TEDxFactoria 2025

Speaker Info:

Yanfang Su

Talk: “Sodium Reduction for Heart and Brain Health: Policy and Implementation”

Dr. Yanfang Su is an Assistant Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington and Co-founding Director of the Learning for Action in Policy Implementation and Health Systems (LAPIS) initiative. A Harvard-trained health economist, she’s authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and consulted for organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. Her mission: to save lives by improving the way we turn health policy into health reality — one grain of sodium at a time.

Michelle Mazur

Talk: “Why We Listen to Influencers Over Experts — and What to Do About It”

Dr. Michelle Mazur has spent her career at the intersection of academia, business, and public conversation. She’s taught university students how to think critically, led global market research for companies like Microsoft and Kraft, and for the past 14 years, she’s helped scientists, therapists, and consultants communicate ideas people actually trust. In an age of misinformation and fractured trust, her question couldn’t be more urgent: How do we rebuild trust in experts — before it’s too late?

Dhruv Joshi

Talk: “Don’t Forget to Thank Your AI!”

Mr. Dhruv Joshi stands at the frontier of artificial intelligence and human collaboration. As a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, Dhruv Joshi co-authored The New Future of Work 2024 report and holds over a dozen U.S. patents in privacy-preserving data innovation. His work asks us to rethink our relationship with the machines that are learning from — and with — us. He’s an engineer, inventor, and futurist all in one, and today, he’ll challenge us to see AI not as a threat… but as a partner worth thanking.

Vickie Gould

Talk: “The Future of Medicine Is Made of Sound”
Ms. Vicki Gould believes that the future of healing might not come in pills or surgery — but in frequency and vibration. Vickie Gould is the founder and CEO of Life Changing Energy, an Inc. 5000-ranked global education company that has taught over 34,000 students worldwide. She’s a best-selling author, Reiki Master, and Sound & Energy Healer whose work has been recognized globally — not just for its results, but for its resonance. After overcoming chronic Lyme disease, she dedicated her life to helping others rediscover the healing power of sound.

Erin Wing

Talk: “The Inconvenient Plate: How Our Food Choices Are Changing Our Planet”
Ms. Erin Wing has seen the hidden cost of our meals — up close. As a former undercover investigator in factory farms across the U.S. and now the Director of Investigations at a major animal protection organization in Washington, D.C., Erin Wing has documented stories that few people ever see — stories that force us to confront how what’s on our plates affects the planet we share. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press. In her talk, she’ll challenge us to look at the inconvenient truths of our food system — and imagine a more compassionate one.

Greg Scott

Talk: “If I Were an Online Predator: The Creepiest Presentation I’ve Ever Done”

Mr. Greg Scott is a cybersecurity expert who’s spent decades helping people understand and defend against the dark side of the internet. He’s spoken at colleges, Rotary clubs, and cybersecurity chapters across the country, and he’s the author of the cyber-thriller Virus Bomb. In this presentation — which he calls “the creepiest he’s ever done” — Greg asks us to see the online world through the eyes of a predator… so we can learn to fight back.

Conrad Lee

Talk: TBA

Mr. Conrad Lee is the longest-serving member of the Bellevue City Council, and also made history as Bellevue’s first Asian American mayor. Before entering public service, he worked as an engineer at Boeing and as a regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Born in China and educated in Hong Kong, Michigan, and Washington, Conrad embodies the global perspective that defines the Pacific Northwest. His career reminds us that progress begins not in distant capitals, but in the cities and communities we call home.