TEDxBuffalo volunteers donate their time weekly to planning an inspired TEDxBuffalo conference with well-thought out plans on how to bring TEDx to Buffalo. The following people are involved in planning TEDxBuffalo for the October 9, 2012 date.
2012 Volunteers:
Kevin Purdy is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast and the organizer of TEDxBuffalo. He is also a co-founder of CoworkBuffalo, the author of The Complete Android Guide, and the host of two podcasts, one silly, one that involves development.
Leah MacVie is a blogger (www.leahmacvie.com), instructional designer, photographer, and former graphic and Web designer. In her spare time, she is focusing on finding out more about DIY and informal learning through here blog. She loves everything DESIGN: instructional, identity, graphic, Web, and educational technologies. You can find her on Twitter @leahmacvie.
Carl Skompinski is a proponent of open government, focused regional planning efforts for light-rail transportation, neighborhood development, and leveraging the historical aspects of the Niagara region for economic development. He was selected as the Buffalo Alliance for Education’s Pathfinders Award for his contributions to education in WNY. He also directs and mentors UB MBA students for the school’s eCommerce curriculum. Carl served on the TEDxBuffalo 2011 Program Committee and manages the same committee for our 2012 effort.
Tricia Mekarski has lived in Western NY her whole life, she is currently enrolled as a Fashion Merchandising Student at Genesee Community College and has experience in sales and marketing at CertaPro Painters. She enjoys cookies and candy, and likes on her facebook page.
Tricia Marcolini has been a Lewiston native her whole life. She graduated from Canisius College with a B.S. in Information Systems and is currently seeking her M.B.A. She is truly inspired by the TED talks she hears and is looking forward to bringing that to the Buffalo community to provoke some real change. She enjoys photography and cooking along with technology and design. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Facebook.
Dan Magnuszewski is a software/internet entrepreneur from Buffalo, NY, who’s focused on building companies, while pushing to consolidate and grow the WNY tech and startup scene. He is currently a tech mentor for UNYstartups.com, the Student Sandbox at the Syracuse Technology Garden, and recently joined the WNY Computer Science Teachers Association, which promotes computer science education in grades K-12. He co-founded the WNY OpenData Working Group to make public data more accessible, promote open data, and push for government transparency. When away from the computer, Dan fills his time speedskating, running, and brewing beer. Find him on Twitter at: @magnachef
Pete Herr is a life long Western New Yorker who wouldn’t trade his rust belt roots for anything. A teacher, a designer, and a big mouth, Pete spends his days looking for “ideas worth sharing” to pass on to his students and social media pals. Currently the Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair and Leadership Studies Teacher at St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, Pete also is the President of the Lancaster Youth Foundation. He has also sat n the Board of Directors for UpstageNY. You can find Pete on Twitter at @peteherr
Levi Neuland is a web developer and designer from Western New York. He is a fan of learning about new technology and apply it practically to make people’s daily lives easier. He currently serves the Digital Director for a local Buffalo ad firm and in his spare time runs a personal website focused on the movie and television industry. Follow him on Twitter: @hellolevi
Chaz Adams grew up in and around Western New York before attending Clarkson University, where he majored in Information Systems. He returned to the Queen City and, beyond the Queen City, follows the tech, auto, and winter sports cultures.
Michael Richard Murphy is a Rochester, New York based web developer and designer. In addition to creating websites and applications for small businesses, Michael is also a design and user experience mentor for entrepreneurs in Syracuse University’s Student Sandbox at the Syracuse Technology Garden. Connect with him on Twitter @michaelmurphy or LinkedIn
Natalie Sydoriak has lived in Western New York all her life. She graduated with a B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo. She enjoys kayaking and photography along with technology and new books and films. You can follow her on Twitter @natnatNatalie
Daniel Green is now living in Buffalo after a stint in NYC and an even shorter stint in Rochester, NY. His knack for fixing things and solving problems found him working with Apple for a few years and now for Weill Cornell Medical College. Dan is really excited about all the great things going on in Buffalo right now and wants to be a part of it. You can usually find him at a local coffee shop or at one of the many amazing Buffalo restaurants in search of vegetarian friendly food. You can also find him on Twitter @whentheponydies or Linked In.
Nick Guy is the Accessories Editor for iLounge.com. He also serves as the Logistics Coordinator for B-Team Buffalo and is involved with planning events for organizations such as the National Buffalo Wing Festival and UNYTS. In his free time he keeps busy eating and drinking his way through Buffalo. On Twitter, he’s @thenickguy.
Alex Levine is the founder of OldVersion.com and is currently employed by Yelp, Inc. as Buffalo’s Community Manager. He loves running, swimming, cycling and pursuing outdoor adventures of all kind. You can find him on Twitter at @avlevine and @YelpBuffalo.
Paul Bluhm was born and raised in Buffalo’s northtowns. He studied as an undergraduate in the school of science at Canisius College. Through TEDxBuffalo, he hopes to help spark the kind of change that makes the future of Buffalo brighter than its present. His username on Twitter is @Paginayn.