TEDx Salinas

What is TEDx?

Ideas worth spreading, locally organized

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.

The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized, subject to certain rules and regulations.

Our Mission

Voices from the valley

Salinas sits at the heart of one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth. It's the birthplace of John Steinbeck, a hub for innovation in food and sustainability, and home to a community that has always built things that matter.

TEDx Salinas was created to amplify the voices already here - the entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, and activists doing remarkable work in and around the valley.

The inaugural event brought together 14 speakers from diverse backgrounds to share ideas on stage at the Steinbeck Institute of Art & Culture, connecting Silicon Valley innovation with Salinas Valley agriculture.

Organizer

Michelle Serna

TEDx Salinas was organized by Michelle Nicole Serna, a speaker, activist, and organizer from Salinas. She gave her first TEDx talk at 16, her second at 17, and executive produced her first TEDx at 18 - making TEDx Salinas one of the youngest-organized TEDx events in the country.

Serna curated a diverse speaker lineup assembled to confound media-saturated expectations of what Salinas is about, with the theme connecting Silicon Valley innovation to Salinas Valley agriculture. As she put it: the millennial generation has a lot of complaints, but they are smart, driven individuals who can change their futures.

Press & Coverage

In the news