If you are wondering what
to expect on TEDx Tirana 2014, the answer is: variety, inspirational talks,
interesting people, music and more… In other words a colorful, memorable event.
Hopefully during this time we have given you some hints about how May 3rd
will be celebrated on TEDx Tirana. We will continue to share information and
keep you updated about the people that will add vibes to the great event and
the after party. Today we will focus on the people who will deliver TEDx Tirana
talks.
The speaker lineup can
be described in one word: ELECTRIFYING! They
are successful people from different areas who have achieved great things.
However, the path to success is not an easy. On May 3rd they will share
with TEDxers ideas based on their expertise and give insights on their path to success.
The topics, under the
theme “Blissful Uncertainty?!” will cover a great variety of areas like:
architecture, IT, music, design, literature, teaching, public and international
policy, aviation, medicine, finance and change management.
Here is the list of our
speakers for this year:
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| Miranda Ademaj |
Miranda
ADEMAJ, was born in Kosovo and left for Germany when she was only 10 years old.
Later she moved to Switzerland, where studied and worked in the financial
industry and is now the CEO and founder of Skenderbeg Asset Management AG.
Before this, Miranda engaged in a life changing experience as a backpack
traveler around the world, that deeply affected her perspective in life and
ultimately influenced her career path.
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| WendyHassler-Forest |
Wendy
Hassler-Forest started at Musicians without Borders in 2008, co-organizing the
start-up of the Mitrovica Rock School in Kosovo. After relocating to Mitrovica
in 2009, Wendy conducted the daily project management in close cooperation with
local partners and musicians. Wendy now works from MwB's Belgrade office,
coordinating the Rock School program in Mitrovica and Mostar (BiH).
 |
| Perparim Rama |
Perparim
Rama, Kosovan born, is the CEO and Founding Director of 4M Group – an
award-winning Architectural Designer and Conceptual Artist. His distinctly
integrated approach and passion for architecture has been presented in numerous
media publications such as London Building Design Magazine, BBC, RAI, The Times
Newspaper etc. His career has included accomplishments such as being a
consultant for the 2012 London Olympics, wining the world competition for the
Best Bar award, with his hometown project ‘Hamam Jazz Bar’, and proudly making
history at the 13th Venice Biennale in 2012, as the first person to represent
Kosovo in the event.
 |
| Catherine Bohne |
Catherine
Bohne was brought up by two Literature professors to love books and
scholarship. At 16 she won a place at the Waterford Kamhlaba United World
College of Southern Africa, and then went on to study biology in University
back in the States. After knocking around a bit, she settled in Brooklyn where
she took over ownership of the Community Bookstore of Park Slope, one of the
oldest independent bookstores in NYC. After almost 10 years, she went on
holiday to Albania, and found a new home in the Valbona Valley where she has
now been living for almost 5 years, working to develop local tourism in summer,
marking and mapping trails, helping with environmental research and working
with the children of the valley in winter.
 |
| Albana Vrioni |
Albana
Vrioni (Change Leadership Advisor & Practitioner) assists business leaders
manage strategic change from a holistic perspective and is actively involved in
promoting sustainable management strategies and practices. Her expertise
evolves around IT enabled transformation, with successful projects delivered
for European Institutions and National Administrations. A life journey full of
changes, has added to her professional career a deep and personal experience in
managing change in all its dimensions.
 |
| Kate Snow |
Kate
Snow was born and raised in Las Vegas, USA. After graduating university, she
came to Albania as a volunteer English teacher hoping to help others and
explore the world. Kate is fascinated by Albanian culture and enjoys writing
about her adventures on her blog, WildKatFormation.com.
 |
| Stefano Boeri |
Stefano
Boeri (1956) is a Milan-based architect and founder of "multiplicity”,
international research network dedicated to the study of contemporary urban
transformations. He was editor in chief of the international magazines
“Abitare” & “Domus” and author of Biomilano (Corraini, 2011), L'Anticittà
(Laterza, 2011). Professor of Urban Design at the Politecnico di Milano, he has
taught as visiting professor at Strelka Institute, Harvard GSD, Berlage
Institute e Architectural Association among others. Together with Richard
Burdett, Jacques Herzog e William MacDonough, Boeri had taken part of the
Architecture Advisory Board in charge of developing the guidelines for the
urban transformations to be implemented within the frame of the 2015 Milan
Architecture Expo.
 |
| Veton Breznica |
At
19 years old, Veton Breznica became the first aviation ambassador and glider
pilot of the Republic of Kosovo. Later, he was instrumental in the
establishment of Air Cadets – Kosova; an NGO for aviation minded youth, aiming
to produce the next generation of aviation professionals in Kosovo. Now, with
more than seven years of active aviation training and personal development,
Veton has gained international recognition for his achievement.
 |
| Donald Leka |
Donald
Leka is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of TransMedia, creator of the industry
leading and award winning cloud-computing platform, the Glide OS. Donald is an
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist.
