TED@PMI Talks

Chiwuike Amaechi has worked in the energy industry for more than 10 years, gaining experience in project deliveries and engaging with diverse groups to deliver remarkable results in subsea intervention and construction. As a seasoned principal subsea engineer, he has a passion for technological application, safety and leadership. Outside of work, Amaechi enjoys traveling and engaging with people and cultures, reading and spending time with his family.

Khulan Batkhuyag is a communication strategist who began her career consulting for commercial businesses on branding and marketing. After eight years of service in the private sector, she focused on knowledge sharing as an influential tool to help consumers create healthier and earth-friendly behavioral changes. Batkhuyag is on a mission to deliver effective communication programs designed to advocate for sustainable development in emerging countries.

Wale Elegbede is a strategist who believes good, ethical leaders have a responsibility to bring positive change to their communities, organizations and families. He serves as director of strategy management services at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where he develops and executes strategy, project and program management, and business analysis. Elegbede is a Rada Distinguished Alumni of the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse, Human Rights Commissioner of Olmsted County and Adjunct Instructor of Graduate Project Management at Viterbo University. He regularly speaks on leadership, community and social justice issues.

Kristin Jones is a social media specialist at the Project Management Institute and has introduced innovative elements resulting in meaningful relationships, increased engagement and a strong community. She is passionate about engaging people and communities through authenticity and emotional connections. She believes in the power of kindness and thrives on the joy of true connection.

Betsy Kauffman helps leadership teams navigate complexity, make clear decisions, tackle tough topics and execute with confidence. For the past 20 years, she’s worked side by side with hundreds of leaders and has seen just about every variation of how leadership teams operate and execute, both successfully and not so successfully. Kauffman started her own coaching and consulting firm, Cross Impact Coaching, five years ago. Her superpowers include the ability to see, name and discuss the "elephants in the room" while empathetically delivering honest and open feedback.

YeYoon Kim develops professional communities at the Project Management Institute, supporting PMI chapters and communities in 20 countries across the Asia Pacific region, spanning from India to New Zealand. Kim is passionate about developing nonprofit boards, volunteer leaders and building diverse and effective teams. She is a master event organizer and works to bring zest and humor to her teams and communities.

Dinae Knox oversees the production of power generators on domestic and international military aircrafts. She is an author, speaker and advocate for social change and youth leadership. Previously, she worked as a consultant for various Fortune 500-rated companies while running a nonprofit organization that provided opportunities to underprivileged populations and communities. Her most recent accomplishments include learning to ride a bike and teaching herself the basics of gemology and electrical and mechanical engineering.

Kathy Mendias is a certified childbirth and lactation educator with a passion to educate and support expecting couples and create positive birth memories as a doula. Throughout her career in health care, Mendias has managed hospital retail operations and supported business operations as a marketing manager, and she currently manages hospital renovation projects. She earned an MBA from the University of Redlands and her certification as a project management professional from the Project Management Institute.

Billy Samuel Mwape is a computer scientist, project management expert and business strategist with more than 16 years of experience in the banking and mining sectors. He is a community leader using acquired skills and experience to build practical models to help ameliorate the lives of children living with neurological disorders. Mwape holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University, a BA in computer science from Copperbelt University and a diploma in telecommunication systems from City and Guilds of London Institute.

Danielle Torley is a proposals management professional with 14 years of federal contracting experience in Florida, Washington, DC and the United Arab Emirates. She enjoys collaborating and connecting with people in the communities she serves, and she volunteers on the board of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, Florida Chapter, and the Project Management Institute Emerald Coast FL Chapter. In her spare time, Torley moonlights as a fire performer and flow artist.