertainment expertise with a passion for redirecting the lives of our nation’s most endangered youth.
Read More
Over the course of the 2008 presidential election, Sohn devoted her efforts to empowering and educating voters on the importance of their vote across North Carolina and in Philadelphia. It was during this time that she witnessed the impact ‘The Wire’ cast had on community members who were living in impoverished neighborhoods. Sohn saw firsthand, how celebrity can be used responsibly to influence the lives of people who are often left out of the social equation. She was particularly moved by how often the act of one inspired another, and continued to ripple throughout these communities.
Something had to be done to continue to nurture the seed of change planted by Sohn and her colleagues; immediately following the campaign trail, she began to galvanize the support of the rest of The Wire cast and crew and devise ways in which they could use their creative resources and media access as a force for change in the lives of high risk youth. Sohn envisioned an effort to take these young people on a journey towards self awareness and becoming productive citizens who contribute to the well being of their communities.
From Sonja Sohn’s first film project, “Slam” to her recent work on “The Wire,” she has demonstrated her ability to fuse together her entertainment expertise with a passion for redirecting the lives of our nation’s most endangered youth. Sohn is developing the ultimate vehicle for what she believes to be her life’s purpose – to educate, uplift and empower. reWIRED for Changewill create a new code on the street for young people, one in which personal transformation and community responsibility becomes the desired way of life.
Watch John’s talk here »
John Forté
John Forté is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer from Brooklyn, New York best known for his work with the multi-platinum group “The Fugees.” On November 24, 2008, Forté was granted a commutation by President George W. Bush after having served more than seven years of a fourteen-year federal prison sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offense.
Read More
This July, marking the nine-year anniversary of his date of arrest, Forté released StyleFREE the EP, his first collection of new music in eight years. On StyleFREE the EP, Forté delivers an eclectic group of songs, full of powerful social commentary, hope and inspiration, including tracks reminiscent of mixtape culture and throwbacks from Forté’s childhood in Brownsville, Brooklyn, such as the title track, “StyleFREE”. The EP also contains moving ballads like “More Beautiful Now,“ and the self-affirming “There We Are” – each track being equally honest, poetic and creatively expressed. His first single, “Play My Cards for Me” is being offered as a free MP3, and is in rotation on tastemaker radio stations such as WXPN.
Prior to his incarceration, Forté produced and co-wrote tracks for The Fugees’ The Score and recorded two solo albums, PolySci (Columbia; 1998) and I, John (Transparent; 2002), which featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Esthero and Tricky, and included a duet with Carly Simon.
In addition to being in the studio, Forté is also writing his memoir with Simon & Schuster, touring (he recently joined fellow artists Talib Kweli, Chrisette Michelle, and Pharoahe Monch on stage as special guests of The Roots at Highline Ballroom, showcased at SXSW, and returned from Ireland having performed with Ben Taylor and David Saw) and is actively working with at-risk youth at In Arms Reach, a Harlem-based initiative for children of incarcerated parents.
Watch Tyler’s talk here »
Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen occupies the Holbert C. Harris Chair of economics as a professor at George Mason University and is co-author of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution. He currently writes the “Economic Scene” column for the New York Times and writes for such magazines as The New Republic and The Wilson Quarterly. Cowen is also general director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Read More
Cowen’s primary research interest is the economics of culture. He has written books on fame (What Price Fame?), art (In Praise of Commercial Culture), and cultural trade (Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World’s Cultures). In Markets and Cultural Voices, he relays how globalization is changing the world of three Mexican amate painters. Cowen argues that free markets change culture for the better, allowing them to evolve into something more people want. Other books include Public Goods and Market Failures, The Theory of Market Failure, Explorations in the New Monetary Economics, Risk and Business Cycles, Economic Welfare, and New Theories of Market Failure.
Cowen’s latest book, Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World was released in July 2009 to rave reviews from critics including Matthew Yglesias and Tim Harford. His previous book Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist was published in August 2007.
Watch Joel’s talk here »
Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin is an American farmer, lecturer, and author whose books include You Can Farm and Salad Bar Beef. Salatin raises livestock using holistic methods of animal husbandry, free of potentially harmful chemicals, on his Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Salatin’s 550-acre farm is featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and the documentary film, Food, Inc.
