We are a group of volunteers dedicated to bringing the innovative, energetic enthusiasm of TED and TEDx that is spreading around the world to the Santa Cruz area. Following is a listing of the volunteer team members of TEDxSantaCruz:
 | David Warren, Organizer David is a retired Cabrillo College Faculty member, educator, technologist, activist, husband, and father. Send mail | |
 | Kirsti Scott, Organizer, Marketing Kirsti is the Creative Director and founder of web design firm Scott Design, serves as VP of Marketing at the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, and is a co-founder of 100 Women Who Care Santa Cruz. She loves design, marketing, art, travel, technology, TED talks, and things that make her laugh, especially her husband and three kids. Send mail | |
 | Irene Tsouprake, Co-Organizer, Speaker Selection, Emcee Santa Cruz Change Agent, Writer, Heavily Invested Citizen, Caring Capitalist, Congress Briefer, Actress, SuperMom, MadlyInLoveWife, provider of extraordinary events, anywhere on the planet. Send mail | |
 | Jon Luini, Co-Organizer, Media Production Jon has been integrating music, technology & community with the Internet in Santa Cruz for the past 25 years. He is the President and owner of Chime Interactive, a leading full-service digital agency providing digital strategy consulting, web design, and video & multimedia production. Specializing in the music industry, Chime’s client list includes artists from Bob Dylan, Madonna and U2 to the Beastie Boys, Los Lobos and Joe Satriani. Send mail | |
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 | Douglas Carlton Abrams, Emcee Douglas Carlton Abrams has been in the publishing and media business for over two decades. As founder of Idea Architects, he has edited and agented many award-winning and popular books on subjects from personal growth to political commentary. He is the author of a number of bestselling books, including books with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia. He also writes novels, including The Lost Diary of Don Juan and The Eye of the Whale. | |
 | Andrea Hultzen, Logistics Born and raised in Santa Cruz, she has a deep affection and appreciation for the soul of this town. Andrea enjoys volunteering for events and programs dedicated to enriching the lives of others and those which open her own mind and heart. She enjoys hiking, cooking, traveling and reading, however, her greatest joy comes from watching the sparkles in the eyes of her two adored sons. Send mail | |
 | Gary Maricich Jr., Creative Director, Design Thinker Co-Founder/Principal of JAM design group, a multidisciplinary design company focused on design thinking and its application to everyday interactions, processes, products and environments. Words to describe Gary: artist, musician, chef, cyclist, global citizen, loving and smiling husband and father. Send mail | |
 | Nada Miljkovic, Audience Liaison Nada is a local activist artist and educator researching and exploring new media forms that inspire understanding and tolerance across diverse cultures. She develops new forms of cinematic and performative experiences in the virtual and physical realms using radio, digital video, net-art, and performance. In 2011, she co-founded Muse Cinemedia, a local company devoted to moving stories to the web and producing rich media content. Send mail | |
 | Sheila Schat, Speaker Liaison Sheila Schat is a partner of Chime Interactive managing Chime Nonprofit Communications. She spent the last ten years in community development finance creating effective asset building programs and increasing access to financial products for the unbanked. Her ability to shape sustainable programs and write successful grants recently resulted in over $6 million in financial awards. She is also a professional musician and has toured worldwide. Send mail | |
 | Sandy Skees, Public Relations Sandy Skees gives established businesses, early stage companies and organizations insight on the intersection of brand, communications and purpose. Sandy creates programs that provide organizations a way to focus, share, and motivate change in the world – change that values people, respects planetary resources and fosters prosperity. The goal is to tell strategic stories that create connections and inspire goodness in a sustainable world. Sandy is on the Advisory Board for Sustainable Life Media, a board member of KUSP Public Radio, founder of Yes& Change Agents and 100+ Women Who Care giving circle, and has appeared as a speaker or guest blogger for Sustainable Brands, Sustainable Minds, West Coast Green, the What’s Next Lecture Series, Dominican University and the California College of the Arts. She spends as much time as she can hiking in forests, sitting on beaches, cooking with others and learning something new every day. Send mail | |
 | Kristina Stiens, Sponsorships and Partnerships Kristina Stiens is a UC Santa Cruz alumna and TED enthusiast. She is an avid runner, writer, and producer, and has a passion for storytelling through cinema. She is working on her first adaptation of a book to screenplay and looks to travel, innovation, culture, and nature for inspiration. Her background spans across finance, web development, green design, Santa Cruz municipal activism, education, and production. Send mail | |
 | Labris Willendorf, Volunteer Coordinator Labris Willendorf is an interior designer, artist, dancer, activist and joyful person. She also loves playing with her dogs, reading, visiting the ocean and listening to music. Her main goal is to be a part, however large or small, in the collaboration of making the world a happier place for all beings. Send mail |
Neon open signs image by Tom Magliery
Fiscal sponsorship for TEDxSantaCruz is provided by the Santa Cruz Film Festival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.