Mr.
Leka has been a featured speaker and presenter at Harvard Business School, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), TechCrunch50, the Mobile World
Congress in Barcelona, the All Things Digital Conference (AllThingsD), New York
University (NYU), Boston University (BU) and The American University (AU).
Glide has been featured in over 25 books on Cloud Computing including the 2011
"Cloud Computing Bible," by Barrie Sosinsky and "Cloud
Computing: Web-Based Applications That Change the Way You Work and Collaborate
Online," by Michael Miller.
 |
| Dr. Liri Berisha |
Dr.
Liri Berisha is a prominent pediatrician, the first First Lady of Albania and
President of the Albanian Children Foundation. Dr. Berisha is extensively
involved in awareness campaigns on issues that have children in their focus.
She is a UNICEF ambassador with a portfolio of activities within and outside of
Albania. Throughout her long career, Dr. Berisha has received national and international
awards for her valuable contribution to children with different needs and for
her unparalleled humanity.
 |
| Robert Aliaj Dragot |
Robert
Aliaj DRAGOT, is an Albanian artist that has divided his life and work between
Tirana and Brussels. In the end of 90's, after a long career as a pop star
singer, Robert Aliaj DRAGOT nearly stopped with music to come back to his first
concern as an art painter. Dragot's work is figurative and makes extensive use
of techniques from photography, television and film. Now many years later in
Brussels, he is focused especially to a multimedial research, experimenting
with photography, moving images, animations, sounds and painting itself,
without loosing the picturesque quality. His attention divides himself between
a critical curiosity of the artistic scene in Europe and a renewed interest for
the fast shock therapeutic change, which the Albanian state underwent.
 |
| Dr. Linda Spahiu |
Dr.
Linda Spahiu is a pediatrician with more than 35 years of dedication and
passion for her profession. She has engaged in several social initiatives,
taking her to the most remote parts of the country during humanitarian and
social crisis. Besides this, Dr. Spahiu has dedicated the past 10 years of her
life to trace, protect and promote Albanian cultural heritage. Among others,
she has donated to Tirana and its inhabitants "Oda Etnografike"-- a
treasury chest composed of pieces from the national cultural heritage.
 |
| Besa Shahini |
Besa
Shahini is a policy researcher and analyst from Kosovo. She works with the
Berlin-based think tank, European Stability Initiative (ESI), on the
Europeanization of the Western Balkans. Between 2008 and 2010, Besa worked in
the South Caucasus, researching the relationship between the EU and its eastern
neighbors. Besa studied Political Science in Toronto and received a Master’s
Degree in Public Policy from Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. She now
lives in Prishtina and in addition to her work, she writes a regular column for
the online newspaper GazetaJnK.com.
 |
| Linda Mëniku |
Linda
Mëniku is a native speaker of Albanian. She is a lecturer in the department of
linguistics at the University of Tirana, where she specializes in discourse
analysis, text linguistics, Albanian as a foreign language, and media
discourse. Linda has been teaching Albanian at Arizona State University and CLI
for 11 years. She is the author of “The Gheg Reader” (2008), “Discovering
Albanian” (2011), and “Colloquial Albanian” (2012). Linda is also the
vice-president of Albanian Fulbright Alumni Association in Albania and the Head
Representative of the American Councils for International Education.
 |
| Silvia Bino |
Silvia
Bino, MD, Ph.D, is the Head of the Control of Infectious Diseases and
Immunization Department of the Institute of Public Health and an Associate
Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine, Tirana University,
Albania. She helped to establish syndromic based early warning surveillance
system and coordinated surveillance, diagnostic, and response activities for
pandemic influenzaA (H1N1) 2009 in Albania.
Dr.Bino
has been the Regional Coordinator of the network to strengthen surveillance and
control of communicable diseases in South-eastern Europe. She has authored
articles on infectious diseases published in professional and scientific
journals and has participated in the writing of different guidelines, books and
reports related to infectious diseases, influenza and public health
surveillance.
 |
| Agron Shehaj |
Agron
Shehaj, was born in Albania and left the country, during the 1990s mass exodus,
when he was only 13 years old. He grew up in Italy, and studied Business
Economics in Florence. At 28 years old he returned to Albania and became the
CEO and founder of Intercom Data Service, the very first Albanian company
capable to export services to the European market. With more than 3000
employees working in his business, Agron was awarded the prize “Employer of the
year 2013”. He continues to extend its business in the most important cities of
Albania, by improving new and yet experimental technologies, which connects the
market to the customers.
We are all excited to
hear their ideas, their life-time experiences and get some valuable tips and inspiration
from their stories. These are the people who will shape TEDx Tirana 2014
chapter… You don’t want to miss the chance of being part of this chapter…
