by Kate Bergin
The eight speakers at next week’s 7th annual TEDxManhattanBeach will cover a broad range of topics, including race and community, science and comedy, technology and aging, breathing and health, human rights and youth activism.
The event, which takes place November 5 at Mira Costa High School, is themed “What if?” All speakers are from the South Bay and the Los Angeles area.
“Every TEDxManhattanBeach speaker has an idea to share and a story to tell,” said Tami Brothers, a producer of the event. “We look for ideas that are relevant today – ideas people will connect with.”
Dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” TEDxManhattanBeach is licensed by TED, the nonprofit who has made “TED Talks” well known around the world. TEDxManhattanBeach’s mission is to share great ideas, and spark community creativity and conversation.
Speakers will share ideas across a broad range of topics.
Malissia Clinton from Manhattan Beach is a wife, mother of three, and senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Aerospace Corporation. In the middle of the night in the spring of 2015, the front door of the Clinton’s home was firebombed, shocking the community.
“The fire ignited a foreboding and despair in me,” Clinton said, reflecting on the events of that evening. “Was our country ever going to change? Were we ever going to get along? Was this happening even in Manhattan Beach?”
Still grappling today with the decision to stay and the bigger issue of being a full participant in a society that seems bent on dividing along racial lines, Clinton has discovered an interesting conjunction of family legacy and coincidence which will be the topic of her TEDx talk.
Other speakers include Kevin Kelly, a Venice-based breast radiologist for almost 35 years. Kelly has developed an automated breast ultrasound machine to identify small, invasive cancers when they are curable; the results are mortality rates equivalent to those of women who have never had cancer.
Kyle Hill is a Los Angeles entrepreneur utilizing technology to provide high quality home healthcare for the aged and disabled. Hill’s goal is to care for people at home and avoid hospitals and nursing homes.
Amy Alkon, from Venice, known as “Miss Manners with Fangs,” is a science-help expert who believes science and comedy are not mutually exclusive. Alkon writes “The Advice Goddess,” a nationally syndicated column, focusing on how to use science to solve your problems and improve your life.
Kenneth Dolin is a sought-after photographer from Los Angeles specializing in portrait and headshot photography. Dolin believes that while most people pose for the camera, it’s his job to get them to stop posing. He describes his process as being part photographer, part life coach, part clown and part provocateur.
Belisa Vranich is a clinical psychologist from Marina Del Rey, and the author of “Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14 –Day Program to Improve your Mental and Physicial Health.” Vranich teaches people to breathe in an anatomically correct way to address a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms.
Redondo Beach resident Lucas Deines faced a dire medical situation in 2014. He was told he had a brain tumor wrapped around his carotid artery. A surprising advancement in medical Virtual Reality saved Deines’ life.
Ramaa Mosely, from Venice, is a human rights advocate and filmmaker who has directed many award winning documentaries. Mosely founded a company of youth filmmakers who develop media content for youth audiences. In 2012 Mosely’s advocacy took on new meaning when she found herself in the crossfire of an international kidnapping; 276 young Nigerian girls had been kidnapped by the Boko Haram and Mosely launched the US social media campaign behind “Bring Back Our Girls.”
“We believe ideas can change the world,” Brothers said. “And there are so many great ideas right here in our community. TEDxManhattanBeach is about possibilities, and this year, fellow residents will tell us about what happened when they asked ‘What If?’”
TEDxManhattanBeach is sponsored by the City of Manhattan Beach, The Manhattan Beach Unified School District, and the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation. Tickets for the November 5 event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. can be purchased online at www.TEDxManhattanBeach.com.
