Featured Speaker: Karla Jennings, Senior Lecturer for Communication, Armstrong Campus / Georgia Southern University, TEDx Savannah 2018 Speaker and Speaker CoachTEDxSavannah's New Theme and Speaker Call
Karla Jennings is a senior lecturer and one of two full-time professors for the communication studies major at the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University. In the more than 18 years she has been teaching at both Armstrong and the College of Coastal Georgia, she has taught public speaking to thousands of students and has listened to (and graded!) hundreds and hundreds of speeches.
She studied communication and public relations as an undergraduate at Florida State University and then went to rival University of Florida for her master’s degree. She has worked in public relations and marketing for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, for Unison Industries (an aircraft ignition systems manufacturer), and for the Coastal Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
In 2017, one of her students was selected as the opening speaker and in 2018, Professor Jennings was the opening speaker for TEDxSavannah, with a talk about the fear of public speaking. She has been a board member of TEDxSavannah since 2022, and has served as a speaker coach for TEDxSavannah since 2017. She is passionate about “ideas worth spreading” through TED Talks and truly believes that “ideas change everything.”
Four of our club members have been TEDxSavannah speakers, including Suzanne Kirk, Denise Grabowski, Kelley Waldron, Julie Wade; Cecilia Arango (emcee), Kelley Boyd, and Suzanne Kirk are serve on the Board of Directors.
The fact that they were founded in 2009 as TEDxCreativeCoast shows how well the program has done with staying power, eventually becoming TEDxSavannah in 2015. The events are local, self-organized events that bring people together with the model of TEDx. The x = independently organized TED events that are community focused. TED stands for Technology Entertainment Design. It’s designed to be a fully immersive, carefully curated experience. Selected speakers spend months working with a coaching team to refine talks.
Post COVID they re-branded but they are going back to providing a lunch next year, as well as providing more time for people to mingle and discuss ideas. Their mission is present ideas with the potential to transform our community. They are seeking local thought leaders who can provide their take on this theme on a variety of topics.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- The call for speakers is now open! Application Link
- The 2025 theme is Curiosity Unleashed. Suzanne spoke about this theme and they are really excited to see what type of journey each speaker will take us on for their 8-12 minute talk.
- Save the Date: Friday May 16th 9am-2pm (doors open at 8am) Fine Arts Auditorium, GA Southern Armstrong Campus.
- They are looking for good ideas for Entertainment options as well as Break Sponsors.
- Early Bird Ticket Sales Available NOW through Feb 28th:
- Discounted pricing for educators, students, nonprofits, first responders & active military. Groups of 6 or more get a 10% discount as well and avoid Eventbrite fees. (email Clinton Edminster @ tedxsav@gmail.com)
- VIP/Friends of TEDxSavannah tickets available as well.
- Volunteers needed for day-of: Email Jessica McBride at tedxsav@gmail.com
- General Sponsors & Donations: email Ravi Gondaliya at tedxsav@gmail.com Sponsorship Packet here.
- Follow them on Social Media: Facebook, Instagram and X