TEDxVCU Illuminate
The theme of our 2026 event is Illuminate! We're shining a light on bold new ideas. Don't miss the event on April 11th, from 2 to 4pm in the Commons Ballroom.
The theme of our 2026 event is Illuminate! We're shining a light on bold new ideas. Don't miss the event on April 11th, from 2 to 4pm in the Commons Ballroom.
Daniel Custódio is a Fortune 500 executive with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale business transformation across fintech, healthcare, government, and technology sectors. He is known for leveraging Lean principles and systems thinking to help organizations navigate complex change, improve customer outcomes, and build sustainable growth models. His career highlights include playing a key leadership role in GBMC’s achievement of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award and driving a 20% increase in profitability at AllMed to support successful private-equity positioning. Daniel has also led high-impact AI and automation initiatives for global brands including Discover, Amazon, and GE, modernizing operations and unlocking new sources of value. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Fox School of Business, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, and a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Hamilton College.
Alexandria Davis is a student, small business owner, and advocate whose work focuses on improving outcomes for foster youth in higher education and addressing basic needs barriers. After aging out of foster care with limited family support, she started a small pastry business in hopes of a better life and later returned to college, where access to mentorship and basic needs support played a meaningful role in shaping her path. Today, Alexandria is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University and an advocate who hopes to help ensure foster youth are supported, seen, and given the opportunity to succeed.
A neuroscientist and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine and an alumna of VCU’s Executive MBA program (Class of 2023), Dr. Gretchen Neigh studies how stress gets under the skin—shaping the brain, the immune system, and lifelong health. Her work challenges us to see stress not just as a psychological burden, but as a powerful biological force that influences who we become and how we heal. By bridging neuroscience, immunology, and real-world experience, she translates complex science into insights that matter for both mental and physical health. Beyond the lab, Dr. Neigh is a passionate mentor and scientific leader, deeply committed to training the next generation of researchers and advancing science that improves human health.
Leslie Jarvis is a Virginia-based environmental advocate and entrepreneur whose work is rooted in lived experience. After her family’s small business was shut down for capturing rainwater, Leslie was pushed into the world of water advocacy and systems change. What began as a personal fight became a larger mission to challenge outdated systems and promote resilience, equity, and wise water management. Leslie is driven by the belief that environmental solutions should be practical, accessible, and shaped by the communities they serve. Her work focuses on reimagining how we value natural resources in the face of climate change, infrastructure strain, and growing water insecurity.
Maya Shah is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research mainly focuses on public health issues. She is currently researching Intellectual Humility in relation to preventative measures for gun violence. Specifically she analyzes the relationship between Intellectual Humility and traits indicative of a propensity towards gun violence. She has published a paper on this topic in The Cureus Journal of Medical Science. She has also presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Annual Convention. Previously, she researched the efficacy of masking in relation to COVID-19 counts. She has contributed to the literature on this topic and her research was published in the Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings and used to help form the Living Health Guidelines in the Philippines. She has presented at the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference and the Texas Public Health Association’s Annual Convention. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and singing. She also enjoys musicals. Some of her favorites are Six and Hamilton. Some of her favorite literary works are The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
From rockets to rockstars, Sterling Hundley has collaborated with clients from NASA to Rolling Stone, video games to the Grammys to design pictures that speak louder than words. As an illustrator, Professor in Communication Arts at VCU, Founder of Legendeer and Co-Founder of the Applied Arts Lab, Sterling works with an array of clients to unpack the magic of creativity into a framework of logic.
Yossera Bouchtia is an award-winning filmmaker and educator whose work bridges experimental storytelling, cultural memory, and the experience of the sublime in everyday life. Her films span genres including magical realism, neorealism, thrillers, biopics, drama, and experimental forms. Drawing on her Moroccan-American upbringing, her storytelling bridges East and West, amplifying unheard voices and shedding light on unseen truths. Bouchtia approaches storytelling as a practice of being – an invitation into consciousness, attention, witnessing, and deeper presence. She holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing from Columbia University and a dual degree in Cinema and Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is currently Associate Professor and Program Director of Cinema at VCU School of the Arts.