David is an experienced entrepreneur and financial services professional currently leading a team responsible for the creation and execution of all experiential and growth activities for a nationally recognized, local Bay Area registered investment advisor. Giving unheard voices in our local community with ideas worth spreading a stage is a passion of David's and what drives his participation with TED and TEDx.
Rachel spent 15 years as a corporate lawyer honing her skills in herding cats and getting shit done. Having perfected said skills, and feeling an unsettling disconnection from her fellow human beings, she then spent 3 years developing a messaging app focused on voice and video messaging and saving memories. She now works on fostering connection through writing about things that matter, and organizing groups of people to get together and talk about things that matter.
Halim is an entrepreneurial product manager with a knack for telling stories with words and sketches. Born in Beirut, he studied in Paris and Toronto, worked in London and Sao Paulo and now lives in San Francisco's Castro.
Melena is a project manager and facilitator with a passion for creating, inspiring and growing community. As director at One Salon San Francisco, Melena brings learning and play to life through enabling conversations that matter. She also hosts and supports events which emphasize the beauty of dance, self-awareness and artistic expression.
Alec is a Product Manager focused on user and customer experience design. He's currently working at Mira, a startup focused on making it easy to connect and control all of your screens. Alec is interested in using technology to building stronger communities, and excited about designing channels for people to share ideas, connect with and better understand one another.
Hsing Yi Lee, Cindy, is originally from Taichung, Taiwan and came to the U.S. five years ago to study Art. She completed an MFA in Visual Development in 2015 at Academy of Art with a focus on game concepts and animation. Since graduation, she has done freelance work as an illustrator and helped with visual art on a few collaborative animation projects. She was an full-time game artist in Lumosity for two years. She designed art assets built animations for multiple projects, with various requirements. She aspires to become a great visual storyteller.
Patrick Perini was raised in the theater and has over a decade of acting and speaking experience. Devoted to narrative, his exploits have included acting, coaching, designing, writing, and founding a video game company. Now VP of Product at Mira, Patrick puts his story expertise to use designing product experiences that help make information more accessible.
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