Read More
His unconventional farming practices have drawn attention from the alternative agriculture community especially those interested in sustainable livestock management. Salatin’s philosophy of farming emphasizes healthy grass on which animals can thrive in a symbiotic cycle of chemical-free feeding.
Watch Karen’s talk here »
Karen Kasmauski
Since 1984, Karen Kasmauski has photographed more than two dozen major stories for National Geographic magazine. Her work examines issues of science, public health, and global change. Her book, Impact: From the Frontlines of Global Health, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Karen also works closely with Nikon and is a member of their prestigious “Legends Behind the Lens” group.
Read More
Since 1984, Karen Kasmauski has photographed more than two dozen major stories for National Geographic magazine. Her work examines issues of science, public health, and global change.
Kasmauski entered college with plans to become a marine biologist. The degrees she ultimately received, in anthropology and religion, helped her explore her real fascination—how science allows us to understand ourselves and how that shapes our destiny. “My interest is the people, not the process of technology,” Kasmauski says. “Instead of saying, ‘Here is the machine our understanding has created,’ I say, ‘Here is the person affected by our understanding.'”
Born to a Japanese mother, Kasmauski has explored her own roots in several stories, including an intimate look at the world of Japanese women, economic coverage of Japan in Asia, and examination of the challenges facing Okinawa. Her travels have taken her from the rain forests of Malaysia to the megacities of India to the North Slope of Alaska. She has covered earthquakes in Japan, been arrested in Africa, and exposed to radiation in Russia.
Her book, Impact: From the Frontlines of Global Health, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. An exhibition based on the book has been displayed at the Carter Center and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Kasmauski is prominently featured in the award-winning book National Geographic Women Photographers, and she has been profiled on several television shows.
She also works closely with Nikon and is a member of their prestigious “Legends Behind the Lens” group. A sought-after speaker and educator, she teaches at the Nikon School, the Maine Photographic Workshop, the Brooks Institute, and many colleges, including George Washington University in Washington. D.C.
Watch Naomi’s talk here »
Naomi Natale
TED Fellow Naomi Natale is an installation artist, photographer, and social activist who uses art to bring about and inspire social change. She accomplishes this by creating large-scale art installations that engage hundreds and thousands of artists, activists and children to act on behalf of a social cause. Naomi believes that by inspiring action through art, you can change the world one person at a time.
Read More
She is the founder and director of
The Cradle Project, a fundraising art installation designed to call attention to the plight of the estimated 48 million children orphaned by disease and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the symbolism of empty cradles to represent the lost potential of these orphans, The Cradle Project was designed to provoke art into action. Over 550 cradles were created using solely scrap, discarded and recycled materials and donated by artists from around the world who were drawn to the project’s vision.
Currently, Naomi is the founder and director of a new project titled, One Million Bones, a fundraising art installation designed to recognize the millions of victims killed or displaced by present genocides.
Watch Will’s talk here »
Will Noel
Dr. William Noel is Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books at The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, a position he took up in 1997. Since January 1999, Dr. Noel has directed an international program to conserve, image and study the Archimedes Palimpsest, the unique source for three treatises by the ancient Greek mathematician. An author of multiple books, Dr. Noel has taught and lectured widely.
Read More
Will Noel is the author of The Harley Psalter, Cambridge Studies in Palaeography and Codicology Vol. 4, Cambridge University Press 1995, a detailed investigation into the making of an illustrated eleventh-century Psalter. He is also co-editor and contributor to and exhibition catalogue: The Utrecht Psalter in Medieval Art: Picturing the Psalms of David, London, 1996. His recent book, The Oxford Bible Pictures, Faksimile Verlag, Luzern and The Walters Art Museum, 2004, concerns a series of English miniatures of the thirteenth century in The Walters Art Museum. Since January 1999, Dr. Noel has directed an international program to conserve, image and study the Archimedes Palimpsest, the unique source for three treatise by the ancient Greek mathematician (www.archimedespalimpsest.org) He has co-written a popular account of the project, entitled “The Archimedes Codex’, together with professor Reviel Netz, which published by Wiedenfeld and Nicolson (2007).
Dr. Noel has taught and lectured widely. Dr. Noel is on the Faculty of Rare Book School, University of Virginia, and he is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of History of Art, Johns Hopkins University. Will likes reading and sailing.
