Richard Antcliff is the Chief Technologist of the NASA Langley Research Center and director of the center’s Strategic Relationships Office. He received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Georgia. After a series of leadership positions at NASA and a brief stint at Disney Imagineering, Rich became head of the newly created “Innovation Institute” at Langley, the forerunner of his current organization. He and his wife, Joanne, live in Hampton, Virginia. They have four children and 100,000 honeybees.

Professional speaker, trainer and consultant Hayley Foster pitched in to launch the very first TEDxNASA event in 2009 and has never looked back. In the process, she has discovered hidden talents: Speaker coaching, event organizing and program content design. Hayley’s unique specialty is coaching presenters to give short talks with big impact. She has especially enjoyed working with the teens in today’s program. This is her sixth TEDx event.

Despite a leg amputation at age five, Bonnie became the first African-American ever to win Olympic medals in ski racing. She became a Rhodes Scholar, a White House economic official, and currently travels the world inspiring leaders. She was quoted on millions of Starbucks coffee cups and has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CBS Morning News, NBC News, and in The NY Times, People, “O”, and Essence magazines. NBC Nightly News called Bonnie, “One of the five most inspiring women in America.”

Austin Sens is a musician, teacher, and student who resides in Chesapeake, Virginia. He writes and performs original music and teaches private guitar lessons in his spare time. He recorded his first full-length album in his bedroom in the winter of 2009, and is currently writing a follow-up.

Mark Moore has been designing advanced aircraft concepts at NASA for over 27 years, with a focus on small aircraft that can takeoff and land vertically, without a runway. He received his Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Stanford University and is currently completing his Ph.D. at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on “On-Demand Aviation,” that is, Personal Air Vehicles that most people will be able to afford and be capable of flying. His current research explores the new technology frontier of electric propulsion in order to achieve quiet, reliable, safe, and low cost aircraft that you will be flying someday soon. He was one of the principle researchers involved with NASA’s “Green Flight Challenge,” which just awarded the largest aviation prize of all time and achieved a new world record in efficient flight.

Tessa is a student from Hampton who sticks her nose in all areas of art. While doodling all up her arm and writing poetry in the margins of her homework, she plans for a future as an actress and hopes to encourage those who gladly shed the title “normal.”

When Rhiannon was six, she and her family sailed around North America for four years via the Panama Canal. After returning to shore, she continued as both a homeschooler and an environmentalist. She has been a docent at the Norfolk Zoo for two years and is now a full-fledged Zoo Keeper’s Aide.

Luke Iha is seventeen years old and has been unschooling for four years. He is an intern at the Muse Writers Center where he is pursuing a questionable literary career. His other interests include philosophy, teaching and Capoeira. He evidently does not want to make any money.

As a training manager, Simon leads a team of professionals to improve business performance through knowledge and skills transfer – or what he calls “brain engineering.” Simon supports workforce development as an advocate of the skilled-trades. He created Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp, a partner event with Dream-it-Do-It VA, to demonstrate to youth that they already like manufacturing. Simon thrives in his roles as a public speaker, husband, and father.

Omékongo is a diversity educator and trilingual poet. Internationally, he has shared his work in 18 countries. His work has appeared on TV and radio in over 150 countries. Omékongo provides motivation and diversity trainings for schools, government organizations, and corporations. Omékongo has featured/lectured nationwide in diverse venues from Harvard to Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit. He has shared the stage with and his work has appeared alongside Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Mos Def, OutKast, and Wyclef. In 2010, Omékongo launched the 1,000,000 Youth Campaign to motivate students across the globe.

Patrick Henry is a professional speaker, songwriter, and columnist who shows how to go from ordinary to extraordinary. As a former Nashville songwriter, Patrick delivers entertaining keynote speeches that show how to become a star in your industry. He can be heard daily on the Sirius/ XM family comedy channel.

Home-schooled until sixth grade, Darcy has traveled extensively throughout all 50 of the United States, and many countries abroad. She is currently a junior at the Online High School through Stanford University, where she founded their virtual, global Model United Nations club.

Austin Sens is a musician, teacher, and student who resides in Chesapeake, Virginia. He writes and performs original music and teaches private guitar lessons in his spare time. He recorded his first full length album in his bedroom in the winter of 2009, and is currently writing a follow-up.

Jeff and Joey Anderson started BioRide and BioTaxi in 2011. By procuring waste cooking oil from local restaurants in Richmond, they are reinventing transportation by not only running off of biodiesel they make themselves, but also in every aspect of customer service and transportation.

Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two daughters.

Rita thinks of technology as a prism held up to the bright beam of the imagination to create a new global culture and economy. She is the Executive VP for Business Development at Science House, the creator of the Imagination Age, and Futurist at the National Institute of Aerospace. She’s an artist, adventurer and entrepreneur.