TEDxUW-Green Bay 2024 Speakers
Jordyn Gaurkee
Turning Trauma Into Purpose
Jordyn Gaurkee was born in Germany and raised in Wisconsin. She graduated with a degree in democracy and justice studies with an emphasis in legal studies and received the Chancellor's Medallion from UWGB. While there, she studied abroad in Scotland and Ecuador, started a local society, and received the Newman Civic Fellowship. After college, she moved to Bozeman, Montana, and found her passion in advocacy. She is currently the Victim Services Coordinator for the Bozeman City Attorney's Office.
J. Sebastian Garcia Medina, MSc
The Future of Global Manufacturing: The Industrial Ecosystem
Sebastian was born in Bogota-Colombia and is a PhD candidate of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine where he studies immune physiology of astronauts and early-stage rheumatoid arthritis patients under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Mason & Dr. Laura Donlin. During his PhD, Sebastian gained an interest in bacterial engineering and biopolymers due to their potential roles in spaceflight and medicine. He became an artist in residency at the School of Visual Arts for the Summer of 2023 where he explored metabolic interconnectedness in ecosystems. He received an innovator award through the Swarovski Foundation and the UN office for partnerships in 2023 and is currently investigating bacterial cellulose manufacturing and industrialization methods for circular bioeconomies. Sebastian holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in human biology and a double Master’s of Science in medical physiology and clinical research from Case Western Reserve University.
James Harris
From to Extremist to Activist | How My Christian Rationalist Childhood Led Me to Embrace Equality and Diversity
James Harris is a non-traditional student who grew up in an extremely Conservative Christian household until his parent's divorce changed everything. After high school, he worked factory jobs for over a decade until pursuing a degree in Democracy and Justice Studies. His life experiences taught him valuable lessons on debating and arguing with opposing views productively rather than destructively. He currently runs the program Bridging the Divide through a scholarship the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. He is the current Newman Civic Fellow for the UW-Green Bay campus.
Alison Jane Martingano, Ph.D
Empathy is a Muscle
Alison Jane Martingano Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB). Her research on empathy has been published in various academic journals, and she also regularly shares psychological insights with the general public via her Psychology Today blog and Psychology & Stuff podcast. As head of the Social Research Lab at UW-Green Bay, she mentors students to conduct cutting-edge empathy research, often using virtual reality. Alison Jane's research challenges the misconception that empathy is a fixed trait and offers hope and practical strategies for individuals seeking to broaden their empathic capacity.
Adam Procell
The Trenches of Change: From Incarceration to Legislation
Via a life sentence handed down three days after his 15th birthday, Adam Procell found himself on the wrong side of the tracks and would spend nearly a quarter century behind bars. He would later renounce his gang affiliation, publish ‘Anatomizing the Gang Culture’, and work tirelessly to keep kids from joining gangs. He is now director at Partners In Hope, a Faith-based prisoner reintegration organization. He is also cofounder of Paradigm Shyft, a strategic reentry consulting firm and is currently working to de-silo Milwaukee’s many reentry services via a shared reentry resource model called Home To Stay. He also is an adjunct instructor at Marquette University, hoping to influence the next generation of changemakers.