Watch Tony’s talk here »
Tony Geraci
As director of food and nutrition for the Baltimore City Public Schools, Tony Geraci is passionate about fresh food and its potential to change lives – and he is harnessing the power of nature to transform a 33-acre farm into an incubator for young entrepreneurs. “Feeding children decent food is the single most cost-effective way to increase test scores and reduce behavior problems,” Geraci says.
Read More
Tony is also a chef, a food service consultant, and the former food Service Director for the Con-Val School District in southwestern NH. He has been an enthusiastic supporter, practitioner and architect of the National Farm-to-School movement.
Tony is a native of New Orleans and a third generation restaurateur who did a traditional apprenticeship with four-star hotels and restaurants throughout the U.S. More recently, he has worked with food service directors throughout the country; streamlining their operations for purchasing, introducing local products to their menus, and incorporating vocational training. He was also featured in the film “Angry Moms,” a documentary about the national school lunch program. His New Hampshire program was cited as a “Best Practices” example of one of the most innovative approaches to school nutrition in the nation. Tony’s work has been featured in Gourmet Magazine, The Atlantic, Urbanite, The Diane Rehm Show, the Food Network, The Washington Post and a host of other radio, print and television appearances.
Since his arrival in Baltimore this summer Tony has increased the breakfast participation in the schools from 8500 meals per day to more than 35,000 breakfasts served each day. His department has taken over a city-owned (but abandoned) 33 acre farm which is now being used for vocational training and organic food production for Baltimore City’s schools. Tony’s focus is on nutrition and vocational training in the hospitality industry for the kids of Baltimore.
Baltimore City Public Schools is the first School system in the nation to offer a “Meatless Monday” menu served in all of its 200 plus schools and all of its fresh fruits and vegetables are now being purchased from Maryland farms.
Sandy Wiggins
Sandy Wiggins is Chairman of e3bank, a triple bottom line bank with a mission to facilitate the transition to a green economy. Sandy is Past Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council, Founding Chair of the Green Building Certification Institute, was a co-author of LEED for Neighborhood Development and served on the LEED 2009 Executive Committee.
Read More
Sandy’s leadership has been responsible for the development of dozens of LEED commercial projects and the nation’s first LEED Gold certified homes, which were also net zero energy consumers. His skillful facilitation has helped birth sustainable master plans for municipalities and institutional campuses and regional public policy initiatives. Current projects include institutional communities that are endeavoring to define and achieve sustainable operations, a net zero energy mixed use community, and a campus that aspires to include the nation’s first “Living Buildings.”
Sandy is Past Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council, Founding Chair of the Green Building Certification Institute, was a co-author of LEED for Neighborhood Development and served on the LEED 2009 Executive Committee. He currently serves on the national Board of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), the Advisory Board of Rutgers University Center for Green Building, and the Sustainability Advisory Board for the City of Philadelphia. He was also Founding Chair of the Philadelphia’s Delaware Valley Green Building Council. He is a frequent lecturer in graduate programs for sustainable business and design at the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia University.
Watch Rebecca’s talk here »
Rebecca Hoffberger
Rebecca Alban Hoffberger is both Founder and Director of the American Visionary Art Museum, America’s official national museum for self-taught, intuitive artistry located on a 1.1-acre wonderland campus in Baltimore, MD. The museum seeks to promote the recognition of intuitive, self-reliant, creative contribution as both an important historic and essential living piece of treasured human legacy.
Read More
At 16 years of age, Rebecca became the first American to apprentice to mime Marcel Marceau in Paris. She has delivered babies in Mexico while studying shamanism; and has received the title of Dame for her work in helping set up emergency field hospitals in Africa. She is recipient of numerous mental health advocacy and equal-opportunity awards and has three Honorary Doctorates. Ms. Hoffberger has been inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame and was honored recently with the YWCA of Greater Baltimore President’s Award – given to a woman who exemplifies the boundless potential of women in leadership.
In 2008, Rebecca curated the SUPERLOVE exhibition at the New Orleans Superdome in celebration of “V-Day” at the special request of Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues. Balancing a passion for science, invention, spirituality, and the arts, Rebecca has published and lectured widely and has been a consultant to various non-profits across the US for more than 30 years.
Watch Roland’s talk here »
Dr. Roland Griffiths
Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His principal research focus in both clinical and preclinical laboratories has been on the behavioral and subjective effects of mood-altering drugs. He is also currently a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence for the World Health Organization.
