02/11/2025
For the first time in its three-year run, TEDx SUNY Cortland will offer a roster of speakers made up entirely of members of the SUNY Cortland community.
The eight-person lineup includes three Red Dragon alumni, two students, two faculty members and a member of the SUNY Cortland College Council.
“This year's TEDx SUNY Cortland showcases the truly exceptional educational opportunities our institution provides,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ann McClellan, a member of Cortland’s TEDx coordinating committee
“Among nearly 100 applicants from across the country, these eight members of the SUNY Cortland community stood out for their timely and meaningful contributions to this year's theme. Each presenter has something important to share about the 'air we breathe' and what a SUNY Cortland education can do to change the world around us.”
TEDx SUNY Cortland 2025 is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 4, in Sperry Center Vittor Lecture Hall (Room 205).
This year’s event has adopted the theme of the university’s academic yearlong series organized by the Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee: “Air.” It has been included in SUNY Cortland’s calendar of Open House events as a showcase for the academic quality and creativity of the institution’s environment.
The speakers will explore the invisible forces affecting our lives and share their thoughts with both a local, in-person audience, and a global viewership after being published online by TED, the non-profit foundation that runs speaking events across the planet.
To learn more about TEDx SUNY Cortland and register to attend, visit the event website.
The speakers and presentations for this spring’s event are:
Riley Meckley
SUNY Cortland senior
- “What Influencers Don’t Want You to Know”
Social media surrounds us like the air we breathe, unseen but constant. As an influencer with more than 173,000 Instagram followers, Meckley will share her experience creating content and discuss its impact on the digital air we live in. The big idea is that social media is polluted with an unrealistic standard of perfection. People are craving authenticity, and her account has been successful by being that ‘breath of fresh air.’
Jason Page ’08, M ’12
Alum and Assistant professor in SUNY Cortland’s Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department
- “Airing Leisure’s Dirty Laundry”
Leisure simultaneously socializes and reinforces power structures. This presentation reveals who benefits and who faces exclusion from leisure opportunities. It confronts uncomfortable truths about privilege and access and sparks vital conversations that can deepen our understanding of leisure and promote inclusivity.
Kathy Love ’91
SUNY Cortland alum, author, self-care coach and chief community officer of the Outlier Project
- “Self-Care is in the Air”
Self-care isn’t just manicures and massages. It’s about developing a true connection to yourself so that you know what you need, what you want, and deeply know that you are worth having that. Self-care is the air we all need to breathe. It’s not just about helping ourselves; it changes how we show up for our families, our communities, and yes, the world.
Curtis Czarniak ’89
SUNY Cortland alum, retired educator now working as an education consultant and author
- “Air and Public Education: Lessons in Complacency”
The toxic individualism and isolation that permeates all our schools threaten our students and teachers. After a century of educational research, classroom practice and reforms, we must accept the reality that the way we conduct education in our schools IS the problem. That can, and must, change.
Thomas Curty
SUNY Cortland senior
- “Let us Breathe”
The topic describes Curty’s personal struggles with mental health and his experiences both before and after therapy. He makes an analogy of respiration and connecting the soul, where being unable to breathe prevents people from living, ultimately creating a discussion about destigmatizing mental health and allocating resources to those who need it.
Margaret Steffie ’20
SUNY Cortland alum and health and wellness director of Ithaca and Tompkins County YMCA
- “Breathing New Life into Health: The Power of Knowledge and Nutrition”
Imagine a world where the air is stagnant, with no fresh breeze to clear the fog. That’s where our health is today. Despite new research, outdated ideas about nutrition and health persist, leaving millions confused. It’s time for a fresh breeze of knowledge to circulate, empowering us to reclaim our health and transform the future.
Rodney Koch
Full-time lecturer in SUNY Cortland’s Computer Applications Program
- “Breathing Fresh Skills: Reimagining Workforce Sustainability in the AI Age”
We enter the workforce like fresh air, supported by the oxygen of training and mentoring. Over time, without reskilling, we risk stagnating and becoming released into the air like polluted by-products. By embracing lifelong learning, we can retain our freshness, ensuring adaptability and employability throughout our careers.
Liz Arnold
Cortland College Council board member and founder of Digital Orchards, a career coaching firm serving the tech sector
- “From Air to Action: Why We Need Community Engagement”
The ancient Greeks believed that ideas came via the whispers of muses in our ears. Arnold will explore how the whisper of an idea moves to a small group conversation and then to a full-blown action plan engaging the community. Encouraging this spirit within us will build better civic relationships and combat the epidemic of loneliness in our country.