Read More
He has an interest in meditation and the lead investigator of the psilocybin research initiative at Johns Hopkins, which includes studies of psilocybin occasioned mystical experience in healthy volunteers and cancer patients, and a pilot study of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation.
Watch Aris’s talk here »
Aris Melissaratos
Aris Melissaratos currently serves as Senior Advisor to the President of Johns Hopkins University with responsibilities for technology transfer, corporate partnerships, and enterprise development. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Secretary of Business and Economic Development for the State of Maryland, driving the state’s unemployment figures to an impressive 3.6%.
Read More
He worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation for 32 years culminating as the corporation’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Science and Technology, responsible for running Westinghouse’s research and development functions. He also served as the Chief Operations Officer for the company’s Defense Electronics Group, where he was responsible for managing 16,000 employees (9,000 engineers) and $3.2 billion dollars of sales. After Westinghouse, he became Vice President of Thermo Electron Corporation and CEO of its Coleman Research Corporation and Thermo Information Solutions subsidiaries. He formed Armel Scientifics, LLC which invested in over 30 start-up companies in Life Sciences and Advanced Technology.
He holds a B.E.S. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as Master of Science in engineering management from George Washington University, and has completed the program for Management Development at the Harvard University School of Business.
Watch Bob’s talk here »
Bob Duggan
Robert Duggan, President and Co-Founder of Tai Sophia Institute, is a unique combination of professor, clinical practitioner, management executive, and inspirational leader. He has practiced traditional acupuncture since 1972, acted as a White House advisor, and is the leading voice for the integration of traditional and complementary medicine. Bob is the author of Common Sense for the Healing Arts.
Read More
Bob holds a Master’s Degree in Education from New York University, as well as degrees in Philosophy, Theology, Human Relations, and Community Organization. Additionally, he has a master’s in moral theology from St. Joseph’s Seminary, and received his mas-ter’s certification in acupuncture from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (UK). A national leader in the development of the acupuncture profession and the emer-ging healing arts community, Bob has served as a commissioner of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, on the board of trustees of the Horizon Foundation (a community wellness foundation in Howard County, Maryland, which in 2008 honored him with its annual Leadership Award), and a panelist at meet-ings sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Watch Marcus’s talk here »
Marcus Ranum
Marcus J. Ranum is a computer and network security researcher and industry leader. He is credited with a number of innovations in firewalls, including building the first Internet email server for the whitehouse.gov domain, and intrusion detection systems. He has held leadership positions with a number of computer security companies. Ranum’s work has been cited in at least 15 published U.S. patents.
Read More
Ranum designed and implemented Digital Equipment Corporation’s Secure External Access Link (SEAL) (later AltaVista firewall), regarded as the first commercial bastion host firewall, in 1990. He left DEC to work for Trusted Information Systems (TIS) as chief scientist and development manager for Internet security products. It was at TIS that Ranum became responsible for the whitehouse.gov Internet email site. Once charged with that responsibility, Ranum advocated that the whitehouse.com domain be registered as well. Despite his advice, it was not registered by the government, but was later registered for an adult entertainment provider.At TIS, he developed the TIS Internet Firewall Toolkit (fwtk) under a grant from DARPA. After TIS, he worked for V-One as chief scientist, and was extensively involved in that company’s IPO. Three months after that IPO, Ranum formed his own company, Network Flight Recorder (NFR), and served as CEO for three years before stepping into a CTO role. Ranum later left NFR to consult for TruSecure, before joining Tenable Network Security as CSO.
Ranum’s work has been cited in at least 15 published U.S. patents, as well as numerous other computer and network security articles and books.
Watch Ico’s talk here »
Ico Bukvic
The art of composer and multimedia sculptor Ico Bukvic is defined by ubiquitous interactivity. His work is a balancing act between scientific research of new multimedia technologies for the purpose of betterment of the overall quality of life and a pursuit of new forms of artistic expression using newfound tools. His opus encompasses aural and visual, acoustic and electronic, performances and installations.
Read More
In part supported by grants, commissions, and awards (ASCAP, SEAMUS, SAI, Upbeat, VT CLAHS), his creations have received international exposure through music festivals (ICMC, SEAMUS, Spark, FEMF, CMS, EMM, IEMF, LAC, MusicX, OCEAn, gmem, 3rd Practice, Brooklyn Film Festival, etc.), radio stations, concerts, and Internet. His research (including grants from UC UGS, VT CEUT, VT CLAHS, ISCE, ICTAS, VT Foundation, Croatian Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports, and Wake-Forest MBA) has produced a number of software contributions to the multimedia art community (RTMix, RTcmix instruments, Soundmesh, Superkaramba, Pure-Data, Max/MSP, Unity3D), and has been published in journals, magazines, and conference proceedings, such as Organised Sound, Spark, LAC, ICMC, Linux User & Developer, Tonmeistertagung, and Array.
Ico maintains an active career as a scholar and researcher; prior to joining Virginia Tech, he taught at the Oberlin College, Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and has served as a visiting lecturer at various festivals and workshops. As the author of the first-of-a-kind “Linux & Multimedia” curriculum at CCM and Virginia Tech, and the elected Director of the international Linuxaudio.org consortium, he has a soft spot for libre software. Currently, he is also serving as the elected Board member and Treasurer for the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS).
Watch Mark’s talk here »
Mark Walsh
Mark Walsh is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. In the 90s he was a corporate officer at AOL and founded VerticalNet, a company that had a $13 billion market cap at its peak. In 2002 Mark got into politics, becoming the head of internet operations for the John Kerry for President Campaign, then founding CEO of Air America Radio, the liberal talk-radio network that brought you Al Franken.
Read More
One year out of college, Mark was named the youngest anchorman in the CBS TV Network. He went to business school, then joined HBO in NYC in new business development. Soon after, he joined the “interactive services industry”, now known as the internet, in the mid eighties. He worked at a number of large and small providers, soon becoming a corporate officer at AOL in the mid nineties, then becoming ceo of VerticalNet, a B2B internet company he took public in early 1999. It’s peak market capitalization was almost 13 Billion Dollars.
In 2002 He got into politics, becoming the first Chief Technology Advisor to the Democratic National Committee, head of internet operations for the John Kerry for President Campaign, then founding CEO of Air America Radio, the liberal talk-radio network that brought you Al Franken.
He is an active angel and venture investor. He currently is ceo and co founder of GeniusRocket, a crowdsourcing marketing and advertising firm. He serves on a number of for profit and not for profit boards, and for the last 4 four years has co-hosted a political talk show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio called “Left Jab”.
Watch Ana’s talk here »
Ana Vidović
Ana Vidović is one of the youngest virtuoso guitarists in the world. Ana started playing guitar at the age of 5, and by 7 had given her first public performance. At the age of 11 she was performing internationally, and at 13 became the youngest student to attend the prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb, Croatia. Ana has won an impressive number of prizes and international competitions all over the world.
Read More
These include first prizes in the Albert Augustine International Competition in Bath, England, the Fernando Sor competition in Rome, Italy and the Francisco Tarrega competition in Benicasim, Spain. Other top prizes include the Eurovision Competition for Young Artists, the Mauro Giuliani competition in Italy, the Printemps de la Guitare in Belgium and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.
Ana has given over one thousand public performances since first taking the stage in 1988. Her international performance career includes recitals in London, Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Rome, Budapest, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, Oslo, Copenhagen, Toronto, Baltimore, San Francisco, Houston, Austin, Dallas and St. Louis.
HOST
Jeff Salkin
Jeff Salkin joined Maryland Public Television (MPT) in 1991 and has become one of the most respected and recognizable journalists on the local public affairs scene. During his tenure with MPT he has served as moderator for political debates, hosted live coverage of the annual ‘State of the State’ address, inaugurals, and numerous broadcast town hall meetings, and anchors MPT’s weekly State Circle.
Read More
As MPT’s executive producer of Bloomberg Morning News, a weekday financial news report that aired in the 1990s, Mr. Salkin helped create and launch the program. It was a co-production of MPT and Bloomberg L.P. and was syndicated nationally to PBS stations. In fall 2001, he began serving as anchor for Maryland Public Television’s weeknight program, Direct Connection with Jeff Salkin, a community affairs interview show that made its debut on October 1 of that year.
He is an alumnus of Baltimore’s Gilman School and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Salkin resides in Howard County with his wife and three daughters.
